France under pressure in opener against Uruguay

Soccer Betting Lines

06/08/2010 - Cape Town, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France coach Raymond Domenech made a tactical adjustment to the team's formation leading up to the World Cup, and the experiment continues Friday against Uruguay on the first day of the event.

Domenech prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation but, after defensive midfielder Lassana Diarra was ruled out of the World Cup with an injury, switched to a 4-3-3.

France had mixed reactions to the change, with its only victory in three warm- up matches against Costa Rica 2-1. The French followed with a 1-1 draw against Tunisia, and lost 1-0 to China.

Domenech guided France to the World Cup final four years ago, and still has an enormous amount of talent in South Africa, but doesn't have any more time left to tweak the new formation.

France has started the last two World Cups without a win in its first game and another similar result at Green Point Stadium on Friday could be disastrous.

The 1998 World Cup champions lost 1-0 to Senegal in 2002 and failed to qualify for the knockout round. France recovered from a 0-0 tie against Switzerland in its opener four years ago, but needed a win on the last day of group play.

Nicolas Anelka has struggled in his new role as the lone striker, and creative midfielders Yoann Gourcuff, Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery need to get more involved in the offense against Uruguay.

France enters the World Cup on the heels of its controversial qualification on the "Hand of Henry." Striker Thierry Henry used his hand play the ball and set up William Gallas' goal in a 2-1 aggregate win in a playoff against Ireland.

After the "Hand of Henry" controversy ended, three French players - including star Ribery - were involved in a sex scandal with an underage prostitute.

France's results leading up to its opener added more scrutiny, and a defeat at the hands of Uruguay would add even more pressure to Domenech's side.

Uruguay, which tied France 0-0 in a friendly less than two years ago, advanced to the World Cup as the fifth and final team from South America. Uruguay edged Costa Rica in a playoff just to make the tournament.

Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez lead Uruguay's attack, but the two-time champions - Uruguay won the World Cup in 1930 and 1950 - have won just one of their last 14 matches in the World Cup and played in just four of the last eight events.

Footballgambleworld Soccer Betting News

<< South Africa, Mexico kick off World Cup
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - South Africa has never advanced past the group stage in its two previous World Cups, but coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is confident ahead of the tournament opener against Mexico on Friday. Sout

<< Pudge back in Nationals' lineup
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals activated catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. The 38-year-old veteran exited a May 22 game against Baltimore with a lower back injury. He was hurt in

<< Royals P Thompson chooses free agency
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Royals pitcher Brad Thompson has elected to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha after being designated for assignment June 3. Thompson

<< Fire, Rapids aim to build on important results
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids travel to take on the Chicago Fire on Wednesday in a Major League Soccer clash between two clubs coming off of important victories. The Fire topped the Philadelphia Union in the

<< In the FCS Huddle: FCS to FBS possible for some
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If your head is spinning from all the talk regarding expansion and realignment among FBS conferences, join the fast- growing club. There are more scenarios being bandied around than there were in six seasons

Benitez set to land Inter job >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spaniard Rafael Benitez is expected to take the vacant managerial job at Serie A giants Inter Milan on Wednesday. The former Liverpool coach left the Merseysiders by mutual consent last week and he look

U.S. team downplays 1950 parallels as England game looms >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was 1950 when the United States men's soccer team last played England in a FIFA World Cup match. That year, the U.S. team pulled off one of the most important victories in its lackluster World Cup history by upsetting

Delaware race eliminated from Rachel's consideration >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra has not been entered in Saturday's $150,000 Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park, leaving three other races in the mix for her start this weekend. The Obeah, a 1 1

Fans flock to Strasburg's major league debut >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -The crowd outside Nationals Park buzzed anxiously. Some were worried about getting to their seats early. Some were nervous about getting seats at all. All of them were on edge about Stephen Strasburg's major league debut Tuesday nig

National League All-Star Fan Voting >>
1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 1,549,9412. Ryan Howard, Phillies, 761,8523. Prince Fielder, Brewers, 416,3604. Joey Votto, Reds, 373,5955. Troy Glaus, Braves, 342,344Second Base1. Chase Utley, Phillies, 1,573,2482. Martin Prado, Braves, 595,2503. Dan

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.