Milan hopes to end poor run of form at Udinese

Soccer Betting Lines

02/10/2012 - Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan will try to return to the win column on Saturday at Udinese after a dip in form has left the Rossoneri staring up at Juventus in the Serie A standings.

A run of seven wins in eight matches in all competitions has been followed by a pair of losses and a scoreless draw, with Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri calling on his team to refocus its attentions.

The 0-0 draw with Napoli last weekend dropped Milan one point back of Juventus in the league, and it was followed by a 2-1 defeat against the Old Lady in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals on Wednesday.

Udinese has had some struggles of its own recently, having lost two of its last three games. But the hosts know that a win on Saturday will see them join Milan on 44 points and continue their push in the title race.

Milan will be eager to put its recent struggles in the past, but it will have to do so without the services of striker and leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will be serving the first of a three-game ban on Saturday.

The Swede leads Milan with 15 goals this season, but he received a red card in the club's draw with Napoli after slapping defender Salvatore Aronica.

The injury absences of both Alexandre Pato and Kevin Prince Boateng will further take away offensive options for Allegri.

Udinese possesses the top scorer in the league in Antonio Di Natale, who has netted 16 goals this term, while the club also brings an unbeaten home mark into the match.

Juventus enters the weekend one point clear of Milan and with a game in hand and will try to keep the pressure on Allegri's men with a win at bottom-half Bologna on Sunday.

Fifth-place Inter Milan has fallen nine points off the pace of Juve after claiming one point from its last three matches and the Nerazzurri host last- place Novara on Sunday, while Roma, which moved to within one point of Inter after a 4-0 win over Claudio Ranieri's men last weekend, travel to Siena on Monday.

Napoli has slipped to seventh after going its last five games without a win, a streak the team hopes to snap on Monday at home against Chievo.

Palermo has won three of its last four games and visits Cagliari in Saturday's other match, Lecce sits three points from safety and travels to Atalanta, Catania entertains Genoa and Fiorentina meets up with Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in a matchup of mid-table sides.

Wwsportsbooks Soccer Betting News

<< Dortmund tests 14-game run against Leverkusen
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund returned to the summit in the Bundesliga last weekend, but the defending champions will face a stern test Saturday against Bayer Leverkusen. Dortmund is unbeaten in 14 straight, and w

<< Fish gives U.S. 1-0 lead against host Swiss
Fribourg, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mardy Fish outlasted Stanislas Wawrinka in a five-set thriller Friday, as the visiting United States grabbed a 1-0 lead against Switzerland in their best-of-five opening-round Davis Cup showdown.

<< More knee problems for Bayern's Breno
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich defender Breno saw his comeback effort take a step back as it was confirmed that the Brazilian will require another operation on his knee. The 22-year-old sustained a torn ACL in

<< Cavs sign Uzoh to 10-day contract
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers inked guard Ben Uzoh to a 10-day contract Friday, a move necessitated by the absence of first- overall pick Kyrie Irving due to a concussion. The 23-year-old averaged 16.8 points

<< Arango agrees to Gladbach extension
Monchengladbach, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Arango has signed a two-year contract extension with Monchengladbach, the club confirmed on Friday. Arango's previous deal was set to expire at the end of the current season, but the 31-year-

Report: West Virginia, Big East to settle lawsuit >>
Charleston, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Virginia and the Big East have reportedly agreed to end their legal issues in a move that will enable the university to leave the conference and join the Big 12 in July. According to the Ch

NCAA proposals would enhance player safety >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA Football Rules Committee wrapped up three-day meetings Thursday by recommending several rules proposals for the 2012 season that are intended to enhance player safety. The proposed changes include:

Kerber ousts Sharapova in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Capable German Angelique Kerber upset top- seeded Maria Sharapova in Friday's quarterfinal action at the Open GDF Suez. The ninth-seeded Kerber upended the Australian Open runner-up Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 at St

Kvitova pulls out of Qatar Open >>
Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will not play in next week's Qatar Ladies Open due to an unspecified injury. The world No. 2 Kvitova was slated to be the second seed in Doha, behind world No. 1 and Austr

Djokovic-less Serbs leads Swedes 2-0 in Davis Cup >>
Nis, Serbia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing without its world No. 1 superstar Novak Djokovic, Serbia jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead over visiting Sweden in a best-of-five opening-round Davis Cup affair. World No. 9 Janko Tipsar

American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout

An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.

Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off.  Randy was not impressed though.  Paula thought he started off fantastic.  "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. 

Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed.  Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact.  He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. 

Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula.  Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.

Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next.  Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential.  Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell.  He sang "Careless Whisper".

22 year old Chris Richardson was up next.  He was listed with +1100 odds coming in.  He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. 

Nick was boring and pitchy.  Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week.  Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. 

Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds .  These of course were the early odds.  He was considered original for picking an "odd song".  He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. 

Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. 

Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds.  Great voice and a great sense of humor.  He's a real standout.  Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit.  Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". 

Jared Cotter followed.  He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition.  The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. 

22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next.  "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon.  Though the judges felt he performed okay.  Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.

Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition.  He was the last to perform.  He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. 

Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys.  Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.