Winless England has eyes on quarterfinals

Soccer Betting Lines

09/16/2007 - Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England advanced to the quarterfinals in its only other appearance in the Women's World Cup in 1995. The team is in a great position to do so once again Monday despite the fact it has failed to win either of its first two games in the group stage.

England was held to a 2-2 draw by Japan in its first match after conceding a goal in the 94th minute, but it put together a much better performance in holding defending champion Germany to a 0-0 draw on Friday.

England will advance to the next round no matter what if it records a two- goal win against Argentina, which should not be a problem for Hope Powell's club.

The Brits have performed better than expected to this point, and will give any team in the quarterfinals a tough time. Star striker Kelly Smith has proven to be one of the top strikers in the world, scoring two goals against Japan and giving the strong German defense all it could handle.

What has been the most impressive so far is how well the English defense has held up.

England keeper Rachel Brown has performed well, including a big stop in the final 10 minutes to preserve the 0-0 draw with Germany. Both Japan goals came from free kicks, so England has not allowed a goal from the run of play in two matches and shouldn't have a problem keeping that streak going against a weak Argentina side.

England captain Faye White has anchored the back line, along with Alex Scott and Casey Stoney. That trio combined to hold the German attack in check, including Birgit Prinz, who had almost no impact on the match.

Argentina has hardly even threatened to score and, with no firepower up top, is unlikely to do so against England. The South Americans have lacked any ability to sustain a build up, and although they lost only 1-0 to Japan last time out, don't look to have much of a chance.

Poor play in goal has been another problem for Argentina, with Vanina Correa getting overmatched in the first game with Germany, and veteran Romina Ferro spilling a bad rebound in stoppage time that prevented Argentina from earning a point against Japan.

This combination bodes well for England's Smith, who figures to add to her goal total in this competition.

England should not have to do any watching of the scoreboard on Monday because it will go out and put itself in the quarterfinals with a big win, something Japan failed to do against Argentina.

Powell has England going in the right direction, and it will take more than Argentina to knock the team off track.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.