After last week exciting matches in the African Cup of Nations, the English Premier League and other leagues all around the world, I decided to not just focus on one particular league or tournament, but to pick one match from each...

Hope you'll like it.

 

African Cup of Nations - Group D: Cameroon vs Tunisia

21.01.2010 at 17:00

After losing the opening game to Gabon, Cameroon managed to record their first win of the tournament having beaten Zambia 3:2 after being a goal behind. The Indomitable Lions now need just one point in order to go through, provided Zambia do not beat Gabon in the other group game.

Having lost the opening game of the tournament to minnows Gabon, Cameroon players were under a lot of pressure in their second game since they desperately needed a win over Zambia. Things did not go well for Paul Le Guen’s side as they were a goal down after the first half but managed to return into the game thanks to some shocking defensive errors of their opponents and ended up winning the match. As I've already said, the Lions now need just one point against Tunisia and are likely to adopt a cautious approach, while I expect something similar from the visitors as well, since neither side will risk anything in the first period.

As I expected, Paul Le Guen made some changes to the side that started the first group game but while Somen Tchoyi is expected to keep his place, the same cannot be said for Stephane M’Bia, who was utterly disappointing against Zambia. Mohammadou Idrissou played extremely well after coming off the bench against Zambia, even scoring the winning goal and he could start this match alongside Samuel Eto’o in attack.

Tunisia, on the other hand, failed to beat Gabon a few days ago and they need to win this match in order to go through.

Tunisian football has been on the downtrend over the last few years, and nobody was surprised that the Carthage Eagles failed to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. Faouzi Benzarti’s men were completely outplayed in their first group game against Zambia. They've showed some improvement in the Gabon match, but unless they show a considerable improvement against Cameroon, the Carthage Eagles will go home after this game. The team scored just one goal in the first two group games...

Influential midfielder Oussama Darragi was injured while playing against Gabon and missed the Zambia game, but he could be ready to face Cameroon. Other than that, boss Benzarti has no selection problems and should be able to field his strongest squad, not that it will help them record a good result in this match.

My Betting Advice

Neither side have been too impressive so far but Cameroon are in a better position since they can play a waiting game and then punish the Tunisians on the break. The Carthage Eagles will try everything to win this game but in my personal opinion, the best they can do here is draw and I can see the two teams sharing spoils. Either that or Cameroon wins.

 

Cameroon vs Tunisia head to head stats:


Last 5 Cameroon matches:
17.01 ACN D Cameroon-Zambia Cameroon vs Zambia goals 3:2 (0:1)
13.01 ACN D Cameroon-Gabon Cameroon vs Gabon goals 0:1 (0:1)
14.11 WCQ Morocco-Cameroon 0:2 (0:1)
14.10 FRIEND Angola-Cameroon 0:0 (0:0)
10.10 WCQ Cameroon-Togo 3:0 (1:0)


Last 5 Tunisia matches:
17.01 ACN D Gabon - Tunisia Gabon vs Tunisia goals 0:0 (0:0)
13.01 ACN D Zambia - Tunisia Zambia vs Tunisia goals 1:1 (1:1)
14.11 WCQ Mozambique - Tunisia Mozambique vs Tunisia goals 1:0 (0:0)
14.10 FRIEND Tunisia - Saudi Arabia Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia goals 0:1 (0:1)
11.10 WCQ Tunisia - Kenya Tunisia vs Kenya goals 1:0 (1:0)


Last 5 Cameroon home matches:
17.01 ACN D Cameroon-Zambia Cameroon vs Zambia goals 3:2 (0:1)
13.01 ACN D Cameroon-Gabon Cameroon vs Gabon goals 0:1 (0:1)
10.10 WCQ Cameroon-Togo 3:0 (1:0)
09.09 WCQ Cameroon-Gabon Cameroon vs Gabon goals 2:1 (1:0)
07.06 WCQ Cameroon-Morocco 0:0 (0:0)


Last 5 Tunisia away matches:
17.01 ACN D Gabon - Tunisia Gabon vs Tunisia goals 0:0 (0:0)
13.01 ACN D Zambia - Tunisia Zambia vs Tunisia goals 1:1 (1:1)
14.11 WCQ Mozambique - Tunisia Mozambique vs Tunisia goals 1:0 (0:0)
06.09 WCQ Nigeria - Tunisia Nigeria vs Tunisia goals 2:2 (1:1)
28.03 WCQ Kenya - Tunisia 1:2 (0:1)

 

 

 

England - Premier League: Man Utd vs Hull

23.01.2010 at 16:00

Manchester United continued to underperform as they lost the Carling Cup game to local rivals City, but they are still expected to have an easier job against struggling Hull. The Tigers managed to avoid defeat in their second successive away game and we are sure they wouldn’t mind picking up one more point from the travels.

