Posts Tagged ‘Craven Cottage’
Can Fulham cause another upset?
Being cast as pre-match underdogs will not worry Fulham one bit as they bid to upset the apple cart once more against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final.
Roy Hodgson’s men began their journey in the competition last July as 500/1 outsiders and have brushed off each damning prediction of defeat with increasing confidence to reach their first ever European final.
It isn’t as if they have had it easy either. They have beaten holders Shaktar Donetsk, German Champions Wolfsburg and Italian giants Juventus en route to the final in Madrid, where they are once again second favourites in a two horse race.
On paper their outsiders tag is justified as Atletico have the better players - Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan, Simao and Jose Antonio Reyes are four of the most skilful, attacking players in Spanish football. However, Atletico are also fallible at the back and their defence is the worst of any side in La Liga’s top ten, having let in 58 goals in 37 games.
My prediction, therefore, is a final full of goals as both teams stick to their footballing principles. For Fulham much will depend on the fitness of talismanic striker Bobby Zamora, who his hit six goals in Europe this season, but whose achilles injury has cost him a place in the England squad and means he is a doubt for the final itself. If he does play it is unlikely to be for the full 90 minutes. With Zamora struggling, more responsibility will be heaped on the shoulders of Damien Duff, Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera to score goals.
A victory for Fulham is certainly the romantic’s choice. It would be a fairy tale for the club and their boss Roy Hodgson, as well as a nice little earner for those betting on the match - the online betting odds make them 11/4 for the win. However, the reality is the Cottagers will be hard pushed to repeat their heroics away from their home ground, which has been a fortress for them in Europe this season.
No wins and just three goals away from Craven Cottage in Europe this year suggests they will struggle at the Bernabeu, and as much as I would love to see them win, my head says Atletcio will come out on top.
Meanwhile, Darren Bent appears to have taken Zamora’s place in the provisional 30-man World Cup squad.
The World Cup betting odds make England third favourites for the tournament, and there is still a chance the Fulham man could make the cut if he can prove his fitness.
Tags: Achilles Injury, Apple Cart, Atletico Madrid, Betting Odds, Bobby Zamora, Clint Dempsey, Craven Cottage, Damien Duff, Diego Forlan, England Squad, Fulham, German Champions, Heroics, Horse Race, Increasing Confidence, Jose Antonio Reyes, Roy Hodgson, Simao, Spanish Football, Zoltan
Zamora for England? Maybe, just maybe!
Just a few short months after he was barracked by his own fans, the chances of Fulham striker Bobby Zamora securing a place in England’s World Cup squad seem to be improving rapidly.
Zamora was seen as a bit of a joke figure at Craven Cottage in the run-up to Christmas, with his boss Roy Hodgson at something of a loss to explain why they would be turning on one of their own players.
But the 29-year-old has proved to be something of a revelation in the three months since that low point, taking his tally to nine goals in his last 15 games when he scored the match-winning free-kick in the 2-1 victory over Birmingham City on Sunday.
Zamora has goals in each of the last four games and suddenly it is not just Hodgson clamouring for him to get a chance in Fabio Capello’s squad – and it is interesting that the Italian was at Craven Cottage to see Sunday’s match with only Zamora and Birmingham keeper Joe Hart as serious possibles for his squad on show.
Sadly for Zamora, Capello had already left his seat by the time Zamora scored, but Hodgson felt his overall performance would have done enough to impress and could be enough to earn him a call-up for the first pre-World Cup friendly against Egypt on March 3.
What of the competition? Well, if we split the striking options up, it seems almost certain that Wayne Rooney (100% certain if fit) and Jermain Defoe will go to South Africa, while Peter Crouch has often been favoured by Capello as the main target man.
Much will, then, depend on the make-up of the squad. If Capello takes only four strikers, as has been mooted, then Zamora will be contending with the likes of Emile Heskey (probably still the favourite), Carlton Cole, Darren Bent (disappointing recently) and Gabriel Agbonlahor for just one spot on the plane.
On this season’s evidence, Zamora and Agbonlahor would be the favourites with World Cup Betting, with Cole unable to find the net regularly or stay fit, Heskey having scored only five times and Bent having hit the wall since a fast start to the campaign.
Far-fetched it might still be, but you certainly can’t fault Zamora for his effort as he tries to score his way into the squad. Something World Cup Picks are far from ruling out.
Tags: Birmingham City, Bobby Zamora, Cambria, Craven Cottage, Emile Heskey, Fabio Capello, Fareast, Favoured, Font Definitions, Font Format, Four Games, Free Kick, Fulham, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jermain Defoe, Joe Hart, Mso, Orphan, Panose, Paper Source, Peter Crouch, Roy Hodgson, Sans Serif, Striker, Strikers, Style Definitions, Style Name, Style Type, Tally, Target Man, Theme Font, Times New Roman, Wayne Rooney, World Cup Squad
Chelsea shorten for FA Cup glory
Chelsea are the hot 5/4 favourites to retain the FA Cup after being drawn at home again in the quarter-finals. They top the list when it comes to Odds FA Cup experts produce and will take some stopping.
The Blues defeated Cardiff 4-1 at Stamford Bridge in the fifth round and have been rewarded for their efforts with another home tie - against either Manchester City (8/1) or Stoke (25/1) who will replay at The Britannia Stadium.
Chelsea have edged out Watford and Cardiff on home soil and saw off Preston in the fourth round away from the King’s Road, but they will now have to topple Premier League opposition to reach the semi-finals. Carlo Ancelotti’s men still look primed for more cup glory and have shortened up to repeat last year’s heroics with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United already out of the tournament.
Tottenham are the 11/2 second favourites after battling out a 1-1 draw at Bolton (50/1) and now face a replay at White Hart Lane to determine who will take on Fulham (14/1) at Craven Cottage. FA Cup Match Betting certainly expects Harry Redknapp’s men to progress though.
Financially-stricken Portsmouth (16/1) are well placed to repeat their FA Cup success of 2008 and face Birmingham (11/1) at Fratton Park for a place in the last four.
Pompey will be desperate for cup success in a bid to ease their cash problems on the south coast and they could still become the first team in history to win the prestigious tournament and be relegated in the same season.
Reading (80/1) and West Brom (33/1) face a replay at The Hawthorns to determine who will take on Aston Villa or Crystal Palace (66/1), who will also replay at Villa Park. Villa are 6/1 third favourites to get their hands on the trophy they last won in 1957.
Tags: Ascii, Aston Villa, Britannia Stadium, Cambria, Carlo Ancelotti, Craven Cottage, Crystal Palace, Cup Glory, Cup Success, Div, Font Definitions, Font Format, Harry Redknapp, Hawthorns, Heroics, Home Soil, Home Tie, Lt, Manchester City, Mso, Orphan, Panose, Pitch, Pompey, Prestigious Tournament, Priority, Props, Quarter Finals, Sans Serif, Span, Stamford Bridge, Style Definitions, Style Type, Text Decoration, Theme Font, Times New Roman, Villa Park, West Brom, White Hart Lane