Hoffenheim downs Schalke to remain perfect

Soccer Betting Lines

09/10/2010 - Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim continued its perfect start to the new Bundesliga season on Friday with a 2-0 win over Schalke at Rhein Neckar Arena.

Isaac Vorsah's goal in the 37th minute put the hosts in front, while an own goal from Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer on the final kick of the game secured the win.

Hoffenheim has now won its first three games to start the season, while Schalke has lost all three of its matches and must regroup for its Champions League opener on Tuesday at Lyon.

Hoffenheim missed two good chances to go in front when Demba Ba smashed a shot over the net from seven yards following a right-wing cross, while Vedad Ibisevic had a low shot from inside the penalty area saved by Neuer.

The opener arrived 12 minutes later from a short corner kick as Andreas Beck's cross was headed inside the right post by Vorsah from eight yards.

One of the few chances that Schalke created in the match came right before the hour mark when a header from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was tipped off the crossbar by goalkeeper Tom Starke, but the visitors were unable to threaten the net the rest of the way, and a free kick from Sejad Salihovic in the dying seconds struck the post and deflected off of Neuer before rolling into the net.

Bayern Munich will try to rebound from a stunning loss to Kaiserslautern when they face a Werder Bremen side without defender Per Mertesacker, who suffered a broken eye socket while playing for Germany.

Wolfsburg eyes its first win at Borussia Dortmund, Monchengladbach tries to stay unbeaten when Eintracht visits Borussia Park, Hamburg attempts to make it three wins from three games when the club hosts Nurnberg, Bayer Leverkusen visits Hannover and Stuttgart invades Freiburg.

Kaiserslautern hopes to continue its surprising start on Sunday when the club visits Mainz, while Cologne looks to bounce back from two successive losses with a win at home against St Pauli.

Broadcsat Soccer Betting News

<< Shanahan, McNabb lead Redskins into battle vs. hated Cowboys
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The premiere Sunday night matchup of the 2010 NFL season has everything one could ask for in a primetime Week 1 event -- a pair of high-profile teams and bitter rivals, plus plenty of star power and a dash of drama mixed in a

<< Presence of Tebow among headlines in Broncos-Jags tilt
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Had the 2010 NFL schedule not been released days before the Draft, you could have made a case that Roger Goodell's fingerprints were all over this. A moribund NFL franchise that's fallen off from playoff contention and fac

<< Lions, Bears try to get leg up in NFC North race
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions begin year No. 2 under head coach Jim Schwartz with high expectations and will waste no time renewing a storied rivalry with the NFC North-rival Chicago Bears this Sunday from Soldier Field. The Lions, tw

<< Kolb era in Philly kicks off with visit from Pack
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb needs any reassurance that replacing the face of an organization can go smoothly, he can look across the sidelines Sunday at Green Bay Packers Pro Bowl signal-caller Aaron Rodgers

<< Texans can make statement with win over Colts
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having made the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, the Indianapolis Colts are a model franchise for other teams to follow. The Houston Texans feel they are on that level, at least offensively. The top two offenses from

Browns, Bucs try to get off mat with Week 1 win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a mantra of every NFL season. Regardless of how awful a team plays in the first three months of a given 16- game schedule, a strong finish in the final four of five weeks earns the label of "one to watch" the followin

Pats, Bengals meet in matchup of '09 division winners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals both finished atop their respective divisions in 2009, both teams enter Sunday's season-opening showdown at Gillette Stadium with their share of skeptics and an unfulfill

Giants officially open new building with visit from Panthers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants will officially christen their new stadium by hosting the same opponent the team closed out its old venue against. They'll be hoping for a vastly different outcome, however. New York gave a most imprope

Falcons hope to take advantage of Steelers' uncertainty >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons enter the 2010 NFL season brimming with optimism, while uncertainty surrounds the Pittsburgh Steelers in the aftermath of an offseason filled with trials and tribulations. It's also a time for opportuni

New QBs look to put best foot forward in Rams-Cardinals tilt >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of new quarterback eras will begin at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday afternoon, when Sam Bradford leads the St. Louis Rams into battle against Derek Anderson and the Arizona Cardinals. To be sure, while Bradford ca

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .