Betting Picks

Event: International Friendly, USA v. Netherlands.

Wednesday, March 3^rd, 2:45 EST

March is upon us, and the sports book offers a lot to choose from.  College basketball gears up, the NBA makes a playoff push, the NHL trade deadline nears, and the MLB heads into spring training.  However, around the world a huge slate of international friendly competitions is on the slate Wednesday in the soccer world, with some very interesting match ups as teams continue to prepare for the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

One of the many exciting match ups takes place in Amsterdam, where the number three ranked Netherlands host the United States team.

This is the toughest game for the U.S. yet, and they will have nearly their full contingent of players. However, they will be lacking the services of Oguchi Onyewu of AC Milan who is out with a knee injury, as well as Steve Cherundolo who is still suffering from a shoulder problem. Clint Dempsey and Charlie Davies will also be out for the Americans.

Despite a few injuries, the U.S. team should come out strong and play well on the road. A strong motivating for the American players is the fact that this will likely be the last opportunity for some of them to impress before head coach Bob Bradley chooses a 23-man squad to compete in South Africa. Two players that have been emerging of late are Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson, both of whom are looking to make the final team.  Ching scored first for the U.S. in a recent friendly on home soil against El Salvador. Sacha Klestjan scored in stoppage time for the Americans to give them a 2-1 victory and plenty of momentum heading to Amsterdam.

In South Africa, the Americans have drawn Slovenia, Algeria, and a tough opponent in England in their first match. The U.S. will be taking this friendly very seriously as they try to improve and become serious contenders this summer.  Failing to move out of the group would be considered a massive failure by the Americans.

The Dutch, meanwhile, look to continue their strong play.  They will be without star Robin van Persie, but the continued strong play of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder is expected to lead the Oranje. This is the team’s first friendly of the year, and should be boosted by playing at home in PSV Stadium. The Netherlands have scheduled three more friendlies prior to the World Cup, all of which are at home.

Their group opponents in the World Cup are Japan, Denmark, and Cameroon.  With high expectations, the Netherlands are expected to finish at the top of their group and move ahead.

Betting lines:

The Dutch are favorites in this match, but need to be careful not to overlook the American squad.  The U.S. will continue to embrace the underdog role, and will have to get comfortable playing and winning from that position if they hope to be successful come this summer.  Don’t look for them to give up if they get down early. The U.S. will play strong and composed, and look for a close game, and the Americans to give the Netherlands a surprising draw. The U.S.A. – Netherlands match is just one of many in the sports betting world Wednesday, so check out all the exciting battles as teams get ready for South Africa.

PICK LOST

Leverkusen leads Germany Bundesliga with 49 points, same as Bayern Munchen. They never lost at home against Koln, but Koln had hard times to score at Leverkusen, that’s why there was only 2 over matches, last one was in 2005. But this season Leverkusen have 65% matches at home over 2.5 goals. Koln as well on road have 59% over. In last 5 Leverkusen have 3 over and 2 under matches. Koln in last 5 with same result.
Head to head:
24.10.2008 Fri German Bundesliga Leverkusen – Köln 2-0
26.09.2009 Sat German Bundesliga Köln – Leverkusen 0-1
21.09.2005 Wed German Bundesliga Leverkusen - Köln 2-1
05.04.2009 Sun German Bundesliga Köln - Leverkusen 0-2
08.05.2004 Sat German Bundesliga Leverkusen - Köln 2-0
25.02.2006 Sat German Bundesliga Köln - Leverkusen 0-3
06.04.2002 Sat German Bundesliga Leverkusen - Köln 2-0
07.12.2003 Sun German Bundesliga Köln - Leverkusen 0-0
05.03.2002 Tue German Cup Leverkusen - Köln 2-1 aet
17.11.2001 Sat German Bundesliga Köln - Leverkusen 1-2
10.02.2001 Sat German Bundesliga Leverkusen - Köln 4-1
09.09.2000 Sat German Bundesliga Köln - Leverkusen 1-1

