Kenny Dalglish has insisted Liverpool’s 6-1 FA Cup thumping of Brighton won’t have any impact on his team’s Carling Cup final clash against Cardiff this weekend. The Merseysiders lay down an intimidating marker as they completely tore apart Gus Poyet’s Brighton side, which will certainly have registered with a Cardiff side struggling to find their best form.

While Brighton didn’t help themselves, scoring a record breaking three own-goals – two from midfielder Liam Bridcutt – as well as goals from Martin Skrtel, Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. That said, Liverpool looked at times unplayable, however, producing some of the most fluid football of their season and never allowing their Championship opponents to get a foothold in the match. Fans of Betfair.com need to remember this.

Despite admitting his delight at the result, Dalglish was quick to insist the match won’t have any baring on next weekend’s trip to Wembley for their Carling Cup final.

“It gets us into the next round of the FA Cup. It does not really help us in the League Cup.”

“We will not be carried away.”

“We have got our reward for what we have done there and we have got a cup final at Wembley to look forward to.”

Dalglish will know this season’s various problems would all seem a great deal better if the club could finish the year with some silverware. With the top-four once again looking beyond Liverpool this campaign, the FA and Carling Cups will be the club’s only chance of glory. The Carling Cup betting reflects this.

While Liverpool were securing their place in the FA Cup quarter-final stage, Cardiff were going down without a whimper in a 3-0 away defeat to a struggling Ipswich side at Portman Road. The Welsh club have begin to show signs of pre-Wembley jitters, something they will need to shake off before the weekend id they are to have any chance of springing an upset against this Liverpool team.

It’s fair to say not many teams fancied coming up against defending champions Barcelona when the Champions League last-16 draw was announced. With the Catalan giants reprising their usual role as ‘Goliath’, it will be Bayer Leverkusen who fulfil the role of ‘David’ for this round of the tournament. The Germans will now have to somehow find a way past arguably the world’s best club side if they have hopes of reaching this year’s quarter-finals.

While there won’t be many who can envisage how Leverkusen will beat Barca over two-legs, there will be a few brave/optimistic folk out there who may fancy the Germans to spring a surprise. The club will go into the knockout stages on the back of some very encouraging European form, following three straight victories in their group campaign, including an impressive 2-1 victory against Valencia. Fans of the Betfair Champions League will be wondering if they can cause an upset.

The Barcelona game will give Leverkusen a chance to remind themselves what they are fighting for in this season’s Bundesliga. The club are currently eight points adrift from the top-four in the league, and the Champions League qualification that comes with it, something that is certainly a motivation to Leverkusen’s skipper Simon Rolfes.

The midfielder knows his team need to show more consistency in the second half of their season if they are to maintain their place at European football’s top table. Those looking at the Betfair betting website should bear this in mind.

“We know that we have got to play a very good second half of the season,” said Rolfes.

“But we want to be playing against Chelsea or Barcelona next year and not against Rosenborg or Kharkiv – the Europa League is not our goal.”

“We were too inconsistent in the first half of the season,” he said. “Playing the odd good game does not get you anywhere.”

Victory against Barcelona may seem like an impossible mission, however, every team has a bad day, even one as seemingly faultless as the Catalans, and if that is the case when the two sides meet then Leverkusen need to be ready to take advantage.

Borussia Dortmund’s in-demand midfielder Mario Gotze has remained coy over his future plans, with the defending Bundesliga champions still hoping to secure the 19-year old to fresh terms. Gotze has been a sensation since breaking through into the Dortmund first team at the end of 2009, catching the eye of a number of European giants in the process.

With two years left on the youngster’s contract, there will be no real panic for the club to move to discuss a new deal, however, Dortmund will need to be aware of the near-certain interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, maybe even as early as this transfer window. Those looking at the Bundesliga betting should remember this.

Gotze, himself, has revealed there is still a very good chance he could extend his deal at the club he joined as an eight-year old – albeit, it relatively non-committal terms.

“Of course I can imagine extending my contact at Dortmund,” he said.

“I have always said how at home I feel here. And nothing has happened to change that.”

“I have my family and friends here. And the whole Borussia Dortmund package with the coach and the team is simply outstanding.”

The talented teenager was an integral part of last season’s championship winning side, and it looks as though Gotze will be essential to the club’s hopes of defending their title. The midfielder has already notched five goals this season and Dortmund will be hoping to see more in the second half of the season, with the club looking to claw back the three-points which they trail leaders Bayern Munich by. People looking for online betting tips need to bear this in mind.

