One of Europe’s finest football leagues kicks of this weekend, starting with tie between giant clubs Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg.

While last year’s champions Borussia Dortmund are among the favorites to win the title, Hamburg will probably have to fight hard to get a Europa cup berth. Betsafe’s odds on Borussia Dormund to lift the shield for the second time in a row is 5.50, meanwhile Hamburg to be champions pays 30 times your money!

Click here to check out our full list on Bundesliga season bets!

The biggest favorite, however, is Bayern Munich. And with the offensive quartet of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller, that may not come as surprise. The Bavarians have also bolstered their defense this season, which has been their weakest part the last couple of seasons, with the acquisitions of Man City’s Jerome Boateng and Genoa’s Rafinha. The most important signing, though, is perhaps getting one of the world’s best goalkeepers in Manuel Neuer.

Is that what Bayern Munich need to finish first again?

One of the other title contenders is Bayer Leverkusen, who finished second last season. This year they have bolstered their attack with Andre Schurrle, who scored 16 goals and provided four assists for Mainz the previous season. However, Leverkusen will have to do without the influential Arturo Vidal, who has signed for Juventus. Also, starting goalkeeper Rene Adler is out injured as the season starts. Meanwhile, Michael Ballack is in the final year of his contract with Leverkusen and will be probably be desperate to win something.

Can Andre Schurrle shoot Leverkusen to glory?

Schalke 04 had a disastrous Bundesliga campaign last season. However, they won the DFB Pokal and made it all the way to the semi-finals in the Champions League. There is no Manuel Neuer between the sticks this season, but the Gelsenkirchen club have signed the impressive Ralf Fahrmann from Eintracht Frankfurt to replace him. They also have several players returning from loan spells at other clubs, among them is Christian Fuchs and Lewis Holtby who both experienced successful season at Mainz. Schalke have a lot of quality in their team and can beat anybody on their day. However, as last season thought us, they can also lose to anybody.

Is this the year for Ralf Ragnick and Schalke?

Meanwhile, in Wolfsburg, sits the experienced Felix Magath. He has won the Bundesliga three times as manager, two times with Bayern Munich and one with Wolfsburg back in 2009. Now he is looking to bring the title back to Wolfsburg again after his unsuccessful spell in charge of Schalke.

The Bundesliga 2011/2012 should be a thrilling campaign, and you can make it even more thrilling by checking out our variety of different odds here!

Enjoy the new season!

Robin Söderling takes on Lleyton Hewitt on Centre Court, while six time champion Roger Federer takes on Adrian Mannarino.

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League leaders Manchester United and third placed Manchester City will battle it out at Old Trafford in the 159th Manchester derby in an early kick-off Saturday.

With the 158th derby back in November ending in an incredible dull 0-0 draw, we are hoping for better football and that the two rivals are willing to focus more on the attacking side of the game this time around. And they probably will, as they both need three points if they are to lift the title in May.

Premier League odds!

First United defeat, Rio out
Manchester United lost their first game of the season in a poor performance away at Wolves last weekend, while a Carlos Tevez hat trick during 39 first half minutes secured City a 3-0 win at home to West Bromwich. The recent results means United are five points ahead of City on the table, with a game in hand. Now, City are looking to close in on that gap. And with Rio Ferdinand out injured for the hosts, their chances are vastly improved.

Without win since 2008
However, they have to overcome a United side who they haven’t beaten in the Premier League since they took a derby double in 2007/2008. Still expectations are running high among Roberto Mancini’s men, as United’s defeat against Wolves means that the title is within reach for the Citizens. A win to the visitors means that only to points will seperate the teams.

Top scorer battle
Aside from the match itself there is also an individual match up going on between Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez for the top scorer title. Only one goal seperates them, with Berbatov netting 19 Premier League goals this season and Tevez 18. And surely, they will be looking to add to their tally Saturday.

Berba or Tevez to score?

The fourth round of the FA Cup offers repeats of both the 2009 and 1976 final and a total of five all-Premier League ties.

With Liverpool, Newcastle, Sunderland, West Bromwich and Blackpool all crashing out in the third round, it means only 10 Premier League clubs can reach beyond the fourth round.

Click here for all our odds on the FA Cup!

Everton looking for revenge
The first game, and perhaps the biggest, is Everton vs. Chelsea at Goodison Park. The last time the two teams met in the FA Cup was in the 2009 final, were Chelsea came back from a 1st minute goal by Louis Saha to win it 2-1 thanks to goals by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

The final defeat is Everton’s only against Chelsea in the last six meetings between them and they did get small revenge winning 2-1 at Goodison in the league a year after, with Saha grabbing boat goals. In fact the Frenchman has scored four goals in his last four appearances against Chelsea. And surely, he wouldn’t mind adding to his tally Saturday.

Saha to score again?

Yet a repeat
League leaders Manchester United travel to Southampton in what is a repeat of the 1976 final, when Saints lifted the title after a 1-0 win. The teams also met in the third round back in January 2009, when United reached the fourth round with a convincing 3-0 win.

Same result as in 1976, or business as usual for United?

Premiership sides face elimination
The fourth round draw saw the pairing of ten Premier League clubs, meaning that five of them will be knocked out during the weekend or in a possible replay. In addition to the clash at Goodison, these fixtures involve: Aston Villa vs. Blackburn, Bolton vs. Wigan, Wolves vs. Stoke and Fulham vs. Tottenham.

Which of these Premiership sides will see an end to their cup run?

Easy tasks for Arsenal and City
While most Premier League clubs have tough games playing each other, Arsenal and Manchester City should have no problems progressing as both face League One opposition. Arsenal will play Huddersfield at the Emirates, while City have an away tie at Notts County. On paper it looks like a definite place in the fifth round for the two Premier League giants…

Or will we experience another giant killing defeat?

Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal all need three points today if they are to keep pace with Manchester United in the title race.

Knowing that United have a difficult task on Sunday, facing Tottenham at White Hart Lane, this weekend offers an opportunity to close in on the league leaders. While City and Chelsea both play at home, Arsenal have a London derby coming up at Upton Park.

Man City – Wolves 1.30 5.25 10.00

Manchester City have only suffered four defeats this season, one of them a 2-1 defeat at Wolves in October. Since then, City have picked up 25 points in 12 games and with a win today they can go top of the table. While Balotelli and Silva remain doubtfull for this one, they will be boosted by the fact that £27m signing Edin Dzeko is likely to make his debut. City’s home form, though, hasn’t been impressive, with only 14 goals scored in 11 home matches and 21 points amassed.

Having beaten both Chelsea and Liverpool in two of their last three league games, confidence shouldn’t be a worry for the visiting side. However, manager Mick McCarthy will face som selection problems with four men out injured, one suspended and a total of six players remaining doubtfull. Also, Wolves have the worst away record in the league with 1-1-8 in 10 games.

Chelsea – Blackburn 1.28 5.30 11.00

Frank Lampard has admitted that Chelsea are struggling to find their confidence. And with only seven points gained in their last nine Premier League appereances, it’s hard to disagree with him. However, the 7-0 trashing of Ipswich in The FA Cup was a step in the right direction and against Blackburn they haven’t lost in 12 games. Carlo Ancelotti has no new injury worries ahead of this encounter.

Blackburn picked up their second league win under Steve Kean defeating Liverpool 3-1 at Ewood Park in the last round. In the weekend they knocked QPR out of The FA Cup, making it quite an impressive start for the former first team coach. Blackburn are however inury-plagued, with four men definetely out and five key members doubtfull.

West Ham – Arsenal 6.75 3.75 1.55

After a good period with eight points in four matches, bottom placed West Ham suffered an embarrising 5-0 defeat against Newcastle at St James’ Park before winning the first tie in the Carling Cup semi final versus Birmingham 2-1. With a win today they could climb out of relegation but to do that they have to pick up their first win over Arsenal since April 2007. Wayne Bridge, on loan from Man City is likely to make his debut, while Victor Obinna is suspended.

