Reds face must-win contest against Besiktas

Soccer Betting Lines

11/05/2007 - Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool has its back against the wall and must produce a win on Tuesday at Anfield against Besiktas to keep hope alive of advancing in the Champions League.

The Reds entered Group A as favorites, but proceeded to draw with FC Porto, before dropping its last two games against Marseille and Besiktas.

After reaching the final of last year's competition, Rafael Benitez and his men now sit at the bottom of the table, six points behind leaders Marseille and four adrift of second-place FC Porto.

Benitez and Liverpool may get a boost with the return of striker Fernando Torres, who is battling an adductor strain and was back in training on Monday.

Liverpool has scored just two goals in its first three games and can use all the offensive weapons it can get. The team is without Xabi Alonso (metatarsal) for a month, while defender Daniel Agger is still out as well.

The team has created plenty of chances in its first three games, but its failure to put goals away in the final third has let them down time and again.

With some better finishing, Liverpool could very easily win its final three games and still grab a spot in the next round, but they now have no room for error.

In Group A's other contest on Tuesday, surprise leaders Marseille host Porto with the French club holding a two-point advantage on the Portuguese side.

Chelsea have a three-point lead over the rest of the field in Group B, and they travel to Germany to meet Schalke. The London side downed Schalke 2-0 last time out, and they can all but clinch a spot in the second round with another victory, while second-place Rosenborg visits Valencia. The Spanish club is reeling after firing its coach and going through a tough stretch in La Liga, but they can take a big step forward with a win over the surprising Norwegian outfit.

Olympiakos had the lead in Group C after two rounds of games, but they dropped a 4-2 contest to Real Madrid in their last game, and host the Spanish champions on Tuesday in an effort to reclaim the top spot. The Greek club trails Real by three points, while the bottom two clubs, Werder Bremen and Lazio, square off at the Stadio Olimpico.

Shakhtar Donetsk will be looking for revenge when AC Milan comes to town with both teams sitting level on points at the top of Group D. Milan easily handled the Ukrainian side 4-1 at the San Siro last time out, but Shakhtar will be hoping for at least a point to keep themselves in a good position to advance. Benfica earned its first win of the competition last time out against Celtic, and they will try to make it two straight when they travel to Celtic Park.

Wednesday's action features two Premiership teams, Arsenal and Manchester United, who can both secure spots in the second round with wins.

The Gunners are currently 3-0 in Group H, and visit Slavia Prague needing three points for a spot in the next round, while the other game in the group is between Sevilla and Steaua Bucurest. Sevilla can also all but secure passage if they win and Arsenal beats Slavia.

United can go through in front of its home fans if they down Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson's team beat the Ukrainian side 4-2 last time out, and should have no problem repeating their victory. Roma can also sit comfortably with a win as they square off against Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

Group E leaders Barcelona and Rangers will meet up once again after the two teams played to a 0-0 draw at the Ibrox. Neither side looked interested in winning the game, but both are still in a good position to advance. That's because they both hold a four-point lead on third-place Lyon, who can get back in contention with another win against Stuttgart. The French champions beat the German squad 2-0 last time out, and must do so again if they want to advance past the group stage.

The tightest group at the top is easily Group G, with the top three teams separated by only two points. Inter Milan leads the group with six points and has a winnable game at home against CSKA Moscow, while the group's other game is a battle for second place between Fenerbahce and PSV Eindhoven. PSV trails the Turkish side by one point, but they could only manage a 0-0 draw with Fenerbahce on home soil, and now must travel to Sukru Saracoglu to face a very difficult atmosphere.

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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