Wednesday 5/6/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Champions League TODAY 19:45

Barcelona

v

B Munich

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		3/4	3	4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BARCELONA	RECENT FORM
AWHWHWAWHWAW​ Most recent​	0 - 3 4 - 0 1 - 2 1 - 2	ALAWHWHWHD*AL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Barcelona have won 15 of their last 16 matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Injuries have hit Bayern Munich hard and they face a daunting task, particularly as they lost away 3-1 to Porto in the quarter-finals. This may need another Munich miracle because Barcelona are playing beautifully at the moment and the front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are pretty much unstoppable.

RECOMMENDATION: Barcelona
3


REFEREE: Nicola Rizzoli STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Italian Serie A TODAY 14:00

Torino

v

Empoli

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BT1		5/6	5/2	7/2	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT TORINO	RECENT FORM
AWAWHDADHWAD​ Most recent​	0 - 1 1 - 0 1 - 1	HWALALHDADHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Empoli have drawn ten of their 16 Serie A away matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Sixth place in Serie A will be good enough to get into the Europa League and Torino are desperate for another crack at European football, but this is a difficult match against draw-specialists Empoli. The visitors have lost only two of their last 13 Serie A matches and those losses were away to champions Juventus and third-placed Lazio.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[superbeets]

English League One Th 7May 19:45

Sheff Utd

v

Swindon

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SS2		5/4	12/5	5/2	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SHEFF UTD	RECENT FORM
HWADALHDADHD​ Most recent​	2 - 0 1 - 0 2 - 0 2 - 2	AWHLHDALADHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Swindon have won just once in six league matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Sheffield United love knockout competitions despite a dodgy record in the playoffs and should relish this tie. Neither side has been in great nick lately but Swindon haven’t won at Bramall Lane since 1970 and the Blades are likely to have the edge as they did in January’s 2-0 victory over the Robins.

RECOMMENDATION: Sheff Utd
2

 

[superbeets]

English League One Th 7May 19:45

Chesterfield

v

Preston

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SS5		2	12/5	6/4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT CHESTERFIELD	RECENT FORM
HWADHWADHLAD​ Most recent​	0 - 2 0 - 2 0 - 1 0 - 1	HDHDADAWHWAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Preston lost just one of their last 19 league games

EXPERT VERDICT: A final-day flop saw Preston throw away automatic promotion and it may take them time to recover. Ultimately North End should progress – they were the best team in League One in the final weeks of the season – but their frame of mind has to be questioned and this trip won’t be easy to negotiate.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[superbeets]

Europa League Th 7May 20:05

Seville

v

Fiorentina

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV4		3/4	13/5	15/4	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SEVILLE	RECENT FORM
HWADADHWAWHL​ Most recent​	Unknown	ADHLHWHLALHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Seville have won their last eight home matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Home advantage is crucial to Seville and the Europa League holders can once again turn on the style in front of their own supporters. Fatigued Fiorentina are just starting to flag after a demanding season whereas Seville were desperately unlucky to lose 3-2 to Real Madrid on Saturday.

RECOMMENDATION: Seville
2

​

 

[superbeets]

Europa League Th 7May 20:05

Napoli

v

Dnipro

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		1/3	4	9	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NAPOLI	RECENT FORM
AWAWHDHWALHW​ Most recent​	4 - 2	HDADAWHWHWAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Dnipro have lost all four of their previous matches in Italy

EXPERT VERDICT: Tournament favourites Napoli could not have wished for an easier semi-final and they should make their luck in the draw count. Dnipro were beaten home and away by Inter in the group stage and Napoli will be even stronger opponents with Rafael Benitez’s side fancied to make their class tell early on.

RECOMMENDATION: Napoli-Napoli double result
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

National League
Marlins @ Nationals
Koehler is 2-2, 4.67 in his five starts; three of his last four went over.

Scherzer is 1-2, 1.61 in his last four starts; four of his last five home starts stayed under the total.

Miami won four of last five games with Washington; they've lost four of last six games here. Under is 8-4 in last 12 series games. Marlins won nine of their last 12 games. Washington won six of its last eight games, with four of last five games staying under the total.

Reds @ Pirates
Leake is 1-1, 1.96 in his last three starts; seven of his last ten went over. .

Cole is 4-0, 1.75 in his last four starts; over is 3-1-1 in his last five.

Pittsburgh lost its last six games with the Reds; under is 6-2-2 in last 10 series games. Pirates lost their last four games, three in extra innings; under is 6-1-3 in their last ten. Cincinnati is 4-3 in its last seven games.

Phillies @ Braves
Williams is 2-1, 5.56 in his last four starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.

Foltynewicz allowed three runs in five IP (94 PT) in his first MLB start.

Phillies won three of last five games with Atlanta; under is 4-2-1 in last seven series games. Phillies lost six of their last eight games overall. Braves lost five of their last eight games; over is 6-2-2 in their last ten games.

Dodgers @ Brewers
Wieland is 1-4, 5.86 in seven MLB starts, all with the Padres; four of his last five went over the total- this is his first '15 start.

