Cisse's debut offers plenty of hope for Newcastle
Soccer Betting Lines
02/06/2012 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Papiss Cisse's Newcastle debut may have come a bit earlier
than expected, but he sure gave fans on Tyneside something to get excited
about.
The Senegal international was the most expensive signing in a subdued January
transfer window when he moved from German side Freiburg to Newcastle for
nearly $16 million.
But the African Cup of Nations not only took Newcastle's leading scorer, Demba
Ba, away from the club in January but would also delay the debut of Cisse.
Newcastle was expected to struggle without Ba, who leads the club with 16
goals this season, but Senegal's early exit from the competition has been a
big boost to the fortunes of the Magpies.
Senegal was considered to be one of the top teams in the tournament, but
stunning defeats to Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and Libya saw the team crash out
in embarrassing fashion.
This paved the way for the early returns of Ba and Cisse, who both made major
contributions in the club's 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Cisse had just arrived earlier in the week and found himself on the bench for
Sunday's match, with the chance that he might feature as a substitute in the
second half.
However, a knee injury to striker Leon Best just 14 minutes into the contest
paved the way for Cisse, who got a warm reception from the fans at Sports
Direct Arena upon his arrival.
And the 26-year-old didn't disappoint, generating a few decent scoring chances
before capping his debut with a moment of brilliance.
With the game tied at 1-1, Jonas Gutierrez crossed the ball from the left wing
to Cisse at the edge of the penalty area. He took the ball down off his chest
and in one smooth motion, found the upper corner of the net with a left-footed
strike that was pure genius.
It was a goal that was worthy of a match-winner, and gave Newcastle fans a
glimpse of what could be a very promising future.
Early this season Newcastle found itself in the top five in the EPL table
because of a stingy defense that yielded only four goals in its first seven
games.
But injuries to the back line, including a season-ending one to Steven Taylor,
has since seen the opposition find the back of the net more frequently,
bringing about concerns that Newcastle simply doesn't have enough firepower to
keep up.
Ba has enjoyed a stellar campaign for Alan Pardew's men with 16 goals, but
after the former West Ham man, Best is next on the list with four goals to his
name.
The arrival of Cisse provides a potent strike partner for Ba, who should
benefit from playing alongside another proven scorer.
Cisse notched nine goals in 17 Bundesliga games for Freiburg prior to his
arrival on Tyneside this season, which follows a campaign in which he finished
second to Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez on the German scoring chart with 22
goals in 32 games.
The 26-year-old has yet to prove that his prolific scoring prowess will
transfer to the Premier League, but Sunday's highlight-reel goal is a good
start.
Ba and Cisse together give Newcastle the potential for one of the top strike
partnerships in the Premier League, and have fans dreaming of a place in
Europe for next season.
Following Sunday's 2-1 win, Newcastle sits in fifth place and just one point
back of fourth-place Chelsea.
There is still plenty of work to be done to secure a European berth, but the
arrival of a player like Cisse could be the kind of difference-making move
necessary to put Newcastle over the top.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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