Latest Betting Odds
Crystal Palace: 5.00
Draw: 3.50
Manchester United: 1.75

The FA Cup, is the oldest cup competition is world soccer and is just one game away from conclusion. In a repeat of the 1990 Cup Final Crystal Palace will play Manchester United, and we’ve reviewed the best bets available.

United under pressure

Manchester United are definitely the team under pressure. After a lacklustre and often boring league campaign under Dutch manager, and Europe’s most stubborn man, Louis Van Gaal, Manchester United are somehow in a position to regain top spot (jointly with Arsenal) as the English team with the most FA Cup wins.  However, as any Manchester United fan will tell you, never ever expect the straight forward win with LVG in charge. He’s as likely to play 5 holding midfielders as an attacking formation. United start the game as clear favourites at odds of 1.75

The odds only tell half the story in this year’s FA Cup, Manchester United’s route to the final was less than impressive.  Far from impressive in fact. A highly unconvincing win against Sheffield United (a team two divisions below United) which saw Van Gaal playing 2 holding midfielders and United struggle to get out of their own half. The Sheffield United debacle was followed by reasonable wins against the mighty Derby County and the even more (less) mighty Shrewsbury Town. A tough looking draw against West Ham United ended in exactly that, a draw, and was followed by a well earned victory at Upton Park in the replay.

The Semi-Final against Everton at Wembley was an odd game, with United totally dominating Everton for 70 minutes, during which time they could have easily scored 10 goals. However, Van Gaal’s men could only score once with Belgian Microphone Head and Elbow Merchant, Marouane Fellaini scoring on 34 minutes.  Any soccer fan could predict what happened next, with United sitting back with 20 minutes to go, Everton equalising via a calamitous Chris Smalling own goal (75 mins). What happened next was pure Fergie Time magic, the world’s most expensive teenage footballer, Anthony Martial, popped up on 94 minutes to win the game for United.

“Tony Martial Came from France, The British Press said he had no chance, Fifty Million down the Drain, Tony Martial scores again…..”

Palace flying highly

Palace’s run was not dissimilar, however a generally ‘weaker’ team probably couldn’t have expected to have coasted through qualifying in the same way as United were. Incredibly Palace have only won 7 games in 2016, and 5 of them were in the FA Cup.  The Palace FA Cup journey started at St Mary’s against high flying Southampton with a 2-1 victory for the Eagles.  Then a reasonably regulation win at home against Stoke was followed by a very impressive 1-0 win away at Spurs. An easy win at Reading lined up a Semi Final against Watford, a game Palace won a lot more comfortably than the scoreline of 2-1 suggests.

Our Tips

With both teams struggling to score goals this season, a shrewd bet might be to back 0-0 at odds of 7.50. Certainly the Under 2.5 Goals Market isn’t going to be troubled at very short odds of just 1.59.  We also like the look of Chris “It could go anywhere” Smalling for first goal scorer at odds of 15.00.

Will United win the 2016 FA Cup Final? Yes.  Will the game be a yawn-fest of dull central midfield trudgery? Yes.  Will this be LVG’s last game in charge of United? We certainly hope so….-

Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid for a rumoured $200m. This is basically a done deal, for all of Tottenham’s posturing, this deal was done months ago, as Tottenham have proved by spending the best part of $970b in the transfer market on all manner of players. Likelihood Rating: 99% (saving the 1% for Gareth Bale – Tottenham to Manchester United)

Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid to Manchester United estimated at $160m. Whilst logically Real Madrid could fund much of the fee for 24 year old Bale by selling 29 year old Ronaldo to United, it seems the age of galacticos is coming back at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, and Ronaldo will be at Madrid for at least another year. Likelihood Rating: 33%

Cesc Fabgregas – Barcelona to Manchester United for c. $80m. I can’t see this happening this month, however if Fabregas is still a bench bunny in January, he may well move. Likelihood Rating: 25%

Wayne Rooney – Manchester United to Chelsea for rumoured $70m. Rooney is going nowhere, United won’t be selling one of their top players to one of their biggest rivals. With Rooney putting in a superb performance when United played Chelsea, he’s laid down a marker that says “I’m staying here” Likelihood Rating: 25% (33% if United sign Ronaldo)

