With no time to rest after last weekend’s controversial Ferrari 1-2 victory in Germany, Formula One moves onto Hungary. Who will take the chequered flag this weekend? BetRepublic.com previews the outright markets here.

Fernando Alonso – 15/8

Sebastian Vettel – 2/1

Mark Webber – 9/2

Lewis Hamilton - 6/1

Felipe Massa – 8/1

This weekend’s race at the Hungaroring, near Budapest, is the twelfth race of the 2010 Formula One season and after the events at Hockenheim last weekend Formula One will be looking for a clean and exciting race. However, the Hungaroring closely resembles the track at Monaco with its short straights, lots of turns and usually a massive lack of overtaking action. Will things be different this year?

As always, first up for the race weekend comes qualifying. Of the eleven races so far this season a Red Bull has started on pole position on ten occasions, with Sebastian Vettel claiming six poles, including the last three straight top grid slots, and Mark Webber claiming the other four. Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix, which he went on to win, to prevent Red Bull having 100% domination. Will we see an eleventh Red Bull pole position this season this weekend?

I feel that we will, as the Red Bull car is still the fastest car over one lap. Although the Ferraris made massive steps forward last weekend, allowing them to finish in the top two positions, they were given a two massive advantages after Vettel had a second consecutive poor start from pole position and Mark Webber’s car developed an engine problem. With the Hungaroring being so tight and twisty aerodynamics are going to be at a premium this weekend and the Red Bull cars are best at getting cleanly through the air and as a result my money is on Vettel to extend his pole positions to four in a row, as he is the quicker of the two Red Bull drivers over one lap, at odds of 15/8.

Will Vettel be able to convert this pole position into a race win? Of the six times that he has started at the front of the grid this season, Vettel has won just once. This win came at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, and Lewis Hamilton has a 100% pole position and race win record after his win in Canada and Mark Webber has won two races from his four pole positions, including the Monaco Grand Prix. If not Vettel, then who will take the chequered flag? With the lack of overtaking in Hungary most years, grid position is going to be pretty important and it could go anyway as Red Bull will be near the top of the grid as will Ferrari after their improvements in Germany and McLaren enjoy the Hungaroring having won it for the last three years, and four of the last five with current driver Jenson Button winning the other race in 2006 in a Honda.

After their poor showing in Germany McLaren will want to bounce back with a positive performance and after their recent showings in Budapest they have the knowledge and data to win this race. Lewis Hamilton will be looking to make it two wins in a row after winning last year. He could have had three straight wins in Hungary apart from a puncture in 2008 that saw him finish fifth. Button will also be in confident mood as he has a great chance of getting a win at the venue he scored his first win in 2006. Since then he has had poor luck in Hungary, with a retirement, twelfth and eighth his results for the last three years. I see a good result for the McLaren team this weekend.

Ferrari will be in confident mood after their showing in Germany, but with the $100,000 USD they received for the team orders they gave to their drivers they will be looking to keep their noses clean this weekend. This will be a good thing for Felipe Massa who, prior to being hospitalised after an accident in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, led the 2008 race until his engine exploded with just three laps remaining as should be leading the race Ferrari cannot ask him to move over for his team-mate. This will mean that Alonso will have to be more aggressive also, which has seemed to be his problem this year as when he behind someone of equal pace. I foresee a good weekend for the Ferrari squad also.

So, with the big three teams all gearing up for an excellent weekend we, the fans, should see an spectacle that is not often seen at the Hungaroring – overtaking and tactical battles at the front of the field. However, it is not any of the previous five drivers mentioned that I feel will take the chequered flag. I see Mark Webber as the race winner, as he is more consistent over race distances than he his team-mate and his has equal machinery so will be able to put his car up at the head of the grid, most likely second or third. I will be backing the Australian to win at odds of 11/2.

My final two outright bets, as ever, are who will place on the podium and the top six at the end of the race. The podium bet will be difficult to predict as there will be six drivers battling for three spaces on the podium, however I am going to back Felipe Massa to finish on the podium after his accident last year. With the form he showed last weekend in Germany and the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve and thanks the marshals and track staff for looking after him following his accident last year he will want to give something back. For all of this I see him taking a place in the top three and I will be backing him to do so at odds of 7/5.

Despite not having finished in the top six for the last two races due to the resurgence of the top three teams Robert Kubica is still my pick for a top six finish. He is available at odds of 8/11 to place in the top six and although he will need for one of the Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren drivers to have problems to trouble the top six places, but being as Jenson Button is the has the best odds of the top three teams to place in the top six, but is available at 2/5 I feel that Kubica is a better investment for this market.

During the race weekend I will be providing further bets on both qualifying and the race in the BetRepublic.com Formula One Stadium. Drop in to check out my bets, join in the chat and provide your own bets to myself and the BetRepublic members!