STATISTIC FOR: Germany – 1.Bundesliga

13/24 54%

PICK LOST

Dumbarton is fighting to get in playoff zone, they need to win many matches to challenge Brechin on 4th place with 6 points more. Arbroath is on other side of table, at the bottom, fighting against relegation zone. Dumbarton head to ehad is not so good since they didn’t win since 2004 at Arbroath. But Dumbarton recent form is the reason why this pick is good. Arbroath with 3 loses and only 1 win and draw in last 5. Dumbarton with 2 wins draw and 2 loses. But Arbroath have some key injuries today. They have only 1 real striker for today’s match and i don’t think this is good enough to win against hot Dumbarton.
Head to head:
15.08.2009 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Arbroath – Dumbarton 3-1
24.10.2009 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Dumbarton – Arbroath 1-0
05.03.2008 Wed Scottish 3rd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 0-0
23.02.2008 Sat Scottish 3rd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 2-1
18.08.2007 Sat Scottish 3rd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 1-1
03.11.2007 Sat Scottish 3rd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 1-1
10.03.2007 Sat Scottish 3rd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 2-2
03.04.2007 Tue Scottish 3rd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 1-0
28.10.2006 Sat Scottish 3rd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 0-0
03.09.2006 Sun Scottish 3rd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 0-2
10.12.2005 Sat Scottish FA Cup Arbroath - Dumbarton 1-0
30.04.2005 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 3-0
26.02.2005 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 2-1
16.10.2004 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 1-3
14.08.2004 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 0-2
06.03.2004 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 1-0
08.05.2004 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 0-3
16.08.2003 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Dumbarton - Arbroath 1-1
25.10.2003 Sat Scottish 2nd Division Arbroath - Dumbarton 2-1

STATISTIC FOR: Scotland – Division 2

0/1 0%

Event: Wolverhampton at Bolton

Saturday, February 27^th, 10:00 AM EST

As February draws to a close, some sports have ended, some are heading towards the final stretch, whiles others are just getting underway.  Fortunately, the Sports book is open for betting on soccer, and the English league is in full swing.

The beauty of the Premier League is that those teams far out of first still are motivated to play strong and not finish in the last three spots, where they would be relegated out.  With that in mind, an exciting match up takes place this weekend between two teams fighting for their survival, looking to move out, or stay out, of the league’s basement.

Wolverhampton sits uncomfortably with 24 points in the 16^th position, a mere point ahead of Bolton in 18^th, currently in position for relegation.  It will be a long continued fight as the season goes on, with seven clubs currently within four points of one another.  Two of those teams will likely be relegated at the end of the season. So there is much motivation in this weekend’s match as both teams looks to earn a three and move away from the pack.

For a team that has only won six matches all season, Wolverhampton is relatively decent when it comes to playing on the road, having earned two victories and three draws. Bolton meanwhile, has taken three of its five wins at home. The last meeting between these two teams took place in early December in Wolverhamton, where the home town Wanderers edged Bolton 2-1.

Wolverhampton is looking to bounce back from a respectable 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, while Bolton is trying to get out of a lengthy scoring drought. They have failed to find the back of the net in five straight league matches.  Two of the matches were scoreless draws; the team’s last victory was a 1-0 triumph at home against Burnley one month ago.

Goals have come no easier for Mick McCarthy’s team either, as they are tied with Portsmouth for fewest goals scored in the league. They have 21 goals in 26 matches. And it doesn’t seem like it will get any easier any time soon, as the team continues to suffer from injuries. While leading score Joey Craddock will be on the field, the next two top scorers, Nenad Milijas and Kevin Doyle are sidelined. Andy Keogh and Matt Murray are still suffering from long term injuries as well. The bright side for Wolverhampton is that they will welcome Michael Mancienne to the match, after having to sit out the Chelsea match due to terms of his contract.

Pick:

Wolverhampton will be favoured at home, but its close, and they don’t have a particularly strong advantage playing at home.  Both clubs have seriously struggled to score goals this year, and there is no reason to suspect that may change.  Sports book reviews will help to maximize winnings and bet on multiple games, but for this match take the draw between two closely ranked teams that will fail to break from the pack. Sports betting with soccer is easy to do, and it is time to take advantage of the games when two evenly matched clubs take to the field.