Arsenal battles back for draw
Soccer Betting Lines
03/31/2010 -
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cesc Fabregas converted a penalty kick five
minutes from time to help Arsenal rally for a 2-2 draw with Barcelona at the
Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League
quarterfinal matchup.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave Barca a commanding 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in
the first 15 minutes of the second half. However, substitute Theo Walcott
scored minutes after entering the match, and Fabregas drew a foul on Barca's
Carles Puyol inside the penalty area, earning Puyol a straight red card and
allowing Fabregas to level the match from the penalty spot.
The two teams will now go into the return leg at Barcelona on April 7 on level
terms.
The visitors came out on fire in the first 15 minutes of the game as Arsenal
goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was called upon repeatedly to keep his team level.
A low drive from Lionel Messi six minutes into the game was kept out by the
leg of Almunia, while Ibrahimovic shot over the net from six yards.
The Swedish striker then had another effort kept out by Almunia, who made a
huge save on Xavi at close range minutes later.
Samir Nasri went close for Arsenal after the Gunners survived the early
onslaught, but the biggest development of the first half was the yellow card
picked up by Fabregas right before halftime for a foul on Sergi Busquets,
ruling the skipper out of the return leg.
As good as Almunia played in the first half, he gave a terrible goal away 30
seconds after the break when he came off his line to clear a long ball from
Gerard Pique, only for Ibrahimovic to beat him to it and lob the ball over the
keeper's head.
The lead was doubled shortly before the hour mark when Xavi split the Arsenal
defense with a great pass that allowed Ibrahimovic to get into the box and
smash a shot past Almunia at the near post.
It looked like Arsenal was finished, but Walcott gave them hope when he took a
pass from Nicklas Bendtner and drove the ball underneath goalkeeper Victor
Valdes with 20 minutes to play.
Fabregas fired a free kick over the net from 25 yards minutes later, but he
got another chance when he was brought down by Puyol a few yards from goal.
The captain appeared to injure his knee on the play, but he was still able to
send Valdes the wrong way from the spot, setting up an interesting return leg
in Spain.
The other quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday saw Inter Milan grab a 1-0 win at
the San Siro over CSKA Moscow as Diego Milito scored the lone goal in the 65th
minute.
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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
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