This Thursday sees the introduction of some giants of the European game into the qualifying stages of the Europa League. Will they cruise through or will we see some major upsets?

BetRepublic.com previews three games featuring the big sides here.

Rabotnicki vs Liverpool Soccer Betting Tips :

A new chapter in the life of Liverpool football club gets underway this Thursday evening in Skopje, Macedonia as new manager Roy Hodgson and his men look to defeat the side that finished 2nd in the Macedonian league last season.BetRepublic.com make Liverpool the 1/5 favourites to claim victory in this first leg tie with Rabotni and #269;ki are available at 8/1 and the draw can be backed at 9/2.

Since replacing Rafael Benitez as manager of Liverpool on July 1st Hodgson has signalled his intent to make the fans forget last season’s poor campaign that saw the 2005 Champions League winners finish in seventh place in the Premier League.

Hodgson has brought in quality and potential so far with Joe Cole from Chelsea and Serbian striker Milan Jovanovi and #263; signing on as well as 19 year old Danny Wilson from Rangers. However, this good news has been counteracted by the fact that star striker Fernando Torres is out injured and midfield general Javier Mascherano has informed the club he will be leaving. Will Liverpool be able to put all this aside and defeat the Macedonians?

However, of the two sides, Rabotni and #269;ki are the more active having played four competitive games so far, beating Lusitanos in the first qualifying round 11-0 on aggregate, then beating Mika 1-0 on aggregate to book their place in this match. Will it make any difference for the massive outsiders?

I cannot see anything making any difference and I fully expect Liverpool to cruise to victory in this game. My money is on Liverpool to be leading at half time and then to win the match at odds of 10/11 and Liverpool to win by at least two goals at evens.

Shamrock Rovers v Juventus:

After defeating Bnei Yehuda 2-1 on aggregate over the last two weeks, Shamrock Rovers have booked possibly the biggest game in their history this week as they take on the Italian giants Juventus. Books, unsurprisingly, make Juventus the 1/5 favourites to win in Dublin, with Shamrock Rovers available at 8/1 and the draw can be backed at 9/2.

Just like Liverpool, Juventus had a poor season last year as the 1996 Champions League winners could only finish seventh in Serie A. They were knocked out of the group stages of the Champions League and they have now appointed their fourth manager in just over two years. Will Shamrock Rovers be able to take advantage of the chaos that Juventus seem to be in at the moment?

Rovers are well into their domestic season in the Republic of Ireland and are second in the league on goal difference alone after twenty-two games. They finished second in the league last season after going bankrupt less than five years ago.

They are currently undefeated in their last fifteen matches and will be no pushovers, but with players of the calibre of Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero in the Juventus squad, the Italians should claim victory in Dublin.

With the home crowd cheering them on I feel that Shamrock Rovers will get off to a great start and, while I feel Juventus will win, my money is on thegame to level at half time and Juventus to win at odds of 3/1 and over 2.5 goals to be scored in the game at 8/13.

BetRepublic.com Recommends:

Liverpool/Liverpool HT/FT @ 10/11

Liverpool -1 v Rabotni and #269;ki @ evens

Draw/Juventus HT/FT @ 3/1

Over 2.5 goals to be scored in the Shamrock Rovers v Juventus game @ 8/13

Check out more Soccer Betting Tips.

There are some big name sides in action this Wednesday evening in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Who will take an advantage into the second leg?Online handicapping portal BetRepublic.com previews the three biggest games here.

Debreceni VSC v FC Basel @ Soccer Betting Tips :

This match sees the Hungarian champions take on the Swiss champions for a place in the playoff stage of the qualification section of the Champions League. Online sports BetRepublic.com make Basel the favourites to win this first leg tie at evens ahead of Debrecen and the draw at odds of 11/5. Will the Swiss champions live up to their pre-match billing as favourites?

Basel had a reasonable season in Europe last season. They finished third in the same Europa League group as Roma and Fulham, only failing to progress on the final matchday as they lost 3-2 to eventual finalists Fulham.

However, they did secure an impressive 2-0 win over Roma before losing out to the more illustrious sides from Italy and England. They did secure the domestic double of league and cup in the 09/10 season in Switzerland as well and will be a major threat for Debrecen.

Last season Debrecen got a tough Champions League lesson as they lost all six matches as they were drawn against Lyon, Liverpool and Fiorentina in their group. They failed to score in four games, only finding the net against Fiorentina on five occasions in their two matches, but still losing both. They conceded nineteen goals in total in the six matches. Can they get one step closer to getting back to the group stage again by beating Basel?