Cesc Fabregas slotted home a last minute penalty against Leeds in The FA Cup Saturday, making it a replay at Elland Road. Arsene Wenger rested five of his first team members then. That’s not likely to happen here, knowing that a draw is not enough to keep pace in the title race. After beating Birmingham 3-0 on their last travel, no team have more away goals than Arsenal and only Man City has a better record on their travels. Bacary Sagna is still suspended, apart from that Arsene Wenger has no new injury worries.

Click here to check out the odds on the other three Premier League games Saturday.

Everton did it in 2008, Man City in 2009 and both Manchester United and Liverpool did it last year. Will there be a similar event this weekend?

So what did they do? They all crashed out of The FA Cup third round with shock defeats at home.

Everton, winners in 1995, suffered an embarrassing 0-1 defeat playing League One side Oldham at home in January 2008. The year after big spending Manchester City hosted Nottingham Forrest at City of Manchester Stadium. Result: 0-3.

Giant killing defeats
However, last year’s shocking events surpass those results by far as both Manchester United and Liverpool where sent crashing out in the third round of the cup against Leeds and Reading. Jermaine Beckford, now at Everton, scored the only goal as Leeds pulled of a stunning 1-0 win at Old Trafford. While in a replay at Anfield, after the teams had drawn 1-1 at Madejski Stadium, Shane Long grabbed the winner for Reading in extra time after Liverpool had conceded a penalty in the 90th minute. Making it two giant killing defeats in The Fa Cup third round.

This year the two teams will meet at Old Trafford, so at least they will avoid a shock defeat in the third round this time around.

Check out Manchester United – Liverpool and all our odds on The FA cup here!

Leeds to do it again?
However, there could be an upset at other arenas. And Leeds have the opportunity to be at the centre of attention again, as they travel to London to take on Arsenal at the Emirates in an early kickoff Saturday. Both teams are showing good form in their respective leagues, so it could be a relly entertaining match and a tighter contest than most think.

Arsenal – Leeds

Struggling sides at Stamford Bridge
While both Arsenal and Leeds are showing good form, it’s hard to say the same about Chelsea and Ipswich who will meet at Stamford Bridge Sunday. Having lost seven out of their last nine championship matches, Ipswich sacked manager Roy Keane on Friday, while Chelsea have already dropped the same number of points in the Premier League this season as they did the whole last season.

Chelsea – Ipswich

We’ll meet again…
But Leicester manager Sven-Goran Eriksson knows where and when as the third round draw gave him a Sunday 5pm kickoff at Walkers Stadium against his old team Manchester City. Can the Swede pull of a shock win over the team he managed for one Premier League season?

Usually the top teams progress without any big problems, but during the years we have also witnessed some shocking results and amazing scenes. Anything can happen, and that’s the beauty of the cup.

Where do you think this year’s upset will come?

Wednesday offer a new round of Premier League action and the big clash between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates is at the centre of attention.

Best since World War II
City travel to London knowing that it’s the first of four difficult away games in the second part of the season. Before mid April they will also play Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool away. Their record at Arsenal is awful, where they haven’t picked up a win since october 1975. Since then Arsenal have won 20 matches and seven have ended in a draw, like last season when they played 0-0.

The Citizens will, however, draw confidence from their away form: 6-2-2, and with Mancini as manager they have never lost a Premier League match in London. And so far, this have been their best season since the Second World War regarding number of points amassed.

First City win at Arsenal in 35 years?

Defining moment
Both teams have shown some great football during Christmas, with Arsenal picking up seven points and City full pot with nine. Arsenal have, perhaps, played the most impressive football but had to settle for a draw at Wigan as Arsene Wenger made eight changes to the team that beat Chelsea 3-1.

Before tonight’s game City are placed second with 41 points in 21 matches, while Arsenal sit third with 39 points and a game in hand. So this encounter could very well prove decisive for the title chances of either team. A win will certainly be a massive boost to the title hope of the prevailing side.

Predicted lineups

Arsenal: Fabianski; Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Walcott, Fabregas, Nasri; van Persie.
Man City: Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta; de Jong, Barry; Johnson, Toure Yaya, Milner; Tevez.

Also, don’t forget to check out our odds on the other Premier League games, as struggling Chelsea visit Wolves and Blackburn entertain Liverpool at Ewood Park!

