Saturday, September 11^th, 10:00 EST

The month of September has arrived, and sports betting online is at an all time high. Several exciting sports get underway, and NFL betting and NCAA Football betting are both available as college and professional seasons of the gridiron game nears opening weekends.  Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, a different football season has begun in the English Premiership, and with that soccer betting is available.

The season is still very young, with many teams playing only their fourth match this weekend, but the games are still pivotal, in particular the matchup between Fulham and Wolverhampton.

After starting off the season with a home victory over Stoke City, Wolverhampton has earned two consecutive 1-1 draws to have a respectable five points on the season.  They head back to the road and visit Fulham, a club still searching for their first win of the new season.

Three straight draws, 0-0 at Bolton, 2-2 hosting Manchester United, and 2-2 at Blackpool have given the club three points and some momentum after this most recent match.  In the 87^th minute, Dickson Etuhu scored the equalizer for Fulham to earn the draw and salvage a road point. Prior to that, Fulham triumphed decisively over Port Vale in Carling Cup action with a 6-0 victory.

In that match, Zoltan Gera and Bobby Zamora each scored twice, and American Clint Dempsey scored the sixth goal. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, was not forced to make any saves in earning his shutout, has been the topic of a potential transfer as Arsenal has shown great interest. A 2 milllion euro offer by the Gunners, however, was turned down by the 37 year old putting the drama to rest.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has started strong for the Wanderers with two goals on the season, including the team’s lone game in their recent game. In Carling Cup action, Wolverhampton needed extra time and a 120^th minute strike by Richard Stearman to edge Southend United 2-1.

The Wanderers will be welcoming 32-year old striker Marcus Bent on a fourth month loan from Birmingham. However, a setback in recovery from an patella tendon injury has left 24-year old Michael Kightly off of the teams 25 man roster. Stephen Hunt, however, recovering from foot surgery, has been added to the squad.

With the season still so young, the table has yet to separate, and three points go a long way to move teams up in the rankings and give them momentum and confidence moving forward.  Three points for Wolverhampton have the chance to put their in the upper echelon for a brief time.

Betting lines: Wolverhampton has played well this year, but they will encounter one of their tougher matches yet on the season.  At home in Craven Cottage, Fulham will be seeking their first victory, and they will prevail with strong goalkeeping and defense, winning 2-0 and gaining three points.

Manchester City’s record signing Robinho has ended his tempestuous relationship with the club after two years at Eastlands. The Brazilian has signed a four year deal with Italian giants AC Milan. Despite making a significant loss on the player they bought for £32million, City will be happy with the deal. Milan have paid a reported £22million for the 26 year old playmaker who scored 16 goals during his two years in Manchester.

Robinho had a six month loan spell at his first club Santos last season, after falling out of favour with Roberto Mancini. With City again investing heavily in the transfer market  this summer, the club were eager to get Robinho’s reported £6million a year wages of their books. After struggling to really adapt to the Premier League, the Brazilian jumped at the chance to join i Rossoneri in Milan. Robinho rediscovered some of his best form whilst back in Brazil with Santos. He took that form into the World Cup this summer, where he was one of Brazil’s stand out players during the competition. It was admittedly a poor tournament for the South Americans in, reaching only the quarter finals in South Africa.

Despite losing Robinho and Craig Bellamy this summer, City and their football betting picks will be confident of their ability score the goals needed for success this season. Carlos Tevez has started this season like he finished the last, while much is expected from new signing Mario Balotelli. Behind that Mancini still has Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo and Roque Santa Cruz waiting for a chance to impress the Italian coach.

Saturday, September 4^th, 10:00 EST

September have arrived, and with a wide range of exciting sporting action.  You can bet sports everyday with many options, including NFL betting and NCAA football betting as the fall sports season gets underway. Also available daily is MLB betting, as baseball moves towards the playoffs with only a month left of regular season games.

Yet, as football gets underway in North America amind much fanfare, a different kind of football has begun in Europe, with the top flight leagues in Europe starting this past month.  Some of the best soccer in the world is played in the English Premier League, and there are some very intruiging matchups this Saturday.  Two teams that moved up to the high class of football for this season are Blackpool and Newcastle.

Blackpool look for their second win of the season, after it eluded them in their last match again Fulham.  In the 87^th minute, Dickson Etuhu notched the equalizer for the Cottagers, as they spoiled Blackpool’s run at three points.  Still yet, the club has one win and one draw in three games, with a respectable four points in their return to the top flight.

They will welcome to the roster Wycombe winger Matt Phillips who was bought earlier in the week.  In their three games, they have scored six goals, with Marlon Harewood leading the team with two scores.

Newcastle United has been equally impressive in their return to the Premiership, also earning one win and one draw in their first three games. They are back at home after a road draw against Wolverhampton.  In their first home match, they dominated Aston Villa with a 6-0 trouncing in front of 43,000 excited fans. That followed an opening day loss to Manchester United, 3-0.

