Benzema's brace helps Real cruise past Racing

Soccer Betting Lines

02/18/2012 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Karim Benzema netted a goal in each half as Real Madrid coasted to a 4-0 win over Racing at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

The result stretches Madrid's lead to 13 points over second-place Barcelona, which hosts Valencia on Sunday, while Racing remains in the bottom three, two points from safety.

Cristiano Ronaldo got the hosts off to a quick start as he had the ball in the net after just six minutes when he nodded home a headed pass from Kaka a few yards from goal.

Racing was then reduced to 10 men in the 39th minute when Domingo Cisma picked up a second yellow card after he handled the ball just outside the penalty area.

Benzema scored on the stroke of halftime to double the lead after he was played into the area on the left and threw a shot at the net from a tight angle that found its way past goalkeeper Tono.

Angel Di Maria's goal in the 73rd minute made it 3-0 as he scored with a well- struck shot from outside the area, while Benzema tallied his 13th goal of the campaign in the 89th on a deflected shot that gave Tono no chance.

Getafe 1, Espanyol 1

Getafe, Spain - Getafe and Espanyol shared the points at the Alfonso Perez Coliseum on Saturday as each side netted a second-half goal in the 1-1 draw.

Getafe had the better of the play in the first half but fell behind in the 66th minute when Alvaro Vasquez beat the offside trap and fired his shot past goalkeeper Miguel Moya.

But the home side was back on level terms four minutes later when Miku was brought down inside the penalty area by Thievy Bifouma, allowing the Venezuelan to pick himself up and beat goalkeeper Francisco Casilla from the spot.

Espanyol remains in fourth with the result but can be passed by a handful of teams in Sunday's matches, while Getafe stays in the middle of the table.

Sevilla 2, Osasuna 0

Seville, Spain - Sevilla snapped an eight-game winless run on Saturday by handing Osasuna a 2-0 defeat at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Gary Medel fired Sevilla in front with a shot from outside the penalty area following a pass from Alvaro Negredo in the 16th minute.

But despite having the better of the play the home side wasn't able to kill off the match until stoppage time with Jesus Navas finding Piotr Trochowski in the center of the penalty area and the striker placing the ball into the upper corner of the net.

Sevilla climbs into the top half of the league after the win, with Osasuna having won once in seven games to stay in eighth.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.