Palermo hopes to close out solid 2006 run with a win

Soccer Betting Lines

12/22/2006 - Siena, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a strong 2006 campaign, Palermo looks to close out the year on Saturday against a Siena team that has not seen a win in eight Serie A games.

"We have to make the last effort in order to try to close this year in the best way ever although we know that it won't be easy in Siena," goalkeeper Alberto Fontana told the club's website.

The Palermo club has spent the majority of the last 30 years in lower divisions, but will travel to Siena standing third on the Serie A table, trailing leader Internazionale by 11, remaining the same amount of points clear of the relegation zone with 34 to its name.

The hosts have gone the opposite of Palermo as of late, starting out solidly in league play, but have not seen three points since October 29, including the club's latest defeat to Empoli on Wednesday of this week, while Palermo comes off a 4-0 demolition of Ascoli.

The visitors will be without striker Andrea Carraciolo due to a fractured toe suffered while slipping as he got out of the bath, sidelining the forward for up to three weeks, thankfully for Carraciolo this recovery time will be during the winter break.

Siena will welcome back Daniele Portanova from suspension, while Erjon Bogdani, Francesco Cozza and Alberto will all be available after overcoming injuries, as Roberto D'Aversa will be probable after not being able to train normally because of muscle issues.

In other Serie A fixtures this weekend, Ascoli looks for its first win of the campaign against a visiting Chievo Verona, while Livorno looks to rebound from its 4-1 whipping handed out by Sampdoria, who travels to Catania Calcio in a battle of four versus six.

Parma defender Fernando Couto takes on his former team on Saturday when Lazio travels to the Stadio Ennio Tardini, while Udinese welcomes in AC Milan to the Stadio Friuli and a pair of 15-point squads meet up when Messina travels to Fiorentina.

Reggina will continue its battle to stay out of the relegation zone when Empoli arrives at the Stadio Oreste Granillo, while unbeaten Inter looks to tie the Serie A record of 11-straight wins set by Roma last season when Atalanta comes for a visit and second-place Roma hosts Cagliari.

SERIE A WEEKEND FIXTURES

SATURDAY -------- Ascoli - Chievo Verona

Catania Calcio - Sampdoria

Fiorentina - Messina

Inter Milan - Atalanta

Livorno - Torino

Parma - Lazio

Reggina - Empoli

Roma - Cagliari

Siena - Palermo

Udinese - AC Milan

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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