Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is ready to sell Javier Mascherano to Inter Milan.

The Daily Mail says with Mascherano expressing his desire to leave Anfield, Hodgson and the Liverpool board will not stand in his way but they are determined not to sell him on the cheap to former boss Rafael Benitez.

The Spaniard and his new employers are prepare for a long fight for the Argentina captain, valued at £25m by Liverpool, and are ready to offer former Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari as part of their first offer this week.

But the Ghana international, a virtual ever-present at Inter under Jose Mourinho, is unlikely to want to quit the San Siro, while Hodgson has his eyes on other options in any case.

 
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England’s David Howell shows off some old magic and Rock is rocked by disqualification

The 3 Irish Open is being led by an unexpected name, after David Howell rekindled some of the old glory days by shooting a round of 64 to lead the way at the close of the first round at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. It has been quite a large fall from grace for the player who once graced the European Ryder Cup team, as he is languishing down at nearly 500 in the world rankings, and that is after being a top ten player a few years ago. He produced a great round of five birdies and an eagle, to put in the round of -7 under, one shot clear at the top of the leader board. Still, it was a long way short of the 59 that US Open Champion Graeme McDowell predicted could happen this week at the Irish Open, but there were a host of good scores posted none the less. Ireland’s top performer on the day was neither McDowell (who finished just -1 under), Padraig Harrington or tournament favourite Rory McIlroy, but the little mentioned Damien McGrane who shot a nice round of -6 under along with Kiwi Richard Green. McGrane, who is down at 168th in the world rankings, also had a bogey free round like Howell, to play his way into contention. McGrane has one European tour title to his name, coming in 2008 at the Volvo China Open.

Out of nine players T3 for the tournament, there are couple of names which stand out, who could go on to build upon a solid first round. The first is Northern Ireland star Darren Clarke, who was recently named one of Colin Montgomerie’s vice captains for the Ryder Cup this year. Clarke, who finished second recently at the Barclays Scottish Open, hit a bogey free -5 under par for the first round, along with Scotland’s Paul Lawrie who had more of a mixed day. Lawrie picked up three pairs of birdies along the way but also weighed in with two bogeys on the sixth and notably the 18th which slowed his progress down a little bit. Lawrie, who has five tour wins to his name through his career, but is currently ranked down in the 200’s hasn’t made much of an impression this year, with only two sixth place finishes on tour. Things are still tightly packed and things should start stretching out on day two. There really was not much to write home about, nothing being too outstanding on the day of golf, just the story of England’s Howell rediscovering some of that old magic. Is he worth backing in a bet? Well maybe as a long punt still, as he himself admits he hasn’t been playing well. The fact that he’s still back in the sports betting says a lot.

Perhaps the biggest story of the day was England’s Robert Rock who hit a six under par, but was disqualified after signing and incorrect score card. Rock was leading at the time, and the very same thing happened to Francesco Molinari at the event last year when he was leading. Rock, who lost in a play-off last year at the Irish to Open, but walked off with the prize money as winner Shane Lowry was still an amateur, was devastated by blamed himself for mixing up scores on two holes. It was a shame and a harsh way to go out after such a good round.

Tournament favourite Rory McIlroy got off to a flyer, hitting four birdies through the first seven holes and looking primed to take a grip on the Irish Open right from the off. Things went a little pear shaped though a he bogeyed the eighth, ninth, eleventh and thirteenth (but birdied the 10th) to drag him back. He will be a bit disappointed with that, but he is good enough to overcome that and it’s not as if he is far off the lead, just two shots so far, so he is still worth backing in the golf betting. As is Italian Francesco Molinari who had put in a solid round, and only two bogey’s on the back nine spoilt his day a little bit. Looked pretty consistent with his stroke play and another solid round would keep him in contention. Former Irish Open winner Padraig Harrington is still worth a punt, and he had a bogey free round to finish at -3 under. He will be pretty happy with that, and it gives him a solid base to move up the board on day two, and safely make the cut without any fuss and bother. He should be around in the hunt in the final two days, is well worth backing, especially now as he’s down the leader board a bit. But three shots back in an Open really isn’t much to get panicked about.

