Before the start of the Premier League season, it would have been difficult for people who bet on EPL results to imagine that Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal would all be out of Champions League spots going into December. But after 12 weeks of play, three of England’s glamour teams are on the outside looking in. While there is a long way to go in the Premier League campaign, all three teams have plenty of work to do – and impressive teams to climb past – if they are going to book familiar spots in Europe’s biggest competition next season.

This past weekend’s premier matchup for people gambling on EPL matches was the clash between Chelsea and Liverpool, with both teams in serious need of three points. The match was entertaining if somewhat sloppy, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. In particular, Chelsea’s backline was put into disarray time after time, and the team once again conceded the opening goal. Liverpool dominated play, but it looked as if their inability to finish would cost them until Glen Johnson turned in a superb solo effort late to earn the home side the 2-1 victory.

The loss was particularly tough for Chelsea, which has dropped three of their last four matches and has kept a clean sheet just twice this season. New signing David Luiz has come under fire for some poor decision-making over the past few weeks, but the match against Liverpool highlighted the inability of the entire backline to mesh – dangerous when playing the high line that Chelsea prefers. Chelsea should be able to use a home match with Wolves to get back on track.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will have little time to celebrate their win, as they host league-leaders Manchester City in a huge clash. Manchester City continued their stranglehold on the Premier League this past weekend, claiming a 3-1 win over a persistent and somewhat unlikely Newcastle side. However, Manchester City’s loss to Napoli in midweek Champions League action shows that the Blues are far from invincible. The fact that Manchester City hasn’t won at Anfield since 2003, including last season’s 3-0 drubbing by Liverpool, might give people gambling on sports a reason to pick Liverpool as an underdog to watch.

One of the big winners from last week’s matches was Tottenham Hotspur, who moved into a tie for third place in the Premier League after a 2-0 victory over a listless Aston Villa side on Monday night. The easy win was a nice homecoming for manager Harry Redknapp, who returned to the bench for the first time since minor open heart surgery. With a game in hand thanks to the postponement of their opening match against Everton due to the London riots, Tottenham has a chance to make up even more ground later in the season.

In fact, Redknapp is even talking about Tottenham as potential title contenders despite trailing Manchester City by nine points. While that still seems like a pipe dream, the fact is that no team is playing better than Tottenham. After dropping their first two matches to the Manchester sides, Tottenham have earned 25 points in their last nine matches. With relatively easy matches on the horizon against West Brom, Bolton, Stoke City and Sunderland, people gambling on EPL results might want to consider placing some money on Tottenham finishing in the top four – or even higher.

Standing between Tottenham and the league leaders is Manchester United, who did little this week to quell concerns that they aren’t up for challenging their city rivals. The Red Devils claimed three points on Saturday, but it wasn’t easy against a determined Swansea side. An early Javier Hernandez goal was all the scoring that Manchester United needed to claim their first-ever win at Swansea. But the Swans squandered several scoring chances of their own, including a Scott Sinclair miss in front of an open goal that would have leveled the score. Coming off a disappointing home draw to Benfica in Champions League play, Manchester United will need to be on-guard against a letdown against a gritty Newcastle side at Old Trafford if they want to keep pace with Manchester City.

The Frys.com Open in San Martin California is the centre of the Golf media at the moment, and while all eyes are on former world number one Tiger Woods, a handful of Aussies are in looming to take the glory and a slice of the $5,000,000 purse.

Sitting in equal second place at 3 under par are Aussies Rod Pampling, Aron Price, Matt Jones and Steven Bowditch. Only one shot behind that pace are fellow Aussie's Jarrod Lyle and Greg Chalmers who shot 69 for 2 under par and equal 3rd place in the overall standings.

While the media continue to focus on Tiger, the Aussies are positioning themselves well amongst a strong field. While Woods was an early favourite in the betting on Sportsbet, he has now dropped to an outside chance and is paying $17.00 for anyone looking to have a bet on golf.

Woods started off in typical Tiger fashion making an easy birdie on the first, but the remainder of the round would see the former world number one struggle with the putter all day. Woods finished the round with a 2 over 73 pushing him back into the pack.

Will Woods find his form around the greens and return to the glory days of old? Time will tell.

You can watch all the action live on Fox Sports One and Fox Sports 1 HD over the weekend with coverage starting from 8am on Saturday and into Sunday at the same time, and same channel.