I don’t see it, and feel that Basel are great value at evens for the win. I also see goals in this match as there have been eight in Basel’s first two league games of their new season and there were seven in Debrecen’s second round qualifying game, so my money will be on Basel to win @ evens and over 2.5 goals @ evens.

Ajax vs PAOK Saloniki:

This match sees the runners up in the Dutch and Greek leagues in the 2009/2010 season go head-to-head for a place in the Champions League qualification playoffs, but who will take victory in the first leg game in Amsterdam? Books make Ajax the 2/7 favourites, with PAOK available at 7/1 and the draw can be backed at 7/2.

Ajax are the more well known of these two sides after their Champions League exploits in the mid 1990’s that saw them claim the title in 1995 and lose the 1996 final on penalties. They are not the power that they once were – they have not won the Dutch league since 03/04 – but finished well in their domestic league last season but were beaten by former England manager Steve McClaren’s FC Twente by a point.

PAOK had an extraordinary season last year, but still managed to throw things away when they had the chance of a league and cup double, however they salvaged things by winning the end of season playoffs to book themselves a spot in the Champions League. They have had a poor pre-season and fired their management team, so they face a massive task to win this game.

I actually do not think they can do it and I fancy Ajax to lead at half time and win the game at odds of 10/11 and I see there being a few goals on top of this too, so I’m backing over 2.5 goals at odds of 8/11.

Sporting Braga vs Celtic:

Who will progress to the Champions League qualification playoffs in this matchup between the runners up in the Portuguese and Scottish leagues? Braga are the favourites for victory in the first leg tie in Portugal at odds of 19/20 with Celtic available at 23/10 and the draw can be backed at 9/4.

These sides had completely opposite seasons last time out with Braga gaining their best ever league finish, while Celtic were completely outplayed by Rangers throughout the season and finished six points behind their city rivals after they fired Tony Mowbray and replaced him with club legend Neil Lennon.

Lennon lacks experience and this match will be his toughest so far, can he get something from this game to ensure that the match is still alive when they come back to Celtic Park next week?

Neither side have played competitively since the end of their seasons in May, but I feel that Celtic should have enough not to lose this game. As a result I am backing the draw at odds of 9/4 with both sides to score at evens.

BetRepublic.com Recommends:

FC Basel to beat Debreceni VSC @ evens

Over 2.5 goals in the Basel v Debrecen game @ evens

Ajax/Ajax HT/FT v PAOK @ 10/11

Over 2.5 goals in the Ajax v PAOK game @ 8/11

Braga v Celtic to end as a draw @ 9/4

Both Braga and Celtic to score @ evens

Check out the most updated Soccer Betting Tips

We’ve reached the final qualifying round of the Champions League and some big names enter the fray this week. Will we see some of Europe’s smaller clubs cause some upsets? BetRepublic.com previews a selection of games here.

The New Saints vs Anderlecht Soccer Betting Tips :

This match sees the Welsh champions face the Belgian champions for a place in the Champions League Playoff for a place in the group stages of the competition. Books make Anderlecht the 1/4 favourites to win this first leg tie, with TNS available at 15/2 and the draw can be backed at 19/5.Will this match go according to the odds?

TNS booked their place in this match by beating Bohemians from the Republic of Ireland 4-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round last week. There defeat of the Irish champions was the first ever occasion that they had won a Champions League qualifying tie, and they did so in impressive style by beating Bohemians 4-0 at home in the second leg after losing the first leg 1-0 in Dublin. Can TNS cause a bigger shock by beating the Belgian champions?

Although The New Saints will be in a highly confident mood after beating Bohemians, Anderlecht will be equally confident after kicking off their season last weekend with a 1-0 win in the Belgian Super Cup. They also reached the last sixteen stage of last year’s Europa Cup and will be a much tougher team for the Welsh champions to take on than their last opponents.

Despite the Park Hall Stadium being the scene of their greatest European football achievement, I feel that Anderlecht will be too good for TNS this week and will take the victory. As a result my is on Anderlecht to win by at least two goals (Anderlecht -1) at odds of 10/11 and Anderlecht to be leading at half time and full time at odds of 5/6

This match sees the side that finished second in the Romanian league face the team that placed third in the Russian league last season go head-to-head for a place in the playoffs.The Russians the favourites at odds of 8/11, with Unirea available at 3/1 and the draw can be backed at 12/5. Will Zenit take an advantage back to Russia?

Zenit are fourteen games into their domestic season and they lead the table by seven points, so on current form they deserve to be the favourites for this game.

However, Unirea have the Champions League experience having been drawn in the same group as Sevilla, Stuttgart and Rangers in last year’s competition. They amassed a total of eight points from their six games and just missed out a place in the last sixteen as they lost to Stuttgart in the final game.

However, Zenit know their way around European competition as they won the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 2008.