Arsene Wenger has described it as a “must win game”, while Carlo Ancelotti don’t want the gap to United to widen. There’s a lot at stake when Arsenal host Chelsea at the Emirates tonight.

Click here if you fancy a bet!

Arsenal find themselves five points behind Manchester United, while Chelsea currently are trailing by six points. Therefore, this is a match that no one can afford to lose. And the only person celebrating a draw at the Emirates, will probably be Sir Alex Ferguson.

History says Chelsea – and Drogba
Chelsea’s recent form in the Premier League has been rather poor. Ancelotti’s side have actually managed only two wins in their last eight Premier League outings. However, they do love to meet the Gunners, having won the last five previous encounters. One who has also seen a dip in form is Chelsea’s Ivorian talisman up front, Didier Drogba. Though, the last game against Spurs saw the striker ending his longest run without a goal in open play as he grabbed the equaliser at White Hart Lane. And against rivals Arsenal, his stats are superb: The Ivorian has scored 13 goals in the last 13 games against Wenger’s men.

Drogba to score first?

Star players return
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is happy to see that his captain Cesc Fabregas is fully fit and ready to start the game tonight. Also, the injury-plagued Dutch striker Robin van Persie is available for selection. However, Wenger isn’t the only manager being given a boost when it comes to selcting the starting line-up for tonight’s match. Carlo Ancelotti can welcome back perhaps his most important asset, as Frank Lampard makes his first start since August.

We don’t think you need more reasons to follow this giant clash between two of the best teams in Europe, so we’ll leave it there for now.

Enjoy the game!

We give you the latest on Sunday’s Premier League action, the tradtional Boxing Day fixtures.

Here you can check out our Boxing Day odds!

Or read further to check out our preview of each game, with all the information you need before placing your bet.

13:00: Fulham – West Ham 1.90 – 3.35 – 4.20

No team has seen more draws than Fulham this season. Of the 17 matches they have played, Mark Hughes and co. has shared the points in 10 of them. West Ham on the other side have seen seven of their Premier League encounters ending in a draw. The two teams have only managed two wins each this campaign, so this will be a very important match for both teams in their fight to avoid relegation.

We should mention that West Ham have a good record when playing Fulham, though. The Hammers can draw confidence of their 6-2-1 stats on the last nine matches between the teams. However, the defeat came in February. So perhaps Fulham have managed to find a winning formula against West Ham?

Fulham from: Schwarzer, Kelly, Salcido, Hughes, Baird, Hangeland, Duff, Dempsey, Murphy, Davies, Gera, Etuhu, A Johnson, E Johnson, Dembele, Stockdale, Pantsil, Kamara, Greening, Dikgacoi.

West Ham from: Green, Boffin, Ben Haim, Upson, Spector, Faubert, Tomkins, Gabbidon, Parker, Barrera, Cole, Stanislas, Dyer, Piquionne, Hines, Obinna, Kovac, Boa Morte, Stech, Reid, Jacobsen, Behrami, Sears.

16:00: Blackburn – Stoke 2.35 – 3.30 – 3.00

Steve Kean will take charge of Blackburn for the rest of the season. How will that affect them? The teams are placed 12th and 13th in the league, so this is looking like a tight contest. Though, Blackburn has a decent home record with 4-3-2 on the first nine matches at Ewood Park.

However, Stoke haven’t conceded a single goal in their last four meetings with Blackburn, and have won three of them. The last encounter at Ewood Park ended 0-0.

Blackburn from: Robinson, Salgado, Nelsen, Givet, Olsson, Emerton, Pedersen, El Hadji-Diouf, Dunn, Bunn, Kalinic, Benjani, Hoilett, Mame Biram Diouf, Doran, Morris, Hanley.

Stoke from: Begovic, Huth, Faye, Shawcross, Collins, Wilson, Etherington, Pennant, Whelan, Whitehead, Walters, Fuller, Jones, Gudjohnsen, Wilkinson, Higginbotham, Tuncay, Delap, Diao, Sorensen.

