Craig Bellamy could be set to return to haunt his boyhood club after Kenny Dalglish revealed the forward should be fit in time for this weekend’s Carling Cup final against Cardiff.

The proud Welshman will return to training this week after missing the 6-1 FA Cup hammering of Brighton through injury and Bellamy will now be hoping to earn his place in the starting line-up for this weekend’s trip to Wembley where he would line-up against his former club.

Dalglish confirmed Bellamy, along with Daniel Agger, had been struggling with injury but there were no real dangers of the duo missing the season’s first chance of silverware. Those placing a football bet should remember this.

“We had a couple of injuries on Friday and Saturday with Bellers and Daniel Agger,” the Scot told Liverpool’s official website.

“We’ll have to see how they are but they should be alright, I think.”

Cardiff will be well aware of the dangers posed by Bellamy, after the striker’s loan spell at the club he supported as a boy during last season. While he failed to lead the Welsh club into the Premiership, Bellamy cemented his place as a legend in the eyes of the Cardiff fans. People using betting.betfair.com need to bear this in mind.

That may change, somewhat, should the striker now go on to score a hat-trick this weekend, something he has certainly looked capable of after rejoining Liverpool in the summer. Despite a series of niggling injuries, Bellamy has looked back to his best at times so far this season and the Welshman looks set to play a major role in Liverpool’s critical end of season run-in.

Agger’s return to action could see the recently returned Jamie Carragher drop back to the bench when Dalglish names the starting 11 for this weekend’s clash, in what could well be the veteran defender’s final chance of playing at Wembley.

Manchester as a city has enjoyed a stunning year in the Premier League, but both Manchester United and Manchester City have managed to make a real mess of the domestic Cup competitions this year (oh, and the Champions League as well..!).

Although the FA Cup at the start of the season probably wouldn’t have been high up on the list of priorities for either side, there is no doubting the fact that both teams would still have liked to be fighting it out in a Cup competition, with the FA Cup a tournament with a massive global audience and one with an especially large following in Asia and North America. With both clubs desperate to carry on building upon their following before cashing in on support around the globe, something that is vital as the new financial fair play rules come into force, you can see why Cup involvement is so important to big teams in this country. Fans of Betfair will know all about this.

However, that said, the real loser here is not City, and it’s not United; it’s the FA, who are still looking to find a way to increase the viewing figures and attendances at games, while shrugging off competition from other sports vying for supremacy in England. The fact that two of the favourites in the FA Cup betting are out already will only hurt the competition.

If the remaining Cup ties are damp squibs, then the managers and chief executives at the FA are going to feel enraged at the fact that two of the prize assets in the game have crashed out of the competition so early on, hurting the brand of the FA Cup.

With the FA still looking to pay for big money investments, they’ll need to find a way to ensure that next year both clubs stay in until the latter rounds of the competition.

Schalke have admitted they have opened up negotiations with Spanish striker Raul over an extension on his current contract. The former Spanish international’s current deal at the German club expires in the summer and it appears both parties are eager to extend their current relationship.

Raul joined the Bundesliga side in the summer of 2010, going on to score 19 goals in his debut year in Germany, helping the club into the semi-finals of the Champions League. The club failed to continue their European into the Bundesliga, finishing the season way down in 14th; however, Raul proved to a lot of people that he was still more than capable of scoring goals at the top level.

The 34-year old has continued that prolific form into this season and has already notched up double figures in the Bundesliga so far. The striker has been a key cog in the team this season, which has so far proved to be a much more successful season to the last one. People looking at the Bundesliga odds will be aware of how important he is.

Currently level on points with Bayern Munich and defending champions Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table, Schalke have given themselves an excellent platform on which to launch a real challenge for the title this season. Those following the Sports betting tips will be keeping a close eye on the title race.

With things on the pitch going well, Raul has admitted he is equally happy off it; revealing he is very happy to start talks on a new contract, which he insists would be something he would be keen to sign.

“My family and I are enjoying life at the club and in this country,” he said.

“I want to play on professionally and I am completely convinced we are about to reach a new agreement.”

With no Champions League football this season, Schalke have been able to put their full energies into their league campaign, and the results have been clear in their success so far this season. While not many will believe Huub Stevens’ men will be able to keep pace with Bayern and Dortmund, Schalke fans will be confident of success as long as they have Raul in the side.

Joachim Low said Germany would treat their Euro 2012 Group B rivals with the utmost respect.

The three-time World Cup winners will pit their wits against the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark in a daunting section dubbed the ‘Group of Death’.

The Germans finished top scorers at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and many observers take the view that the current crop – including the likes of Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez – represent the biggest threat to Spain defending their European crown. People placing Euro 2012 bets may want to bear this in mind.

They emerged from qualification Group A with a perfect 10 out of 10 but Low is refusing to get carried away.