Peralta is 0-4, 4.35 in his five starts; eight of his last ten stayed under.

Milwaukee is 3-1 since Gomez came off DL; Five of last seven Brewer games stayed under the total. Dodgers won eight of last 11 games but lost seven of eleven road games. LA lost six of last eight games with Milwaukee.

Cubs @ Cardinals
Lester is 1-1, 2.95 in his last three starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.

Lynn is 1-2, 3.38 in his five starts, four of which stayed under.

Cubs lost five of their last six games; they allowed 17 runs the last two nights. Cardinals won last eight games, allowing 27 runs. Cubs are 3-6 in last nine games with St Louis; four of last six series games stayed under.

Diamondbacks @ Rockies
Collmenter is 2-1, 1.57 in his last three starts; four of his last five went over. Ray was 0-4, 12.89 in his last four starts for Detroit LY.

Lyles is 1-2, 5.38 in his last three starts; five of his last seven went over total. Matzek is 2-0, 2.70 in his four starts; seven of his last ten stayed under.

Home side won eight of last ten Arizona-Colorado games; Snakes lost their last four visits to Coors Field. Seven of last eight series games went over the total. Arizona lost seven of last nine games; over is 4-1-1 in its last six games. Colorado lost last five games, outscored 47-17; five of its last six went over.

Padres @ Giants
Kennedy is 1-1, 7.11 in his three starts; four of his last six went over.

Heston is 2-2, 3.34 in his five starts; under is 4-0-1 in those five.

Home side won ten of last 12 Padre-Giant games; Padres lost five of last six visits here. San Diego won three of last five games, scoring 26 runs; five of its last eight games went over total. Giants won their last seven home games; eight of their last ten home games stayed under the total.

American League
Bronx @ Blue Jays
Sabathia is 0-4, 5.68 in his five starts; three of last four stayed under.

Buehrle is 0-2, 11.70 in his last two starts, allowing 23 hits in 10 IP; seven of his last nine starts went over.

Bronx won 14 of last 18 games, ten of last 12 on road; six of last nine on road stayed under. Blue Jays lost eight of last 12 games overall, with six of last nine going over. Bronx-Toronto split last ten games; three of last four series games went over.

Rays @ Red Sox
Colome is 3-0, 0.36 in his last four starts, all of which stayed under.

Masterson is 1-0, 3.00 in his last three starts- over is 3-2 in his starts.

Rays won three of last four games with Boston; four of last five stayed under total. Rays lost five of last eight games, scoring total of 15 runs- their last ten games stayed under the total. Red Sox lost seven of last ten games; five of last six stayed under the total.

A's @ Twins
Kazmir is 2-0, 1.65 in five starts, four of which went over total.

Gibson is 2-1, 2.36 in his last four starts; five of his last six stayed under.

Minnesota won eight of last 11 games, scoring 40 runs in their last six. they lost ten of last 12 games with Oakland-- eight of last twelve went over total. Oakland lost eight of last twelve games; over is 9-1-1 in their last eleven.

Rangers @ Astros
Lewis is 1-2, 3.00 in his five starts; four of his last six stayed under.

Deduno has made 43 MLB starts (16-19); he allowed one run in four IP (61 PT) in his first start this season. .

Houston won 10 of last 12 games, but lost last two; they lost six of last eight games with Texas- nine of last ten series games stayed under total. Rangers won three of their last four games overall.

Tigers @ White Sox
Simon is 4-1, 3.13 in his five starts; three of his last four stayed under.

Sale allowed nine runs in three IP last start, after going 2-0, 2.37 in his first three; over is 4-1-1 in his last six outings.

Chicago lost four of last six games with Detroit; White Sox lost five of their last six games overall, outscored 41-15. Detroit is 3-4 in its last seven games; three of their last four stayed under.

Indians @ Royals
Carrasco is 2-2, 7.05 in his last four starts; six of his last eight stayed under.

Duffy is 2-0, 2.66 in his last four starts; four of his last six went over.

Kansas City won five of last seven games with Cleveland; over is 5-0-1 in last six series games- road team won eight of last 11 in series. Indians lost seven of last ten games, with over 7-1-1 in last nine. Royals are 5-3 in their last eight games; over is 5-2-1 in those eight games.

Mariners @ Angels
Elias is 0-1, 3.86 in two starts this year; three of his last four went under.

Wilson is 0-1, 2.33 in his last three starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Seattle won six of last nine games against the Angels; seven of last ten in series stayed under total. Mariners lost five of last six games, allowing total of 32 runs- seven of their last ten went under. Angels lost four of their last five games, scoring 13 runs in last five- three of those five stayed under.

Interleague
Orioles @ Mets
Jimenez is 2-1, 2.38 in four starts; under is 3-1-1 in his last five.

deGrom is 0-2, 9.58 in his last two starts, after going 2-1, 0.93 in his first three- over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.

Mets are 4-7 in last 11 games since an 11-game win streak; they scored three runs in last three games- six of their last eight games stayed under. NY won last seven games with Baltimore; seven of last eight in series stayed under total. Orioles won five of last seven games, allowomg total of nine runs in last five- their last four games stayed under. .