Andrew Carroll leads the squad with four goals, his latest being the tying goals against the Wanderers to 1-1 draw. In three league games this season, they have netted seven goals while only allowed four.  Three points this weekend would vault them up the table with an impressive seven points, and two victories in their first four matches. The same can be said of Blackpool.

Prior to their Premier League draw, Newcastle played well in a Carling Cup match against Accrington Stanley, winning 3-2.  Blackpool, meanwhile, suffered an embarrassing loss to Milton Keynes Dons, 4-3, in which they simply could not keep the score even, allowing a goal after each positive strike.

Betting lines:  Both teams are playing in their fourth game of their return season to the Premiership, with both playing well and optimistic so far. In their first home game, Newcastle dominated, and there is no reason they cannot do the same against Blackpool.  While both teams have the same record, Newcastle has been able to find the back of the net while playing strong defense.  The home crowd will propel them to a 2-0 victory.

New Blackburn loan signing Mame Biram Diouf made himself an instant hero by scoring a hat-trick in his side’s Carling Cup second round tie versus Norwich City.

Diouf’s hat-trick came as Blackburn eased into the third round with a 3-1 victory over the Championship new boys, improving their Carling Cup betting odds in the process. The striker, who joined on a season long loan deal from Manchester United, headed his side into the lead on the half hour mark. Diouf scored two more goals in the second half to kill off the tie before Norwich defender Jens Berthal Askou grabbed a 90th minute consolation.

It was the Senegalese striker’s first start for his new club after coming off the bench in Blackburn’s first two Premier League games. He showed exactly why United boss Sir Alex Ferguson rates him so highly as a finisher. His first goal was a typical poacher’s finish – after a long throw was flicked on, the big striker was in the right place to score a stooping header.

It was a similar story with the striker’s second goal – when a Morten Gamst Pedersen shot was spilled by Norwich keeper Declan Rudd, Diouf was there again to stab the ball home from close range. His third came from another header, finishing nicely from five yards, to seal his hat-trick in the 84th minute.

This comfortable victory will give Blackburn confidence going into the third round of the competition. The game could also prove to be Diouf’s springboard to go on and have a prolific season in a Blackburn shirt. And if Rovers get a taste for cup football, they could see their FA Cup odds tumble too.

Saturday August, 28^th, 10:00 EST

The sports world gets very exciting this time of year when it comes to betting online. The fall means that NCAA football betting is now available, and all fans can begin betting on NFL as opening weekend nears. Meanwhile, soccer betting is also open for both the MLS, which nears an end, and English Premier League soccer, which has just gotten underway.

The third weekend of play features several exciting matchups, including two teams looking to overachieve this season in Blackpool and Fulham.

Blackpool’s return to the Premiership was a success, triumphing over Wigan Athletic 4-0, with goals from Gary Tayor-Fletcher, Alex Baptiste, and two from Marlon Harewood. That road victory, however, was somewhat muted by the following match, a 6-0 pounding by Arsenal. Still yet, a loss to one of the top teams in the league on the road is not something to be put down by.

They play their first home match of the year against Fulham, which have earned two draws in their first two matches.  On the road they played to a scoreless draw against Bolton, while they then returned home to draw Manchester United at two apiece.

Bloomfield Road will present a tough challenge for Fulham, a team that has often struggled on the road

Both teams have recently played Carling Cup matches and both resulted in two different outcomes. Fulham easily handlied Port Vale, winning 6-0 to move into the third round. Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera both scored twice, while American Clint Dempsey scored the sixth goal in the 70^th minute. Simon Davies and Brede Hangeland scored for Fulham in their 2-2 draw, and have the only Premiership goals for the team. However, in two games, the team has earned five yellow cards, which has become a bit of a concern.

Blackpool, however, suffered further embarrassment after their loss to Arsenal, losing in extra-time to Milton Keynes Dons 4-3 to be eliminated from Carling Cup competition. Blackpool gave up a goal in the first minute, and each of the three times they tied the game, MK Dons stormed back to take the lead.

While Blackpool does not seem to have trouble scoring, they need to work on their defense in order to achieve a point in their first Premiership home game.

Betting lines:  Blackpool have player very poorly in their last two games after an impressive start to the season.  Fulham, meanwhile, have played to the level of their opponent, earning two draws.  Look for a similar course to play out in this match, with Blackpool riding the excitement of playing at home.  The two teams will play to a draw, ending at two goals apiece.

Optimism is high on both sides at this time of year since the table takes a while to separate and every team has a chance to move to the top.

Michael Ballack returned from missing this summer’s World Cup with an ankle injury to inspire his new side Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-0 opening game victory over Borussia Dortmund.

After missing the World Cup, Ballack will be keen to earn back the German captaincy after being forced to hand it over to Philipp Lahm in his absence. Lahm performed admirably in his new role in South Africa and has made it clear he is desperate to hang on to the armband.

