Barca, Real title race goes down to the wire

Soccer Betting Lines

05/14/2010 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona has secured the La Liga title at Camp Nou in the final match of the season four times, but captain Carles Puyol warned that Sunday's match against Valladolid "will be no stroll."

Barca enters the finale with a one-point cushion on Real Madrid and a win over relegation-threatened Valladolid would clinch the club's 20th Spanish crown.

Real Madrid visits relegation-threatened Malaga on Sunday, but needs Barcelona to falter to have a chance. Barca will still claim the title with a defeat, if Real losses or draws.

Although Barcelona is unbeaten at home - 17 wins and one tie - Puyol was still cautious with Valladolid facing the drop, and his teammates feel the same way.

"It will be difficult playing against a team facing relegation," Puyol said on the club's website.

"They've got a lot at stake," Barca's Bojan Krkic said on the team's website. "We expect it to be a difficult match and we'll have to clinch it as soon as possible."

Other than its 1-1 draw against Villarreal, Barcelona has been nearly flawless at Camp Nou. In its 17 wins, Barca has scored 52 goals and allowed just 10.

Krkic felt it was important to get an early lead against Valladolid, which has earned 10 results on the road this season.

"In this kind of match you have to avoid getting stuck at 0-0 for too long. That's why it's important to start well and get the support of the fans right from the beginning," he said.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola should welcome back Andres Iniesta and Eric Abidal, but Xavi is out after picking up his fifth yellow card last week. He earned an automatic one-match suspension for accumulated cards, but Barcelona has appealed.

Valladolid, led by former Spain coach Javier Clemente, can still remain in the top flight with a loss, but will be counting on other results in a fight among five clubs.

Valladolid is one of four teams on 36 points - along with Malaga, Racing and Tenerife - and Xerez is three points back but still has hope.

Malaga faces a tough test against Real, which is trying to avoid finishing the season without a single title after its nearly $400 million makeover.

"We expect to win, but it will be a very difficult match because both teams have so much at stake," Real's Gago said on the club's website. "We will both play to the fullest. We need the points to have a chance of winning the title and Malaga need to win in order to avoid relegation.

"I hope it's Real Madrid that win. No team can ever be too confident because every match is like a final."

Tenerife also faces a top club Sunday when it visits Valencia, which has third and a Champions League spot secured.

Racing is in the best position of the relegation-threatened sides, as it hosts Sporting Gijon. Sporting is just above the drop zone. Xerez visits Osasuna but may not even survive with a win.

The last Champions League berth and two Europa League spots will be determined on Saturday.

Fourth-place Sevilla visits Almeria and fifth-place Mallorca hosts Espanyol in the battle for the Champions League spot. Sevilla would secure the spot with a win, while Mallorca needs a win and either a loss or draw by Sevilla. Fifth is still good enough for a Europa spot.

The other Europa spot will go to Getafe or Villarreal, who enter the final day level on points. Getafe holds the tiebreaker, so it will claim the berth if it matches Villarreal's result against Real Zaragoza when it visits newly-crowned Europa League champions Atletico Madrid.

Athletic Bilbao hosts Deportivo in the other match in La Liga on Saturday.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.