Manchester United could go top of the Premier League with three points from this game but that doesn’t mean Sir Alex Ferguson can be satisfied with his side’s performances this term. The Red Devils are largely struggling on all fronts and they definitely don’t look like serious title contenders even though they are very close to the top of the standings. The players enter this match low on spirits after the derby defeat to City, and once again, Fergie will be looking for a response from his players. Due to the lack of confidence, the hosts will have a difficult job in the first half.

Ben Foster, Federico Macheda, Owen Hargreaves and John O’Shea remain sidelined, while Dimitar Berbatov is a doubt with a knee injury. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are nearing full fitness after recovering from injuries and at least one of them could be fit to play. We expect to see some changes to the team that started the City game but that will not affect Wayne Rooney, who is safe in attack. If anyone can break Hull’s defence, it will be him.

It is no wonder Phil Brown is looking for reinforcements at the time when his side are struggling to escape the danger zone but he has certainly made a big mistake in signing striker Amr Zaki. The Egyptian forward has caused so many problems at Wigan and made some racist and rather stupid statements when he was supposed to join Portsmouth, thus we cannot expect him to change his “problematic” behaviour at KC Stadium.
The boss needed a lot of time to build a good team spirit but he is risking it all with his latest signing. The Tigers enter this game on the back of the goalless draw with Tottenham and there is no doubts they will defend in numbers at Old Trafford.

Phil Brown is eagerly awaiting the return of influential midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who could be available for the Wolves game at the end of the month, while Ian Ashbee remains the only long-term absentee. Elsewhere, the boss has no selection problems and he could field a similar side to the one that held Tottenham to a goalless draw last weekend.

 

My Betting Advice

United have had some problems lately but they always seem to record big wins against relegation strugglers and I expect the trend to continue. Hull boast one of the worst defensive records in the league and they should be happy if they don’t get embarrassed at Old Trafford.

 

Man Utd vs Hull head to head stats:


Last 5 Man Utd matches:
19.01 ENG LC Man. City-Man Utd Man. City vs Man Utd goals 2:1 (1:1)
16.01 ENG PREM Man Utd-Burnley Man Utd vs Burnley goals 3:0 (0:0)
09.01 ENG PREM Birmingham-Man Utd Birmingham vs Man Utd goals 1:1 (1:0)
03.01 FA CUP Man Utd-Leeds Man Utd vs Leeds goals 0:1 (0:1)
30.12 ENG PREM Man Utd-Wigan Man Utd vs Wigan goals 5:0 (3:0)


Last 5 Hull matches:
16.01 ENG PREM Tottenham - Hull Tottenham vs Hull goals 0:0 (0:0)
02.01 FA CUP Wigan - Hull Wigan vs Hull goals 4:1 (0:1)
29.12 ENG PREM Bolton - Hull Bolton vs Hull goals 2:2 (1:0)
27.12 ENG PREM Hull - Man Utd Hull vs Man Utd goals 1:3 (0:1)
19.12 ENG PREM Arsenal - Hull Arsenal vs Hull goals 3:0 (1:0)


Last 5 Man Utd home matches:
16.01 ENG PREM Man Utd-Burnley Man Utd vs Burnley goals 3:0 (0:0)
03.01 FA CUP Man Utd-Leeds Man Utd vs Leeds goals 0:1 (0:1)
30.12 ENG PREM Man Utd-Wigan Man Utd vs Wigan goals 5:0 (3:0)
15.12 ENG PREM Man Utd-Wolves Man Utd vs Wolves goals 3:0 (2:0)
12.12 ENG PREM Man Utd-Aston Villa Man Utd vs Aston Villa goals 0:1 (0:1)


Last 5 Hull away matches:
16.01 ENG PREM Tottenham - Hull Tottenham vs Hull goals 0:0 (0:0)
02.01 FA CUP Wigan - Hull Wigan vs Hull goals 4:1 (0:1)
29.12 ENG PREM Bolton - Hull Bolton vs Hull goals 2:2 (1:0)
19.12 ENG PREM Arsenal - Hull Arsenal vs Hull goals 3:0 (1:0)
05.12 ENG PREM Aston Villa - Hull Aston Villa vs Hull goals 3:0 (2:0)

 

 

 

England - FA Cup: Portsmouth vs Sunderland

23.01.2010 at 16:00

Considering Pompey are sitting at Premiership rock bottom, they shouldn’t have too much interest in pursuing the FA Cup and they would be better off concentrating on the league campaign. Sunderland, on the other hand, are looking to make amends for the embarrassing defeat at Stamford Bridge, which is why we expect Steve Bruce to field a very strong side.

