Magic Messi leads Barca past Stuttgart

Soccer Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lionel Messi scored two goals and helped set up another on Wednesday as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 win over Stuttgart in the second leg of their Round of 16 contest in the Champions League.

Messi scored his first goal in the 13th minute to open the scoring, while Pedro added a second goal nine minutes later and Messi scored again on the hour mark before substitute Bojan Krkic capped the evening with a strike in the 89th minute.

The result gives the defending champions a 5-1 aggregate victory and moves them into the quarterfinals of the competition after a 1-1 draw in Germany in the first leg.

Many people were surprised by the fact that Stuttgart entered Wednesday's game on level terms with the Spanish giants, but Barca quickly took control of the game with a goal in the 13th minute from Messi, who took a pass in midfield, carried the ball to the top of the penalty area and fired a shot between two defenders that found the upper corner of the net.

It was a great individual effort from the Argentine, and he had a hand in Barca's second goal nine minutes later.

Messi chipped a ball into the box for Yaya Toure and he immediately squared it to Pedro in front of goal for a simple tap in.

The home side had things well in hand as the second half began, and after Toure went close with a shot from 20 yards, Messi scored from just about the same spot after turning a defender and driving a low effort past the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Messi had a chance to complete his hat trick eight minutes later when a pinpoint cross from Daniel Alves allowed him to head the ball on goal from close range, but Lehmann reacted well to keep it out.

A pair of substitutes then combined for Barca's fourth goal as Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a ball to Bojan in behind the Stuttgart defense and he neatly finished off the play.

Bordeaux became the second team from Ligue 1 to reach the quarterfinals as they held off Olympiacos, 2-1 on Wednesday to earn a 3-1 aggregate win.

Yoann Gourcuff scored five minutes into the match for Bordeaux, while Konstantinos Mitroglou equalized 25 minutes from time. However, Marouane Chamakh put the result out of reach with his header two minutes from time after a cross from Benoit Tremoulinas.

Marketwarch Soccer Betting News

<< Radwanska ousts Dementieva to reach Indian Wells semis
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Capable Pole Agnieszka Radwanska upended Russian star Elena Dementieva on Wednesday to reach the semifinals at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open. The fifth-seeded Radwanska dismissed the fourth-seeded Deme

<< United signs defender Admas
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United signed defender Lyle Adams to a developmental contract, the Major League Soccer club announced on Wednesday. "We're excited to sign Lyle after identifying him at last year's draft as a play

<< Canucks F Samuelsson out 2-to-3 weeks
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks forward Mikael Samuelsson is expected to miss the next 2-to-3 weeks with what the team is terming an upper-body injury. The Vancouver Sun is reporting the injury is shoulder-relate

<< Niners add CB Paymah
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers agreed to terms with cornerback Karl Paymah on a one-year contract on Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 27-year-old spent the 2009 season with Minnesot

<< Browns re-sign three
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns announced the re-signing of linebacker Marcus Benard, linebacker Blake Costanzo and running back Chris Jennings on Wednesday. All three had been exclusive rights players, meaning they

Vikings agree to terms with DT Kennedy >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings re-signed veteran defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy on Wednesday. He joined the club in December 2008 and had a productive 2009 campaign, racking up 18 tackles and three sacks

Leighton to miss time with ankle sprain >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton is slated to miss time following an injury suffered on Tuesday. Leighton left the Flyers' 4-3 shootout loss at Nashville with a high ankle spr

Lloyd steps down as British Davis Cup captain >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lloyd has stepped down at Britain's Davis Cup captain. The Brits have lost their last five ties, with its' most-recent one being an embarrassing setback at the hands of Lithuania. World No. 4 An

Ljubicic stuns Djokovic at Indian Wells >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former top-five performer Ivan Ljubicic upset world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in Wednesday's fourth-round action at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open. The 20th-seeded Ljubicic toppled the second-seeded Djoko

Cliff Lee dealt five-game suspension >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball handed down a five- game suspension and an undisclosed fine to Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee Wednesday. MLB's ruling indicated Lee intentionally threw at the head of Arizona c

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards