City out to prove itself against Chelsea

Soccer Betting Lines

10/26/2007 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has made quite a splash in his first year as manager at the club, leading the team to seven wins in their first 10 games and a third-place position in the league table.

However, Eriksson has made it known that he doesn't expect City to finish among the top four, which means that a dip in the team's results at some point is inevitable.

While Eriksson has gotten the most out of his team so far, he knows that Chelsea is clearly the more talented team and that many around England are still questioning how good this City team really is.

Manchester City was not expected to turn things around so quickly after finishing in the bottom half of the table last season, but Eriksson has gotten good efforts from players like Blumer Elano and Martin Petrov to carry the team.

While City is not a dazzling side to watch, they are quite effective in what they do. The club is solid defensively and has a way of getting timely goals when they matter most.

Elano especially has risen to the occasion recently, scoring four goals in the team's last three games, including two game-winners.

The 26-year-old midfielder was signed from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in August, and he has proven to be one of many good signings by the new Swedish manager.

Chelsea enters the match four points behind City and is looking to build momentum for a run at the top teams. The Blues are currently seventh in the Premiership table, but their talent is top notch.

Eriksson knows all about striker Didier Drogba in particular, who has scored three goals in City's last two trips to London, but Eriksson also knows that Chelsea is not just about Drogba's brilliance.

"We don't have a special approach for Drogba but we have trained on certain things (this week) and talked about it," Eriksson said. "We'll carry on talking about Chelsea up until the game itself. We won't mark Drogba man-for- man, we won't change many things but you have to be aware that he's strong, has great technique and he's quick. If you are in the wrong position against him, it's goodnight."

Drogba has yet to find his top form this season, scoring just twice in six games for a Chelsea team that has struggled to find goals all year.

The team is among the worst in goals scored this year, but with the likes of Drogba, Frank Lampard, Salomon Kalou and Michael Essien, that can all change very quickly.

In other action in England on Saturday, bottom-half clubs Birmingham and Wigan get together at St Andrews Stadium, Manchester United tries for its eighth consecutive EPL win against Middlesbrough, Newcastle has put together two straight wins and will try for a third when the club visits Reading, Fulham and Sunderland look like teams that will struggle to avoid relegation this season and they meet up at the Stadium of Light and West Ham travels to Fratton Park for a contest against Portsmouth.

On Sunday, Liverpool hosts Arsenal in a big clash near the top with both sides unbeaten but Arsenal having won eight of its nine games while Liverpool has claimed just five victories. Bolton sits at the bottom of the table and hosts Aston Villa, Everton has lost its last two games and visits Derby and Tottenham, with just one win in 10 games, entertains Blackburn.

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

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

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.