blackcrow
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Posts posted by blackcrow
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Re: UEFA Cup Semis 2nd leg (3/5) Bremen -1 (EH) Espanyol come into this game protecting a 3- 0 goal lead but they realise this game is not over yet. Bremen are the type of team who when they go on all out attack for 90 minutes, as they will, are able to score at least the 3 goals required to even the tie up. Espanyol have some notable absentees which will even more focus on defending for the whole game which can be quite dangerous. I think Bremen will get at least 2 goals but unsure whether they will be able to go through, as Espanyol is a team that doesn't concede much. Espanyol have not conceded a goal in 4 of their last 5 games which says how good they are defensively. Sevilla -1 (EH) In the Primera Liga, high flying Sevilla should have no problems beating Osasuna with their fantastic home record. However, this will be much tougher, considering that Osasuna have a 1-0 lead from the first leg and wish to make the most of it. Osasuna do not have the calibre of players that Sevilla, and this is what will tell in the end, as Sevilla shuld get the 2 goals that will see them through.
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Re: Champions League Semi-Final 2nd legs Tues 01/05 - Weds 02/05 Milan over 2.5 Milan need to score 1 goal to go to the next final. However, if they do, then it is up to Man Utd to score to return the tie back in their favour. And so on and so on. These two teams will not sit back on just a 1 goal lead as they know each possesses the attacking ability to score goals. This should be an open game, and Ferguson has indicated, that they will continue to play their normal attacking game, as he believes this gives them the best chance of going through to the final
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Re: Champions League Semi-Final 2nd legs Liverpool -1 (EH) Liverpool to win this 2-0 and repeat this scoreline from earlier in the EPL. Liverpool go into this game with a 1-0 deficit and after the way they played in the first leg, they would have to be happy with this result. They looked unorganised, and many of their passes went astray. The resting of most of their team from the weekend should keep them fresh and reasdy for thsi ficture, which is, after all, their only hope of a trophy this year. But the pressure is on Chelsea to ensure they go through after their draw on the weekend, which all but ended their title aspirations. I look to Liverpool to win this based on several reasons: (a) Drogba, and Cole to a lesser extent, are the only players to cause Liverpool problems. I expect Benitez to have worked quite a bit with young Agger to address some of his positioning so that he ready for this match up again (b) the Anfield crowd to be in full voice which should be unnerving for Chelsea as it was in the previous league fixture © i question the Chelsea's players to cope with the pressure. One of their main leaders is Lampard, and has it has often been seen, when the pressure is on, he goes missing. They do not have the experience at this type of pressure at this level. I think Liverpool will approach this game like they did at half time in Istanbul: with a nothing lo lose philosophy. Also losing Carvalho is a big blow for them (d) i think Mourinho is starting to lose it as a coach. For all the minds games he has been playing in the last few weeks, it hides the fact that his side and his selections, style etc have been way below what they usually are. I think Mourinho is mentally trying to outfox Benitez because he has nothing else to work with as his team is tired, fatigued and one wonders what kind of harmony there is in the team with all the drama surrounding this team of mercenaries. A champion team, will in most cases beat, a team of champions. C'mon you Reds. Fire up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol By the way, i like some of Benitez' responses to Mourinho's baiting: "They know the pressures they are under, you only have to ask Mr Abramovich what he wants, the Champions League or the Premier League. They know. It is clear they will be under pressure because they were talking about trophies, trophies, trophies. Maybe they have one less to win now and that makes the Champions League their priority." "Mourinho has also been critical of Liverpool's fans over the past week, but Benitez hit back by saying that, unlike Chelsea, Liverpool do not need to hand out free flags to get their fans in the right mood. He added: 'At Stamford Bridge, we showed that our supporters won their battle, even though Chelsea had their fans all with flags to wave. But our supporters were there with their hearts. We do not need to give away flags for our fans to wave - our supporters are always there with their hearts and that is all we need." "I remember before the game in 2005, the Chelsea players spoke a lot about being ready for the Anfield atmosphere, but when the game was played they could not handle it. It's very difficult for any opposing team to prepare to play against 12 men. Our fans cannot give red cards or award penalties, but they can score goals. I like this about our supporters because we know they will show they are in the best in the world again tomorrow night. "
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 7 (April 25th 30th) Cronulla win by 13+ margin (@ $3.75 Centrebet) If you look at these two teams then the obvious pick is Cronulla. They have shown some good form lately and have the 2nd best defence with, on average, conceding only 10 points per game. Newcastle, however, have an average of 25 points scored against them and it is hard to see them hold the Sharks out. The Knights have a big pack which is a strength and a weakness. With Kimmorley running the show, i think it will be a weakness. The Cronulla game plan should be to kick as much as possible to regularly turn the Newcastle forwards around to tire them out. Then look for Kimmorley to later on set some of his speedsters away with a series of short passes through the tiring lines. With the amount of money that has come in for Cronulla, there seems to be alot of people with the same idea that Cronulla should win this one. I think it could be an emphatic victory
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 7 (April 25th 30th)
I thought the ANZAC thread would be more appropriate :okMaybe we should call thias thread the NRL and everything else thread?? -
Re: NRL Rugby - Round 7 (April 25th 30th) I'm sitting out the panthers game with Carney out
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Re: AFL Football - Round 5 (April 25th - 29th) WC to win by 40+ Big difference in form and class. Says it all. Tigers come into this game with a few injuries to key players while the Eagles are virtually with their full team. West Coast are on top of the table because of the excellent form they have shown despite their off field problems, especially with last weeks demolition of Carlton. The tigers haven't shown much and will struggle with the matchups with the WC players, who are simply too good for them
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 7 (April 25th 30th) Thanks for the back up jumbo :ok and you seem to be on a nice little streak yourself :clap I really think Manly are specials tonight at the -2.5 (2.05). Will play a small one on the 13+ but can't see the Cowboys turning it around against a team who have shown they are consistently a very good side this year.
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 7 (April 25th 30th) Canberra +points Not much between the two teams coming into this game with both teams showing some good form and then backing it up with some poor games. While Penrith do tend to play better at home and Canberra not so well away, the points on offer are too good to refuse, more so if Gower is indeed out, which could give Carney the opportunity to win it for the Raiders Manly -2.5 You say what the Rabbitohs defence did to the Cowboys to Monday night, then wait to you see what the Manly defence will do. Manly have some real speed in the backline to complement their forwards, as the Cowboys are really not playing with much confidence at all. With the short back up from Monday night, they could be some tiredness and look to the manly back to exploit this. This could be a very one sided game The Sea Eagles have the best kicking game in the league (in terms of metres gained) while the Cowboys have the worst. Look for the speedster Stewart to take advantage of this as Manly gains better field position. Both teams score most of their points from inside the opposition's 22, but it seems Manly are more likely to find their way there.
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Re: Super 14: Round 13 Hurricanes win by 1-12 margin :) Chiefs win 1-12 margin :)
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Re: Super 14: Round 13 We'll take that one mate :ok
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 7 (April 25th 30th) Melbourne win by 13+ margin I really don't rate Brisbane here at all. While there may be some arguments that there Kangaroos have come back into form in the win over the Kiwi's, in reality, they have been playing out of form. They have been making alot of mistakes and with the likes of Slater ready to pounce, i can't see them making it a close contest. The Storm's forward will relish this battle and i can a better performance from them, as some of them took it easy last week and let the panthers back into the game. It won't happen here again. The class that the Storm possesses in the backline will be too quick and creative for the Bronco's, and there is the small matter of some revenge for the Bronco's defeat of them in the grand final Bulldogs win by 13+ margin The Dogs have been playing well below their week and were fortunate to win against Parramatta. However they get a chance to build on that second half comeback as they face the Wests Tigers. I expect alot of the Buylldogs forwards to be relishing this encounter as there is a huge size difference with the much small Tigers pack. The Tigers seem they don't have much, and they look to Marshall to start things but he has been out of form lately. So look to the Bulldogs forwards to steamroll over their smaller counterparts with O'Meley, Mason and Williams leading the charge
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Hurricanes win by 1-12 margin Both teams are out of the finals race and have only to pride to play for as they don't want to be the worst placed NZ side. Both sides have some good agmebreakers who can win the game but too often this has not been the case for these two sides, and this is a major reason why they are out of the playoff race. Look to the Hurricanes to win this close game based on the fact they are pretty strong at home, but this should be a very open game as these two sides will surely spread the ball out to their repectives backs, and it is here that the Huricanes also have the edge. Chiefs win 1-12 margin The Chiefs have played some very good rugby in receent weeks and look pretty good chances to win over a disappointing Waratahs side. The Chiefs have been very good at spreading the ball to their backs and we should see some holes in the Waratahs midfield being exploited, as this has been a problem of their's during the season. The Waratahs have a very good record at home to the Chiefs but the fat that the Chiefs have been playing well as opposed to the Waratahs should be enough to see them home in a tight one.
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Re: Asia's FC Champions league (25.94.2007) Sydney -1 (EH) It was the hot and humid conditions in Indonesia that undone Sydney not their opposition. They missed many clear cut chances and it was ony due to some poor defending (due to their fatigue) that allowed Persik to come out on top. Sydney showed that they are a better footballing team, and now on home turf, in a must win game, they will come out and win this quite comfortably Seongnam Chunma The Korean Champions should be ready to a make the msot of their class difference between the two sides. Adelaide surprised them in the return leg to take a 2-0 lead in the first game but it was obvious that the Koreans were, technically, a better side. Adelaide have had a frustrating and inconsistent year, and the fact they are playing in their off season, will worsen this. Being at home and in a mst win game for them to catch the leaders, i see a Chunma victory over a limited and predictable Adelaide side Shandong luneng (-1.5,2) (AH) Shandong won the first game 4-0 and it shoudl have been more. Now they play the return game and it should be a similar result. Obvious big difference in class, and Shandong should score quite a few
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 7 (April 25th 30th) Going with Roosters 1-12
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Re: CL semis 24-25/4 (1st leg) Milan win Agree with what was said earlier about Man Utd's defence. They are made up of incompetent second stringers who will struggle to contain Milan. Milan would have seen the tape of the demolition of Roma by Man U and will play a very narrow game. However they themselves have a very good and in form player (Kaka) who will look to exploit this Man Utd weakness. On the other hand, United have Ronaldo who can do as much damage as Kaka, but the Italians are the masters of playing a defensive type of game and will look to constrict the room he gets. I think the danger man is Rooney and if Milan can hold him out then i think they will score 1 to win the game. Also Man UJtd look very tired and lethargic as they seem to have overextended themselves by still being alive in 3 trophies. The one they want is the EPL and the rest are bonuses for them. Liverpool win No love lost between these two teams or their respective coaches. However despite Chelsea wanting revenge of their CL loss two years ago to Liverpool and all the hoo-haa associated with Mourinho, the fact is that they are coming into this game missing players, tired and also more focused on the EPL title. Liverpool are fresh and know this is their only chance for honours this year. They are playing alot better then Chelsea, for if it wasn't for Drogba, then they wouldn't be in the running for three trophies. Liverpool will do what they did to Barcelona to shut up all their critics who say they don't deserve to be there.
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 6 (April 21st - 23rd) North Queensland win by 1-12 margin North Queesnland have, on paper, a better team especially with the players of the calibre of Bowen and Thurston to organise much of the attacks. However Souths have shown that they are no pushovers even though it is appears they will struggle here. I don't think so. They have a better defence and a higher completion rate than the Cowboys, so while i expect the Cowboys to win, it won't be by much
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 6 (April 21st - 23rd) Wow Jumbo, as your name implies, you are not short of hammering some of your tips. Congrats on a huge weekend :clap Like the Cowboys 1-12 - can't see the Bunnies winning but they will make it a close game. As for Champions League, love the Milan and Liverpool double. Both Man U and Chelsea have overextended themselves and are very very tired. The two fresher teams will take care of them
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 6 (April 21st - 23rd) Manly win by 13+ margin :D Parramatta -2.5 @ 2.00 :@ Newcastle -4.5 :@ Lost a couple of close ones that could have gone either way, while Manly flew out of the gates and coasted the rest of the way
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 6 (April 21st - 23rd) Like your picks jumbo :ok Manly win by 13+ margin As mentioned, Manly are the best defensive side in the league and have only conceded 7 tries in 5 games. They should be able to pressure the Titans into quite a few mistakes, which was evident in the Titans win over Brisbane, where both sides were guilty of making alot of errors. It should be a great opportunity for Stewart to pick up any loose balls. Despite their early success, the Titans are not as good as people think they are and are playing the most in form team in the comp. They do the basics quite well and are very disciplined in their play. Parramatta -2.5 @ 2.00 Big grudge match between two traditional rivals. We have Parra cominig into a bit of form while the Bulldogs are a long way from what they are capable of. With Parra having 2 of their forwards and the Bulldogs having 3 of their's backing up from the test match there could be some tired players out there towards the end. Parra have shown recently that their backs are the ones more than capable of taking advantage of this, and i see them winning this in a close one. Newcastle -4.5 @ 2.10 Newcastle haven't been anything special in recent weeks but they are satrting to learn to live without Johns, and look to Buderus to make a case why he is the best hooker in the game, as he takes over the play calling at the Knights. Brisbane were very ordinary and predictable in their loss last week, and many of their big name players are not playing to their capabilities. Newcastle have only 1 player backing up from the test match while Brisbane have 7, and while the Broncos in the past have done well backing up, it was at a time when many of their players were at their peak. The way they have been playing suggests they are past it. The crowd will be packed to send off Joey Johns, so this should lift the Knights to win this game but not by much
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 6 (April 21st - 23rd)
Congrats to those who got the Storm 1-12. Storm were cruising the second half and took the foot off the pedal to give the Panthers a sniff of victory Sharks did it easily and well done to the board for this standout pick :clapStorm 13+ margin :@ Sharks 13+ margin :) -
Re: Super 14: Round 12 Selections Cheetahs -5.5 :@ Too many dropped balls by the Cheetahs Chiefs over 47.5 :) Great win by the Chiefs and plenty of points scored Highlanders win :) Nearly gave it away in the end Well done to everyone else :ok
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 6 (April 21st - 23rd) Here they are jumbo, excuse the spelling as i'm trying to get my picks out before i head out myself. GL all :ok
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Re: NRL Rugby - Round 6 (April 21st - 23rd) Storm 13+ margin Alot of guys here think the panthers will keep this close but i doubt it, espeially if they play the way they did agaisnt Parramatta. The Storm love playing these Saturday evening games and it is usually a try fest. The Panthers play well in patches but when they don't they can be awful. Some of their attcking last week was appalling and if they play like that agin then this will be 50 point win to the Storm. The Storm have only lost 1 out of their last 19 games here so they should win, but based on their ability and the poor previous week performance of the Panthers, then they should be able to win quite comfortably. Sharks 13+ margin The Sharks should have broken their hoodoo down at Campbelltown last week against the Tigers except for Kimmorley's stuff up at the end. They have a very good home record against the Raiders, winning 15 out of 19 games. The raiders have quite a few injury problems and they are backing up alot quicker than normal which has been a problem for most teams this year. The Sharks are the leading team in metres gained while the Raiders are ranked 13 (out of 16). The Sharks only concede 12 points on average while the raiders leak in 30. So expect to see the Sharks defence hold out the Raiders and set it up for a win against a tiring Raiders team in the second half.
Super 14 - final round
in Other Sports & Novelty Predictions
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Re: Super 14 - final round Hurricanes -13.5 (@ 2.10) Both teams have little to play for in terms of making the semi finals. The Waratahs have been woeful this year and i guess many of them will be glad to see the end of this tournament. The Hurricanes have been very inconsistent especially with the calibre of players they have but today they will lift to send off one of their best ever players in Umaga. It is his last game and i expect to see Highlanders play the way they can and record a very impressive win to send off one of their greats