Real Madrid goes for fifth-straight win vs. Zaragoza

Soccer Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid welcomes Real Zaragoza to the Bernabeu in La Liga action Saturday as the first-place club looks to secure its fifth-straight league win.

The leaders enter the weekend with a five-point advantage over rivals Barcelona, but after losing out to Pep Guardiola's men in yet another competition - Madrid was eliminated by Barcelona in Copa del Rey on Wednesday - Real will be focused on preserving its first-place position to edge the Catalans in the title race.

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka is wary of the threat that last- place Zaragoza can pose and insists that his side is focused on rebounding from its King's Cup exit in the proper manner.

"The squad is thinking about the match against Zaragoza, which will surely be difficult," said Karanka. "Despite the shape they're in, they managed to cause an upset against us last year. The squad only thinks about winning and giving another good performance."

Real Madrid's last La Liga loss came at the hands of Barcelona on Dec. 10 as the Catalans earned a 3-1 win at the Bernabeu. Since then, Madrid has won four-straight league games by a combined score of 17-5.

Zaragoza, which sits bottom of the table with just 12 points on the season, has drawn two-straight league games and is winless in its last 12 La Liga matches. It has not won since Oct. 16, a 2-0 defeat of Real Sociedad.

Barcelona looks to close the gap on Real Madrid as the reigning European champions head to El Madrigal to face lowly Villarreal.

The Catalans have lost just once in La Liga this season, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Getafe on Nov. 26. That result sparked a six-game unbeaten run that saw Barcelona take 15 points from a possible 18 and outscore opponents 21-5.

Villarreal, meanwhile, sits fourth from bottom on just 19 points. The Yellow Submarines defeated Sporting Gijon, 3-0, on Monday to snap a six-game winless run.

In Saturday's other two La Liga contests, Espanyol looks to extend its unbeaten run to six games when it hosts Mallorca at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat, and Athletic Bilbao looks to build upon its 1-0 win over Mallorca in Copa del Rey on Wednesday when it travels to the Teresa Rivero to face Rayo Vallecano.

On Sunday, Granada hopes to snap its three-game losing skid to climb out of the relegation zone when it faces Real Betis, Levante aims to remain in the top four when it hosts Getafe, Real Sociedad and Sporting Gijon look to bounce back from losses as the two sides meet at the Anoeta, Valencia tries to pull closer to second-place Barcelona when it heads to Racing, and Malaga searches for its first win since November when it welcomes Sevilla.

La Liga play is rounded out on Monday with Osasuna welcoming Atletico Madrid, going for its third-straight league win, to the Reyno de Navarra.

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Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.

NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.