Norway, Australia to battle for Group C lead

Soccer Betting Lines

09/14/2007 - Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top spot in Group C will be on the line on Saturday when Australia meets Norway in the second game for both teams.

Norway earned a tough 2-1 comeback win against Canada, while Australia recorded its first ever win in the World Cup with a 4-1 triumph against Ghana.

The Matildas entered the Ghana match with a 0-7-2 record in World Cup play, but showed why they can be considered a threat to advance past the group stage for the first time ever.

Striker Sarah Walsh was the most dangerous player on the field for Australia, scoring one goal and setting up another. She was a problem from the opening whistle for Ghana, and she will be counted on once again to lead the Australia attack.

Lisa DeVanna came off the bench to score twice in the second half and Heather Garriock tallied the other Australia goal and played a solid match as well.

The Australia defense was not tested all that much by a weak Ghana attack, so there are still question marks as to how strong this unit is.

Having come through the tough Asian qualifying group, Australia showed its quality, but we will get an idea of just how good the Matildas have become following the Norway game.

The Norwegians are an extremely sound team technically, and will not make the mistakes in defense that allowed Walsh to get into space. They also have a player in striker Ragnhild Gulbrandsen who will give the defense all it can handle.

Gulbrandsen got free inside the box on numerous occasions against Canada, scoring one goal and helping to set up the game winner. She is a dominant player in the air, and also has some skill with her feet as well. Australia captain Cheryl Salisbury will likely draw the assignment of keeping Gulbrandsen in check, which is a big task for any defender.

Norway is known as a team that favors short passes en route to a nice build up. However, against Canada, they showed the ability to use the long ball and prove that they are capable of making adjustments.

The team's second-half effort against Canada was dominant, and they will have no trouble with any team in their group if they can duplicate that performance.

Norway is one of the most complete teams in this tournament, and they should show that against Australia on Saturday and take control of the group.

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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)

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