Betting.Betfair

[u]The favourites[/u] [b]Spain (3.9)[/b] You can't argue with their status as favourites when we consider that the reigning European and World Champions have almost the same squad as they did when they won those two tournaments. But therein lies part of the problem. Almost. The absences of Carles Puyol and David Villa are two hammer blows to their chances because those are perhaps the two areas they could least afford to lose players. Fernando Torres comes into the tournament under-played and pretty unhappy with life, Fernando Llorente was excellent over two legs against Manchester United but anonymous in the Europa League final so maybe he can't handle the biggest stages just yet. I'm not sure this business of playing without a recognised striker such as Cesc Fabregas as the player...

[b]Michael Lintorn runs through four of the most interesting Opta stats about this weekend's Premier League games, looking at ways to use them for betting...[/b] [b]Sunderland[/b] have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 22 meetings with Newcastle in all competitions. Steve Bruce has carried out maintenance work on his defence this summer but it will take a while to mould them into a cohesive unit, with [b]Shola Ameobi[/b] no doubt keen to take advantage having netted four times in his last four clashes with the Black Cats. Sunderland have scored in seven of the last eight Tyne-Wear derbies too though, leaving it until the 90th minute to strike in each of the last two. There have been more hat-tricks scored in [b]Arsenal v Liverpool[/b] fixtures than any other in ...

The departure of Roy Hodgson was not the most surprising news of the weekend. Victims of the managerial merry-go-round are ten to the dozen these days and a sorry reflection of the impatience and short-term thinking that prevails in the board rooms of modern day football clubs, but Hodgson was not entirely a victim of circumstance. Since December 6, 13 clubs have parted company with their managers and don't be surprised if that number increases next week. No manager should be immune from the sack - the role of the head coach is the single-most important role in any club - and barring cataclysmically bad results any tactician should be granted at least a seasons' grace before his achievements can be properly assessed. "I am shocked because I rate Roy Hodgson as a great manager," said...