Baines & Fellaini – Everton to Manchester United for combined $80m. Baillaini as I’ve just christened them, are definitely going to be plying their trade at Old Trafford by the end of the window. They might not be the super heroes that many United fans will desire, but their Premiership pedigree is not in doubt. Likelihood Rating: 100%

Ozil and / or Benzema and / or Di Maria – Real Madrid to Arsenal for frankly anyone’s guess. Arsenal have done so little business in this years transfer window, they are delighted to announce the free re-signing of AC Milan’s Mathieu Flamini, so they are being linked to many players. Of these, Di Maria is the most likely to be the deal done, at a rating of 50%

And a summary of the rest of the big ones….

Luis Suarez – Liverpool to Arsenal (0%) or Real Madrid (33%).
Kaka – Real Madrid to Arsenal (25%), Manchester United (0%), Liverpool (50%)
Fernando Torres – Chelsea to Atletico Madrid (50%)
Demba Ba – Chelsea to Newcastle (75%)
Javier Hernandez – Manchester United to Tottenham (10%)
Iker Casillas – Real Madrid to PSG (10%)
Eliaquim Mangala – Porto to Manchester United (50% but hope it does as UK soccer fans will have loads of fun with his firstname!)

United’s EPL odds 2013 / 2014 are drifting and they are currently out at $3.60 with Sportsbet, out from $3.00 only a few weeks ago. This is purely down to lack of activity in the transfer market.

To count the number of players apparently courted by Manchester United during this closed season, who have turned them down, you need one of those cool scientific calculators you got at school, and a degree in Trigonometry, here is a list of all the players it seems United have tried to sign in the last two months:

Thiago Alcantara (Went to Bayern Munich to join up with a manager who didn’t play him at Barca)
Cesc Fabregas (Likes the Barca bench too much)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Seemingly happy being disliked at Madrid)
Mesut Ozil (Likes the Madrid bench too much)
Robert Lewandowski (Wants to join Bayern Munich)
Paulinho (Went to Spurs)
Willian (Went to Chelsea)
Eto’o (Went to Chelsea)

Now these are all big name players and the draw of the European Champions, or one of Spain’s top 2 might be enough to tempt anyone away from the drizzle of Manchester, however, it is not many years ago that United were selling cast offs to Madrid (Beckham and RVN), and when United were way ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich in the pecking order to European football. However players picking Spurs or Chelsea over United? What has happened?

So what has changed? It is easy to jump on the Sir Alex Ferguson answer. The lack of the world’s most successful manager might be a reason for players looking elsewhere, however this shift in power happened whilst Ferguson was still at the helm.

Look at the success City had in recruiting Nasri (lucky escape for United), Ya Ya Toure and Aguero, all players heavily linked with United, all players who went to City. Hazard to Chelsea was also an example, he was a long time target of Old Trafford, yet he signs for Chelsea. It is money? Both City and Chelsea are bankrolled to an extreme and pay massive wages, but so can United. Sure Manchester City pay over the odds for players however it is understood that United offered Arsenal the same for Nasri as City, but the player chose City.

In reality this is a far from new phenomenon, with the execption of Robin Van Persie, when was the last time United were seen to be recruiting a really top player? No disrespect to Kagawa, Jones, de Gea, Young, Valencia, Hernadez and co, who will all go on to become very good if not great players, but its not quite the same as breaking the world record transfer fee with the signing of Veron, or the signing of the world’s most expensive defender in Rio Ferdinand, or smashing the world record for a teenager with the capture of Wayne Rooney, or the huge signing of Ruud van Nistelrooy, or Roy Keane, or Bryan Robson is it?

United used to be at the very forefront of the world biggest soccer transfers, now they just scrape into the Top 20 with their purchase of Rio Ferdinand over 10 years ago! In fact of the Top 50 transfers of all time, United are listed just 4 times as buyers (Ferdinand, Rooney, Berbatov, Veron), Real Madrid are listed 11 times, Barcelona 6, PSG 5, Chelsea 5, Manchester City 4, and crucially, many of those signings are recent.

Is it just money? It is no coincidence that PSG, City and Chelsea appear in those lists, as do Zenit St Petersburg, Anzi and Monaco, who are all bankrolled by single individuals or states. Yes maybe it is. If a club on the French Riviera, or sun drenched Spain, or in the world’s most cosmopolitan city comes calling offering mega bucks I can see why a player would join, but what happened to that desire to play for United? And how are City recruiting so well?

City are buying players with huge wages, and whilst United are amongst the biggest players in the world for the very best players (Rooney and RVP are rumoured to earn c. $500k per week), United won’t pay that for ‘average players’ City play in excess of $200k per week to almost anyone, the lad who cleans the boots is probably earning more than most United players.

However the biggest reason is that whilst United have continued to dominate the EPL, they are failing in Europe. Since beating Chelsea in 2008, and being recognised as the second best team only to Barca in the following years, United have gone backwards. Players now look at where the money is, but also where the balance of power is shifting to, and that is away from Old Trafford.

United need to strike back, buy some world class players, pay big money for the likes of Fabregas (offer €100m), Bale (offer $250m) or god forbid, Suarez (offer $100m) and show the world they mean business. Unless the Old Trafford hierarchy do something dramatic, quickly, I can see Manchester United fading into Liverpool-like obscurity and as a United fan, that makes me feel ill.

Lets put an end to players choosing a reserve team over the glorious Red of Manchester United, stop players from taking the inflated pay cheques on offer at Eastlands, or in Russia and start attracting the very best players to Manchester, the red side of Manchester. You’ve got to look big and act big to be big, and I am sorry to say, that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli are currently looking bigger than United.

This saga started way back in March 2013 when Sir Alex Ferguson left Rooney out the starting line up for what was United’s biggest game of the season, the second leg Champions League tie against Real Madrid. By starting with Danny Welbeck, who was given the job of closing down Xabi Alonso (a role he did wonderfully until Nani was dismissed) Ferguson told the world that he didn’t trust Rooney for such an important game. Rooney, for all his bluster and effort, is not one to follow the manager’s brief. United fans will cheer when Rooney chases back to close down an attack, but that isn’t what he is in the team for. His card was well and truly marked.

Ferguson then played Rooney in an unfamiliar midfield role, in which he did a superb job, especially in the Aston Villa game, where his range of passing was displayed with spectacular results for Robin Van Persie. Rooney rightfully earned plaudits for his performance in that game, a game which United sealed the EPL title. Perhaps Ferguson was giving Rooney a chance to become the next Paul Scholes, and why not? His tackling is better than Scholes’s, his passing almost as good, he rarely gives the ball away and his first touch arguably better. Then there is his eye for goals, a perfect midfielder? Rooney could be the new Scholes, the problem is he doesn’t want to be.

Rooney is a player who craves to be ‘the big man’. He has to be the number one, and since the summer arrival of Robin Van Persie, Rooney has not been number one. He coped with playing second fiddle to Ronaldo for a couple of seasons because he knew Ronaldo was eventually headed for Real Madrid, but RVP is going nowhere, and Rooney doesn’t like it.

It is this ‘big man’ syndrome that means Rooney won’t like a shuffle back into midfield, which is ridiculous. Think of the best players over the last 20 years and many if not most have been midfielders. Zidane, Figo, Scholes, Kaka, Keane, Lampard, Gerrard, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas this list goes on. These players are heroes and Rooney could be among them.

The saga continued when Ferguson dropped Rooney entirely from his final few game squads, telling the world’s press that Rooney had submitted a transfer request. Rooney subsequently denied this, and in the last few weeks new United boss David Moyes has stated that he wasn’t party to the conversations, but that Rooney was training well and super fit. All seemed settled.

Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho, when asked by a journo stated that he can’t talk about a player at another club, but then proceeds to do just that saying “I like the player very much”. However, even at this point, all is calm, and even I assumed Rooney was staying at Old Trafford. Mourinho was however, doing his best to unsettle Rooney, it seems David Moyes is on Mourinho’s radar for mind games already. Will Moyes prove to be a soft target. No chance.