If you are looking to bet on the Aussie's to take down the title for this PGA Tour stop, check out online sports betting site Sportsbet. Miller's Guide has an exclusive $250 Match bet bonus for anyone who is interested in gambling on sports.

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Grand Final: Geelong v Collingwood

MCG Saturday 1 October 2011

It is fitting that the two best and most consistent teams throughout the season will contest the 2011 AFL Grand Final decider. Between them, Geelong and Collingwood have sustained only five losses this year. The sides have met twice in 2011, with Geelong coming out on top in both encounters, the controversial nature of their round 8 success somewhat erased by an easy 22.17 (149) 8.5 (53) victory in round 24 at the MCG.

Both clubs go to the decider with injury worries. The Cats will closely monitor the recovery of half-forward Steve Johnson (knee), whilst the Magpies expect both All-Australian defender Ben Reid (hamstring) and ruckman Darren Jolly (groin) to take their places in the starting line-up.

For flag success the Magpies must get the ball inside 50 regularly to generate goal-scoring chances In their two clashes this season, Geelong managed to stymie Collingwood’s signature free-flowing game, comfortably winning the inside 50 count on both occasions. To take advantage of the presence of the Twin Towers, Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes, the Magpies must conjure a way of advancing the ball forward often. Leon Davis generates much of Collingwood's attack from the back half with his accurate passing, and curbing that could help the Cats on the path to another flag.

Collingwood are entitled to be more highly rated, but Geelong will face the bounce as favourites, especially if the injuries to Collingwood’s Jolly and Reid are more serious than originally thought. In the elimination final the Pies ran down Hawthorn, a physically more effective outfit than Geelong; using this form as a benchmark it is reasonable to conclude that they will beat Geelong. The Magpies complement their tremendous depth with a number of outstanding players. Geelong has a number of outstanding players as well, but they cannot match their Collingwood rivals for depth down the back end. In their numbers 19, 20, 21 and 22 Collingwood have a huge advantage and this run in a game like a grand final will serve to get the Magpies home. Geelong will hold Collingwood early and may establish a lead but they will not be able to run with Collingwood late in the third quarter and through the fourth quarter. The Cats have numerous points of excellence and a lot of quality but they do not have the run and the grunt of Collingwood. For this reason Collingwood are tipped win - even if Geelong are leading at half-time.

In a huge morale boost, Collingwood’s Dane Swan thoroughly deserved his win the 2011 Brownlow Medal. Swan, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Lewis, Luke Ball and Travis Cloke are stars and the other seventeen Magpie players are footballers of the highest calibre. The depth of talent in the Collingwood team circa 2011 is arguably one of the most comprehensive in the history of Australian Football.

There will be an emotional component in the coaches' box, with Collingwood’s veteran Mick Malthouse exiting after 28 seasons. In pure contrast, Geelong’s Chris Scott, twice a grand final winner as a player, has guided his charges to a premiership decider in his debut season.

Geelong is now favourite at $1.85 with Collingwood currently out to $2.00. With the odds indicating a close result, the Magpies represent slightly better value for the punter seeking to place a winning wager on the eventual flag winner. Miller's Guide recommends Sportsbet for your Grand Final bet.

If you don't yet have a Sportsbet account, we have good news for you. Sign up now using our exclusive Miller's Guide link and Sportsbet will give you a free match bet up to $250. Simply create your account using our exclusive link below, make a deposit, and your first bet up to $250 will be matched by Sportsbet. No matter who you want to win in the big game, this is a deal everyone should take advantage of.

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Week 3 of the NFL season proved that no lead is safe and that no favourite can be considered too much of a lock if you are gambling on NFL games. It was one of the most heart-stopping weeks in recent memory, as many games went down to the wire with teams pulling off big comebacks. In some cases, favourites had to rally in order to avoid crashing to the ground; but in the case of the Buffalo Bills, it was a case of a big underdog pulling off a huge upset and making a case for being one of the best teams in the league.

Even though they had started the season 2-0, few people believed that the Bills had much of a chance to take down the New England Patriots. After all, the Patriots had steamrolled their first two opponents, including an impressive victory the previous week over a talented San Diego Chargers squad. Still, if you bet on NFL games, it was hard to turn down a big underdog at home, and most of the money went toward the Bills. But even with the money line moving because of a heavy pro-Buffalo bets from people gambling on sports, the Patriots were still -7 favourites.