While retaining their title will be the club’s main priority from the second half of the Bundesliga season, ensuring they maintain their place in the Champions League for next year will be a welcome consolation prize, should Bayern go on and reclaim the league title.

A West Midlands derby to relish in the FA Cup third round as Blues host Wolves at St Andrew’s eyeing a minor upset.

Both of these sides have had their problems in the league this season so have the chance to forget about that when they go head-to-head in early January in the Cup.

Birmingham’s final-day relegation from the Premier League last season and subsequent off-field financial worries have meant it’s been a difficult six months for Blues fans as they adjust to life back in the Championship. People looking at the FA cup online betting should remember this.

It’s been a struggle for Chris Hughton’s side who have gone against pre-season predictions that they would bounce straight back up to the top flight. Over Christmas, City were sitting down in 15th in the table – albeit with two games in hand over most clubs – and six points off the play-off places.

However, they have enjoyed a foray into Europe this term, impressing as they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the knock-out phase of the Europa League to prove they can hack it against better opposition in one-off games. Fans of football betting need to bear this in mind.

That will give Hughton hope that they can secure a win against Mick McCarthy’s side, who will view the FA Cup as an unwelcome distraction at this stage as they battle to maintain their Premier League status in the second half of the season.

In previous seasons, McCarthy has fielded weakened teams in the third round as he openly admits staying up is more important to him than Cup progress and he is likely to make changes again for this one.

That could give Blues the upper hand and a win for the Championship side looks on the cards in this one.

Tony Mowbray is convinced Middlesbrough will be more marketable to potential new signings if they can continue their pursuit of Premier League football.

The Teessiders are up to third in the table – just three points behind Championship leaders Southampton – but Mowbray is refusing to rest on his laurels and has big ambitions for the north-east club.

The Riverside boss has made no secret of his desire to beef up a paper-thin squad and compete with the likes of Southampton and West Ham, but reckons outsiders looking in will see a group of individuals determined to get back to the top flight. The Championship betting odds reflect this.

“Any prospective player will look at the table and hopefully see a team with a chance, we’ve given ourselves a chance,” Mowbray told the Northern Echo.

“Over the season, you accumulate points and give yourself an opportunity going into the last dozen or so games to fight for one of those two places or at least in the play-offs.”

The return of the January transfer window has led to inevitable speculation about potential targets but Mowbray would not be drawn on individuals. Fans of Betfair football should bear this in mind.

He hopes for the club to be in a position to attract big names in what promises to be a fascinating end to the season, hopefully culminating in a return to the top tier of English football.

He added: “Hopefully we’re in a position where if we have got targets we can find the finance for, and they should see us as a team with the ambition to push on.”

Head coach Fabio Capello has stressed the importance of England making a winning start to Euro 2012 in their Group D opener against old rivals France.

The Three Lions scored the most goals (17) and conceded the least (5) when avoiding defeat in qualification from Group G and will be confident of making the knockout stages in Poland and Ukraine in a section also containing the Ukrainians and Sweden. Anyone looking at the Euro 2012 odds will know things won’t be easy.

England have not beaten the French in five attempts in all competitions since a 1-0 friendly win in 1997 and Capello knows Laurent Blanc’s Group D qualification winners are dangerous.

The Italian coach said: “It will be difficult as we face France in our first game but we will be looking to win. We know that if we get through we will have the possible chance of playing against Spain or Italy in the next round – that is tremendous.”

England will travel a total of 4,800 miles from their base in Krakow to Ukrainian venues Donetsk and Kiev for their Group D matches against France, Sweden and Ukraine, but Capello said there can be no complaints. Those placing football bets should remember this.

He added: “All the teams are very good, because they have got to this tournament because they are really very good. We have found a good place [for our base], we are happy with the facilities and we will stay in the same place in Krakow. I hoped we would get the chance to play Spain or Italy in the quarter-finals.”

Unibet casino take a look at the latest football news from the English Premier League:

Roberto Mancini, the current manager of Manchester City, has stated that the reaction of the Liverpool players towards controversial City striker Mario Balotelli resulted in the striker’s red card yesterday at Anfield.

The striker was sent off for two bookable offences after coming on in the second half as a substitute, with City looking to win the game and further their lead at the top of the Premier League table (the club are now favourites with the likes of Unibet NL in the football odds to win the title this year). Although the first yellow card was difficult to argue with, Mancini himself admitting it was a clear booking, the manner of the second incident has angered those involved with the club.