In early July the saga erupts again, with Rooney travelling home from United’s far east tour with a ‘sore hamstring’, as we all know the best thing to do when suffering with a hamstring pull is to get on a plane and fly 15 hours half way round the world, and David Moyes tells the press that Rooney is important for United should they get an injury to Van Persie, as he wants options. Was this a huge error on behalf of Moyes? Did he accidentally alienate a player he has known since he was 15 years old, was it a slip of the tongue? No.

David Moyes is a very careful and considerate speaker in front of the press. He is renowned for asking journos to rephrase questions, so he can be ultra clear in their intent. He is famed for always giving answers that cannot be interpreted any other way, there is no way he made a mistake. What he said about Rooney was calculated and deliberate, but why?

I have a strong feeling that Sir Alex Ferguson is still very much pulling the strings here, and between him, Moyes and United CEO Ed Woodward, are engineering a position where Rooney is forced to hand in a transfer request. They want rid of Rooney. It is simple, but in doing so they want to ensure that he is seen publically to be engineering a move himself. The reasons why will probably never be known, why not just negotiate a deal with Chelsea behind closed doors and sell the player?

It could stem back to 2010 when Rooney embarrassed United and Ferguson by publically demanding a transfer to neighbours Manchester City, at the time United had no plan B so talked Rooney round with increased wages believed to be £250,000 per week ($400,000) and the talk of bringing in world class talent. Ironically the arrival of two of those players has pushed Rooney down the pecking order. Van Persie has eclipsed Rooney as the first name on the team sheet, and proved his point by winning the EPL Golden Boot in his first season. In terms of goal scoring ability, RVP is a far better player than Rooney. However, it is also the arrival of Shinji Kagawa that has further threatened Rooney’s place. If Rooney isn’t playing up front, he’d play in the hole between midfield and attack. Kagawa is clearly United’s future in this position. Rooney is pushed further afield, literally.

It could stem from Rooney’s advisors approaching Chelsea, and prompting Mourinho’s “I like the player” quote. It could stem from United’s belief that Rooney is simply not the player he once was, and they don’t rate him as a player anymore.

Whichever the case, it is clear that United, despite public statement to the contrary, want rid of Rooney, Chelsea want to buy Rooney and Rooney wants to play at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have made one bid for Rooney, which United leaked was £10m ($18m) plus United’s choice of Juan Mata or David Luiz. This was rejected by United…well first bids always are. Chelsea denied any player swap was involved and this was United’s way of bettering Chelsea. You want to unsettle one of our players? We’ll raise you, and unsettle two of yours. Jose Mourinho-1 David Moyes-2.

If Chelsea had offered £10m plus Juan Mata, you’d have to assume United would have ripped their hand off.

Mourinho just last night stated that Rooney was his one remaining transfer target, and he had no second option. Chelsea will go all out to sign Rooney, and United appear to hold all the cards. They are happy to let Rooney see out the two years on his contract, have no desire to be openly seen to be selling England’s best striker to an EPL rival, and already have a superb strike force with RVP, Hernandez and Welbeck (maybe not Welbeck), plus have Kagawa to support. Chelsea on the other hand have the misfiring Torres, Ba and erm, that’s it.

Where will this end? Rooney will be at Chelsea come the start of the season and Chelsea will have paid a probable near British record fee to get him. Maybe not quite the utterly ludicrous £50m they paid Liverpool for Fernando Torres, but the deal be it cash only or cash plus Mata, Luiz, Hazard, Cech, Oscar and Denis Wise will be reported as being worth a lot of money.

Rooney can currently be backed at odds of $15.00 to finish as EPL top scorer with Sportsbet. This is a superb price. Don’t think of the price being Wayne Rooney at United, playing second fiddle to the virtuoso RVP, think of Rooney up front for Chelsea being fed by Hazard, Oscar and Mata (provided United don’t sign them all), he will score a hatful. 2014 is World Cup year, Rooney will want to ensure he is England’s ‘big man’.