In the early part of the game, it looked like the line was more than accurate. The Patriots jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, and it appeared that the Bills would be lucky to keep it close. But an interception return for a touchdown helped to give Buffalo new life and close the gap to 21-10 at halftime, and the Bills kept coming in the second half. They forced New England’s Tom Brady to throw four interceptions and were able to convert enough of those into points to complete a stunning comeback. The end result was a 34-31 victory that made Buffalo fans – and lots of bettors – very happy.

This week, Buffalo has to bounce back after their emotional victory with a trip to Cincinnati. The Bills are -3 favourites against a Bengals team that looked flat on Sunday in a 13-8 loss at home to San Francisco. Keeping in mind that Cincinnati has failed to cover in its last six contests against the AFC East and has only covered once in its last 10 games against Buffalo, the Bills might be a very smart play this week for people gambling on NFL games.

Buffalo wasn’t the only team to stage a spirited comeback on Sunday to keep their record perfect through the early part of the season. Detroit came into their road game against Minnesota as -3 favourites but fell behind 20-0 at halftime. Much like Buffalo, the Lions stormed back in the second half, taking the game to overtime before winning 26-23. It was the first victory over the Vikings for Detroit since 1997 and moved them to 3-0 for the first time in ages. For Minnesota, it was another crushing second half collapse – the third time they’ve lost a double-digit, second-half lead in three games this season.

Minnesota could be a good value play this week when going on the road to face Kansas City. Both teams are 0-3 and in desperate need of a win; however, Minnesota has at least shown the ability to play good football, although they’ve lacked the consistency, while Kansas City has been just plain bad. The Chiefs have only covered in one of their last five games and they’ll need Matt Cassel to play better if they have a chance to win. Keep a close eye out on the under in this game: Minnesota’s last five road games have been under the number, while the score has been under the line in five of Kansas City’s last seven home games. With both teams struggling to move the ball with any regularity, this could be a grind-it-out game.

There are several injuries to key players that will impact gambling on sports this weekend. One of the most high-profile is the broken hand suffered by Michael Vick during Philadelphia’s loss to the Giants on Sunday. The injury is on his non-throwing hand, but Vick isn’t sure if he can play this week against San Francisco. That means that there’s a decent chance that Mike Kafka will get his first career start against the 49ers. San Francisco made rookie Andy Dalton look very confused last week, and expect Jim Harbaugh’s team to be fired up if they get a chance to play against Kafka.

One of the most intriguing games of the week is in Houston, where the Texans will take on Pittsburgh in a battle of two teams with thoughts of making deep playoff runs this year. Pittsburgh is coming off a Sunday night victory over Indianapolis that pushed them to 2-1 on the season, while Houston will be trying to rally after losing an early lead and falling to the Saints. This is a game where the over/under line might be more enticing than the spread, especially if you think lots of points are there to be scored. The total has gone over in six of Pittsburgh’s last seven games overall and in eight of Houston’s last 12 (including four of their last six home games). If you bet on NFL games and like points, this could be the game for you.

Tonight/today sees the one of the biggest games of the weekend with Monday night football as the Washington Redskins take on the Dallas Cowboys at home. Those who have FOXTEL can find the game being shown on ESPN starting from 10:30am.

Sportsbet has the home team Cowboys as favourites at $1.53 with the Redskins strong outsiders at $2.59. If you haven't got a bet on today's game yet, you still have time to take advantage of the best offer in sports betting below from Sportsbet.

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Magpies, Hawks in Battle of the birds