At the weekend, Ballack returned to action and despite tiring a little towards the end, he was instrumental to his side’s dominant display as they outplayed Dortmund to kick off the new Bundesliga campaign with a win. This boosted their chances of winning the title – which is reflected in the Bundesliga odds – and they will be hoping to continue their strong start to the season against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday.

When it became clear the midfielder wasn’t going to be offered a new contract at Chelsea after four years in England, Leverkusen acted quickly to re-sign the experienced midfielder. Ballack made over 70 appearances for the club between 1999 and 2002, scoring nearly 30 goals during his first spell there.

Last season was a decent one for Leverkusen, finishing fourth in the league. At the turn of the last century, Leverkusen were regular title challengers. They will be hoping Ballack will be able to help them challenge Bayern Munich and Schalke for the title this season.

Ballack’s return to the national side could come next month when Germany face Belgium and Azerbaijan in their opening Euro 2012 qualifiers. It remains to be seen whether coach Joachim Loew will stick with Lahm as captain or return the armband to 98-cap Ballack.

Elsewhere in Europe, La Liga odds are available ahead of the first fixtures of the season in Spain. The League kicks off on Saturday, with Barcelona and Real Madrid both entering the fray on Sunday. They have been handed tricky away tests at Racing Santander and Mallorca respectively.

NCAA football betting players are always up for a good upset, and on Wednesday, soccer betting players could see a huge upset in the Champions League qualifying rounds, where Young Boys of the Swiss League holds a 3-2 advantage over Tottenham.  However, Young Boys will have a tough task ahead of them at White Hart Lane in London.

Young Boys Tottenham Betting – Wednesday, August 25, 2:45 PM ET

By 30 minutes into the first leg of their matchup with Spurs, Young Boys were already up 3-0 behind goals from Senad Lulic, Henri Bienvenu and Xavier Hochstrasser, using their home crowd to power them through a devastated Tottenside.  However, they took their foot off the gas and settled for a 3-2 win.  David Degan was the goalscorer last weekend in Young Boys’ 1-0 win at home over FC Zurich in the Swiss league, and they could be a bit tired as they don’t have a particularly large squad.  NFL betting players would compare this to Detroit or Cleveland upsetting a team like Cincinnati, and Young Boys have a lot of work to do in London.

Sebastien Bassong powered in a header just before halftime to give Spurs a lifeline, and then Roman Pavlyuchenko scored with seven minutes left in regulation to put Spurs right back in the thick of things.  With their two away goals, a 1-0 win would put Tottenham through.  Gareth Bale scored a pair of goals in Spurs’ 2-1 win at Stoke City in the Premiership on the weekend, including a volley that you may see in the top goals of the campaign at season’s end.  Spurs also signed William Gallas, who adds depth and experience to Spurs’ defense, but it’ll be interesting to see how he’s greeted by Tottenham fans: remember, Gallas spent the last four years at Arsenal, Spurs’ bitter rivals, and he captained the Gunners for two seasons.

Soccer betting odds have Spurs as a massive -525 favorite at White Hart Lane, while Young Boys are rated at +1200, and a draw comes in at +450.  Spurs are excellent at White Hart Lane, where they won 14 and drew two of their 19 home games in England last year, and they would have won their season opener against Manchester City if not for a masterclass in goalkeeping from City’s Joe Hart.  Look for Spurs to come flying out of the gate, even without Jermain Defoe, who injured his groin in the first leg.  Gallas adds stability to a back line that was destroyed in the first leg, and Young Boys won’t find themselves with that many chances again.

Online sports betting pick: Tottenham Hotspur -525

The first two games of the season have taught Blackpool fans what the Premier League is all about – highs and lows.

After their unexpected 4-0 win over Wigan on the opening day, they themselves were the victims of a thrashing at the hands of Arsenal who managed six without reply.

Their second result was more widely predicted than the first, but taken together the two games mean it’s no easier to predict just how Blackpool will get on this season.

True, manager Ian Holloway would have seen any points picked up at the Emirates as a bonus, but the comprehensive manner of the defeat raised question marks.

However, Wigan are the kind of team they need to beat if they want to stay in the division and they clearly have what it takes to get one over on their fellow strugglers.

There are a lot of poor teams around this season – West Ham look unlikely to set the world alight, while a number of other teams will struggle. So if Blackpool can keep up the kind of form that saw them tonk Wigan, and don’t mind taking the occasional tonking themselves, they could hang on for a second season. You can follow their season with Bets Player.

However, they will still face a tough task in staying up and they would do well to learn from what happened with Hull City. They spent far too heavily in an attempt to remain in the Premier League and although they managed to stay up first time around, their eventual relegation plunged them into a financial crisis.

Blackpool then should concentrate on ensuring that if they do go down, they are able to make a swift return to the top flight.

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