Mancini stated that he does “not agree with this yellow. The referee didn’t want to get a yellow card out” but wasn’t handed a choice after “all the Liverpool players complained” to him.

That incident aside, the manager was fairly content with the match, with many believing that City would become unstuck at a place where they lost 3-0 last season, and was particularly impressed by the performance of English goalkeeper Joe Hart. Hart pulled off a string of world-class saves, including one from Liverpool frontman Andy Carroll in the final minute of injury time, to secure the precious point for the Sky Blues.

Mancini will just be hopeful that as the weeks and months progress, Balotelli can prove that he has turned a corner in his career and last weekend’s incident really was just a one-off.

Former England captain and Manchester United, Real Madrid, and LA Galaxy legend David Beckham (a man those who bet with Unibet love to put a fiver on now and again), will decide after the North American club’s post-season tour next month whether he wants to stay in the USA for another year, or join up with French side Paris Saint Germain.

The midfielder’s current contract with the Los Angeles club expires at the end of the current calendar year, but it is thought that club officials would be more than happy to renew his deal for at least one more season. Beckham, though, is thought to be taking interest from PSG very seriously indeed, while his wife Victoria is widely known to be a fan of the French culture and lifestyle.

The 36-year-old is all too aware that his playing days are fast coming to an end, so any decision he makes next month is likely to take the midfielder to the final destination of his professional playing career. English clubs Spurs and QPR have also shown an interest in him in previous months, with Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp admittedly a massive fan of the player, but Beckham has made it clear in the past that he wouldn’t feel comfortable playing competitively for another English club after forging such a close bond with Manchester United fans.

Keep an eye on the Unibet NL casino latest football and sport odds to see how Beckham’s decision impacts the odds of the clubs involved!

Only last week, Chelsea fans were crying into their pints after a defeat in the Champions League in Germany left them with a crucial final group game, the Blues having to win their last game to progress to the knock-out stages. That defeat was the last thing the club’s loyal supporters needed after crushing losses in the Premier League at the hands of QPR, Arsenal, and Liverpool, the latter two results coming on home soil and completely upsetting the betting and casino odds set by the likes of Unibet Netherlands casino.

Fast forward less than seven days, though, and things suddenly look a lot brighter for Andre Villas-Boas and co, with the Blues beating Wolves at home on Saturday by three goals to nil.

The win was comprehensive, there’s little doubting that, but Wolves more than played into the hands of their opponents, showing little in attack and allowing their defence to be penetrated all too easily by the likes of Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge.

Tougher tests will come for Chelsea over the next few weeks, starting with a tough Carling Cup tie against Liverpool, who will be full of confidence after holding league leaders to a 1-1 draw at Anfield yesterday. However, this is a sure and steady step one for the Blues along what fans hope will be a road to recovery that ends in success, and perhaps a trophy or two. Be sure to keep an eye on the Unibet latest odds to see how Chelsea fare over the coming weeks, both in Europe and at home.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp believes his side can win the Premier League title if they can maintain their superb form.

Spurs beat Aston Villa on 2-0 on Monday night to move them into third in the Premier league table and now sit nine points behind leaders Manchester City, with a game in hand.

The game marked Redknapp’s returned to the dugout following recent heart surgery and his side produced a thoroughly professional performance as they kept their formation solid following Emmanuel Adebayor’s first half double. People following the betting will have been impressed.

Adebayor has made a massive difference to the team since joining on loan in the summer and looks like he could be the out and out striker they’ve been missing over the last few years. His combination with fellow forward Rafael Van Der Vaart is seen by many as the reason their form has turned round after a disappointing start to the season.

Spurs have only dropped two points in their last nine games and many are now tipping them to be outsiders to win the league. Redknapp himself is seeing this as a real possibility, especially after the tameness of last season’s title race. Anyone looking at the on line betting should bear this in mind.

Last time around, Manchester United won the league quite comfortably despite a number of average performances and the former Portsmouth boss believes the same may happen again this campaign and his team could take advantage.

“The title is a possibility. It’s not impossible,” Redknapp said.

“When I came here I said I wanted to get in the Champions League.”It’s not impossible for anyone. If you keep winning matches and believe in yourself you’ll do it.”Last season Man Utd won it because everyone fell over. If we keep up the form we’re in at the moment we’ll win the league, but that will be very hard.”