Europa League Betting: Villarreal vs. FC Salzburg

Both Villarreal and FC Salzburg have ensured their place in the last 32. The Austrian side owns an untouchable lead with 15 points in five cycles after having won all their fixtures. Meanwhile, Villarreal are second in group action on nine points. For all intended purposes, Group H is decided; however, Villarreal could try to stop Salzburg from finishing Group action with maximum points.

Match Time: 03:00 PM Eastern Time Thursday December 17, 2009

Soccer Betting Lines & Odds:

Villarreal -1 Ev -165 2½ O -125 U -105 Draw +265
FC Salzburg +1 -130 +400 2½ O -125 U -105 Draw +265

BetOnline Soccer Betting Verdict: Villarreal enter this match on a three match winning streak spanning all competitions. After beating Levski on match day five they went on to win back-to-back domestic matches – 3:2 over Getafe and 2:1 over Atletico Madrid. Overall, Villarreal have been inconsistent in domestic action. They are tenth in the table with 18 points in 14 cycles.

Nevertheless, they are enjoying a recent positive trend, suggesting they are not entirely without a shot in this match for the win.

FC Salzburg have been very convincing throughout the competition. They are on a five-match winning streak in Europe after winning all their group fixtures. They have also kept a good score sheet, scoring eight goals and conceding only two.

The Austrians are undefeated in their last five domestic matches. They are second in Austria’s Bundesliga, two points adrift of league leaders Rapid Wien.

Soccer Free Picks: BetOnline is offering Villarreal at odds of -165 to win outright. They have home edge and a recent run of good form but Salzburg have been so formidable in the competition that the Spanish outfit cannot be the sure play in my opinion. In fact, Salzburg at +400 odds (what are the oddsmakers thinking) seem to be too attractive a bet to pass up. I would go so far as to say they should be the favourites to win this match. I mean, they haven’t lost yet and they already beat Villarreal 2:0 on match day 2. Additional play is Over 2.5 goals at -125

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Europa League Betting: Lazio and Benefica in action

Group I leaders Benefica are looking to close Group action on a high note when they face bottom of the section Athens. Elsewhere, Lazio will be looking to close their European account on a positive note.

Soccer Betting Line:

Lazio -1 -125 -225 2½ O -130 U Ev Draw +300
Levski Sofia +1 -105 +550 2½ O -130 U Ev Draw +300

Match Time: 03:00 PM Eastern Time Thursday December 17, 2009

Soccer Betting Verdict: Lazio and Levski Sofia are out of the competition as Salzburg and Villarreal have seized both spots in Group G. So the last fixture is a matter of pride for each side. Lazio are on six points after five cycles, having gone 2-0-3 in the competition. Meanwhile, Levski Sofia are pointless and they will surely not want to end their European account with a blank balance.

Minor detail – don’t worry if you missed it because many would – but Levski are yet to find the net. How are they supposed to take any points if they can’t score. At the same time, they have problems on their own end with their keeper determined to thwart their efforts by conceding nine goals in five matches. Safe to bet on Lazio for the win at -225 methinks. Also, given their last meeting ended with a 4:0 score to Lazio then taking the overs would be a good added play.

Soccer Free Picks: Lazio -225 | Over 2.5 -130

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Soccer Betting Line:

Benfica -1 Ev -185 2½ O Ev U -130 Draw +260
AEK Athens +1 -130 +500 2½ O Ev U -130 Draw +260

Match Time: 03:00 PM Eastern Time Thursday December 17, 2009

Soccer Betting Verdict: Benfica’s last match is a mere formality and a win for the home side is the most likely outcome. Benefica lead Group I with 12 points and they will want to end their campaign with a fifth group win and secure top spot. Athens have gone 1-1-3 in the competition and hold the bottom spot in the section.

Though the Greeks have been outplayed by most sides in this section they were the unlikely winners when these two sides first clashed in Athens. They didn’t make the 1:0 victory over Benefica on match day 2 count as they went on to two defeats and a draw. And now with so little to play for one wonders whether they will really want to exert much effort – after all there is still a domestic campaign to consider.

Soccer Free Picks: Benefica -185 | Under 2.5 goals -130

Europa League Betting Group H picks: Fenerbahce SK, FC Twente and FC

Fenerbahce SK secured their advancement to the last 32 but third place FC Sheriff may join them yet if they surprise the Turkish outfit on home turf. The Moldovan outfit are only two points adrift of FC Twente, in second place on seven points. The Dutch outfit however will hope to thwart any overhaul attempts by Sheriff with a victory over FC Steaua Bucuresti in their last Group H match.

Soccer Betting Line:

Fenerbahce -1 +115 -160 2½ O +105 U -135 Draw +250
Sheriff Tiraspol +1 -145 +425 2½ O +105 U -135 Draw +250

Match Time: 03:00 PM Eastern Time Thursday December 17, 2009

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Soccer Betting Verdict:Fenerbahce lead Group H with 12 points and they are five points clear of nearest rivals FC Twente. So not only are the Turks through but also they have managed to clinch top spot. They did it with a 4-0-1 mark in five cycles.