A place in the 2011 AFL grand final is the prize up for grabs when Collingwood and Hawthorn square off at the MCG in tonight’s preliminary final. Oddly enough, these clubs have not met in a finals match since 1978. Whilst the Magpies will start favourite, it is worth keeping in mind that the Hawks have won five of their last seven against Collingwood.
These sides last met in round 15 when Collingwood 15.16 (106) defeated Hawthorn 9.11 (65), by 41-points. Both sides enter this sudden-death eliminator with form that can only be rated fair. The Pies dispatched the Eagles by twenty in their last outing, although the Eagles managed to get to within seven late in proceedings. Hawthorn recorded a solid win over Sydney last week, after leading by forty at the long break.
Much will depend upon how the Hawks deal with the Twin Towers, Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes. Even with Ben Stratton back in the lineup, Hawthorn will need to ensure supply is cut off further up ground. One bleak statistic for Collingwood supporters is that Cloke and Dawes each average only a solitary goal per game against the Hawks.
Collingwood’s form has unquestionably tapered off in the latter part of the season; however, they can realistically be expected to lift following their one-week layoff. Scott Pendlebury is one Magpie who has been in superb recent form and his stats reveal 30-plus possessions in seven of his past eight matches. Another plus for the Pies is the improved form of Heath Shaw after his return from suspension.
The outcome of this grand final eliminator could well rest with the Hawthorn “X-factor.” The perception is that Collingwood have more run; yet if the Hawks control the midfield through Smith, Whitecross, Sewell, Lewis and Hodge – and do it for four quarters – they can set the scene for the freakish skills of Lance “Buddy” Franklin at the pointy end.
A month ago, Collingwood would have been at prohibitive odds to win this one. Now it shapes as an even-money bet, making the Hawks tremendous value for the punter at their present price of $3.85.
If you are keen to get a bet on tonights blockbuster, Miller's Guide recommends you do so at Sportsbet, one of Australia's best online sports betting companies.
At time of print, Sportsbet has the Pies vs Hawks match up as follows

COLLINGWOOD         $1.28
HAWTHORN            $3.85

As is always the case with Sportsbet, they are offering a rather enticing exotic on tonights game as well. Sportsbet are labelling it the 'Buddy 5 Goal Refund'.
Put simply, place any bet market on the Pies vs Hawks game with Sportsbet. If Lance Franklin scores 5 or more goals, Sportsbet will refund your 1st bet if it happens to lose. You simply can't get better than that folks. Full Terms for this bet are below*.

If you don't yet have a Sportsbet account, we have good news for you. Sign up now using our exclusive Miller's Guide link and Sportsbet will give you a free match bet up to $250. Simply create your account using our exclusive link below, make a deposit, and your first bet up to $250 will be matched by Sportsbet. It doesn't get any better than that.

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Geelong to spoil West Coast fairytale

Two weeks ago Geelong beat Hawthorn by kicking the ball into the forward 50, their tall men outmarking the smaller Hawks defenders. By contrast, West Coast feature a very good defensive line that includes Darren Glass, Shannon Hurn and Eric Mackenzie.
For Geelong, Tom Hawkins came of age in the clash with Hawthorn. Can he do it again? Other tall men for the Cats who will drift forward regularly are James Podsiadly and veteran ruckman Brad Ottens.
Sibling rivalry will feature in the extreme with Scott Selwood lining up against big brother Joel. Widely regarded as the best tackler in the AFL, Scott diluted Chris Judd’s effectiveness last week and has set himself for a repeat performance.
At the other end, Geelong’s famed defence, full of all-Australian superstars, may be tested by the energetic Eagles forwards. This game, however, will be won in the midfield. Here, Geelong will field six or seven big-bodied and very effective units, including, perhaps, Joel Corey who may return from injury; if he does play, Corey will add impact-plus. Eagles Matthew Priddis and Daniel Kerr are superb players but overall lack quality support.
West Coast are just two wins away from completing a last-to-first, wooden spoon to premier fairytale. The Eagles will carry plenty of momentum into this clash and will draw confidence from their eight-point win over the Cats in their sole 2011 meeting. However, a couple of statistics point to a Geelong victory. In broad terms, playing at the MCG represents a home game for the Cats, where significantly, the Eagles have won at only one of their past eight appearances.
Conclusion: Geelong will keep getting the ball, using it effectively and should win well. The Eagles’ undoubted passion and the prospect of a fairytale grand final appearance will not be enough to secure a win for the West Coast.
Sportsbet has the current prices on both teams.

GEELONG         $1.21
WEST COAST    $4.65

If you don't yet have a Sportsbet account, we have good news for you. Sign up now using our exclusive Miller's Guide link and Sportsbet will give you a free match bet up to $250. Simply create your account using our exclusive link below, make a deposit, and your first bet up to $250 will be matched by Sportsbet. It doesn't get any better than that.