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Mia-Wsh-- Koehler 3-2; Scherzer 2-3
Cin-Pitt-- Leake 2-3; Cole 4-1
Phil-Atl-- Williams 3-2; Foltynewicz 1-0
LA-Mil-- Wieland 0-0; Peralta 0-5
Chi-StL-- Lester 3-2; Lynn 2-3
Az-Colo-- Collmenter 2-3 Ray 0-0; Matzek 3-1 Lyles 2-3
SD-SF-- Kennedy 1-2; Heston 3-2

NY-Tor-- Sabathia 1-4; Buehrle 3-2
TB-Bos-- Colome 1-0; Masterson 3-2
A's-Minn-- Kazmir 3-2; Gibson 3-2
Tex-Hst-- Lewis 1-4; Deduno 1-0
Det-Chi-- Simon 4-1; Sale 2-2
Cle-KC-- Carrasco 3-2; Duffy 4-1
Sea-LAA-- Elias 0-2; Wilson 2-3

Balt-NYM-- Jimenez 2-2; de Grom 2-3

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Mia-Wsh-- Koehler 0-5; Scherzer 1-5
Cin-Pitt-- Leake 1-5; Cole 1-5
Phil-Atl-- Williams 2-5; Foltynewicz 1-1
LA-Mil-- Wieland 0-0; Peralta 1-5
Chi-StL-- Lester 3-5; Lynn 0-5
Az-Colo-- Collmenter 2-3 Ray 0-0; Matzek 3-1 Lyles 1-5
SD-SF-- Kennedy 1-3; Heston 1-5

NY-Tor-- Sabathia 2-5; Buehrle 3-5
TB-Bos-- Colome 1-0; Masterson 2-5
A's-Minn-- Kazmir 0-5; Gibson 1-5
Tex-Hst-- Lewis 0-5; Deduno 0-1
Det-Chi-- Simon 0-5; Sale 3-4
Cle-KC-- Carrasco 4-5; Duffy 1-5
Sea-LAA-- Elias 2-2; Wilson 1-5

Balt-NYM-- Jimenez 0-4; de Grom 2-5

Umpires
Mia-Wsh-- Blakney's frst two games stayed under total.
Cin-Pitt-- Underdogs are 11-7 in last 18 Conroy games.
Phil-Atl-- Under is 3-0-1 in Bellino games this season.
LA-Mil-- Last three Baker games went over the total.
Chi-StL-- Underdogs won last nine Reyburn games.
SD-SF-- Over is 17-1-2 in last twenty Morales games.

NY-Tor-- Over is 14-4-2 in last twenty Basner games.
TB-Bos-- Underdogs are 4-3 in last seven Carlson games.
Tex-Hst-- Under is 5-1-2 in last eight Winters games.
A's-Min-- Underdogs are 9-5 in last 14 Fagan games.
Cle-KC-- Underdogs are 5-5 in last ten Little games.
Det-Chi-- Under is 17-3-1 in last 21 Reynolds games.
Sea-LAA-- Under is 10-4-1 in last fifteen Hudson games.

Balt-NYM-- Under is 22-9 in last thirty-one O'Nora games

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golf: PLAYERS heads to Ponte Vedra

Tournament: THE PLAYERS Championship
Date: May 7-10
Venue: TPC Sawgrass
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

While THE PLAYERS Championship is not a major, it is the next best thing on U.S. soil and boasts the largest purse of any tournament in the sport at $10 million. It’s been a hectic past month in the golf world with the Masters and the WGC Cadillac Match Play Championship in April and the strong field now heads to TPC Sawgrass for the unofficial “fifth major”.

Each of the top-50 players from the Official World Golf Rankings will be teeing it up this week and will also be joined by Tiger Woods who will be searching for his third trophy at this event. Only five other players in the history of the tourney have won more than once here and Jack Nicklaus is the only golfer to have done it on three occasions.

Last year, Martin Kaymer took this event by just one stroke over Jim Furyk as he was able to hold on to his Thursday lead after a 63 on the opening day. Coming into this event, the PGA has seen a string of very strong performers getting wins as Jimmy Walker, J.B. Holmes, Jordan Spieth, Jim Furyk, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy have topped the leaderboard in the past month and a half and typically a big name is able to win here as well. Let’s take a look at the very strong field that will be playing this week and find a few players who could take the win.

Golfers to Bet

Jim Furyk (22/1): Furyk is a threat to win each and every week and after missing the cut at the Masters, he was able to win his 17th career PGA tournament at the RBC Heritage and nearly took down world No. 1 Rory McIlroy in the semifinals at the match play over the weekend. He is just as accurate as anyone on tour, hitting 73% of fairways (4th on tour) with 69.7% of GIR (25th on tour) and has done some tremendous scrambling on the year (65.5%, 14th on tour). Last year at this event, he nearly grabbed the win on Sunday when he shot a 66 and finished 12-under-par, just one shot behind Martin Kaymer. He hit better than 71% of fairways and GIR in that solid performance and should be riding high after going toe-to-toe with McIlroy this past weekend, so look for a great outing from the man who will turn 45-years-old just two days after the completion of this tournament.

