Inter remains the team to beat in Serie A

Soccer Betting Lines

08/27/2010 - Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan has dominated Serie A over the past four seasons, and after a summer transfer period that has been extremely uneventful, the Nerazzurri will enter the season as favorites to retain their title.

Inter returns almost the same team that captured the treble last season, minus talented but troubled striker Mario Balotelli, while the biggest loss could be felt on the bench, as former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez replaces the departed Jose Mourinho, who left for Real Madrid.

Benitez failed to capture the UEFA Super Cup on Friday in a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, meaning that Inter's Serie A campaign will not get underway until Monday, when the club travels to Bologna.

Roma has been the chief opposition to Inter over the past few years, finishing as runners-up in both the league and Coppa Italia last season. But outside of adding Brazilian striker Adriano over the summer, the club failed to make any other significant additions, which leaves them a little short on talent when compared to Inter.

Claudio Ranieri's side opens its season at home against promoted club Cesena, while AC Milan will host Lecce.

Milan also failed to make any big moves over the summer, but they are hopeful that they can reach a deal with Barcelona for striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic before the close of the transfer window next week.

The former Inter sniper would be a welcome addition to a Milan attack that sorely needs some freshening up.

Juventus endured a horrible campaign last season, finishing seventh in Serie A. The club is now hoping a number of new signings, most notably Italy international Fabio Quagliarella, can help to reverse its fortunes, and the Old Lady will begin its season on the road at Bari.

Genoa visits Udinese on Saturday with both teams entertaining hopes of a spot in Europe, while Napoli made one of the biggest moves of the summer with the capture of Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani from Palermo.

Napoli finished last season in sixth place and the team will be looking to push into the top four this season, which starts with an away match at Fiorentina.

The Viola ended last season in a disappointing 11th place, and they will also be without one of their top players, Stevan Jovetic, for the first half of the season after he ruptured his cruciate ligament in early August.

In other action on the opening weekend of Serie A, Catania visits Chievo, Palermo hosts Cagliari, Brescia hits the road to meet Parma and Sampdoria tangles with Lazio.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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