Celtic looks to create its own history against Benfica
Soccer Betting Lines
10/31/2006 - Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic has not won a Champions League away match in 10 contests, but with a W against Benfica on Wednesday the squad would get one step closer to earning a spot in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Benfica is one of Portugal's big three clubs, Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto are the other two, but the Eagles have not scored a goal in their last three Champions League matches, as they share the bottom spot with Copenhagen in Group F.
Celtic is the Scottish Premier League's top dog, standing 10 points ahead of second-place Hearts, however the squad's history in European competition is not favorable. Celtic has not posted a win in its last 11 away matches in European competition and look to make a change in its fourth CL campaign. Benfica knows all about play in Europe, as the squad reached the EURO Cup quarterfinals last season.
The Portugal squad has scored 13 times in its last four matches, with Nuno Gomes, Simao Sabrosa and Fabrizio Miccoli tallying nine of these goals, but the team enters this contest after suffering a 3-2 emotional loss to FC Porto on Saturday. Porto went up 2-0, before the opposing Portuguese rival fought back to end the shutout with a pair of goals in preparation of a failed comeback.
The Scottish group comes in on the wings of a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock, as they look to continue their winning ways in Lisbon. If Celtic can get its third win in Champions League play paired with a Manchester United win or draw, the Scots will advance to the final 16.
In the other Group F matchup, the cellar-squad Copenhagen hosts a battered top-team Manchester United, who will be without striker Ryan Giggs, Louis Saha and skipper Gary Neville, due to injury.
In Group E, its a meeting of top and bottom, as well, with powerhouse Lyon welcoming in a zero-point holding Dynamo Kyiv, while Real Madrid and Steaua Bucuresti battle it out in Santiago Bernabeu.
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Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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