UEFA Champions League Football Betting 2009-2010

As massive fans of the UEFA Champions League here at Free Betting Online we're all hugely excited about the 2009-2010 season, and the anticipation that comes as part and parcel of one of the biggest online football betting events on the sporting calendar. Along with Barclays Premiership Football betting and the FA Cup Betting, the 2009-2010 UEFA Champions League will attract internet football betting fans from far and wide as the competition as usual throws up a mesmerizing selection of odds compilations on a gamut of potential match/group/knock-out/eventual winner outcomes for the virtual punter to address the likelihood of. There's no doubting that UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 will offer something for every punter throughout the exciting season in prospect.

Not content with backing a hunch on the team that you feel could go all the way to the UEFA Champions League Final in May 2010 as an outright winner, internet Football Betting regulars (and newcomers who might want to take advantage of their free bets sign up entitlement) can place an interactive football bet on just about any given eventuality posted by the phalanx of online bookmakers who will help make the 2009-2010 UEFA Champions League a huge internet betting success again.

Chelsea Crash Out to Familiar Hands

17/03/2010

Roman Abramovich’s Champions League dream will be put on hold for at least another year. Chelsea needed to overcome a 2-1 deficit in the return leg of their tie against Inter Milan last night, but a typically efficient Jose Mourniho side prevented Carlo Ancelotti’s men getting on the score sheet and ensured qualification with a solitary Samuel Eto’o strike.

The night ended in familiar fashion with Didier Drogba being shown a straight red card for lashing out in frustration which means that the Ivory Coast striker will have to endure a suspension at the beginning of next season’s European campaign for the third year in a row. Inter are now 4/1 third favourites in the UEFA Champions League betting 2009-2010.

English Teams March On

12/03/2010

Manchester United and Arsenal smashed their way into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with 4-0 and 5-0 wins respectively. With Real Madrid exiting the competition at the hands of Lyon on Wednesday night and Barcelona’s tie against Stuttgart still delicately poised, both Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger will be licking their lips ahead of the quarter-final draw in which there is no country protection and any team can be drawn against any other.

Bayern Munich were the other side to progress from this week’s four concluded ties courtesy of an Arjen Robben wonder strike which sent the through on away goals despite losing the match 3-2. They are now 10/1 in the Champions League Betting 2009-2010, Lyon are available at 14/1, Arsenal 7/1 and Manchester united 4/1.

Perfectly Poised

25/02/2010

Some phrases get over used these days and we can lose sense of their meaning when reading or hearing them, but the term perfectly poised, in a football sense, was surely created for this Chelsea versus Inter Milan tie after the first-leg in the San Siro. Chelsea got that crucial away goal through Solomon Kalou but equally as decisive is that Inter Milan will take one goal lead to West London. Manager Jose Mourinho wasted no time in starting with the mind games by claiming that it was his formidable record at Stamford Bridge – rather than Chelsea’s – that would see his side progress. Whilst Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will be buoyed by the fact that his side dominated the game for large periods and in fact should have had a penalty to level the tie.

The bookmakers still have Chelsea as the slight 8/11 favourites to qualify for the next round and they remain second favourites in the outright UEFA Champions League Football Betting 2009-2010.

Crucial Away Goals

24/02/2010

Both Bordeaux and Barcelona scored crucial away goals on night three of the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. Barcelona negotiated a tricky tie in Stuttgart to re-affirm their favouritism and will be fully expected to finish the job off at the Nou Camp. Both Stuttgart and the Catalan giants went into the game having won six of their last seven games and manager Pep Guardiola knew that his side were in for a tough game. The Germans took the lead through Cacau half-way through the first-half and were on top of the game for long periods, but seven minutes into the second-half Zlatan Ibrahimovic levelled the tie for Barca. The Spanish side remain the 3/1 favourites in the UEFA Champions League Football Betting 2009-2010.

Bordeaux continued their impressive season with a 1-0 victory away to Olympiakos. The French league leaders picked up where they left off after toping their group that included both Bayern Munich and Juventus and could prove to be a handy betting opportunity  at a big price of 22/1.

The Referee’s a...

18/02/2010

Controversial refereeing decisions were the talking point in both of Wednesday night’s Champions League games which both ended 2-1 to the home side. Arsenal’s stand in goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski got the night off to the worst possible start by spilling a relatively harmless cross into his own net and giving Porto the lead, Sol Campbell then equalised for Arsenal but a quickly taken free kick aided by the referee gave Porto the win and sent Arsene Wenger radio rental on the touch-line. Arsenal who now must win the return leg at the Emirates are 4/6 to qualify whilst Porto are 11/8.

