Milan hopes to end poor run of form at Udinese

Soccer Betting Lines

02/10/2012 - Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan will try to return to the win column on Saturday at Udinese after a dip in form has left the Rossoneri staring up at Juventus in the Serie A standings.

A run of seven wins in eight matches in all competitions has been followed by a pair of losses and a scoreless draw, with Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri calling on his team to refocus its attentions.

The 0-0 draw with Napoli last weekend dropped Milan one point back of Juventus in the league, and it was followed by a 2-1 defeat against the Old Lady in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals on Wednesday.

Udinese has had some struggles of its own recently, having lost two of its last three games. But the hosts know that a win on Saturday will see them join Milan on 44 points and continue their push in the title race.

Milan will be eager to put its recent struggles in the past, but it will have to do so without the services of striker and leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will be serving the first of a three-game ban on Saturday.

The Swede leads Milan with 15 goals this season, but he received a red card in the club's draw with Napoli after slapping defender Salvatore Aronica.

The injury absences of both Alexandre Pato and Kevin Prince Boateng will further take away offensive options for Allegri.

Udinese possesses the top scorer in the league in Antonio Di Natale, who has netted 16 goals this term, while the club also brings an unbeaten home mark into the match.

Juventus enters the weekend one point clear of Milan and with a game in hand and will try to keep the pressure on Allegri's men with a win at bottom-half Bologna on Sunday.

Fifth-place Inter Milan has fallen nine points off the pace of Juve after claiming one point from its last three matches and the Nerazzurri host last- place Novara on Sunday, while Roma, which moved to within one point of Inter after a 4-0 win over Claudio Ranieri's men last weekend, travel to Siena on Monday.

Napoli has slipped to seventh after going its last five games without a win, a streak the team hopes to snap on Monday at home against Chievo.

Palermo has won three of its last four games and visits Cagliari in Saturday's other match, Lecce sits three points from safety and travels to Atalanta, Catania entertains Genoa and Fiorentina meets up with Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in a matchup of mid-table sides.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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