Hideki Matsuyama (33/1): Matsuyama will look to build on what is looking like a career-year for the Japanese-born player who has made 12-of-13 cuts in 2015 with seven top-10s. He earned a berth into the final 16 at the Match Play this past weekend, but just like Furyk, fell victim to eventual winner Rory McIlroy. He also has a second and two thirds this season thanks to ranking in the top-50 in both driving distance (295.9 yards per, 30th on tour) and driving accuracy (66.1%, 47th on tour) as he also sits 17th in scrambling (65.1%). Last year was his first visit to this event and he put up a respectful 23rd place, making him a true contender to top the field come Sunday.

Ryan Moore (85/1): Moore has been one of the best golfers on tour this year, currently ranking 10th in the FedEx Cup standings behind a victory and six other top-25s in his 12 outings. He hasn’t been quite as consistent lately with a 57th at the Houston Open and a poor showing this past weekend in match play, but has still carded a score of 69 or better in four of his last eight stroke play rounds and was 12th at the Masters. He doesn’t excel in any one area of the game, but is in the top-50 in driving accuracy (69.6%, 17th on tour), total strokes gained (0.924, 25th on tour) and par breakers (22.8%, 25th on tour). His solid play this year has him itching for another win as he still seeks a win against a stronger field in his career.

Paul Casey (44/1): After a rough start to the year where he failed to make the cut in two of his first four tournaments, Casey has turned up the heat with five top-10s in the next seven events; including a sixth at the Masters and a fifth this past week in match play. Casey hasn’t been to this tournament since withdrawing from it in 2012 and had missed the cut in the previous two years after a solid showing (14th) back in 2009. Despite not doing well here in more than five years, Casey is playing at the top of his game and showed last week that he can hang with anybody as he aims surprisingly at only his second career victory.

Spencer Levin (500/1): Levin has had a ton of success at TPC Sawgrass and was in the top-12 at each of his last two visits here (2011, 2012). Last year, he really fell off, missing more cuts (11) than making them (9), but has turned it around to a degree in 2015 with 10-of-16 cuts made. In three of those visits to the weekend he made it into the top-25 and finished off his last event in New Orleans with three consecutive rounds of 69 or better, eventually tying for 28th. He is one of the more accurate drivers in the sport (70.5% fairways hit, 11th on tour) and should set himself up for some scoring at TPC Sawgrass with a good chance to finish high this week.

The PLAYERS Championship Betting Odds

Jordan Spieth 15/2
Rory McIlroy 15/2
Henrik Stenson 22/1
Jim Furyk 22/1
Justin Rose 22/1
Jason Day 27/1
Adam Scott 33/1
Dustin Johnson 33/1
Hideki Matsuyama 33/1
Jimmy Walker 33/1
Matt Kuchar 33/1
Sergio Garcia 33/1
Tiger Woods 33/1
Bubba Watson 44/1
Lee Westwood 44/1
Paul Casey 44/1
Phil Mickelson 44/1
Louis Oosthuizen 50/1
Hunter Mahan 55/1
J.B. Holmes 55/1
Patrick Reed 55/1
Rickie Fowler 55/1
Zach Johnson 55/1
Billy Horschel 65/1
Brooks Koepka 65/1
Gary Woodland 65/1
Ian Poulter 65/1
Kevin Na 65/1
Martin Kaymer 65/1
Sean OHair 65/1
Bill Haas 85/1
Brandt Snedeker 85/1
Charl Schwartzel 85/1
Keegan Bradley 85/1
Luke Donald 85/1
Ryan Moore 85/1
Ryan Palmer 85/1
Brendon Todd 100/1
Daniel Berger 100/1
Danny Willett 100/1
Graeme McDowell 100/1
Harris English 100/1
Justin Thomas 100/1
Marc Leishman 100/1
Morgan Hoffmann 100/1
Russell Henley 100/1
Steve Stricker 100/1
Webb Simpson 100/1
Jason Dufner 150/1
Branden Grace 170/1
Cameron Tringale 170/1
Charley Hoffman 170/1
Kevin Streelman 170/1
Chris Kirk 180/1
Jamie Donaldson 180/1
Russell Knox 180/1
Brendon de Jonge 190/1
Jason Kokrak 190/1
Graham Delaet 200/1
Matt Jones 200/1
Shane Lowry 200/1
Bernd Wiesberger 210/1
Nick Watney 210/1
Brendan Steele 220/1
Ben Crane 230/1
Daniel Summerhays 240/1
John Senden 240/1
Alex Cejka 250/1
Charles Howell III 250/1
George McNeill 250/1
Sangmoon Bae 250/1
Shawn Stefani 250/1
Anirban Lahiri 300/1
Ben Martin 300/1
Boo Weekley 300/1
Chesson Hadley 300/1
David Hearn 300/1
Ernie Els 300/1
Jonas Blixt 300/1
Joost Luiten 300/1
K.J. Choi 300/1
Kevin Kisner 300/1
Matt Every 300/1
Padraig Harrington 300/1
Scott Piercy 300/1
Troy Merritt 300/1
Chris Stroud 350/1
Jerry Kelly 350/1
Pat Perez 350/1
Seung-Yul Noh 350/1
Angel Cabrera 400/1
Erik Compton 400/1
Jason Bohn 400/1
Kevin Chappell 400/1
Luke Guthrie 400/1
Robert Streb 400/1
Scott Stallings 400/1
Aaron Baddeley 450/1
Brian Davis 450/1
Brian Stuard 450/1
Camilo Villegas 450/1
Danny Lee 450/1
David Toms 450/1
Freddie Jacobson 450/1
John Huh 450/1
Retief Goosen 450/1
Rory Sabbatini 450/1
Thongchai Jaidee 450/1
Will MacKenzie 450/1
William McGirt 450/1
Andrew Svoboda 500/1
Bo Van Pelt 500/1
Brian Harman 500/1
Brice Garnett 500/1
Bryce Molder 500/1
Carl Pettersson 500/1
Geoff Ogilvy 500/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 500/1
James Hahn 500/1
Jeff Overton 500/1
Jhonattan Vegas 500/1
Michael Putnam 500/1
Michael Thompson 500/1
Nick Taylor 500/1
Robert Garrigus 500/1
Ryo Ishikawa 500/1
Scott Brown 500/1
Spencer Levin 500/1
Stephen Gallacher 500/1
Stewart Cink 500/1
Vijay Singh 500/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Soccer Champions & Europa Odds

