Italy faces New Zealand without Buffon

Soccer Betting Lines

06/19/2010 - Nelspruit, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both Italy and New Zealand enter Sunday's Group F FIFA World Cup contest at Mbombela Stadium on the heels of draws in their opening matches, but their emotions are quite different.

The Italians entered the World Cup as heavy favorites to win the group, but after their 1-1 draw with Paraguay, superiority is anything but assured, while New Zealand was thrilled to get a point in a 1-1 draw with Slovakia.

Paraguay took the lead after a first-half goal from Antolin Alcaraz against Italy, but it was the only shot on goal of the match for the South American side. Daniele De Rossi was able to equalize in the second half for the Italians to help them salvage a point, but there was some frustration from manager Marcello Lippi after the match.

"I'm happy because we played as a team, but it's a shame not to have won because we deserved to. By the end our opponents had handed us control and they didn't create any danger in the second period, we didn't even let them have a single shot on goal," Lippi said.

Making matters worse for Italy is the fact that goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon suffered a back injury and had to be taken off at halftime, and he will miss at least Sunday's match if not the rest of the tournament. Buffon will have surgery after the tournament.

Federico Marchetti will take Buffon's place in goal for the Azzurri, who must beat New Zealand to restore some order to the group.

The Kiwis will be happy to have claimed a point against Slovakia in their opening game, giving the team its first-ever World Cup point after Winston Reid scored three minutes into stoppage time in a 1-1 draw.

"It's terrific. Over the last five years, I've never stopped believing in this team," said New Zealand manager Ricki Herbert. "Playing at a World Cup was a dream come true, but this is even better. We came to South Africa with the intention of making a difference, and we certainly did that against a highly- rated team."

Slovakia is not as highly-rated a team as Italy, so it will take a big effort for the Kiwis to get anything from this match, but they have already proven capable of making a difference.

Sprtsline Soccer Betting News


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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

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"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


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