Keep abreast (terrific word that) of all the latest transfer news, who has moved where and for how much with our excellent Transfer Watch feature.

Certainly if Liverpool lose Suarez, they have a big goal getting shaped hole to fill and are likely to struggle in the 2013 / 2014 season. Liverpool are priced at odds of $18.00 to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table next season. I think this is great value.

Manchester City are rumoured to be close to bringing Swedish Title magnet Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the Etihad. Ibrahimovich has a terrific record of winning titles, having won 9 titles at 6 clubs over 10 years in a run that goes: Ajax (2004), Juventus (2005), Juventus (2006), Internazionale (2007), Internazionale (2008), Internazionale (2009), Barcelona (2010), AC Milan (2011), Paris St-Germain (2013). A cut priced $28m price tag has been slapped on his head following PSG’s signing of Edinson Cavani from Napoli, and it seems Laurent Blance can’t get rid of Ibra quick enough. City are also in the running to sign Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo and / or Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic in deals thought to be totalling $100m.

City are keenly priced at $3.10 to win the 2014 EPL, and with the amount of money they have already spent, plus the possible creation of an Aguero/Ibrahimovic/Negredo/Jovetic front line, represents a huge price and great value for money.

On the other side of Manchester, it seems like Manchester United are switching attention to trying to sign Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona as long time target Thiago Alcantara is on the verge of a move to Bayern Munich. To be honest I can’t see Barca letting both Thiago and Fabregas leave, that would leave them with an aging midfield, unless they have some targets up their sleeves. With Real Madrid already very active in the transfer market and all the news about Barcelona seemingly about losing players (David Villa, Thiago, Fabregas etc), this is one rumour that is just paper talk.

United are more likely to look to Germany to recruit some central midfield creativity, with Dortmund’s playmaker Marco Reus the likely target.

Alcantara’s imminent arrival at Bayern ushers another talented midfielder towards the exit sign. Xherdan Shaqiri is thought to be a target for Liverpool, in their desperate attempt to break into the Top 4. Liverpool have also confirmed that they have offered Steven Gerrard (86) a new 2 year contract. “Can Gerrard play on into his late 30s? Absolutely, no question about that” quoted Brendan Rogers “There will always be a need at Anfield for a player capable of pinging a football diagonally across a football pitch into the advertising hoardings” he didn’t add.

Here is a quick summary of other gossip and rumours:

PSG want Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in a deal that simply won’t happen.
QPR and Brazil main stopping man and horrendous spelling mistake Julio Cesar is going to Napoli on loan in a deal that very much will happen.
Newcastle want to sign Aston Villa’s Darren Bent in a $10m deal once Alan Pardew and Joe Kinnear decide whose Mont Blanc they are supposed to use.
Manchester City’s Pablo Zabeleta is on his way to Fiorentina in a deal which will leave the Premier League with one fewer players who sound like a nice coffee base Italian dessert.

Tottenham are currently priced at odds of $18.00 to finish in the bottom 10 for EPL 2013 / 2014, so if you think Bale will be sold, get on this price before it tumbles. Rarely can a top 6 team have been so reliant on one player.

Chelsea and Manchester United appear to be fighting it out as to who gets to spend $100m on Edinson Cavani and who gets to spend $60m on Robert Lewandowski. United who have been liked with Robert Lewandowski since about 1996 it seems, are still favourites to land the big Pole, however Cavani’s Wayne Rooney like work ethic could be attracting David Moyes. Cavani also brings a lot more hair to United’s front line than either Lewandowski or Rooney. Our tips are: Cavani to Real Madrid and Lewandowski to Manchester United.

If you fancy a United / Chelsea Dual Forecast for 1st and 2nd in EPL 2013 / 2014 (we do) you can grab odds of $3.60 which we recommend you do before their cheque books open and their prices start falling.

One player almost certain to be at Manchester United next season is Everton’s Leighton Baines, with United having a $24m feeler bid rejected, it is only going to be one transfer request and $30m to seal the deal. Baines brings some dead ball expertise United have missed since Ronaldo and an offensive full back approach they haven’t had since, well erm, Evra.

