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Barca beats Xerez; Real survives Zaragoza scareSoccer Betting Lines04/24/2010 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona remained one point clear of Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table after the defending champions handed Xerez a 3-1 defeat on Saturday, while Real Madrid needed a goal from Kaka in the 82nd minute of a 2-1 win over Real Zaragoza. Xerez put up a good fight against the Catalan giants but they fell behind 14 minutes into the game as Xavi slipped a ball to Jeffren Suarez inside the penalty area. Jeffren lost his footing inside the box, but he was still able to turn away from his defender and place a shot inside the far post from a tight angle. Barca doubled its lead 10 minutes later when Zlatan Ibrahimovic squared a ball to Thierry Henry in front of goal for a first-time finish, and it looked like the hosts would go on from there to an easy win. However, defender Dmytro Chigrynskiy gave the ball away right after the kickoff, allowing Mario Bermejo to get into the box on the right and smash a shot into the upper corner of the net past goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Xerez remained within a goal into the second half, but Yaya Toure set up Barca's third goal as he worked his way into the box and crossed the ball to Ibrahimovic, who fired home his 16th goal of the season. Real Madrid had a bit of a tougher time with Zaragoza as the two sides played to a scoreless first half before Raul finally gave Madrid the lead. Zaragoza goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez did well to parry efforts from both Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Portugal international collected his rebound and played the ball to Raul for a tap in. Things got better for Madrid two minutes later when Matteo Contini received a straight red card for elbowing Higuain, but the 10 men of Zaragoza were level on the hour mark through Adrian Colunga. However, Kaka saved his team from a damaging result as he took a pass from Ronaldo inside the area and drove a shot inside the far post. David Villa converted a penalty kick for his 21st goal, as Valencia defeated Deportivo 1-0 to open a seven-point cushion on Mallorca for third place.
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Online Sportsbook Football BettingColts give the ‘D’ its dueThe Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain. They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities. "They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure." Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line. New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest. Not so sound on the ground If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU. Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com “We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star. Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground. Brees says bring it on Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites. Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship. Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game. "I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time." SportsBooks ready for a shootout Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses. “This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.” New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts. The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game. “Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.” |
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