FC Sheriff are on five points after five cycles with a 1-2-2 mark. They are still with a shot at second place, but in order to seize the coveted berth they need to beat group leaders, Fenerbahce. They met on match day 2 with FC Sheriff losing respectably 1:0 to the Turkish outfit.

That said, the Turkish outfit have the on paper edge and they really have no excuse not to win this match.

Soccer Free Picks: Fenerbahce -160 | Under 2.5 goals -135

Soccer Betting Line:

Steaua Bucharest +½ -125 +260 2 O -150 U +120 Draw +230
FC Twente -½ -105 -105 2 O -150 U +120 Draw +230

Match Time: 03:00 PM Eastern Time Thursday December 17, 2009

Soccer Betting Verdict: FC Twente are close to advancing into the last 32 but they need a win over Steaua Bucaresti to be certain of advancement. A draw would leave their fate in the hands of the outcome of the other match in Group H.

The Bulgarians are out of the competition and have nothing to play for save for thwarting the Dutch and taking them down with them. The Bulgarians haven’t won a single fixture in group action, managing a 0-3-2 mark in the competition. However, they did frustrate FC Twente on match day 2 when they held the Dutch to a scoreless draw on the away. They could do so again.

Soccer Free Picks: Draw +230 | Under 2 +120

Tiger Woods named Athlete of the Decade

Despite an ongoing sex scandal that has tarnished his image and potentially ruined his marriage, Tiger Woods was still named the Athlete of the Decade by the AP on Wednesday, and quite frankly it wasn’t even close.

Woods received 56 of the 142 place votes, making him the runaway winner. Lance Armstrong, winner of six Tour de France bike races finished second with 33 votes, and tennis king Roger Federer finished third with 25.

Since the beginning of the decade, Woods has had a staggering stranglehold on the sport of golf, dominating it as a champion like no one ever before. Since 2000, he has won 65 tournaments, including 12 major championships. He has won 56 PGA Tour events during that time, a number that only four golfers have topped over the course of their entire careers.

During that time, his dominance transcended golf, as wins were determined not by trophies, but by how many strokes Woods obliterated the field by. He won an average of 30 percent of the tournaments he entered, claiming victory in the 2002 U.S. Open by a record 15 shots. Nine of his 56 tour wins were by at least eight shots.

And with his presence on the course, Woods has made golf as mainstream as it’s ever been. Ratings go up for any tournament Woods participates in, and prize money has quadrupled since he joined the tour at the end of the 1990’s.

However, despite it all, Woods may be best remembered this decade, for infidelities which were revealed just before the calendar turned to 2010. It all started with a mysterious car crash on Thanksgiving night, in which Woods totaled his Buick and had several facial lacerations.

He later confessed to affairs with multiple women, despite being married to Elin Nordgren Woods for five years. The couple has two children.

He is currently on an indefinite leave of absence from the tour, as he deals with him family situation. It was first reported Thursday that Elin Woods may be filing for a divorce from her husband.

However, regardless of his indiscretions, Woods was still named the Athlete of the Decade for the 2000’s. Stu Whitney of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader had this to say about Woods, in the midst of his current personal problems:

"Despite the tsunami of negative publicity that will likely tarnish his image, there’s no denying that Woods’ on-the-course accomplishments set a new standard of dominance within his sport while making golf more accessible to the masses,"

Elin Nordegren Plans to Divorce Tiger Woods… Shocker

In no real shocker, Tiger Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, is planning on divorcing the recently name athlete of the decade. Reports are coming out that sources very close to Nordegren have confirmed that the divorce is 100% percent on.

Word is she is going to take her sweet time divorcing Woods to ensure that all the dirt comes out first so she can maximize her return when it comes time for splitsville. You can hardly blame her, as she has no doubt been publically humiliated to a degree you or I will never know.

Just to highlight just how public this divorce has been, the saga has been on the front page to some degree in the New York Post for 16 straight days. To put that in perspective, the earth shattering events that took place on 9-11 has the record at 19 days. Incase your math is a little slow, that’s only 3 DAYS less than the most infamous terrorist attack in the history of modern civilization!

Oh, and this is day 16, no one know just how many more girls there are. Anther doozy that is just breaking, and adds a celebrity to the dozen plus girls on Tigers smorgasbord of tail, is that Jessica Simpson may be one of the floozies too according to Star Magazine.

That one happened at the AT&T Pro-Am when Jess and Tony Romo were on the rocks and it just so happened Tony and Tiger were paired together. As quoted in the magazine “Jessica said that she felt like Tony wasn’t paying attention to her, so she was like, ‘What the heck!’ ” says the source. “She decided to have fun with Tiger whether it bothered Tony or not.”

Tiger that lion cheetah!

Getting back to his wife, who may have actually gotten lost in all of this, she is reportedly shopping around for a good, no GREAT, divorce lawyer right now but is expected to head back to her native Sweden to escape some of the media storm.  

Who knows, Tiger could win athlete of the decade and most eligible bachelor all in one year!