And finally a no-more-than-10-words-per-sentence round up of the rest of the gossip.

Rooney will remain at Old Trafford, central to Moyes’ plans
Real Madrid to sell Higuain to either Arsenal or Juventus
Everton fancy a new Honda, Keisuke from CSKA Moscow.
Paulinho is on his way to Tottenham from Corinthians
Liverpool’s Reina is going to move to Barcelona

Manchester City look to have beaten Real Madrid to the signature of Spain midfielder Isco in a deal thought to be worth $45m for cash strapped Malaga. With Fernandinho and Navas already signed City are leading the way in terms of spend so far. This one looks like a done deal to us and it might be worth backing City for the EPL title at odds of $3.10 before they sign too many more players and their odds tighten.

Meanwhile at Old Trafford Manchester United seem to have secured the signing of Barcelona’s Spain U21 midfield genuis Thiago Alcantara. Following his hatrick in the game against Italy, United keeper David De Gea signed his captain’s match ball with the words Nos Vemos en Manchester, which means “See you in Manchester”. United are willing to trigger the former Brazil World Cup winner Marzinho’s son’s release clause at a reasonably low $34m. This story has a lot of legs, and we think Alcantara will be lining up in United midfield come August 18th. Done deal.

Another Barcelona player another Manchester United rumour. This time is it Cesc Fabregas who continues to be linked with a move away from Camp Nou to Trafford Old. We can’t see Barca letting two young Spanish midfielders leave in one season, unless they need to recoup some Neymar money. Cesc will be irritating teams in La Liga next season not La EPL.

Wayne Rooney seems to be still interesting Arsenal, with billionaire shareholder Alisher Usmanov urging Arsene Wenger to try and sign the want-away-maybe-not-want-away striker. With Moyes now at the helm and Rooney being used widely on United’s marketing materials we can’t see him leaving unless United are able to pursuade a certain Polish Centre Forward to join them from Borussia Dortmund. Rooney to stay at Old Trafford.

We’ve added our EPL Round 1 Previews, with our tips for the first round matches.

Part 1 of our EPL Round 1 Odds and Betting Guide
Part 2 of our EPL Round 1 Odds and Betting Guide

Monaco are strongly rumoured to be preparing a $160m bid for Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and are prepared to offer a staggering $40m per year package! This story has some foundation, however, with Barcelona announcing the capture of Neymar, giving them two marquee players, we can’t see Real Madrid letting Ronaldo leave, even if they do sign Gareth Bale, as is widely expected. Whilst Monaco and PSG can certainly outbid Manchester United, it seems Ronaldo would prefer a move back to Manchester United, if he moves anywhere at all. We don’t think he is going anywhere and will be a Madrista next season.

Meanwhile Manchester United can be bouyed by the news that Borussia Dortmund are seemingly unwilling to sell Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich. United have been long time admirers of the Polish international and are said to be lining up a serious bid for the player. Dortmund are however playing a dangerous game as Lewandowski could just see out the remaining year of his contract and join whoever he likes at the end of next season. This rumour has been bubbling along for many months, and with new manager David Moyes seeing rivals City already securing Fernandinho and Jesus Navas, United need to move in the market. Our bet is that Lewandowski will be a United player by the start of the 2013 /2014 season.

The odds on Manchester United winning the Premier League have drifted ever so slightly, with Chelsea and Manchester City both shortening. So value hunters who fancy United might be best placed to get a bet on early at odds of $3.00 (in from $2.88) before they sign a couple of big players.

Super fast update on the rest of the gossip.

Former AC Milan midfielder Massimo Ambrosini seems to be on his way to West Ham United, with the 36 year old expected to sign a 2 year contract. Our verdict – done deal.

Newcastle United are considering taking Darren Bent from Aston Villa who has been told he is surplus to bench warming requirements next season. Our verdict – a sure thing, the dug out seats at St James’ look much comfier than those at Villa Park.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas is being linked with a big money move to Paris St Germain, after Mourinho moved to Chelsea and Guus Hiddink decided to stay at Anzhi Makaakach….Makhakkacha….Anzhi Makhahaka….that Russian club he is manager of. Our verdict – he’s going nowhere.