Betting tip: Well worth looking down the top ten in betting at the moment, as there are good players in there. Harrington for example represents some great odds, and Ross Fisher in particular who is at -2 under makes even better value. Darren Clarke is a great performer and should be buoyed by the confidence placed in him by Colin Montgomerie for the Ryder Cup. McIlroy still may prove to be the man to chase, but there is a very good pack of players chasing him.

3 Irish Open Outright Odds

Rory McIlroy: 7/2 at Bet365
Damien McGrane: 14/1 at SkyBet
Francesco Molinari: 14/1 at Boylesports
Darren Clarke: 14/1 at BetFred
Richard Green: 16/1 at Stan James
Padraig Harrington: 18/1 at BetFred
David Howell: 25/1 at SportingBet
Ross Fisher: 28/1 at Stan James
Graeme McDowell: 28/1 at Bwin

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MLS All Stars put in their place by Manchester United

It has been a quieter week in the MLS, notably because of the much hyped MLS All-Star game against Manchester United. That didn’t quite to plan for the MLS All Star team, as Manchester United became the first Premier League team to beat them. They actually did more than beat them, Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils completely trounced them in a 5-1 victory, including a goal from new signing Javier Hernandez. Manchester United’s Frederico Macheda, Dimitar Berbatov’s replacement in the starting eleven, hit the opener after just 24 seconds, and United never looked back from there. It was a bit a of a non-contest in the end really, with the MLS All Stars only hitting their second goal in the 90th minute. It was all well done and dusted by then, but it is back to domestic action for the players this weekend, amid rumours that the LA Galaxy’s David Beckham is considering an unlikely move to West Ham next year, and a flurry of activity during the MLS Transfer window. There have been rumours about USA star player Landon Donovan moving to the Premier League, with Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini keen on the influential midfielder. The hammering that Manchester United dishes out, will again make a point that the MLS is still in a developmental stage, with only the odd genuine world star emerging like Donovan and that will make him valuable.

MLS Game of the Week – Chivas USA v Columbus Crew

We’re taking a look at a top v bottom match this week, as the Columbus Crew take on Chivas USA over in California. Columbus are the leaders in the Eastern Conference, while Chivas USA are bottom of the Western conference, and last year’s league Supporters’ Shield winners, The Crew, will very much fancy their chances. Some of the success that Columbus , already one of the strongest teams in the MLS, can be put down to the fact that they have had a long stint of home matches. Out of their last nine games, this will be only the second time they have hit the road, and during that time they have managed to open up and eight point lead over second placed team in the conference, the New York Red Bulls. In their last two games, Columbus have hit five unanswered goals in their two matches against the New York Red Bulls and Houston. The Columbus Crew look a sure bet to win the Eastern Conference again, and with Thierry Henry’s Red Bulls not playing on Saturday, the Ohio side could open up something of an insurmountable 11 point lead just over half way through the season.

What of Chivas USA? This is the expansion side of the Mexican side Chivas Guadalajara, from where United’s new signing Javier Hernandez came from. The Chivas, despite sitting four points adrift at the bottom of the Western Confidence, have found a little bit of form in recent times and actually have a decent record against the high flying Crew. Chivas USA are on a two game unbeaten streak, and “The Goats” and are hungry for more points to starting climbing the standings. It’s not as if Chivas USA are not getting in match practice, they are, they have been one of the busiest teams in the league having played eight games in just under a month. This fatigue will probably start to catch up on them at some point no doubt, and they certainly won’t want it to happen against The Crew, who could run riot. But Chivas USA have drafted in some new blood, and their few new signings could make an impact to prop up things which could compensate for that. But with new players comes the problem of gelling with their new team mates, so there are things like that to consider as well ahead of betting. But as mentioned before, Chivas USA have a decent record against Columbus at home, having only lost just once since joining the league, and that was during their first season.

While this looks like another comfortable victory for The Crew, they should be made to work hard. The problem for Chivas, who are looking to gel up front, is that they will have to find a way past one of the best defences in the league. Expecting a closer game than  may be anticipated, and after a fantastic away draw at Real Salt Lake last week, there are definite signs that Chivas USA are starting to pick up the pace.

Chivas USA to win: 6/4 at Bet365
Draw: 11/4 at William Hill
Columbus Crew: 13/8 at Stan James

Winning margin
Columbus Crew to win by 1 goal: 15/4 at Bet365

Eastern Conference MLS Standings

Western Conference MLS Standings

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Real Madrid remain keen on Inter Milan fullback Douglas Maicon, says Italian super agent Enzo Bronzetti.

Real made a reported final offer of €22million (£18.6m) for the Brazilian full-back earlier this month, but the bid fell way short of Inter’s €35million (£29.3m) asking price.

Former Inter boss Jose Mourinho is eager to reunite with the 29-year-old at the Bernabeu this season, but Bronzetti insists the Spanish giants will not pay an unreasonable amount for the stopper.

“The interest (of Real Madrid) for Maicon has not waned, but it has been much weakened,” Bronzetti told Sky Italia.

“However, if the player wants to go to Mourinho and (Inter are) not asking an exorbitant price, the deal is still possible.

“So far Inter’s price was too high and Real responded with slightly lower proposals.

“I think Inter are not playing fair financially. The figures are not suited to current market values.”

 
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Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho admits he’d love to be reunited with Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho.

Carvalho, 32, has already declared he would “swim” to Madrid should they come in for him.

And last night, Mourinho declared: “I’ve always said that Carvalho is one of the best defenders in the world.

“He is now at the peak of his development.

“We’ll see what happens …”

 
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With the crop of Premier League teams in action with Club Friendly matches at the moment, it is a good time to start preparing for the new season of football betting. Sports betting online continues to increase in popularity, and one of the primary steps along the path to finding an online bookmaker is to dock into the betting portal that is Bet365. So, we will head over there and take a look at just what you can find on offer in terms of football betting for the new 2010/11 Premier League season, at one of the most highly recommended and trusted bookmakers on the internet. As soon as you land on the Bet365 sports book page you are greeted with the extensive list of Live In-play soccer betting opportunities, and a simple click on any of the matches will take you a new page full of In-Play betting markets such as Full Time Results, Next Goal, Match Goals and even Asian Handicap In-Play. The world of football betting is vast, but Bet365 expertly brings the world right into your home.

The Bet365 sports book is driven by a left hand menu and you just have to scroll down a little to find the all encompassing name of Soccer to find your football betting. Click on that and then you have at your hands, further options of which country you want to visit, and of course the UK is at the top of the list, with the separate leagues (and cups) expanded. As this is a look at Premier League football betting with Bet365 let’s take a look at the opening day fixtures and hopefully spot some bargains. When you go looking for the best football odds on a Saturday afternoon, Bet365 predominantly comes up trumps, and that is thanks to the weight which they carry in the online betting industry. Being a Chelsea fan, I want to see how my beloved Stamford Bridge outfit are expected to get on in their opening fixture against West Brom. First thing you will notice is the red speaker button next to each game, and that is Bet365’s Live Audio available for In-Play betting. Listed across from each selection is also an expansion button with the number of available submarkets on a match, along with a button to see stats pertaining to game.

Chelsea v West Brom. You either click a direct price (a home, draw or win option) which will go straight to your betting slip, or you can go a little more in depth with your Barclays Premier League betting with Bet365 and open those extra sub-markets. That is what we shall do. Here you are presented with a wealth of options for your match betting, such as the big Correct Score market. Chelsea are 5/1 at Bet365 to run out comfortable 2-0 winners to start the defence of their Premier League title. Taking a look at the stats section for the match, you can instantly see that Chelsea haven’t conceded a goal against West Brom the last four times they have met in the league, scoring seven unanswered goals in the process. That almost averages around two goals per match against the Baggies, so you can base your Correct Score option on that. One other personal favourite mode of football betting is Asian Handicap, which Bet365 is a great exponent of. Again, just go into the submarkets for a match and you are presented with the most likely suggestions, or you can go and look at the full range of alternative Asian Handicap odds. A West Brom +2 Asian Handicap is decently priced at 1.80 decimal odds.

The word which comes to mind when looking at Premier League football betting with Bet365 is “comprehensive”. The broader spectrum of Outright betting on Ante post (early betting prior to an event) markets are well covered, and Chelsea are 6/4 favourites to win the Premier League again. Manchester United are in hot pursuit at 5/2, while big spending neighbours Manchester City are third favourites to lift the title priced at 5/1. With other markets such as Bottom at Christmas, To Finish in Top 6, Next Permanent Manager, Leading Goalscorer and Not To Be Relegated to name but a few, it is well worth spending some time on the Bet365 site and lining up your football betting and planning your betting strategies for the new season. With so much on offer, you are in no way shape or form limited. Everything is right there in one place at the click of a button, and if you want more for your football betting, then Bet365 deliver.

One great football betting offer at Bet365 is their 100% Euro Soccer Bonus Accumulator. If you enjoy building large bets, then this is the pace to go. Not only are the Barclays Premier League matches in force for this, but so too, Serie A, Primera Liga, the Bundesliga and the Champions League. This offer means that if you land an accumulator of 3 or more selections from those above leagues, then you will receive a bonus on top of your winnings. Landing a treble gives you a 5% bonus for example, with a 5-fold accumulator lands a 1-0% bonus (which can really add up nicely). At the top end of this, and something everyone doing football betting would dream of, is the 14-fold accumulator for which you would get a 100% bonus for. There is also the Bore Draw Money Back promotion from Bet365 which covers any match upon which a pre-match (not live in-play betting) Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast bet has been made. If the game peters out to a boring 0-0 draw, then you will get your stake refunded from the online bookmaker. Bet365 also pay out  1/3 odds on each-way First Goalscorer bets, so as long as your nomination hits the back of the net at any point during the game, even if he’s not first, you will have some coverage of 1/3 odds. With the streaming of live matches via their website to add extra excitement to live in-play betting, Bet365 really has your football betting well covered. To top it all off is the welcome bonus which the online bookmaker has to offer. They will match your deposit up to the value of £200 bonus when you open a new account. The minimum first deposit is just £10, so whatever the denomination of your initial betting funds, Bet365 will generously match it. There is of course a lot more to Bet365 which has a vast sports book, games and casino, but if you are looking for a place to start ahead of the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League, football betting at Bet365 is a great experience.

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Inter Milan are ready to make an offer for Liverpool attacker Dirk Kuyt.

The Daily Mail says Rafa Benitez wants to raid his old club Liverpool for Kuyt despite the signing being met with a lukewarm response in Milan.

However, Moratti is ready to back the man who stepped in when Jose Mourinho defected for the Real Madrid hot seat.

“We shouldn’t necessarily be always looking for star players, but functional ones,” said Moratti.

“There is a different coach, maybe slightly different from last year, but first and foremost he wants to keep the good players. Then we will start thinking about the team’s true needs.”

Kuyt’s ability to play either up front or on the wings attracts Benitez, but the Spaniard agreed not buy players from Liverpool for three months after leaving Anfield.
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Liverpool have made an enquiry after Real Madrid wing-back Royston Drenthe.

Despite backing away from the Facebook confusion of earlier this week, AS says Liverpool have indeed sounded out Real about a price for Drenthe.

For his part, Real coach Jose Mourinho is yet to make a decision on Drenthe and is unlikely to allow him to leave unless he finds a new left-back signing before the summer market shuts.

 
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Real Madrid have given Premiership rivals Chelsea and Manchester City a clear run at Benfica defender David Luiz.

Real coach Jose Mourinho has admitted Benfica‘s asking price is too rich for their liking.

“I like him a lot, but he will not come to Madrid this year. I am not thinking about him for this year, at all,” said Mourinho. “There was a little contact, but the price is prohibitive.”

Chelsea and City have both made major cash offers to Benfica for Luiz in the past week.

 
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Strong Irish presence to dominate leader-board?

The Irish Open is the golf focus for the week on the European Tour this Bank Holiday weekend, as Europe’s best go toe to toe. There is actually a good strong Irish contingent going for glory at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. There is a fair chance that there will be another Irish Winner here when you look down the list of front runners. The sheer presence of Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington will ensure that there is a great atmosphere at the tournament. Last year’s Irish Open was a thriller which went down to the wire in a sudden death play off. Four exciting days of golf are expected and here we cast an eye over the front runners in the golf betting for the big event.

Rory McIlroy: 6/1 at Bet365
He is favourite to win here, and that tag as tournament favourite won’t bother the young lad one iota. A genuine world talent, and should have been in with a chance of winning The Open recently at St Andrews until a horrible second round in the wind and rain destroyed the whole event for him. McIlroy is the top ranked player at the event, and with two Irish winners in the last three years there will plenty of backers for him. Has yet to pick up a title this year on the European Tour, but he has been getting better and better in form over the last month or so. Has bags of talent, and he will have learnt a big lesson about controlling his emotions and focusing on the game at St Andrews. No reason he can’t walk out of this one a winner.

Justin Rose: 14/1 at SkyBet
The Englishman is enjoying something of a great season. He went into The Open with a strong backing from a lot of golf experts thinking that his form would really put him into contention. It didn’t as it happened and he missed the cut, but after Rose had won back to back tournaments in America, he elevated his status once again. He has four European Tour Wins to his name in his career, and doesn’t put in an appearance in Britain too much on the Tour, so he must fancy his chances here. It’s the first time since 2002 he has played at the Irish Open, but with a bundle of World Ranking Points on offer at the tournament, Rose could back up his two US PGA Tour wins by securing an automatic place in this year’s Ryder Cup team with a good tournament here.

Graeme McDowell: 14/1 at SportingBet
Was mightily impressed with the way he handled himself at The Open at St Andrews, after going into the tournament with a lot of unexpected hype surrounding him. The Irishman won the US Open quite unexpectedly and naturally that put a lot of new pressure upon him. Held everything together for a steady -3 under par at the end of the tournament, and like many others, had one sticky round which hampered him. He has six European Tour titles to his name, and with wins at the US Open and the Celtic Manor Wales Open, he has fired up to 11th in the Official World Of Golf Rankings. In good form and should be in the hunt for yet some more accolades. European Player of the Month, and hard to argue with that. Believes that the record round of 59 for a European Tour event could go here. Be something if it was him, but more likely it would come from McIlroy.

Padraig Harrington: 18/1 at Coral
Won the event in 2007 and will be another strong Irish challenger for the honours. One of the favourites to step out onto the golf course wherever he goes, he will be looking to pick up his first win of the year here. His best finish this year on the European Tour was a third place at the WGC – CA Championship, and he is ranked 32 on the Tour. He is probably a bit better than that, and a fan favourite. Probably hasn’t quite got his driving accuracy where he wants it at the moment, but his averages are down a little bit. When it comes to Harrington, you can throw the form book out of the window, as he is a star who can walk his way to titles. Well worth a serious punt here at the Irish Open. He is on a bit of a drought at the moment, not having lifted a title since winning the US PGA Championship in 2008, but he has been hitting the top ten finishes. This is just the type of big event in the right place at the right time which could see him tick all the right boxes.

Ross Fisher: 20/1 at Paddy Power
A little bit up and down in his form, but finished at -1 under at The Open. Has every chance at the Irish Open, but he will just need to find a little more consistency in his top form. His stroke average is a little high, suggesting that he won’t be close to the finish, but is a steady player once he gets into his groove. An outside punt, but worth considering if he has a couple of decent opening rounds. He’ll be reliant on a confidence game.

Francesco Molinari: 20/1 at Stan James
The Italian had a big blip at The Open where he failed to make the cut after a bad second round. That was a little unexpected as going into the tournament, he had secured himself a second place and then a fourth place finish in his previous two tournaments. Has only one European Tour win to his name, but ranked 14th on the Tour. Playing some good averages at the moment, but looking to recreate the kind of driving accuracy which he had last year. Like Fisher, needs some solid rounds to build upon, but capable of threatening the top of the leader board if he gets going.

Shane Lowry: 45/1 at BetFred
The defending champion of the Irish Open, winning the tournament as an amateur and didn’t win any Tour money for it. Never really threatened to back up that win with anything on his first full season of the European Tour, but is finding his feet a little more in 2010. His average stroke play really hasn’t changed much and at 71.02 it suggests that he’ll need something special again to retain his crown.

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