Champions League

Barcelona will play Bayern Munich in the 2014-15 Champions League semifinals. In the other semifinal, defending champion Real Madrid will face Juventus, with the Italian champions playing at home first. Two-time champion Juventus is back after a 12-year absence from the semifinals, when it also faced Madrid and won.

The four semifinal teams have combined to win the European Cup or Champions League 21 times, with 16 runner-up finishes, in the competition's 60-year history.

Still, a blockbuster cast of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the best of Germany's World Cup winning-team will take second billing to Guardiola's return to Camp Nou, where he also won club football's most coveted trophy as a player in 1992.

The first leg in Barcelona will be played on May 6, with the return match six days later. Madrid will play in Turin on May 5 and host Juventus on May 13. The final will be played on June 6 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Ten-time champion Real Madrid is aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Champions League format began in 1992.

Though Juventus is the lowest-scoring team of the four, it has a typically tight Italian defense, conceding only five goals in 10 matches.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals - Leg One Odds

Tuesday May 5, 2015

Juventus at Real Madrid

Juventus +180
Real Madrid +145
Draw +217

Over 2.5 (+120)
Under 2.5 (-158)

Wednesday May 6, 2015

Barcelona at Bayern Munich

Barcelona FC -109
Bayern Munich +250
Draw +270

Over 2.5 (-140)
Under 2.5 (+110)

Odds to win 2014-15 UEFA Champions League (5/23/15)

FC Barcelona 15/8
Real Madrid 2/1
FC Bayern Munich 9/4
Juventus 15/2

Odds to qualify for 2015 UEFA Champions Leauge Final

Juventus vs. Real Madrid
Juventus +180
Real Madrid -260

Barcelona FC vs. Bayern Munich
Barcelona FC -135
Bayern Munich -105

Europa League

In the Europa League, defending champion Sevilla was drawn to play Fiorentina, and Napoli will face Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

The Spanish club can become the first to win a fourth UEFA Cup or Europa League title.

Dnipro plays its home games in Kiev because UEFA judged Dnipropetrovsk unsafe to host matches during the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The first legs will be played on May 7, with the return matches on May 14. The final will be played on May 27 at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.

For the first time, the Europa League winner will also earn a place in the group stage of the Champions League next season.

UEFA Europa League Semifinals - Leg One Odds

Thursday May 7, 2015

Napoli at Dnipro
Napoli -263
Dnipro +600
Draw +360

Over 2.5 (-129)
Under 2.5 (Even)+600

Sevilla at Fiorentina
Sevilla -114
Fiorentina +270
Draw +260

Over 2.5 (-105)
Under 2.5 (-125)

Odds to win 2015 UEFA Europa League (5/23/15)

Napoli 5/4
Sevilla 21/10
Fiorentina 3/1
Dnipro 8/1

Odds to qualify for 2015 UEFA Europa Leauge Final

Napoli vs. Dnipro
Napoli -390
Dnipro +260

Sevilla vs. Fiorentina
Sevilla -150
Fiorentina +110

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

CL - Semifinals Best Bets
By Toby Maxtone-Smith

In the past decade, the Champions League semifinals have arguably seen more memorable moments than the finals.

Who can forget Real Madrid’s demolition of Bayern Munich last season, who had previously been thought of as comfortably Europe’s strongest teams?

Inter Milan’s semifinal victory over Barcelona was far easier to recall than the 2-0 win which gave them the trophy in 2010.

