Benfica's Garcia out for Zenit match

Soccer Betting Lines

02/13/2012 - Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Benfica midfielder Javi Garcia has been ruled out for the first leg of the club's Champions League round of 16 encounter with Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday.

Garcia missed the club's 4-1 win over Nacional in league play on Saturday through injury, and manager Jorge Jesus confirmed after the match that Garcia will not be making the trip to Russia.

The 25-year-old has scored one goal in 12 league appearances this season for Benfica, which finished on top of Group C ahead of Basel and Manchester United.

Wwwasahi Soccer Betting News

<< Sandusky can have contact with grandchildren
Bellefonte, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky can have contact with most of his grandchildren and will have a local jury when his child sex abuse trial begins in May. Sandusky is under electronic m

<< Udinese suffers double injury blow
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese confirmed on Monday that midfielder Mauricio Isla and striker Antonio Di Natale will both miss the next few weeks after sustaining injuries in the club's 2-1 win over AC Milan. Isla has tallied t

<< Villa's Dunne to miss two months
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne is set to spend the next two months on the sidelines after sustaining a broken shoulder in Sunday's 1-0 defeat against Manchester City. Dunne suffered the injury

<< Rangers on the verge of administration
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending Scottish Premier League champions Rangers confirmed on Monday that the club has filed a notice of intention to the Court of Session in Edinburgh to appoint administrators. The club

<< Ortiz agrees to one-year deal with BoSox
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox and designated hitter David Ortiz have avoided salary arbitration and agreed to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the Boston Globe reported the deal to be worth $

Ballack out of Barca contest >>
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack will be unavailable for the first leg of the club's Champions League round of 16 encounter with Barcelona on Tuesday. The former Germany international i

Kentucky remains No. 1 in men's hoops poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky remained the top team in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll. The Wildcats, who first had a two-week stay at No. 1 starting in late November, are the top team in th

In the FCS Huddle: Combine a chance for FCS prospects to wow 'em >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are FCS prospects not headed to the NFL Combine who figure to be drafted in April. Last year, eight players were left on the sideline and still got the call on draft day. But the 22 FCS playe

Nets' Bogans has successful season-ending surgery >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey Nets guard Keith Bogans underwent successful season-ending surgery on Monday. The procedure repaired a torn deltoid ligament as well as a fractured left ankle, injuries which Bogans

Jets, Ducks swap centers >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets have acquired center Maxime Macenauer from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for center Riley Holzapfel. Macenauer appeared in 29 games for the Ducks this season and has picked up a goal with

MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse racing . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.