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.

Theo Walcott has made it clear that this season’s FA Cup could well be his best chance of finally winning a trophy as an Arsenal player. The Gunners are still yet to win any silverware since lifting the 2005 FA Cup trophy, something that has caused a host of key players to leave the club. Arsene Wenger’s men will now go into their fifth round tie of this year’s FA Cup knowing they now have a great chance of finally ending that wait. Fans of Betfair should bear this in mind.

With both Manchester clubs out of the competition, Arsenal will be one of the favourites to go on and lift the trophy. The Gunners produced the sort of form champions need to be capable of when they came back from 2-0 against Aston Villa in the last round to win the tie 3-2 and earn their place in the final-16, where they will now come up against either Sunderland or Middlesbrough.

There is still some way to go before the club can start planning their open-top bus parade through the streets of north London and Wenger will know his side have a lot to do to reach Wembley. Those looking at the FA Cup betting should remember this.

That said, however, Walcott has admitted the team are confident of finally ending their silverware drought and making up for their Carling Cup final defeat of last season by winning this year’s FA Cup. The 22-year old has made it clear he is determined to make up for the lack of trophies in his Arsenal career to date, admitting he is hopeful of putting that right in this year’s tournament.

“I would like to look back on my career at the trophies I have won. There are none yet. This is a competition that we can win.”

“A couple of big teams have gone out and, if we can come from 2-0 down, hopefully we can beat anybody now.”

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.”

Nemanja Vidic is unlikely to feature when Manchester United attempt to bounce back from their Champions League disappointment against Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Serbia defender fell awkwardly under a challenge from Basel striker Marco Streller in the 2-1 defeat against Basel in Switzerland on Wednesday and manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said he fears his captain suffered medial ligament damage. Anyone looking at the Premier League betting will be wondering how long he will be out for.

The loss of the 30-year-old former Spartak Moscow stalwart added to a hugely disappointing night for the Premier League champions.

The three-time winners of the competition only needed a draw in Switzerland to get out of Group C but failed to book their place in the knockout stages for a fifth consecutive season thanks to goals from Streller and Alexander Frei. Those following the Betfair Premier League odds should remember this.

It means United must now enter the Europa League in a situation defender Patrice Evra described as “embarrassing” and a “catastrophe”.

Ferguson was less damning of his players but admitted it would take some of his youngsters time to recover.

“Of course we’re disappointed, there’s no other way you can feel,” he said.

“It’s part of football. You have to deal with the disappointment, and this club has used it as motivation many times.”

The Scot added: “These young players will feel disappointed but they’ll have to cope with it and go on with their careers.

United are the first team to be knocked out at the group stage the season after reaching the final and it is only the third time in 17 years that they have departed Europe’s elite club competition at this stage.

Stourbridge FC have warned second-round opponents Stevenage Borough that the club’s FA Cup dream is far from over.

The Dudley-based outfit caused a huge upset last time out when they beat struggling League Two side Plymouth thanks to goals from Paul McCone and Sean Evans.

McCone’s 52nd-minute header put the home side in front and Evans sealed Stourbridge’s passage to a second-round home tie when he bundled home a 73rd-minute rebound. Fans of football betting online will have been impressed.

The result means another pay-day against another Football League outfit for the West Midlands side and a chance to net the Glassboys a place in the third round of the famous old cup competition. Those looking at the FA Cup betting will be following their fortunes.

“I’d back us against anybody at home, without a doubt,” bricklayer McCone told the Birmingham Mail.

“Wayne Rooney? I would smash him,” joked the defender.

Team manager Gary Hackett, a former West Brom winger now working by day as company secretary of a chemical firm, said: “There are some nice stories there.”

He added: “A lot of them have had to battle with rejection from League clubs. This was the biggest football night for most of them.”

Stourbridge are enjoying a terrific run of form at the War Memorial Athletic Ground and have dropped only two out of a possible 21 points on home soil all season.

Second Round

Salisbury City v Grimsby
Stourbridge v Stevenage
Sheffield United v Torquay
Colchester v Swindon
Chelmsford v Macclesfield
Leyton Orient v Gillingham
Crawley v Redbridge
Luton v Cheltenham
Fleetwood v Yeovil
Brentford v Wrexham
Bradford v AFC Wimbledon
Shrewsbury v Rotherham
Dagenham v Walsall
Barnet v MK Dons
Gateshead v Tamworth
Sheffield Wednesday v Aldershot
Sutton v Notts County
Southend v Oldham
Totton v Bristol Rovers
Charlton v Carlisle

Ties to be played on December 3/4

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.