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*SPORTSBET BUDDY 5 GOAL REFUND TERMS

1.    The Refund Offer applies only to wagers placed over the Internet or Mobile phone at m.sportsbet.com.au. Only the 1st bet on the Collingwood v Hawthorn match will be deemed eligible for the Offer. A 1st wager can be placed on any Match betting market prior to the start of the match and be eligible for the offer if it is a losing wager.
2.    For the Offer to be valid, Lance Franklin of Hawthorn must score 5 or more goals for the match including Extra Time.
3.    Free Bets placed on a selection are excluded for the Offer. Multibet wagers are excluded from the Offer.
4.    The Refund offer will equal the value of the Members 1st bet stake on each match to a maximum refund of $100 cash per member if the 1st bet is a losing wager.
5.    The Refund will be credited to the member’s account as a separate cash transaction within 24 hours of the completion of the match and the member will receive an email confirming the refund has been paid on Monday 26th September 2011.

It had to happen at some point - the Big Two sides from Manchester couldn’t win forever. But while Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Fulham on Sunday shouldn’t have been shocking, the nature of how it came about might be. After Sergio Aguero scored just seconds into the second half, the Blues took what appeared to be a commanding 2-0 lead. But then Fulham was able to surge in the second half, as their home fans were able to urge the Cottagers to a pair of second-half goals and a surprising point against one of the hottest teams in football.

But Fulham’s performance shouldn’t have been a shock to people used to gambling on EPL matches. After all, Fulham has a history of performing well against the top clubs, including a 1-1 draw against Manchester City last season. With Fulham at home and in need of points, it was a perfect storm for Manchester City. Still, the result shouldn’t scare away potential bettors from backing them in their next match against Everton, especially since they were 6-0-1 after a draw last season.

While Manchester City dealt with the unfamiliar sting of coming away without the full three points, it was business as usual for their local rivals, as Manchester United remained perfect on the season with a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford against Chelsea. While the final score was status quo for Manchester United this season, the way they got there was anything but. Wayne Rooney scored once but could have easily had a hat trick (paying 33/1) after slipping on a penalty kick and scuffling a chance from three yards out. Meanwhile, Fernando Torres finally scored for Chelsea, but also had one of the worst misses in recent Premier League history.

The loss brings to mind the fact that Chelsea were remarkably streaky last season. They failed to win their next match three out of seven times last season after a loss and had five streaks last season of two or more matches without a win. On paper, their match on Saturday against Swansea would appear to be easy money for people gambling on Premier League matches. However, Swansea showed signs of life in their 3-0 win against West Brom and with the Welsh side getting almost 3/1 odds on a bet to either tie or defeat Chelsea, it could be a big money-making bet for people who want to strike it big when gambling on sports.

With all of this action occurring, Arsenal continues to float into oblivion. The good news for them this week is that their players scored five goals this week. The bad news is that two of these goals went into their own next, which was enough to hand Blackburn a 4-3 win and send the Gunners to their third loss in five matches. The only ray of light for Arsenal is that they host Bolton this week, and the Wanderers have four losses in five matches. Even though the two teams split their matches last season, Bolton’s disastrous form - having lost nine of their last 10 - make it hard to make any bet other than on Arsenal, even if they are heavy favourites.

For many people, the start of the NFL season means one thing – it’s time to bet on NFL games! If you love to gamble on NFL action, the opening week of games is one of the most exciting weeks of the year, but also one of the most frightening. That’s because there are so many variables to consider in NFL betting, but you won’t have the benefit of actual game knowledge to fall back on. With the condensed NFL off-season because of the lockout, this could be the craziest opening week of football in some time. Injuries could play a huge role on NFL betting successes or failures going into this week, as several teams have key question marks coming out of the preseason.

Here are a few injuries issues to keep an eye on as you get ready to bet on NFL games this week:

Peyton Manning: The Colts announced on Wednesday that Manning’s streak of 227 consecutive starts will come to an end on Sunday, as he is going to miss Indianapolis’ season-opening game at Houston. Reports indicate this could be a career-threatening injury, so you’ll want to take the under on the Colts’ season win totals before it falls too low.

Matt Cassel: The news appears to be slightly better for the Chiefs’ QB, who has been nursing sore ribs and was questionable for Kansas City’s game against Buffalo. Cassel insists that he’s ready to go, and the Chiefs should have enough firepower with him on the field to cover a six-point spread against the hapless Bills. If you want to gamble on NFL games, betting against Buffalo is usually a safe call, but keep in mind that the Bills have covered in the last four games against the Chiefs.