Hearts hopes to turn it around vs. first-place Rangers

Soccer Betting Lines

09/14/2007 - Edinburgh, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heading into the Scottish Premier League season, many thought that if any team could compete with Celtic and Rangers, it would be Hearts.

However, through five matches, it appears that Hearts is falling short in the pre-season predictions. The club, which faces Rangers at Tynecastle on Saturday, only has one victory and sits fourth from the bottom on the table.

"Hearts haven't had the start they wanted, but there is nothing like a game against the Old Firm to bring us into focus," said Rangers manager Walter Smith.

Hearts picked up its sole win in its last outing, close to two weeks ago against Motherwell.

"Hearts have a number of good players and it's surprising they've had that start to the season," said Smith. "It is a very dangerous game for us."

Smith's squad will try to keep the top spot in the league, heading into the match with a two-point edge over second-place Celtic. Rangers has won all five of its outings, outscoring its opponents, 18-3, this season.

Between league matches, the Champions League and League Cup games, Rangers will be starting its busiest stretch of the year on Saturday with seven games in the next three weeks.

"We are fighting on a few fronts and how we use our pool of players will determine how successful we'll be," said Smith.

For the most part, Rangers has been able to stay healthy so far. The one causality for Saturday's match is former Hearts player, Andy Webster. Webster has an ankle injury and is expected to miss a week.

Celtic will also play on Saturday, with hopes of taking over first place. The defending champs will be hosting Motherwell at Celtic Park trying to stay undefeated on the season. Celtic's only blemish this season was a scoreless draw with Kilmarnock on opening weekend, but has since posted four straight victories.

In other matches on Saturday, Aberdeen seeks its second win when it welcomes Motherwell to town, Gretna is still looking for its first victory when it hosts Kilmarnock and Hibernian could take over the second spot with a win over Gretna.

The league will finish up on Sunday as St Mirren will try to move to .500 with a victory over fourth-place Dundee United.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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