And finally, despite being linked almost every day with a move to Barcelona, Side Show Bob look-a-like, and 10 year old on a playstation controlled, David Luiz looks set to move absolutely nowhere after being told he is central to Jose Mourinho’s plans. Central being the operative word, as The Happy One has apparently told Luiz that he either plays where Mourinho tells him to play or he gets sold.

Chelsea are priced at odd of $3.10 to win the 2014 EPL, which we think is just a little bit too short, given that The Pessimistic One is already talking abut winning it the following season.

Luis Suarez is being linked with a move to Real Madrid, who appear to be doing their utmost to sign every top player thay can, now that rivals Barcelona have secured the services of Neymar. Suarez, who has a less than savoury reputation in England is now talking about “a change of environment” and is understood to be asking for almost $300,000 per week in wages! This one could be a very realistic proposition, however I struggle to see where the Madristas are going to play him.

Suarez’s Uruguay are in action on Thursday against France, where he might be lining up against arch nemesis Patrice Evra again. Uruguay are $2.25 whilst France are $3.00. A draw is an attractive $3.30 and is where our money is going.

The future of Wayne Rooney is also less than clear, gossip seems to link him to a big money move to PSG, however, the installation of David Moyes as the new Manchester United manager might chnage that. Certainly within United circles the club seems to be trying hard to keep Rooney, whereas the fans seem to want him to leave. We think Rooney will still be a United player come the start of next season.

Rooney is likely to be in action in the new Maracana, as Brazil take on England on Monday morning. Brazil are priced at a very short $1.57 with England available at odds of $5.50. England don’t look like they have much idea recently and the 1-1 draw against Ireland was an example of the insipid performamces they have put in recently. There is no value backing Brazil outright, but backing Brazil half time and Brazil full time is a decent $2.40 bet.

Back in Madrid, President Florentino Perez has slapped a €1billion price tag on the head of forward Cristiano Ronaldo, however we have heard posturing like this before from Perez, so Ronaldo to Manchester United or PSG is still an outside possibility a far as we are concerned.

Portugal take on Russia on Saturday, and are heavy favourites at $1.91, we quite like the Russian team and will be betting on them at $3.80.

Finally Australia travel to Japan for a soccer game on Tuesday, and it shows how far Japan’s star (or sun) has risen in world football (or how far the Aussies have fallen) than Japan are no better than $1.83 with Australia a big $4.00. Sad as I am, I cannot see the Aussies pulling of a victory in this one.

Saturday’s Railway Stakes was a different matter – even though it was the first main group 1 event since Cup week, the usual bookmakers didn’t open their betting on it until around Wednesday. Even Betfair and IASbet, who seem among the earliest with most races, didn’t get going on it properly until the middle of last week.

Strange then, that the Winterbottom Stakes, due to appear next Saturday, is already on the go over the web, and in some cases was up and running before bets were being processed on the Railway.

When I had a good root around on Saturday, before the Railway, you could get 4.20 for Warathas Secret at the top of the Winterbottom market at IASbet – while a number of runners who were due to feature in the Railway were in there at tempting prices.

All American, second favourite for the Railway most of the week, was on 31.00 for the Winterbottom, for example.

A point worth bearing in mind, and there will of course be more on the three-year-olds and up race at Ascot throughout the week.

Elsewhere, back with the soccer, all of the major European leagues have now passed the ten games played stage – always a good benchmark to decide who really is in and who is definitely out, when it comes to title races.

In the English Premier League betting markets, Chelsea, the current league leaders, are still the favourites, while Liverpool’s challenge is already all but dead and buried after a poor start.

Holders Manchester United have faltered of late while Arsenal have been growing slowly and steadily. Although there’s little to choose between them and United, points-wise anyway, Arsenal at the moment look like a side capable of powering through later in the season and providing some value – Betfair have them at 5.00 now and this could be the best value for a side which is not Chelsea- the Blues are far too low in many markets given how early in the season it still is.