If Wenger thought his side were hard done by then he will certainly have some sympathy toward Fiorentina who were denied a draw by a late Miroslav Klose header which was clearly offside. Bayern Munich had taken the lead with a penalty in stoppage time of the first-half then were pegged back by a Per Kroldrup equaliser but snatched the win in the last minute. The vicory means Munich are now 2/5 to progress to the next round whilst Fiorentina are 12/5.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Betting 2009-2010

As we enter the round of 16 in this year’s Champions League with only two big name casualties to date – Liverpool and Juventus – the race for Europe’s most coveted prize is still wide open. And there are some juicy ties to get our teeth stuck into in this first knock-out round of the competition proper, none more so than those pitting AC Milan against Manchester United and Inter against Chelsea.

Three years since his departure from Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourniho makes his first return to west London and it could be one of the most keenly contested battles of the round. Chelsea have the edge with the bookmakers and are priced at 8/15 to make it through to the quarter-final, but I’d suggest that their favouritism is enhanced by the fact that they have the second leg at home.

Then the other Anglo-Italian tie of the round brings David Beckham back to Old Trafford for the first time since his slightly acrimonious departure for Real Madrid in a clash of two European heavyweights. Of the last seven Champions League finals, one of either AC Milan or Manchester United have been involved in five of them and won three. The UEFA Champions League Football betting 2009-2010 again suggests that the English side are the most likely to progress and can be backed at 1/2 to do so, yet you have to feel that Wayne Rooney would have to be on top of his game to make that a good value bet.

In the other tie involving an English side, Arsene Wenger’s side must find a way past the 2003-04 champions Porto if they are to keep their hopes of landing their first ever Champions League title alive. Again they are rewarded for topping their group by having the second-leg of the tie on their home patch and are favourites to qualify at 1/3 with the bookmakers.

Current Outright Betting Odds On UEFA Champions League Football Betting 2009-2010 UEFA Eventual Market Winner

Barcelona - 5/2 favourites with Bet365

Chelsea - 4/1 second favourites with Totesport

Real Madrid - 5/1 with Boylesports

Manchester United - 7/1 with Betfred

Arsenal - 8/1 with Victor Chandler

Inter Milan - 14/1 with Blue Square

Seville - 14/1 with Paddy Power

Bayern Munich - 16/1 with Stan James

AC Milan - 25/1 with 888sport

Bordeaux - 28/1 with Coral

Fiorentina - 40/1 with Ladbrokes

FC Porto - 50/1 with William Hill

Lyon - 66/1 with Bet365

Olympiakos - 80/1 with Betfred

CSKA Moscow - 100/1 with Paddy Power

Stuttgart - 150/1 with Coral

2009-2010 Champions League – Last 16 Draw Results

With the UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 winter break already ushered in, there's a two month gap in play before European football club hostilities resume again in earnest in February 2010. However before all that could happen, there's the small matter of a draw to be staged to determine which of the 16 remaining teams would face each other in the next, knock-out stages of the most prestigious club competition in the world. Looking ahead to the draw, all the big names you'd have expected made it though to be guaranteed a place in the draw, with the notable exception of five times outright winners of the trophy, Liverpool. Which meant once again – Rafa Benitez' under-performing troops aside - England had strong representation going down to the Champions League wire, courtesy of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal; all group winners in their own right having their names entered into the hat. A UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 exciting hat in which they'd be joined by the cream of the continents soccer exponents, including the Spanish giants of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Italian heavyweights, Inter and AC Milan, German contenders, Bayern Munich and Stuttgart and surprise French packages, Bordeaux and Lyon.

Barcelona, Chelsea And Real Madrid Favoured By Online Football Betting Champions League Bookies After Draw For Last 16

Naturally enough, this next phase of the Champions League prizes open a whole new box of UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 market tricks for the online football betting punter to delve inside. Casting a furtive eye around – and overlooking the obvious Outright Win prices for the time being – and UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 Top Goalscorer charts haven't changed that much in terms of personnel, yet the odds have witnessed a shake-up based on what materialised through the group stages. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Chelsea's Didier Drogba predictably still lead that particular market, whilst some other new and interesting pages have emerged now we've reached this pivotal Champions League crossroads. Not least UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 Winning Nationality, the promise of an All English Final, Repeat Final (of last year's that is), whether or not there'll be a First Time Winner and the Origin Of Winner (meaning from which group did they progress from), alongside a host of others.

UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 fans could just as easily be swayed to match their predictions with hard cash (or slightly more compromising plastic) on the internet football betting potential of just some of these probable outcomes fronted by the web's leading football betting bookies championing their own bespoke pages. Like the English Team To Progress Furthest, Italian Team To Progress Furthest and the Spanish Team To Progress Furthest. The UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 market specials take some beating too, and summarising cover, Arsenal Specials, Barcelona Specials, Chelsea Specials, Man Utd Specials and Real Madrid Specials; all of which pretty much centre around specific Stage Of Elimination odds. Having made it to the last 16, SkyBet, Betfred, Blue Square, 888sport and Coral amongst other football betting bookies promote particular team prices for reaching the 2009-2010 Champions League Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final itself.

