English Premier League Picks – Liverpool FC vs. Wigan Athletic

Liverpool FC have no sanctuary this season not even at their beloved Anfield Stadium that has witnessed more disappointments than ever before in one season. The Gunners were the latest outfit to heap misery on the hapless Reds by beating them 2:1 on the hallowed grounds at Anfield Stadium before increasingly discomfited fans. The result extended their winless streak to three in a row. Liverpool are in low spirits and something has to change, and soon, if they are going to make something of this season.

Wigan Athletic head to Anfield optimistic about their chances. They missed a chance to beat Stoke City at the weekend, settling for the 2:2 draw. The result still sees them move in a positive direction and therefore it most likely will not have knocked a bother out of them and will not have any lingering effects.

Soccer Betting Line:

Liverpool FC -1½ -110 -335 2½ O -120 U Ev 2 O -120 U Ev Draw +375
Wigan Athletic +1½ -110 +900 2½ O -120 U Ev ½ O -105 U -115 Draw +375

Match Time: 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time Wednesday December 16, 2009

Venue: Anfield Stadium

Online Soccer Betting Verdict: What can one say about the plight of Liverpool. They are seventh in the table and floundering, and they are out of Champions Leagues, relegated to Europa action for the remainder of the season. These are not happy times for Rafael Benitez and Co; and what is worse, they are seemingly at a loss at how to turn things around. How the mighty have fallen.

Wigan Athletic are not enjoying nearly as much success as they did last year and they have been inconsistent. They have peek-a-booed their way through the season, occasionally showing great results but throwing in some atrocious ones as well. Ahem, losing a staggering 9:1 to Tottenham last month has to be the highlight of their worst. Though they did manage to bounce back from that humiliation with a 1:0 victory over Sunderland (a top ten side right now). They showed further signs of their inconsistency by losing to promoted outfit Birmingham City 3:2 at home.

Soccer Free Picks: Liverpool is a much better oufit than Wigan is on paper, making them the better play in my opinion on the money line at -335 to win. The favourable odds shows the market hasn’t entirely written them off either. They have to start punching at their weight class, that’s all. Wigan at +900 is a long shot bet. True, others have taken points at the expense of the Reds and if Wigan were good enough to capitalize on Chelsea’s lack of focus earlier this season, it stands that they might take advantage of the low spirits at Anfield. Perhaps a small wager on Wigan then. Best Value is the score: taking the combined totals at Over 2.5 goals -120 and Wigan at Over ½ -105.

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Europa League: Shakhtar Donetsk and Sparta Prague in action

Sparta Prague go into match day six, seeking a spot in the last 32. They are level on points with their opponents FC Copenhagen but sit in third spot on goal difference. Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk are already through to the last 32 and a win over pointless Partizan is an almost certainty.

Match Time: 03:00 PM Eastern Time Wednesday December 16, 2009

Soccer Betting Lines & Odds:

Sparta Prague -½ +120 +120 2 O -130 U Ev Draw +225
FC Copenhagen +½ -150 +195 2 O -130 U Ev Draw +225

BetOnline Soccer Betting Verdict: Qualification into the last 32 is on the line as Sparta Prague and FC Copenhagen collide in the sixth cycle of Europa League group action. Little separates the two sides in the competition. They are both 2-1-2 so far. Both are on seven points therefore but the Danes are closer to qualifying, thanks to a better goal difference. This can all change with a win by Sparta. The two sides met earlier in Group action with the Danes winning 1:0. The Czechs have a chance to reverse the result with home edge and one has to give them the edge to do so.

Soccer Free Picks: Sparta Praha +120 | Under 2 Evens

Soccer Betting Lines & Odds:

Partizan Belgrade +½ -110 +290 2½ O -105 U -125 Draw +225
Shakhtar Donetsk -½ -120 -120 2½ O -105 U -125 Draw +225

Match Time: 03:00 PM Eastern Time Wednesday December 16, 2009

BetOnline Soccer Betting Verdict: Partizan Belgrade are pointless in the competition, drawing up blank in five cycles. Not only have they not won or drawn a single match in Group J but they have capitulated something awful against all opponents. In five matches they have conceded 14 goals.