The Dutch reached the World Cup 2010 final and Portugal and Denmark ironically both came through qualification from Group H.

He said: “They all have their strengths. Portugal, the Netherlands – they are the most technical teams in the world, and Denmark are strong as a team. So we need to take it as it is.”

Reaching the knockout stages in Poland and Ukraine could hinge on the crunch game against the Netherlands and Low said the Kharkiv showdown on June 13 was likely to be an epic. Those placing football bets online should remember this.

He said: “[Playing the Netherlands] is always something special and we’re looking forward to it.”

Group B schedule

Saturday 9 June
NED v DEN, 18.00CET, Kharkiv
GER v POR, 20.45CET, Lviv

Wednesday 13 June
DEN v POR, 18.00CET, Lviv
NED v GER, 20.45CET, Kharkiv

Sunday 17 June 2012
POR v NED, 20.45CET, Kharkiv
DEN v GER, 20.45CET, Lviv

Marseille are in Germany to take on Borussia Dortmund knowing a victory will be enough to seal second place in Group F and qualification for the knock-out
phase.

Even a draw for the French side would be enough if Olympiacos fail to beat Arsenal in the other game in the group but Didier Deschamps’ men are likely to be going all out for a win on matchday six.

Dortmund could yet sneak through themselves but it is a very unlikely scenario as they have to beat Marseille by four goals or more and hope Olympiacos lose so, to some extent, the Bundesliga side will be playing without pressure in this one. Those looking at the Champions League football betting should remember this.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were well beaten 3-0 in France in the first game between the two sides and will have to be much better on Tuesday night if they are to stand
any chance of progressing – however remote that possibility is.

However, they have made an impressive start to their domestic campaign and sit second in the table after 15 games, just a point behind leaders Bayern Munich and will fancy their chances of at least winning the game. Fans of Betfair football betting should bear this in mind.

Klopp has not ruled out the possibility of making it through but knows how difficult a task it is as he eyes making a good start against the French side to at
least give them a chance.

He said: “To win by a big margin you have to take the lead first. We have to enter this in a very attacking mood, but cannot all start running into their area,
or we will play into their hands. A lot of things are possible in football, but we cannot sit here today and say we will just walk over Marseille.”

Deschamps has warned his side to forget about events in Greece and concentrate on winning the game as they have their Champions League destiny in their own hands.

“We should look to ourselves,” he said. “We could have had things another way if we had not lost the last match against Olympiacos.

“We let a big chance slip away against Olympiacos, but now we have another one.We have it in our own hands.”

With what’s at stake in the game it is hard to envisage Marseille not being on their A-game and a narrow win looks on the cards to see them safely through in second place.

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Marseille.

Wolves defender Stephen Ward says the Premier League strugglers have targeted winning their next three home matches as they aim to move up the table.

Wolves host Sunderland on Sunday in a clash boss Mick McCarthy has already described as “huge” with the loser set to drop into the relegation zone.

Consecutive defeats by Everton and Chelsea have seen Wolves flirt with danger at the wrong end of the table once again but their next three home games look winnable and Ward wants nine points from nine at Molinuex ahead of the busy festive period. Fans of online betting football should bear this in mind.

Following the Sunderland game, the Black Country outfit host Norwich and Wigan and Ward believes the games could end up being key to their hopes of staying up this season. Those who bet Premier League money should remember this.

“It’s a vital period for us because it could really shape the outcome of the second half of the season,” said Ward.

“We’ve pinpointed these four games – three home matches against Sunderland, Stoke and Norwich – and one away, and we feel we’re capable of winning all three at home.”
Wolves are currently 17th in the table but if they can embark on a winning home run they are bound to push themselves up the standings in what is shaping up to be a very competitive battle for survival once again in the Premier League.

Sandwiched between the home games is a tough trip to champions Manchester United, though, while they also face a difficult trip to Arsenal on Boxing Day.

Unibet Casino take a look at the football bets for tonight:

Chelsea will arrive at Stamford Bridge tonight keen to prove to their numerous critics that they are capable of beating one of the big boys in the league. After recent home defeats against Arsenal and tonight’s opponents in the Carling Cup, Liverpool, Chelsea need to show some strength and resilience if they want to get their season firmly back on track.

Chelsea are firm favourites in the match odds with the likes of NL Unibet to win tonight’s encounter against a Liverpool side that may well be far weaker than the side we’ve become used to seeing from Kenny Dalglish, who has been vocal in his criticism of the decision to schedule this match just 48 hours after their crunch Premier League meeting with Manchester City at Anfield.

In fact, Liverpool are firm underdogs, which is strange for a side that drew 1-1 with City in their last game and humbled Chelsea at home just over a week ago. They’ve also won three of their last five encounters against Chelsea away from home, so they aren’t just going to roll over and die tonight in West London.

However, with Chelsea sure to have the backing of their raucous home fans, and with the club’s senior players all too aware of the importance of getting a good result to help ease the pressure on Andre Villas-Boas, backing the Blues to progress into the semi-finals seems a sensible bet.

Unibet NL take a look at the latest bookmaker odds ahead of tonight’s clash:

Tonight, Manchester City will travel to North London to take on Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup, with City flying after a stunning start to the season domestically, and Arsenal starting to look strong after a terrible opening to their own campaign.

Looking at the match odds with Unibet for tonight, the price for City to beat the Gunners on home turf looks very tempting indeed. Arsene Wenger is likely to field a young and inexperienced side in order to carry on his tradition of blooding youthful talent in the Carling Cup while resting key senior players ahead of tricky tests in the Premier League and Champions League. The likes of Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (who might represent a good pick for anytime goalscorer based on his recent form and the comments made about him by senior Arsenal squad players) are likely to slot into the side, while senior players like Robin van Persie are likely to be left out of the squad altogether.

Although City are likely to rest some top players too, their strength in depth is truly frightening, and the likelihood remains that their starting line-up will be strong enough to make the Gunners’ young stars quake in their boots.

Looking at other markets, it could well be a high-scoring game, with rotation and youth never providing the ideal combination for a low-scoring, tight game. It may also be wise, knowing Arsenal’s weaknesses and looking at their last game against Fulham at the weekend, to back Manchester City to score the first goal.

One final tip might well be to lay either side keeping a clean sheet…

Lyon defender Cris says the French side need to put their recent poor form out of their minds and concentrate only on the must-win Champions League clash with Ajax on Tuesday.

Lyon have lost their last three games in all competitions with Friday’s 2-1 reverse in Ligue 1 their first defeat at home in the French top flight in 14 months.

They know another defeat against the Dutch champions in Europe this week will end their chances of qualifying for the knock-out phase and raise the prospect of only being involved in the Europa League after Christmas. Those looking at the online football betting should remember this.

The French outfit, who finished third in Ligue 1 last season, are behind Ajax and runaway leaders Real Madrid in Group D ahead of Matchday 5 and, as far as Cris is concerned, a win on Tuesday is all he can think about.

The Brazilian defender said: “It’s always a pity to lose a game, as we did on Friday but now we have to forget it and only have in our minds that a defeat against Ajax would cost us qualification.

“We absolutely need to win, we have the opportunity to show that we can go through.”

Lyon have not failed to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League since the 2002/03 season but are staring at that prospect if they slip up against Ajax. The Champions League betting suggests things will be close.

However, Cris is in upbeat mood ahead of the game which, if they do win, will mean they take on point-less Dinamo Zagreb on Matchday 6 level on points with Ajax and therefore in a straight fight for second place.

He added: “We will do our best to win the last two games and get this second place.”

Southport manager Liam Watson admits he is already dreaming of an FA Cup third round glamour tie as he plots a route into round two with a victory over League Two side Barnet this weekend.

Watson’s side host the Bees at Haig Avenue on Saturday looking for a win that would see them take their place in the second round – just a game away from a potentially huge third round tie against one of the Premier League big boys. Those looking at the football odds will be keeping a close eye on the game.

Port, who beat Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Stockport in the fourth qualifying round last month, head into Saturday’s game in good form with the 3-2 win at Kettering their seventh consecutive away victory of the season – a run that equals a club record from way back in 1955-56.

Barnet may be a division above but they are currently struggling in League Two and the non-leaguers clearly fancy their chances of causing a small upset with Watson hoping home advantage can again give them the edge.

“It’s a tough draw for us but it’s a tough draw for Barnet as well,” he said. “The good thing is we’re at home. They’re struggling as well so it gives us a good chance to progress.”

Prize money in the shape of an £18,000 windfall is also on offer for the victors on Saturday and, while that is an extra incentive for the Merseysiders, more important for Watson is the chance for his side to eventually take their place in the third round, which brings with it the possibility of taking on the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea or mega-rich Manchester City. Fans of FA Cup betting will know this is exactly what the tournament is all about.

He knows they would have to negotiate a second-round tie before those dreams could become reality and hopes if they do see off Barnet the draw will be kind to them, after some difficult matches in the competition so far.

He added: “The draw hasn’t been kind to us so far. We had Stockport County in the qualifying rounds and now Barnet in the first round, when there were plenty of non-league clubs still in it.

“If we do get through, you then want that little bit of luck to give you the chance of pulling Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United or Chelsea in the third round. But we’ve got a tough game to get through against Barnet.

“Everyone in non-league wants to pick one of the big teams. Not only because it give you a fabulous day but it sets the club up for the next 10 years.”