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.”

Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping a wake-up call against Basel will inspire Manchester United to victory in a double-header against Otelul Galati.

The Scot raised complacency as an issue after the three-time winners were held to a surprise 3-3 draw against the Swiss minnows at Old Trafford and is concerned qualification from Group C could get messy unless his players find some form in Europe’s elite club competition. Those following the football betting online will be keeping a close eye on things.

The Basel stalemate came off the back of another draw against Benfica in Portugal and the Premier League champions must now get the ball rolling in back-to-back fixtures against the Romanian newcomers – starting at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

“I think we got complacent after going 2-0 up so early on and didn’t pay enough attention to defending,” said Ferguson, when asked about the Basel game. “But we rescued it, which was important.

“Maybe it was the best thing that could happen as we got a wake-up call but still salvaged something. We need to win both games [against Galati] and hopefully we’ll do that. And we’ll hope for one of two things from the other teams – either they both draw or one wins both games. We don’t want them to win a game each as the group would then be very tight.”

Ferguson admitted he did not even know where Otelul Galati were from when the draw was made but has done his homework to ensure there is no banana skin in the offing and is confident United will made the knockout stages. Fans have seen Man United bowling over plenty of lesser opponents this season, and they will be expecting more of the same.

Only then will he turn his full attention to next Sunday and the highly-anticipated Manchester derby against neighbours and league leaders City at Old Trafford.
He added: “It’s still in our hands and we’re capable of winning the matches. We have to win these two games as we’ve only got two points while Benfica and Basel are on four.

“I will have one eye on City but the thing is we’ve got five days before the derby game so we’ll be prepared for Sunday quite easily.”

Brazil playmaker Renato Augusto will miss the Champions League match-day three visit of Valencia on October 19 because of a knee injury, Bayer Leverkusen have confirmed.

The Bundesliga title-chasers have revealed the 23-year-old will undergo surgery this week under the supervision of the Brazil team doctor, Jose Luiz Runco, in Rio de Janeiro before returning to the BayArena to continue his rehabilitation.

Leverkusen have said they expect the former Flamengo favourite will be missing for “several weeks”, meaning he will not be available for the Group E visit of Los Che later this month and the return fixture in Spain on November 1.

His absence could be a huge blow for the side who are looking to escape from a tricky group which contains Chelsea, Valencia and Genk. The Champions League betting shows they could struggle against their Spanish rivals.

The side currently sit in second place on three points having won one and lost one in their opening two fixtures.

Renato Augusto is the fourth Bayer player to undergo a knee operation this season after Rene Adler, Tranquillo Barnetta and Michael Ortega. Fans of Premier League betting will also have noted that knee injuries seem increasingly common in England.

Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up have not won any of their last seven encounters against La Liga opponents but entertain Valencia off the back of a home win against KRC Genk on match-day two.

Unai Emery’s men opened their Champions League account with a goalless draw at Genk and then rescued a point at home to Chelsea thanks to a Roberto Soldado penalty.

Remember when FA Cup final day at Wembley was the biggest date in the domestic calendar and every fan would dream about a trip to the Twin Towers.

Every supporter would hope for a cup run from the opening day in August and the prospect of your team featuring in the showpiece event at the national stadium would be something to get excited about. Those looking at the Betfair FA Cup odds won’t be as excited they should be.

But one decision may cause the slow death of the oldest cup competition in the world – the decision to also play the semi-finals at Wembley.

The Football Association first played a semi-final at the national arena in 1991. That year north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham met in the last four, before a repeat clash between the Gunners and Spurs in 1993 and a Sheffield derby in the same year, led to the venue being used again before the final.

Man United bowling

Exceptional circumstances most would agree, but what followed was a bizarre decision to use Wembley again the following year for the last-four encounters. In 1994, Chelsea face Luton and Manchester United came up against Oldham, with neither match selling out.

The powers-that-be then decided it would be for the best if the semi-finals returned to neutral club venues. That was until they made an exception again in 2000 – the last year before the old Wembley was torn down.

It reverted back to club grounds again before Wembley became the permanent home for semi-finals in 2008 when, we are led to believe, the extra revenue raised would go towards the stadium facelift. Some fans may be more exciting by the idea of watching Betfair Man United bowling.

The semi-finals since then have been pretty forgettable, probably as everything blends into one with some many games on the same pitch. Until the hallowed turf is left for just the final, the tournament is likely to continue to suffer.

The Italian summer transfer window has been a busy affair, with several interesting signings being completed. In this article I will give my top 2 captures of the aforementioned transfer window with a few facts to boot.

For me, the first and most prolific signing has to be Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Italy’s AC Milan bought the abundant striker from the Spanish giants, and current Champions League titleholders Barcelona. The fee paid for the talents of Zlatan was thought to be around €24 million. People looking at the Serie A betting will know how good he is.

Ibrahimovic played his football at the San Siro last season for AC Milan on a season long loan. The loan deal included a clause, which made it possible for Milan to purchase the Swedish international, an option which they exercised after he clocked up 21 goals and 12 assists in 39 appearances.

Expect Ibrahimovic to make a massive difference in AC Milan’s conquest to win the Serie A title, and challenge in the Champions League. The second signing to catch the eye was Uruguayan international Edinson Cavani’s move from Palermo to bitter rivals Napoli. Napoli paid a fee of around €16 million for the striker, which is a good deal if you consider Chelsea paying out £50 million for Fernando Torres. Fans of FA Cup betting will know he hasn’t really lived up to that price tag.

Last season saw Cavani on loan at Napoli where he picked up 33 goals in 47 appearances. Edinson Cavani will be capital in any success Napoli may have, whether it’s in the Champions League, or the race to win the Serie A title.