Dortmund, Bayern, Gladbach on road in Bundesliga

Soccer Betting Lines

02/17/2012 - Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund visits struggling Hertha Berlin on Saturday in the Bundesliga without injured playmakers Shinji Kagawa and Mario Gotze, as the top three clubs all face road challenges this weekend.

Dortmund is undefeated in 15 straight games, but its cushion atop the table is just two points over Bayern Munich, and three over Monchengladbach.

Although the trio all play teams in the bottom four of the standings, dropping points this weekend could shuffle the order after 22 matches.

Dortmund lost Kagawa to an ankle injury this week, leaving it without its best playmakers, as Gotze remains out with a groin injury. But Hertha has lost four in a row, and sits just three points off the bottom.

Bayern visits last-place Freiburg on Saturday, as it tries to build momentum for its trip to Basel in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday. But Bayern defender Jerome Boateng said this week "we can't let that get on our minds."

Coach Jupp Heynckes has limited options in defense with Daniel van Buyten out, but Thomas Muller has regained good form and Arjen Robben could earn a larger role after starting on the bench the last two games.

Heynckes is prepared for a tough match, although Freiburg has just 17 points.

"We can't simply show up in Freiburg and expect to win," Heynckes said.

Monchengladbach has quietly remained near the top of the standings and it goes to 16th-place Kaiserslautern, which has lost its last two games and is winless in its last 11.

Werder Bremen, well behind the top clubs in fifth, visits improving Hamburg on Saturday, when Bayer Leverkusen hosts Augsburg and Nurnberg hosts Cologne in the day's other matches.

On Sunday, fourth-place Schalke will try to remain with the top group when it hosts Wolfsburg, and Hannover hosts Stuttgart in another meeting of top-half sides.

On Friday, Mohamed Zidan just before the half-hour mark to erase an early own goal and Mainz tied Hoffenheim, 1-1, at Rhein-Neckar-Arena.

Punteruk Soccer Betting News

<< Argonauts re-sign LB Pile
Mississauga, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Argonauts re-signed linebacker Willie Pile on Friday through the 2013 season. "We are excited Willie has decided to continue playing and will be back in the Double Blue," said Argonauts gener

<< Mize goes low for ACE Group Classic lead
Naples, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Mize fired a 10-under 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead of the ACE Group Classic at the Talon Course at TwinEagles Golf Club. Mize played his last two holes in three-under par and came

<< Mickelson, Casey both out of Accenture
Marana, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The field for next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship has been finalized and includes the top four players in the world, but not Phil Mickelson or Paul Casey. Mickelson will not be playing becaus

<< Royals sign P Collins
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals signed relief pitcher Tim Collins to a one-year contract on Friday. The 22-year-old Collins went 4-4 with a 3.63 ERA in 68 games for the Royals during his rookie campaign in

<< Isles D Hamonic heads to injured reserve
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a move that is hardly surprising, the New York Islanders placed defenseman Travis Hamonic on injured reserve Friday thanks to a broken nose and other facial injuries. Hamonic hasn't played since Fe

Daytona adding short track races to its Speedweeks 2013 >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daytona International Speedway will include short track races to its Speedweeks activities, starting in 2013, NASCAR and track officials announced on Friday. The 2.5-mile superspeedway will

Mainz grabs point at Hoffenheim >>
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mohamed Zidan scored in the 29th minute, and Mainz earned its seventh road draw of the season, 1-1 against Hoffenheim on Friday at Rhein-Neckar-Arena in the Bundesliga. Nikolce Noveski's own goal insid

Report: Yankees trade Burnett to Pirates >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have unloaded pitcher A.J. Burnett, dealing the maligned right-hander to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a pair of prospects, according to a report. The Yankees received ri

Sheridan to helm Buccaneers defense >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Friday that Bill Sheridan has been selected as the club's new defensive coordinator. Sheridan will be officially introduced during a Tuesday press conference. "Bill i

Horschel alone in front in Bogota >>
Bogota, Colombia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Billy Horschel posted his second straight five-under 66 on Friday to take the lead at the midpoint of the Colombia Championship. Horschel, a first-round co-leader, finished 36 holes at 10-under 1

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.