16:00: Blackpool – Liverpool 5.00 – 3.50 – 1.75

Liverpool find themselves on place above Blackpool in the league. And they are looking to get one back at the hosts, with Blackpool beating Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield earlier in the season. However, Roy Hodgson and Liverpool’s away form has been awful. With 1-2-6 away from home, they have picked up only five points on their travels.

Blackpool have had their last two home fixtures postponed due to snow, and there will be a pitch inspection three hours before kickoff to see if this game is on.

The hosts will have to do without the influential Charlie Adam, while Liverpool can welcome back captain Steven Gerrard.

Blackpool from: Kingson, Eardley, Cathcart, Crainey, Evatt, Vaughan, Varney, Taylor-Fletcher, Campbell, Grandin, Phillips, Edwards, Carney, Euell, Sylvestre, Keinan, Southern, Ormerod, Halstead, Baptiste.

Liverpool from: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Konchesky, Kuyt, Meireles, Lucas, Rodriguez, Gerrard, Torres, Jones, Kelly, Aurelio, Poulsen, Cole, Ngog, Babel, Agger, Shelvey.

16:00: Bolton – West Bromwich 1.98 – 3.30 – 3.90

Bolton are currently placed 7th in the league, while West Bromwich sits 11th. These are perhaps the two teams that have surprised the most, in a positive way, alongside Blackpool, during the season. The strike partnership of Davies and Elmander has been immense, and WBA have managed a win at the Emirates and a draw at Old Trafford.

The visitors are happy to see Odemwingie, Scharner and Dorrans available for selection again. However, the talented Chris Brunt remains a doubt.

Bolton from: Jaaskelainen, Bogdan, Cahill, Steinsson, Knight, Robinson, Lee, Holden, Muamba, Petrov, Cohen, K Davies, Elmander, Blake, Taylor, Klasnic, Ricketts, Alonso, Moreno, M Davies.

West Brom from: Carson, Myhill, Jara, Tamas, Scharner, Pablo, Cech, Shorey, Reid, Mulumbu, Dorrans, Brunt, Thomas, Morrison, Tchoyi, Barnes, Fortune, Cox, Miller, Odemwingie.

16:00: Everton – Birmingham 1.60 – 3.70 – 6.00

It’s been quite hard to figure out Everton this season. From being defeated 4-1 by West Brom at Goodison to a 2-1 win at Manchester City. What can we expect today?

With 2-4-3 stats at Goodison, the Toffees have picked up more points on their travels. If they are to start climbing the table, they’ll have to better their home record.

Birmingham are without an away win but have drawn five out nine away matches. They are currently involved in the relegation battle alongside local rivals Villa and Wolves.

Everton will be without Anichebe, while Pienaar and Arteta could be available for selection.

Everton from: Howard, Hibbert, Neville, Distin, Baines, Arteta, Cahill, Fellaini, Rodwell, Osman, Coleman, Bilyaletdinov, Pienaar, Saha, Yakubu, Beckford, Gueye, Baxter, Duffy, Jagielka, Heitinga, Mucha.

Birmingham from: Foster, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Bowyer, Fahey, Jerome, Zigic, Taylor, Murphy, Gardner, Beausejour, Phillips, Derbyshire, Parnaby, Michel, Hleb.

16:00: Manchester United – Sunderland 1.25 – 5.50 – 12.00

With Steve Bruce as Sunderland manager, the connections between United and Sunderland have been close, with Sunderland loaning players from United, most recently the impressive Welbeck. He will not play here, due to Premier League rules regarding players on loan.

If we take a look at the H2H stats, we have to go back to 1997 to find Sunderland’s last win. And at Old Trafford they haven’t picked up a win since 1968.

The home side have had some problems with their squad because of flu, but the problems seems to be over. Sunderland however wll have to do without captain Cattermole, Mensah, Bramble and Turner.

Manchester United from: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Rafael, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Smalling, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Nani, Obertan, Carrick, Fletcher, Gibson, Anderson, Park, Giggs, Bebe, Rooney, Berbatov, Macheda, Hernandez, Owen.

Sunderland from: Gordon, Mignolet, Onuoha, Bardsley, Richardson, Angeleri, Da Silva, Riveros, Henderson, Malbranque, Elmohamady, Zenden, Bent, Gyan, Meyler, Adams.

16:00: Newcastle – Manchester City 3.30 – 3.30 – 2.20

We have seen some rally mixed performances from Newcastle. From beating Arsenal at Emirates and 5-1 over Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear-derby, to losing at home to both Blackpool and Blackburn. How will they perform today?

City hold the best away record in the Premiership with 5-2-2 and can draw confidence from 6-2-0 in their last eight meetings with Newcastle.

The controversial Joey Barton has had a great season for the Magpies and will now take on his old club. Expect a tough battle in midfield. With Coloccini and Williamson both back from suspension, it will be interesting to see who Alan Pardew will stick with at the back.

The influential Nigel de Jong is available for City again and can expect a hostile reception from the Geordie fans, remembering his harsh tackle in Hatem Ben Arfa in the opposite fixture.

Newcastle from: Harper, Krul, Simpson, Perch, Ferguson, Enrique, Coloccini, Williamson, S. Taylor, Campbell, Kadar, Barton, Tiote, Smith, Routledge, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Nolan, Vuckic, Tavernier, Donaldson, Carroll, Lovenkrands, Ranger, Xisco.

Manchester City from: Hart, Given, Zabaleta, Richards, Boateng, Kompany, Boyata, Kolarov, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Johnson, De Jong, Vieira, Milner, Y Toure, Barry, Silva, Tevez, Adebayor, Balotelli, Jo.

16:00: Wolverhampton – Wigan 2.10 – 3.30 – 3.55

Both teams hold relegation berths. So this will be a very important fixture for both teams. Wigan have won 2-0 in the two last Premier League encounters with Wolves. So that may be a good prediction?

Wolves have a decent home record. 4-2-3. It’s their away form which has been the problem this season: 0-1-7. Wigan’s away record reads: 1-3-4.

Mick McCarthy has some selection problems as Berra, Milijas, Jarvis, Doyle, Mancienne, Jones, Craddock and Mouykolo all remain doubtfull for this fixture.

Wigan, on the other side, will have to do without Boyce, Di Santo, Thomas and Figueroa.

Wolves from: Hennessey, Zubar, Berra, Stearman, Elokobi, Foley, Edwards, Milijas, Hunt, Ward, Ebanks-Blake, Hahnemann, Fletcher, Mujangi-Bia, Jarvis, Doyle, Mancienne, Jones, Craddock, Mouyokolo, Ebanks-Landell, Winnall, Rooney, Doherty.

Wigan from: Al Habsi, Stam, Alcaraz, S Caldwell, G Caldwell, Gohouri, Watson, N’Zogbia, Diame, Cleverley, McArthur, Rodallega, Boselli, Gomez, McManaman, Golobart, Mustoe, Pollitt.

18.30: Aston Villa – Tottenham 3.10 – 3.30 – 2.30

Aston Villa have been struggling ever since Martin O’Neill decided to leave the club in August and find themselves 15th in the league. Their home record have though been decent (4-4-1). They’ll now face a Spurs side that are unbeaten in their last eight matches in Premier League and Champions League. Their away record reads 3-2-3.

Who have had the best build up to this game during Christmas?

Three out of the last five meetings at Villa Park have ended in a 1-1 draw.

Aston Villa will probably have to cope without both Ashley and Luke Young.

Tottenham still have some injury problems but can welcome back Dutch star Rafael van der Vaart, who’ll definetely give them a boost.

Aston Villa from: Friedel, Lichaj, L Young, Collins, Cuellar, Warnock, Albrighton, Hogg, Bannan, Petrov, Delph, Downing, A Young, Heskey, Agbonlahor, Guzan, Reo-Coker, Delfouneso, Herd, Dunne, Pires, Carew.

Tottenham from: Gomes, Hutton, Dawson, Bassong, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Van der Vaart, Sandro, Modric, Bale, Pavlyuchenko, Keane, Defoe, Kranjcar, Crouch, Cudicini, Bentley, Giovani, Corluka, Jenas.

Premier League Table:

Many teams can secure a play off place in Europa League tonight.

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