World Cup 2010 Preview: Capello leads rejuvenated England

Soccer Betting Lines

05/18/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A disappointing exit in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup was followed by a failure to qualify for Euro 2008, leaving English soccer fans to wonder how bad things could get.

England's lone World Cup triumph came all the way back in 1966 as the host nation, and there has been little to get excited about over the past 44 years.

Outside of a trip to the semifinals in 1990 that ended with a penalty-kick loss to eventual champions West Germany, England has failed to seriously contend for the world's top prize, but that is where Fabio Capello comes in.

The Italian has done his share of winning during his managerial career, which includes Serie A titles with AC Milan, Juventus and Roma, and a pair of La Liga crowns with Real Madrid.

Under Capello, England has looked like a new team, and it showed in qualifying as the Three Lions won nine of their 10 matches to comfortably book their place in South Africa.

It also gave them a chance to get revenge on Croatia, the team that prevented England from qualifying for Euro 2008.

And get revenge they did, beating Croatia by 4-1 and 5-1 scores, prompting midfielder Frank Lampard to credit the manager with the turnaround.

"I think we've put the record straight, to some extent," Lampard told FIFA.com following England's 5-1 win over Croatia. "Since the manager arrived, there has been nothing but hard work, our confidence has come on a million miles in the way the team is playing."

Confidence will be important to an England side that has always been long on talent but seems to come up short in the biggest games.

Along with Capello, striker Wayne Rooney's performance will be vital to the success of England.

The Manchester United frontman put together a career season with 34 goals in 42 appearances for his club, while scoring nine goals in nine qualification matches for his country.

If Rooney can give England a consistent scoring threat up top, it will make life easier on the talented midfield duo of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who have both failed to replicate their great successes on the club level when they pull on the England shirt.

There is plenty of experience in defense with Rio Ferdinand and John Terry anchoring the middle, while fullback Ashley Cole has recovered from an ankle injury.

The scandal involving Terry and former teammate Wayne Bridge was a hot topic around the country a few months ago, and while Terry was stripped of the captain's armband by Capello in favor of Ferdinand, injuries figure to play a bigger role in England's success, or lack of it.

Rooney has been dogged by injury problems throughout his career, and he missed a significant portion of time at the end of United's season, while teammate Ferdinand was limited to 13 league appearances because of health issues.

Gareth Barry and Joe Cole have also been injury casualties, and Capello has to decide among Joe Hart, David James and Robert Green as the starting goalie.

There are still a few questions, but England should be able to finish on top of Group C, which includes the United States, Algeria and Slovenia.

And with Capello in charge, England will be hoping to finally meet the expectations of its success-starved fans.

Wwwsportspage Soccer Betting News


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Stanley Cup betting

New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.

MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.

Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Odds    

 Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings 
Carolina Hurricanes  
San Jose Sharks     
Anaheim Ducks    
Philadelphia Flyers 
Calgary Flames     
New Jersey Devils 
Buffalo Sabres   
Dallas Stars    
New York Rangers  
Nashville Predators  
Vancouver Canucks 
Colorado Avalanche  
Minnesota Wild    
Tampa Bay Lightning    
Boston Bruins    
Florida Panthers   
Montreal Canadiens   
Atlanta Thrashers 
Toronto Maple Leafs  
Edmonton Oilers      
Phoenix Coyotes    
Los Angeles Kings      
New York Islanders   
Columbus Blue Jackets  
St. Louis Blues      
Pittsburgh Penguins 
Washington Capitals   
Chicago Blackhawks    
7-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
80-1
80-1
100-1
100-1 

NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games 

Team     
Ottawa Senators      
Anaheim Ducks 
Detroit Red Wings   
Nashville Predators 
San Jose Sharks 
Calgary Flames     
Philadelphia Flyers    
New Jersey Devils     
Buffalo Sabres    
Carolina Hurricanes       
Dallas Stars          
New York Rangers   
Minnesota Wild     
Atlanta Thrashers     
Montreal Canadiens    
Team        
Los Angeles Kings           
Tampa Bay Lightening   
Vancouver Canucks 
Boston Bruins       
Colorado Avalanche 
Edmonton Oilers  
Phoenix Coyotes  
Toronto Maple Leafs   
Florida Panthers 
Columbus Blue Jackets   
New York Islanders   
Chicago Blackhawks  
St. Louis Blues  
Washington Capitals 
Pittsburgh Penguins  
Over/Under
108.5
106.5
104.5
104.5
103.5
101.5
100.5
99.5
97.5
97.5
97.5
95.5
94.5
93.5
92.5
Over/Under
91.5
91.5
91.5
89.5
89.5
88.5
88.5
86.5
84.5
82.5
80.5
72.5
72.5
72.5
71.5

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.