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02/10/2012 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon slipped 10 points behind Ligue 1 leader PSG last weekend, so a visit by Caen on Saturday - ahead of Tuesday's last 16 Champions League match against APOEL - has turned into a must-win match.
Since winning the last of seven straight Ligue 1 titles in 2008, Lyon has not finished atop the standings, and faces a tough ascent this season behind free spending PSG.
PSG has spent well over $100 million in the summer and this January, and with Carlo Ancelotti undefeated in five matches in all competitions as coach, Lyon cannot afford to drop any more points.
Although last week's result was a 2-2 draw against Marseille, it left both of PSG's rivals farther from the top.
"It's a good draw, but one that does leave us harboring a few regrets. My team has character, but we were lacking a little something to win it. But it's still a point more," Lyon coach Remi Garde said.
"That's important ahead of the big games that we've got coming up in the Champions League."
Caen is winless in its last eight Ligue 1 matches, and has not scored over its last three. The club's last win was against Dijon, in Week 13.
"Everyone wants to pull in the same direction, whether you play a lot or not, whether it be the oldest or the youngest member of the squad, whether you're at the end of your contract or not. You have to think about the club, and try and find that little spark," said Caen midfielder Frederic Bulot.
Caen would get a spark with a win at Lyon, and it has a lot to play for with a place in the relegation zone possible otherwise. With Champions League play on the horizon, and sight of the summit fading, Lyon has a lot to play for also.
Also Saturday, second-place Montpellier hosts Ajaccio, Auxerre hosts Lorient, Valenciennes hosts Nancy, Brest hosts Dijon, and Rennes hosts Sochaux. Evian was set to host Marseille, but the match has been postponed.
On Sunday, PSG visits Nice when it could need a result to pull clear of rival Montpellier, which enters the weekend just three points back.
"It's a perilous trip," said PSG's Mathieu Bodmer. "Nice need points, as do we in terms of the Ligue 1 title. We're going down there to take three points.
"We're going to be focused, highly-motivated, and will go out onto the pitch with the aim of playing better than we did against Evian, but it's the result which counts."
Third-place Lille hosts Bordeaux in a match of two of the last three champions and Toulouse hosts St Etienne in Sunday's other fixtures.
<< Blues place Arnott on IR
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have placed forward
Jason Arnott on injured reserve, the team announced Friday.
Arnott has not played since suffering a shoulder injury against Los Angeles on
February 3.
The 37-
<< CFL extends Cohon through 2015
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League announced that
commissioner Mark Cohon has signed a contract extension that will keep him in
charge through the 2015 season.
"Our Board of Governors is unanimously pleased to
<< Titans lock up WR Hawkins with multi-year deal
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans signed wide receiver
Lavelle Hawkins to a multi-year contract on Friday.
Hawkins caught 47 passes for 470 yards and recorded his first career touchdown
last season. He ranked second o
<< Ferrero, Almagro post Davis Cup wins for Spain
Oviedo, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Spain began defense of
its Davis Cup title with a pair of singles wins Friday in an opening-round
Davis Cup matchup with visiting Kazakhstan.
The Spaniards grabbed their quick 2-0 l
United and Liverpool renew rivalry >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - English Premier League play resumes
this weekend with the latest installment of one of the country's fiercest
rivalries.
Manchester United and Liverpool meet at Old Trafford on Saturday, and
Everton's double proves too much for Twente >>
Enschede, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton scored a goal in each half as
Heracles claimed a surprising 3-2 win at Twente on Friday, preventing the home
side from joining PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar at the top of the league.
Everton s
Royals sign 12 players to one-year deals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean O'Sullivan and Blake Wood have agreed
to terms on one-year contracts with the Kansas City Royals.
The pitchers were just two of 12 players to sign a contract with the Royals
for the upcoming season
49ers extend GM Baalke >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have extended the
contract of general manager Trent Baalke through 2016.
49ers president and CEO Jed York announced the move via his Twitter account on
Friday.
Baalke, who was
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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