Real Madrid aim to keep perfect record against Almeria

Soccer Betting Lines

09/14/2007 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champions Real Madrid are the only team in Spain to take a perfect 2-0 record into this weekend, and they will try to extend that mark to three straight against promoted club Almeria on Saturday at the Bernabeu.

A 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on the season's opening day was followed by a 5-0 thrashing of quality side Villarreal last time out. With the runners-up in the second division from last season coming to town, Real should have no problem adding to their win total, but Almeria have also enjoyed a positive start to its campaign.

In just its third season ever in Spain's top flight, Almeria opened the season with a resounding 3-0 win at Deportivo, before dropping a close 2-1 contest on home soil against Valencia.

The visitors will be without top striker Alvaro Negredo, who signed from Real Madrid over the summer but has a clause in his contract that prevents him from playing at Bernabeu.

Negredo has scored a goal in both games this season, and his absence will limit the Almeria attack, especially going up against a strong defensive unit like the one that Real boasts.

Despite having a superior team, Madrid must guard against a letdown, which is something that the club struggled with last season, when promoted clubs Recreativo and Levante both left the Bernabeu with wins.

Midfielder Wesley Sneijder is unlikely to play on Saturday after picking up an ankle injury this past week while playing for the Netherlands. Fellow Dutchman Arjen Robben, who signed from Chelsea in August, is close to making his debut with Real, but is not likely to earn a start.

In other action on Saturday, Valencia hosts a Valladolid side that has taken four points from its first two games, and winless clubs Real Zaragoza and Athletic Bilbao get together at Estadio San Mames.

On Sunday, Real Betis and Deportivo, who have combined for three draws in four games, meet up at Estadio Riazor, Getafe and Espanyol both go looking for their first win against each other, Villarreal tries to rebound from a five- goal beating at the hands of Real Madrid when they take on Mallorca and unbeaten Real Murcia hosts Atletico Madrid. Levante is coming off of a 0-0 draw with Murcia and visits Racing, Sevilla won its lone contest in La Liga play this season, a 4-1 triumph over Getafe, and hosts Recreativo while Barcelona, who got its first win against Athletic Bilbao last time out, travels to Osasuna.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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