Dutch still have work to do against Uruguay

Soccer Betting Lines

07/05/2010 - Cape Town, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Netherlands defeated five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil in the quarterfinals, but winger Arjen Robben said afterward "we've not come here to settle for the semifinals."

The Dutch lost to Brazil in the knockout round in 1994 and 1998, and earned a small measure of revenge in South Africa to climb closer to their first final since the second of two straight runner-up finishes in 1978.

But the win over the Brazilians means little, unless Holland continues its run in the semifinals on Tuesday against another past champion, Uruguay, at Green Point Stadium.

"What matters now is focusing on the next game," Robben said. "We're in the last four and we know we're capable of reaching the final."

Uruguay captured two of the first four World Cups, in 1930 and 1950, and used a miracle finish against Ghana to advance to its first semifinal since 1970.

The Netherlands, the most storied country to never win the World Cup, is the lone semifinalist that has won all of its matches. The Dutch cruised through the group stage, and with Robben back in the starting lineup in the knockout round, disposed of Slovakia and Brazil.

Although Robben spent a great deal of the match against Brazil on the ground, his influence has been obvious since he returned from a hamstring injury in the last game of the group stage.

Robben and Wesley Sneijder, who leads the Dutch with four goals, have teamed to fuel the run to the semifinals. Sneijder scored both second-half goals in the comeback win over Brazil, as the own goal originally charged to Brazil's Felipe Melo was later awarded to Sneijder.

Brazilian goalie Julio Cesar admitted after the game Holland "deserved it in the second half, they played really well."

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk said after his side's first goal, the shot from Sneijder that deflected off Melo's head, changed the match.

"Once we scored our first goal we played much better," Van Marwijk said, "and proved that we've got a very strong squad."

Van Marwijk will have to look to the bench against Uruguay, as starting right back Gregory van der Wiel and starting defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong are both suspended for accumulated yellow cards.

In addition, starting central defender Joris Mathijsen missed the Brazil game with an injury picked up late in pre-match practice, and if he does not play, Van Marwijk will be without three of his first-choice players in the back.

Uruguay will be without Jorge Fucile and Luis Suarez, with the latter serving just a one-match suspension after swatting a sure goal off the line in extra time against Ghana.

Ghana's Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing penalty kick in the closing seconds of extra time, and Uruguay goalie Fernando Muslera made two saves in the shootout to send the South Americans through.

"I don't have an explanation for what happened," Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said.

Uruguay also won its group, tying France in its opener before wins over South Africa and Mexico. Uruguay beat South Korea, 2-1, in the round of 16.

Although Uruguay used a miracle in the closing seconds against Ghana, veteran Sebastian Abreu didn't think the teams semifinal appearance was just luck.

"We can't say we had winners' luck because that would imply that we are playing down the work we have done since 2006," said Abreu, who converted the last penalty kick in the shootout to seal Uruguay's win.

"This is a team that has gone through a lot," Abreu added, "and that has been the key to a result in the World Cup."

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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.