And then there are the two ties between Chelsea and Barcelona in 2011 and 2012.

This is the pinnacle of world football!

The last four sides involved in this year’s Champions League are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus.

Given Juventus’s enormous pedigree it seems amazing to say how lucky Real will feel to have drawn them, but bookies make the Italians the rank outsiders at this stage at odds of 8/1.

Barcelona are fancied to knock out Bayern Munich and are 9/5, with Real Madrid 9/4 and Bayern 5/2.

Let's handicap the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.


Real Madrid to win at Juventus at 3/2
(Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds
Juventus +185
Real Madrid +150
Draw +220
Over 2.5 (+125) Under 2.5 (-163)

Odds to qualify for 2015 UEFA Champions Leauge Final
Juventus +180
Real Madrid -260

Juventus showed they are serious contenders for the Champions League in a brilliant last 16 defeat of Borussia Dortmund, but a nervy tie against Monaco, comfortably the worst team in the competition at that stage, where their only goal was an Arturo Vidal penalty, made you wonder how on earth they might be able to overcome ten-times winners Real Madrid. Los Blancos have won seven of their last nine Champions League away games, and it should have been eight after they dominated away to Atletico Madrid. Atletico will set up in a very similar way to Juventus, but the difference is that no team knows Real better than Atletico.

Real will be without striker Karim Benzema in Turin. The 27 year-old, who has scored 22 this season, has a knee injury, meaning either Javier Hernandez will step in, or Carlo Ancelotti will play without a recognised striker. Juve have been given a boost by the news that key pair Andrea Pirlo and Giorgio Chiellini, Europe’s great underrated centre-back, look likely to start.

The Italian side are, like everyone in this stage of the competition, very good at home, but have struggled in recent years against Europe’s elite. Real Madrid have been scoring goals for fun recently, and if they can unlock Juventus’s defence more than once, it is unlikely that Juventus will score more than once. At 8/5, Real Madrid look a decent bet.

Barcelona to win at Bayern Munich at 13/20
(Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET)

Betting Odds
Barcelona FC -153
Bayern Munich +375
Draw +310
Over 2.5 (-135) Under 2.5 (+105)

Odds to qualify for 2015 UEFA Champions Leauge Final
Barcelona FC -135
Bayern Munich -105

Rather like Real Madrid’s win at Bayern last year and Bayern’s win at Barcelona the year before, this tie has an era-defining feeling. Since the departure of Pep Guardiola, now at Bayern, Barcelona have not got very near winning a fifth Champions League. Both Tito Vilanova and Geraldo Martino gave it their best shot, but it seemed as if the world had learned how to combat Barcelona’s tiki-taka style of football.

The fascinating thing about this game is that it seems impossible that one team will not dominate possession. Under Pep Guardiola, Bayern Munich are almost completely possession-foc/ussed. But even they might struggle to dominate at the Nou Camp. While Xavi is coming towards the end of his time at Barcelona, the Catalan side are still playing more or less the same way, but with much more pace on the counter-attack. Their front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar have scored an incredible 106 goals this season. When they were struggling in previous years, Barcelona often played the ‘pass it to Messi and hope’ game, but now they have a lot more magic in the final third.

Barcelona have a clean bill of health for the game, while Bayern have a lot of injury problems: key defenders David Alaba and Holger Badstuber will not start, while Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and maybe even Robert Lewandowski will probably not be in the first XI. This Bayern team is hugely weakened, and if Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has a suitable tactic to combat Bayern, we could be in for a comfortable Barcelona win.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Preview: Canadiens (50-22) at Lightning (50-24)

Date: May 06, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Having home-ice advantage in last year's first-round series with the Montreal Canadiens did nothing to help the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tampa Bay has turned the tables on Montreal in this postseason.

After taking the first two on the road, the Lightning look to pull within a victory of reaching the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night at home.

Tampa Bay fell in an 0-2 hole in 2014 before being swept with two defeats in Montreal. After winning all five meetings in the regular season, the Lightning won Game 1 on the road aided by a blown non-call before Sunday's dominant 6-2 victory.

Coach Jon Cooper is confident his club can carry its solid play to its home rink despite Tampa being just 2-4 in Amalie Arena over the last two postseasons. It dropped two during its seven-game win over Detroit in the first round.

"I'm not as much worried about Montreal's desperation level as I am ours," Cooper said. "The mere fact that we're at home means nothing in Game 3 of the playoffs. To us, the series is 0-0 and we need to treat it like that."

The Canadiens have lost their last three playoff games at home, but they won two of three on the road while beating Ottawa in six games in the first round.

'I don't know how much home ice has been an advantage in all the playoffs so far,' said Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop, who has a .961 save percentage while winning the last four. 'We look forward to going home, but it's not going to be any easier.'

And the Canadiens in no way are feeling defeated. Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy finalist Carey Price allowed his most goals of the season in Game 2, but his teammates didn't give him much help as the Lightning converted 4 of 8 on the power play.