I feel that this will be an exciting match with plenty of action and goals, so my money is on Zenit St Petersburg to win at odds of 8/11 and more than 2.5 goals to be scored at odds of 11/8.

Dynamo Kiev v AA Gent:

The final game that we are previewing is the battle between the runners up in last season’s Ukrainian league and the second placed finishers in the Belgian league. Online sportsbooks make Dynamo the massive favourites to taste victory in this first leg tie at odds of 1/5, with Gent available at 10/1 and the draw is available at odds of 4/1.

Both of these sides have only recently began their domestic seasons, with Dynamo having won two and drawn one of their first three league games and Gent lost the season opening Super Cup to Anderlecht 1-0 at the weekend. Dynamo have scored two goals in each of their matches so far and I would not be surprised to see them outscore Gent in this match and bring a sizeable advantage to Belgium next week for the second leg of this tie.

Of the two sides, Dynamo are the more well known side in European competition and they made their name by reaching the Quarter Finals of the Champions League in 1998 and the Semi Finals the following year.

They reached the Semi Finals of the UEFA Cup in 2009 also. Gent last passed the qualification rounds for any European competition in 2000 and they will be massively outclassed in this match.

My money is on Dynamo Kiev to be leading at half time and then win the match at odds of 5/6 and more than 2.5 goals to be scored in the match at odds of 4/6.

BetRepublic.com Recommends:

Anderlecht -1 v TNS @ 10/11

Anderlecht/Anderlecht HT/FT v TNS @ 5/6

Zenit St. Petersburg to beat Unirea Urziceni @ 8/11

More than 2.5 goals in the Zenit v Unirea match @ 11/8

Dynamo Kiev/Dynamo Kiev HT/FT v Gent @ 5/6

More than 2.5 goals to be scored in the Dynamo v Gent match @ 4/6

Get more free picks @ Soccer Betting Tips

This evening sees the second leg ties of the Second Qualifying Round for the 2010/2011 Europa League tournament. Who will progress to the third, and final, qualifying round? Soccer Betting Tip searches for some value bets here.

At the halfway stage of the tie Motherwell hold the advantage after winning 1-0 last week in Scotland. Can they hold that advantage and progress as they travel to Iceland this Thursday evening? The 23/20 favourites to win the match in normal time, with Breidablik available at odds of 17/10 and the draw can be backed at 12/5.

The first game at Fir Park saw a competitive game with plenty of chances for both sides, however it was the more clinical professional side from the SPL that took the win through a 63rd minute goal. However, the Icelandic side had their share of chances and on another night they could come away with an away goal or two. Can they overturn the deficit and progress to their final qualifying round to face Aalesunds FK of Norway in their first appearance in European football?

I see this as another exciting game and I feel that Motherwell will take the win and progress to the next round. However Breidablik will not make it easy and I see both sides scoring in this game. Back Motherwell to win @ 23/20.

After the first leg of this tie the Israeli side hold the advantage after scoring the away goal in a 1-1 draw in Dublin last week. They are favourites to take win this second leg match at odds of 4/9, with Shamrock Rovers available at odds of 5/1 and the draw can be backed at 11/4.

Bnei Yehuda began the stronger of the two sides in the first leg and took a deserved 26th minute lead. However, Rovers got back into the game in the second half and they scored in injury time at the end of the game to keep themselves in the tie. Can they go on to upset the odds and book a place in the third qualifying round against European football giants Juventus?

I see this match going the way of the first game and ending up in extra time. As a result of this, my money is on the draw @ 3/1 and both sides to score @ evens.

The winner of this match will get a massive money-spinning adventure in the next round against Liverpool. Rabotnicki lead the tie 1-0 after winning at home last week, now can they finish the job?

FC Mika are 5/4 favourites to win this game, with Rabotnicki available at 9/5 and the draw can be backed at 11/5. However, Rabotnicki managed to win the first leg tie despite being down to ten men for almost an hour. Should the Macedonian side play like this again then at odds of 9/5 they will be an excellent bet. However, MIKA kept the score down despite being away from home and they know they will have to score to stand any chance of going through and they will come out firing. As a result I expect a high scoring game but I expect Rabotnicki to claim the victory.

As a result of this, my money is on FK Rabotnicki to win at odds of 9/5 and over 2.5 goals.

Motherwell to beat Breidablik @ 23/20

Both Motherwell and Breidablik to score @ 5/6

Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv v Shamrock Rovers to end as a draw @ 3/1

Both Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv and Shamrock Rovers to score @ evens

FK Rabotnicki to beat FC MIKA Ashtarak @ 9/5

Over 2.5 goals in the FK Rabotnicki v FC MIKA Ashtarak game @ evens

Check more picks at Soccer Betting Tip.