The betting on this match is straightforward. Group J leaders, Shakhtar Donetsk are the sure play at -120. They lead Group J with 13 points and an undefeated run in five cycles 4-1-0. They also boast an impressive goal ratio scoring 14 and conceding only 2. When they met Partizan on match day 2 they beat them 4:1. Therefore best value in this match is the totals. Take the Over 2 ½ -105.

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Europa League Betting: Ajax Amsterdam vs. Anderlecht

Group A leaders, Ajax Amsterdam enter match day five in high spirits. They are already through to the last 32 after a dramatic 2:1 victory over Timisoara – one worry less to fret about for them. They are now aiming to secure top spot in Group A when they take on Anderlecht. A win over second placed Anderlecht would certainly assure them control of the section.

Anderlecht, are after a disappointing 1:0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb on match day four. They really missed a huge opportunity to close the gap on Ajax and hurt their chances of a top finish. Not all is lost. They are still in the thick of it albeit further off the mark than they could have been. If they beat Ajax, they might still be able to secure top finish on goal difference.

Soccer Betting Line:

Ajax Amsterdam -½ +110 +110 2½ O -120 U -110 Draw +175
Anderlecht +½ -140 +300 2½ O -120 U -110 Draw +175

Match Time: 01:00 PM Eastern Time Thursday December 17, 2009

Soccer Betting Verdict: AFC Ajax have been the most solid outfit so far in Group A. They are undefeated in five cycles, having gone 3-2-0. They have kept a tight sheet, scoring seven goals and conceding 3 goals. All their victories have been hard fought and tight affairs.

Anderlecht are second in Group A on eight points with a 2-2-1 mark. They kicked off their European campaign with a 2:1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb and followed up with a 1:1 draw against Ajax. They missed an opportunity against Timisoara when they grinded a scoreless draw on the away but they were not so lackadaisical the second time around, beating Timisoara 3:1 before their fans in Brussels. After the convincing home display, Anderlecht suffered a setback when they succumbed 1:0 to Zagreb.

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Soccer Free Picks: Ajax are undefeated in the competition and they would like to remain so when they host Anderlecht on Thursday. They also want to clinch top spot. One has to give Ajax the edge in this match to win outright and therefore they would seem to be the smart play at +110.

For Anderlecht, the most important thing in this match is to avoid defeat. A loss could be detrimental to their campaign as Dinamo Zagreb is only two points shy in third place. So they will be cautious. A draw would satisfy them some; a win would be more than they could hope for in this match. However, either of those results doesn’t seem likely. Anderlecht at +300 are a long shot bet as they haven’t been particularly convincing on the away in Europa action.

Additional value is on the totals. Both outfits have kept tight sheets and win by slim margins. As this match is tipped to be a nervy, cautious affair, we are unlikely to see many goals. Therefore, the Under 2.5 goals at -110 is a good bet.

UEFA Europa League Expert Picks

Soccer punters, the UEFA Europa League group stage comes to a close with a few places in the round of 32 up for grabs.

The draws for the round of 32 and round of 16 will be held in Nyon, Switzerland on December 18th but first will need to find out who gets in and who goes home.

These are my expert soccer picks for the Thursday games in the UEFA Europa League.

FC Timisoara +1 at -1 Dinamo Zagreb, at 13:00 PM ET

My pick: Dinamo Zagreb.

Valencia PK at PK Genoa, at 13:00 PM ET

My pick: Genoa.

Slavia Prague +1 at Lille -1, at 13:00 PM ET

My pick: Lille.

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Celtic PK at Rapid Vienna PK, at 13:00 PM ET

My pick: Draw.

Levski Sofia +1 at Lazio -1, at 15:05 PM ET

My pick: Lazio.

FC Sheriff PK at Fenerbahce PK, at 15:05 PM ET

My pick: Fenerbahce.

FC Twente PK at Steaua Bucuresti PK, at 15:05 PM ET

My pick: Twente.

AEK Athens PK at Benfica PK, at 15:05 PM ET

My pick: Benfica.

BATE Borisov PK at Everton PK, at 15:05 PM ET

My pick: Everton