Mourinho's Return To Chelsea With Inter Milan Highly Anticipated Champions League Betting Market

For those online football betting types who like to keep their UEFA Champions League football betting 2009-2010 wagers simple though, there's really no substitute for the Outright Win markets. And thankfully all the big name sports betting bookies are weighing in with a healthy spread of odds and prices in this prime sector. From the post draw favourites Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United through to the perceived minnows who might well deserve to be here but frankly won't get a look in; such as Lyon, Olympiakos, CSKA Moscow and Stuttgart.

As far as footballing friends being reunited is concerned, the prospect of the ex-Chelsea manager who was instrumental in arguably their most successful recent spell – Jose Mourinho – bringing his current charges – Inter Milan – to Stamford Bridge to face what is largely the nucleus of the side that he built, is a big one. However, whilst the self-styled special one's evocative return to his former stomping ground – and with a welcoming committee comprising his favourite Stamford Bridge sons, Lampard, Terry and Drogba - will be 'emotional' for all parties involved, there'll be an equally moving old boy reunion taking place a couple of hundred miles north, as David Beckham leads the 'other' Milanese club out at his spiritual footballing home, Old Trafford in the second leg of the two-legged ties scheduled to take place in February and March 2010.

Manchester United Prepare To Welcome Back Old Boy Beckham In New AC Milan Colours For Champions League Encounter

In fact the latter couldn't have been better scripted, as only recently when interviewed by certain sectors of the sports media here in the UK, the AC Milan loan star mused that he's never once returned to Manchester United in the playing colours of another team since leaving for Real Madrid in 2002; in the supposed aftermath of a dressing room tussle with his former mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson. Despite regularly participating in the Champions League, firstly for Real, and only last year, for AC Milan, Beckham never came up against his old club, yet you could tell it remained one of the few remaining ambitions of sorts within the game that he'd like to experience before finally hanging up his boots for good. Whenever that finally is.

The format of the draw for the knock-out stages of this season's Champions League is pretty much straight forward, in as much as it sees individual winners of the now completed group stages of the competition paired with runners-up from other groups in theory. And on paper. And therefore the balls when deployed from UEFA's tombola would tally appropriately and spare the blushes of those in suits here at European football's governing body here in Nyon, Switzerland. The only other proviso which had to be adhered to was that no two clubs from the same country and/or previous group stage could meet as a result of this draw. Just for those late comers to this year's UEFA Champions League club football competition, the eventual group winners were as follows;

Bordeaux (France), Manchester United (England), Real Madrid (Spain), Chelsea (England), Fiorentina (Italy), Barcelona (Spain), Sevilla (Spain) and Arsenal (England). Group runners-up were; Bayern Munich (Germany), CSKA Moscow (Russia), AC Milan (Italy), FC Porto (Portugal), Lyon (France) Inter Milan (Italy), Stuttgart (Germany) and Olympiakos (Greece).

Full Draw For UEFA Champions League 2009-2010 Last 16

The full draw for the knock-out stages of the 2009-2010 season UEFA Champions League is as follows, with first leg fixtures pencilled in for the 16^th and 17^th of February and the 23^rd and 24^th of February 2010, whilst the return games will occur on March 9th/10^th and March 16th/17^th;

Stuttgart v Barcelona

Olympiakos v Bordeaux

Inter Milan v Chelsea

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla

Lyon v Real Madrid

FC Porto v Arsenal

AC Milan v Manchester United

UEFA Champions League 2009-2010 Group Stage - Final Tables

Group A

BORDEAUX - winners

BAYERN MUNICH - runners-up

Juventus - drop into UEFA Europa League

Maccabi Haifa - eliminated

Group B

MANCHESTER UNITED - winners

CSKA MOSCOW - runners-up

Wolfsburg - drop into UEFA Europa League

Besiktas - eliminated

Group C

REAL MADRID - winners

AC MILAN - runners-up

Marseille - drop into UEFA Europa League

FC Zurich - eliminated

Group D

CHELSEA - winners

FC PORTO - runners-up

Apoel Nicosia - drop into UEFA Europa League

Athletico Madrid - eliminated

Group E

FIORENTINA - winners

LYON - runners-up

Liverpool - drop into UEFA Europa League

Debrecen - eliminated

Group F

BARCELONA - winners

INTER MILAN - runners-up

Rubin Kazan - drop into UEFA Europa League

Dynamo Kiev - eliminated

Group G

SEVILLA - winners

STUTTGART - runners-up

Unirea Urziceni - drop into UEFA Europa League

Rangers - eliminated

Group H

ARSENAL - winners

OLYMPIAKOS - runners-up

Standard Liege - drop into UEFA Europa League

AZ Alkmaar - eliminated