Portsmouth have been at rock bottom since the very start of the league campaign and it seems they will remain there come end of the season. Big financial problems and the transfer embargo are preventing the club from functioning properly and is's having a negative effect on the players. Avram Grant also has major selection problems at the moment with a couple of players away to Africa Cup of Nations. Forgive me if I don’t see the light at the end of a tunnel.

David James has finally recovered from injury but he is looking to leave the club and is unlikely to feature in this match, while influential midfielder Jamie O’Hara’s loan deal has ended with the player returning to Tottenham. Kevin-Prince Boateng is doubtful with an ankle injury and he probably won’t be risked, whereas Kanu, Dindane, Belhadj and Yebda are out to Africa Cup of Nations. Considering the numerous absentees, Avram Grant will not have big squad to choose from but he is still expected to let the starters rest until the go up against Sunderland.

This season has started taking the wrong turn for the Black Cats after the good start of the season and the 7:2 defeat at Stamford Bridge was the final nail in the coffin. This is now make or break time for Steve Bruce’s side since few more poor results would see them slip in the dangerous zone, what would be a big problem for the supposedly top 10 side. The boss will definitely be looking for a response from his players after the embarrassing defeat to Chelsea and he will also have a couple of very important players back in the squad.
Steve Bruce is set to welcome back defender Michael Turner from suspension, whose absence in the last four games is one of the reasons for the poor results, while key midfielders Lee Cattermole and Andy Reid are expected to return to contention after recovering from injuries. Keeper Craig Gordon has also resumed training following a broken hand but he is unlikely to be risked. With Kieran Richardson, John Mensah and Anton Ferdinand also returning after injuries, Bruce could have almost full squad to choose from and this should give his side an extra edge over the opponents.

My Betting Advice

Portsmouth are in big problems at the moment and they simply have to turn their focus to the league campaign. Pompey are also missing several first team regulars and that could be a problem against very good Sunderland side. The Black Cats will be boosted by the return of several very important players and this is a great chance for them to finally return to winning ways. Hence, I see a great value in betting on an away win.

 

Portsmouth vs Sunderland head to head stats:


Last 5 Portsmouth matches:
12.01 FA CUP Coventry-Portsmouth Coventry vs Portsmouth goals 1:1 (1:0)
02.01 FA CUP Portsmouth-Coventry Portsmouth vs Coventry goals 1:1 (1:1)
30.12 ENG PREM Portsmouth-Arsenal Portsmouth vs Arsenal goals 1:4 (0:2)
26.12 ENG PREM West Ham-Portsmouth West Ham vs Portsmouth goals 2:0 (1:0)
19.12 ENG PREM Portsmouth-Liverpool Portsmouth vs Liverpool goals 2:0 (1:0)


Last 5 Sunderland matches:
16.01 ENG PREM Chelsea - Sunderland Chelsea vs Sunderland goals 7:2 (4:0)
02.01 FA CUP Sunderland - Barrow Sunderland vs Barrow goals 3:0 (1:0)
28.12 ENG PREM Blackburn - Sunderland Blackburn vs Sunderland goals 2:2 (0:0)
26.12 ENG PREM Sunderland - Everton Sunderland vs Everton goals 1:1 (1:0)
19.12 ENG PREM Man. City - Sunderland Man. City vs Sunderland goals 4:3 (3:2)


Last 5 Portsmouth home matches:
02.01 FA CUP Portsmouth-Coventry Portsmouth vs Coventry goals 1:1 (1:1)
30.12 ENG PREM Portsmouth-Arsenal Portsmouth vs Arsenal goals 1:4 (0:2)
19.12 ENG PREM Portsmouth-Liverpool Portsmouth vs Liverpool goals 2:0 (1:0)
05.12 ENG PREM Portsmouth-Burnley Portsmouth vs Burnley goals 2:0 (0:0)
01.12 ENG LC Portsmouth-Aston Villa 2:4 (1:2)


Last 5 Sunderland away matches:
16.01 ENG PREM Chelsea - Sunderland Chelsea vs Sunderland goals 7:2 (4:0)
28.12 ENG PREM Blackburn - Sunderland Blackburn vs Sunderland goals 2:2 (0:0)
19.12 ENG PREM Man. City - Sunderland Man. City vs Sunderland goals 4:3 (3:2)
06.12 ENG PREM Fulham - Sunderland Fulham vs Sunderland goals 1:0 (1:0)
28.11 ENG PREM Wigan - Sunderland Wigan vs Sunderland goals 1:0 (0:0)

 

 

 

 

Netherlands - Eredivisie: Ajax vs AZ Alkmaar

24.01.2010 at 12:30

Ajax seem to have dropped from the title race after failing to beat NAC Breda last weekend, while even the second place looks far away at the moment. New AZ boss Dick Advocaat had plenty of time to work with his team during the winter break but the team from Alkmaar still face a very tough task at Amsterdam Arena.

Despite playing some beautiful football this term, Ajax found themselves nine points adrift of PSV and Twente after the first part of the league campaign. This is a big advantage for the league like Dutch Ererdivisie where title contenders rarely drop points but Martin Jol’s side have got to do everything they can to stay close to the leaders. The team missed the chance to close the gap as they failed to beat NAC Breda and will now try to make things right in the derby game against AZ. The team from Amsterdam have beaten AZ 4:2 in the first part of the season and they scored 54 goals in 18 league games.

In the absence of injured striker Marko Pantelic, the mighty uruguayan striker Luis Suarez will be deployed as a centre forward with Rommedahl and Kennedy likely to start on the wings. Eyong Enoh is still at Africa Cup of Nations, while Gabri remain sidelined, which means Rasmus Lindgren, who scored the only goal against Breda, will keep his place in the side. 17-year-old Christian Eriksen was handed a full debut in the NAC match and we are yet to see if he will be given another chance to impress.

Dick Advocaat took over the reigns at the club just few weeks before the winter break and he didn’t have enough time to make any meaningful changes to the team’s style of play. However, the winter break came at the perfect time for the new boss, who took his team to a training camp in Spain, where AZ played three friendly games, winning all of them. The players have recharged their batteries in sunny Spain and they certainly enter this match in high spirits. Advocaat is set to adopt an adventurous style, just like his counterpart and we expect to see goals even in the first period.

The club managed to sign two promising youngsters this January, keeper Esteban Alvarado and midfielder Celso Ortiz, who are seen as big prospects but could play some part during this campaign as well. Dick Advocaat has absolutely no injury worries and the visitors are set to line up in 4-3-3 formation with El Hamdaoui, Ari and Dembele in attack.

My Betting Advice

Ajax desperately need a win in order to keep up with the title rivals and the visiting defence have every right to fear this match since the team from Amsterdam score three goals on average per league game. The visitors are eager to show they have more quality than their league position is showing and they should benefit from the winter break, during which they had enough time to adapt to Advocaat’s coaching methods. All things considered, I expect an open game and a lot of goals.
Oh, almost forgot... Ajax wins by 2.

Ajax vs AZ Alkmaar head to head stats:


Last 5 Ajax matches:
17.01 NED 1 NAC Breda-Ajax NAC Breda vs Ajax goals 1:1 (1:1)
23.12 NED CUP WHC-Ajax WHC vs Ajax goals 1:14 (1:6)
17.12 EL A Ajax-Anderlecht Ajax vs Anderlecht goals 1:3 (0:3)
11.12 NED 1 Ajax-NEC Ajax vs NEC goals 3:0 (1:0)
06.12 NED 1 Utrecht-Ajax Utrecht vs Ajax goals 2:0 (0:0)


Last 5 AZ Alkmaar matches:
22.12 NED CUP Feyenoord - AZ Alkmaar Feyenoord vs AZ Alkmaar goals 1:0 (1:0)
19.12 NED 1 AZ Alkmaar - Den Haag AZ Alkmaar vs Den Haag goals 3:0 (2:0)
12.12 NED 1 PSV - AZ Alkmaar PSV vs AZ Alkmaar goals 1:0 (0:0)
09.12 CL H Standard - AZ Alkmaar Standard vs AZ Alkmaar goals 1:1 (0:1)
04.12 NED 1 AZ Alkmaar - Vitesse AZ Alkmaar vs Vitesse goals 1:2 (1:0)


Last 5 Ajax home matches:
17.12 EL A Ajax-Anderlecht Ajax vs Anderlecht goals 1:3 (0:3)
11.12 NED 1 Ajax-NEC Ajax vs NEC goals 3:0 (1:0)
22.11 NED 1 Ajax-Heerenveen Ajax vs Heerenveen goals 5:1 (5:1)
01.11 NED 1 Ajax-Feyenoord Ajax vs Feyenoord goals 5:1 (1:0)
22.10 EL A Ajax-Dinamo Z. Ajax vs Dinamo Z. goals 2:1 (1:0)


Last 5 AZ Alkmaar away matches:
22.12 NED CUP Feyenoord - AZ Alkmaar Feyenoord vs AZ Alkmaar goals 1:0 (1:0)
12.12 NED 1 PSV - AZ Alkmaar PSV vs AZ Alkmaar goals 1:0 (0:0)
09.12 CL H Standard - AZ Alkmaar Standard vs AZ Alkmaar goals 1:1 (0:1)
21.11 NED 1 Roda JC - AZ Alkmaar 2:4 (1:1)
04.11 CL H Arsenal - AZ Alkmaar Arsenal vs AZ Alkmaar goals 4:1 (2:0)

 

Good Luck you all!

 

Check Out Bodog Sport and Stan James to see all of the different sports related bets available.