Montreal is 1 for 26 with the man advantage in the playoffs, leaving special teams as the main area of focus in practice leading up to this contest.

"We still have a lot of belief in our locker room and the guys that we have," defenseman Tom Gilbert told the team's official website. "It doesn't matter how many times they beat us throughout the regular season, Game 1 or Game 2. I think if we can just play a full 60 minutes, we'll give ourselves a good chance to win."

Price's .922 save percentage in the playoffs doesn't exactly stand out after he led the NHL with a .933 mark in the regular season. However, he's at .947 in even-strength situations, with nine of the 20 goals he's allowed in the postseason coming with the Canadiens short-handed.

Montreal's 138 penalty minutes rank second among playoff teams, and its inability to stay out of the box provides more power-play time for Steven Stamkos. He scored his first goal of this year's playoffs with the man advantage in Game 2.

'It was definitely a release of some things that have been building up,' Stamkos said. 'Whether it's my first or my 20th, your emotions are running high. Any time you score a goal in the playoffs it's exciting, but that one maybe a little more so than others I've scored.'

The Lightning were 0 for 23 on the power play over their previous six before Sunday's outburst.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Rangers-Capitals Game 4 opens with total of 4.5

Oddsmakers have opened Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals with a total of 4.5 earlier Tuesday.

The Capitals skated to a 1-0 victory in Game 3 Monday, improving the Over/Under record in the series to 0-2-1. The Rangers are 1-6-1 O/U in their eight postseason games while the Capitals are 2-6-2 O/U in 10 playoff matchups.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Washington won last four home games, allowing five goals; they won 40 of 58 faceoffs in shutting out NY 1-0 in Game 3, scoring only goal at 7:36 of second period. Rangers won four of their last five road games, allowing seven goals. Under is 6-1-1 in Ranger playoff games, 6-2-2 in Washington's games. New York won nine of last 13 games overall- they won three of last five visits here. Capitals are 21-22 killing penalties in playoffs; they won five of last seven games overall. There were only nine penalties called during first two games. Rangers outshot Washington 38-18 in first period in series, were outshot 65-59 in periods 2-3.

Tampa Bay won its last seven games with Montreal; they scored three power play goals in a 14:08 span of 2nd/3rd period to put Game 2 away- they were 4-8 on power play Sunday. Six of last eight series games went over total. Habs lost 4-2/7-1 in last two visits here; Lightning has now won its last four games overall. Canadiens have now lost four of last five games overall; four of their last six games stayed under total. Montreal had 70-53 edge in hits in first two games, but they lost, are down 2-0 in series, needing win in this building to prevent a sweep. Canadiens are 0-6 on power play in series.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Game of the Day: Wednesday's NBA Playoff matchups

Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers (-6, 194)

Bulls lead series 1-0

The Chicago Bulls pilfered homecourt advantage away from second-seeded Cleveland and look to take a 2-0 series lead when they visit the Cavaliers on Wednesday. Chicago posted a 99-92 victory in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals by outplaying shorthanded Cleveland, which was missing injured forward Kevin Love (shoulder) and suspended guard J.R. Smith.

Smith will also sit out Game 2 while Love is gone for the postseason and the adjustments made by Cavaliers coach David Blatt didn’t work as third-seeded Chicago controlled the opener. “We were just a little bit off in a lot of things, a lot of little things that were important,” Blatt told reporters. “We’ve got to turn it around and make up for that a little bit because that’s the way for us to beat this team.” The Bulls didn’t show any fear of Cleveland while delivering an impressive opening salvo. “We must have confidence going into a series against anyone, no matter who the opponent is,” Chicago power forward Pau Gasol told reporters. “I think we came in with the right mindset and attitude, not really easing into the series but really going after it.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Cavs as 6-point faves and the total at 194.

INJURY REPORT: Bulls - G Derrick Rose (Probable, shoulder). Cavs - G J.R. Smith (Out, suspended), F Kevin Love (Out for season, shoulder).

ABOUT THE BULLS: Shooting guard Jimmy Butler had 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals in the opener and also fared well while guarding James. “I feel like we’re both two NBA players,” Butler told reporters. “His name might be more well-known than mine but I’m just here to compete. I’m here to play. Everybody knows that LeBron is a hell of a player, I’m not knocking that, but I think I’m a decent player. I think I can hang with the best of them.” Point guard Derrick Rose also excelled with 25 points in the opener.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James had 19 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and three steals in the opener but his 9-of-22 shooting and subpar defensive effort stood out more than the numbers. “I have to be better, I wasn’t that good,” James said. “I have to be much better.” Point guard Kyrie Irving was solid with 30 points – matching his career playoff high – and shooting guard Iman Shumpert surprised by posting a career playoff-best 22 points and making four 3-pointers.

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Cleveland.
* Bulls are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Cleveland.
* Under is 4-0 in Bulls last four overall.
* Under is 4-0 in Cavaliers last four overall.

CONSENSUS: 60 percent of bettors are backing the Bulls.


Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets (-7, 213)

Clippers lead series 1-0

The Los Angeles Clippers won the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals without Chris Paul and may again be without the standout point guard when they visit the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Paul suffered a hamstring injury in Game 7 of the first-round series against San Antonio and his status for Game 2 will be decided in the hours leading up to game time.

Austin Rivers started in place of Paul and had 17 points in 28 minutes as Los Angeles registered a 117-101 win in the opener. Rockets star James Harden finished second in the MVP voting to Golden State’s Stephen Curry but his quiet 20-point performance was made worse by nine turnovers. Houston allowed 71 second-half points and committed 24 miscues and coach Kevin McHale was highly disturbed with the latter. “These are professional athletes and some of the turnovers we have were seventh and eighth grade,” McHale told reporters. “We just jumped in the air and with no one to throw it to, so we threw it in the air. We got to be better, that’s the bottom line.”

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Oddsmakers opened the Rockets as 6.5-point favorites and the total at 213.

INJURY REPORT: Clippers - G Chris Paul (Questionable, hamstring).

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS: Power forward Blake Griffin is playing spectacular and had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists in the opener for his third triple-double of the postseason. “We’ve always had a lot of trust in Blake,” backup guard Jamal Crawford told reporters. “If we could draw anything from C.P. going down, it was that Blake had grown as a playmaker and a guy that we could obviously play through. He knows when to score, he knows when to set his teammates up and that’s why he’s one of the best players in the league.”

ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Harden had 12 assists but his off-night as a scorer to go along with the ball-handling miscues sabotaged Houston’s chances of winning the opener. “I’m the catalyst, especially on the offensive end, and I’ve got to do a better job,” Harden told reporters. “Nine turnovers against this team is not to going to cut it. I think they had maybe (34) points off our turnovers – that’s giving them easy points.” Center Dwight Howard, who had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots, said the Rockets didn’t have their usual level of energy.

TRENDS:

* Clippers are 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Rockets are 24-6 ATS in their last 30 games following a ATS loss.
* Over is 4-1 in Clippers last five vs. Western Conference.

CONSENSUS: 61 percent of bettors are backing the Clippers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Cavs' series price tumbling after Game 1 loss
Stephen Campbell

In the wake of Chicago's 99-92 triumph over Cleveland in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series, books have been quick to adjust the odds on who will move on to the next round.

Prior to tip-off in the opening game, offshore shop Sportsbook.ag listed the Cavs as heavy -215 favorites to advance. But after the loss, the wine and gold's series price now sits at just -105.

Chicago was initially +185 but is now tabbed with a -115 price. Game 2 gets underway Wednesday in Ohio.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Rockets open as 6.5-point faves in Game 2
Andrew Avery

Oddsmakers have opened the Houston Rockets as 6.5-point home favorites in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers managed to win Game 1 117-101 without starting point guard Chris Paul, who remains questionable for Game 2 Wednesday night.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Rivers: "50-50 chance" Chris Paul plays Wednesday
Stephen Campbell

Los Angeles Clippers head coach announced that there's a "50-50" chance star point guard Chris Paul will play in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets Wednesday.

Without Paul, who's been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Game 7 of the first-round versus San Antonio, the Clips were still able to top the Rockets 117-101 in Game 1. The 29-year-old is officially listed as questionable for the tilt.

Books have tabbed the Clippers as 6.5-point underdogs for Game 2 on Wednesday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Cavs' James looks to be more assertive
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

LeBron James hinted at being more aggressive when the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Chicago Bulls on Wedneday night in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

James started slowly in the Cavs' Game 1 loss to the Bulls in Cleveland on Monday night. He took just two shots from the floor in the first 10 minutes and Chicago opened a 14-point lead.

"I've always had to feel out things, but last night it was a little bit too much feel out," James said. "I think I may have to change my mindset a little bit obviously with (Kevin Love) being out. It's something we all haven't been accustomed to this year with him being out for an extensive period or another of the Big Three being out for a long period of time since I had my injuries. So it might be a different mindset for myself and Kyrie (Irving)."

James finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the Cavs' 97-92 loss but also had six turnovers, made just 9 of 22 shots from the field and in the second half was limited to seven points.

"I did have an off game," James said. "If I have a great game my numbers will be a lot different. For me, that's an off game just from the standpoint (that) I'm a very efficient player as far as my shooting and to be 9-of-22, that's unacceptable. What everybody else says, I don't really care what everybody else thinks."

The Cavs, who played without the injured Love and suspended J.R. Smith, face the possibility of losing the first two games of the series.

"You can't go down 0-2 on your home floor going on the road," James said. "So it's going to be a tough challenge."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Basketball Betting: Streaks, Tips, Notes

L.A. Clippers at Houston Rockets May 6, 9:30 EST

When Houston takes to the floor in game-two of the WC Semifinal the Rockets will do so with betting trends in their favor. That's because Houston has responded following a post season loss (6-3 ATS) and have thrive against the betting number this season following a double digit loss (13-2 ATS). Another positive for Houston backers, Clippers are a money-burning 3-11-1 ATS after a post season win and a cash-draining 0-6 ATS after a double digit second season victory.