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08/26/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea is just a few miles from its first Champions League title. Getting there, even after receiving an easy group play draw Thursday, remains the elusive last step in the club's incredible journey.
Since billionaire Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea in the summer of 2003, it has quickly ascended through the ranks to join Europe's elite clubs. Now, with Wembley Stadium in London - less than 10 miles from Chelsea's home at Stamford Bridge - hosting the Champions League final, the lure has never been stronger.
Chelsea has advanced to the semifinals in five of the last seven years, with a penalty kick loss to Manchester United in 2008 its lone finals appearance. The two years Chelsea failed to make at least the semifinals, it was eliminated by the eventual champion.
With its third English Premier League title in the last six years last season, and a pair of 6-0 victories over West Bromwich and Wigan to kick off 2010-11, Chelsea is displaying the form necessary to reach the last summit.
Chelsea has a clear path through the group stage, as Marseille, Spartak Moscow and Zilina were drawn into Group F along with the English champions. Marseille could pose a bit of a problem, but not enough to derail the Blues.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti has almost the same exact club that last season produced 103 goals in just 38 EPL games, and a healthy Michael Essien will turn midfield into an even stronger area.
Of course Abramovich tossed around a little cash this season, adding Brazilian midfielder Ramires from Benfica and Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun from EPL rival Liverpool. And the transfer window remains open - billionaires can never spend enough - so do not rule out a late addition or two.
English clubs have won the Champions League final in London (United in 1967-68 and Liverpool in 1977-78 at the old Wembley Stadium), but never has a club from the city lifted the title.
Arsenal and Tottenham join Chelsea in the chase this season, but the Blues are the team most likely to raise their first trophy at Wembley in May.
With Chelsea a lock to escape the group stage, here's a look at all the groups, as well as some prediction on which teams will advance:
GROUP A - Inter Milan (Italy), Werder Bremen (Germany), Tottenham (England), Twente (Netherlands).
Winner: Inter Milan
Inter won the treble last season by capturing the Champions League, Italy's Serie A and the Coppa Italia, and despite the loss to coach Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, remains a major factor this season.
Runner-up: Tottenham
Tottenham survived a scare in the playoff round of the Champions League when it lost the first leg to Young Boys of Switzerland, but scored the final six goals of the series to secure a group berth.
GROUP B - Lyon (France), Benfica (Portugal), Schalke (Germany), Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel)
Winner: Lyon
Lyon quietly extended its streak of reaching the knockout stage to seven straight seasons last year and, although the French club is overlooked at this point, remember it advanced to the semifinals last season.
Runner-up: Schalke
Schalke pushed Champions League runner-up Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title last season and couldn't have asked for a better draw. Although Benfica or Hapoel Tel Aviv could easily grab this spot, Schalke should do enough.
GROUP C - Manchester United (England), Valencia (Spain), Rangers (Scotland), Bursaspor (Turkey).
Winner: Manchester United
United had its streak of three straight semifinal appearances ended last year, but after a quarterfinal exit don't be surprised if Sir Alex Ferguson's men are back in the final four this season.
Runner-up: Rangers
The Scottish Premier League has not been represented in knockout play in the last two tournaments, but Rangers has just enough talent to edge Valencia and surprise Turkish champions Bursaspor.
GROUP D - Barcelona (Spain), Panathinaikos (Greece), FC Copenhagen (Denmark), Rubin (Russia).
Winner: Barcelona
The rich got richer with the addition of Spain striker David Villa, and Barca will again challenge for the title. Barca has reached the semifinals in four of the last five events, including titles in 2006 and 2009.
Runner-up: Rubin
Rubin stunned Barca in the group stage last year with 2-1 win at the Camp Nou and tied the second meeting in Russia but failed to advance. This time, Rubin will not get points against Barca, but will advance.
GROUP E - Bayern Munich (Germany), Roma (Italy), Basel (Switzerland), CFR Cluj (Romania).
Winner: Bayern Munich
Bayern squeezed into the knockout stage last year, then used away-goals wins to get past Fiorentina and Manchester United. Inter spoiled Bayern's run with a 2-0 win in the final, but the Germans are even better this season.
Runner-up: Roma
Roma went an incredible 21-1-6 over its final 28 games, including a win and a tie against Inter, to challenge for the Serie A title. Roma finished first in a group with Chelsea in its last CL appearance two seasons ago.
GROUP F - Chelsea (England), Marseille (France), Spartak Moscow (Russia), Zilina (Slovakia).
Winner: Chelsea
Chelsea has lost just five of its 42 group-stage matches in the last seven tournaments and should have no trouble again this season, despite trips to Russia and Slovakia.
Runner-up: Marseille
Former Chelsea midfielder Didier Deschamps is Marseille's manager, and with a confidence-boosting Ligue 1 title and the recent addition of strikers Loic Remy and Andre-Pierre Gignac, the group stage is attainable.
GROUP G - Real Madrid (Spain), AC Milan (Italy), Ajax (Netherlands), Auxerre (France).
Winner: Real Madrid
Mourinho is a good coach (the best even?), but he hasn't exactly taken over any struggling teams. Real has reached the knockout stage 13 times in a row, but has been eliminated in the round of 16 six straight years.
Runner-up: AC Milan
AC Milan trails only Real for all-time titles with seven compared to nine for the Spanish side, and should have no problem returning to the knockout stage for the seventh time in the last eight events.
GROUP H - Arsenal (England), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Braga (Portugal), Partizan (Serbia).
Winner: Arsenal
Arsenal has reached at least the quarterfinals in five of the last seven years and manager Arsene Wenger always finds a way to have the Gunners prepared for the big stage.
Runner-up: Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup two years ago and advanced to the round of 32 last season before losing to eventual runner-up Fulham. Shakhtar will meet the same fate in the knockout round, only this time in the Champions League.
<< Stephen F. Austin adds UTEP transfer
Nacogdoches, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Tim Curry has transferred from
UTEP to Stephen F. Austin and will have three years of eligiblilty remaining
with the Lumberjacks.
"We are very happy to have Tim join the Lumberjack football team
<< Cardinals to head back to Miami for make-up game
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals will head back to Miami
on Monday, September 20 for a make-up game with the Florida Marlins.
The teams had a game rained out on August 8. The rescheduled contest will
start at 3:10
<< Wozniacki wins U.S. Open Series
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caroline Wozniacki clinched the U.S. Open
Series points title on Thursday without event lifting her racquet at the
$600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up.
The top-seed
<< Stars sign D Grossman
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars have agreed to terms on a two-
year, $3.25 million with defenseman Nicklas Grossman.
The 25-year-old Swede registered seven assists and 32 penalty minutes in 71
games with Dallas last season
Roma's Adriano sidelined with thigh injury >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma striker Adriano will likely miss the start
of the Serie A season with a thigh injury, the Italian club revealed Thursday.
Adriano, 28, was injured in training on Wednesday. His exact diagnosis is not
yet
Nationals introduce top overall pick Harper >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals officially
introduced top-overall pick Bryce Harper on Thursday, prior to the start of a
four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Nats and Harper agreed to ter
Missouri running back could miss season opener >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Missouri running back Derrick Washington has
been suspended indefinitely for disciplinary reasons, according to the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch.
Washington's status for the Tigers season opener against Illin
Woods shoots 65, shares lead at Barclays >>
Paramus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing his best golf this year, Tiger Woods
shot a six-under 65 Thursday to tie Vaughn Taylor for the first-round lead at
The Barclays.
Woods played in the first group out in the morning wave and racked
Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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