Germany faces tougher test against England

Soccer Betting Lines

09/13/2007 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany flexed its muscle in the opening match of the Women's World Cup on Monday, setting records for most goals scored and largest margin of victory as the defending champions handed Argentina an 11-0 pounding.

On Friday, the Germans will try to continue to prove their dominance in Group A as they meet England, which played to an exciting 2-2 draw with Japan on Tuesday in its opening contest.

After a slow start, Germany got things going and managed to score five first- half goals on its way to an easy win, with Sandra Smisek and Birgit Prinz each recording hat tricks in the match.

The three goals for Prinz allowed her to move into a first-place tie with American Michelle Akers atop the all-time scoring list in Women's World Cup history with 12 goals.

It is not a matter of if, but when she will score her next goal and take sole possession of the record, but despite the lopsided score line on Monday, Prinz feels there is still room for improvement.

"It was much more straightforward than we thought it would be, although it was made easy for us because they gave us so much room," Prinz said. "The coaches did tell us that beforehand, but we didn't really want to believe it. Would I say we played to perfection? No, I wouldn't say that. OK, we scored more goals than we ever thought we would, but we still made too many mistakes. Everything has to come together for perfection."

The only improvement that Germany could make would be to get off to a better start in the first 15 minutes of the match. The Germans looked slow at the outset, but soon came to life and the goals started pouring in.

In addition to Prinz and Smisek, midfielder Melanie Behringer played a strong match, scoring a goal and setting up a few others with dangerous crosses from the wing. Renate Lingor has established herself as one of the best midfielders in the world, and while she managed to score one goal, she was not called upon to produce a stellar effort.

The Germans promise to be tested a bit more on Friday, with England boasting star midfielder Kelly Smith, who scored two goals in three minutes in the second half against Japan.

With her team trailing 1-0 and 10 minutes to play, Smith put England on her back and in the blink of an eye, had her team ahead. It will take quite an effort from Smith to give England a chance in this game, but she will be helped by improved finishing from players like Eniola Aluko and Rachel Yankey.

England would be wise to try and test a German defense that was not forced to answer many questions in its opening match. The biggest of which is whether or not goalie Nadine Angerer is able to replace longtime starter Silke Rottenberg.

Angerer proved herself to be a quality keeper in qualifying, but how she will handle the pressure of such a big stage remains to be seen.

There is plenty of talent on this England team, with defenders Alex Scott and Faye White as well as midfielders Fara Williams and Karen Carney. However, it will take quite an effort for this team to topple the mighty Germans, who have too much talent offensively to be tripped up at this point in the competition.

Germany should handle England and move one step closer to a spot in the quarterfinals, and maybe by then any remaining questions will be answered.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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