'Determined' Bayern set for Schalke clash

Soccer Betting Lines

04/24/2009 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich has not led the Bundesliga at all this season and, with six matches remaining, realize "it's all or nothing," striker Luca Toni said this week.

Bayern hosts Schalke at the Allianz Arena on Saturday - one of four home games remaining on the schedule - and hopes to pull level with first-place Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg, which has won 10 straight matches, leads the defending champions by three points. The top five in the league - Wolfsburg, Bayern, Hamburg, Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart - are separated by just six points. Schalke is 11 off the pace in sixth.

Bayern has won two straight games since an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Wolfsburg but with goal differential - and a long win streak - in the Wolves' favor, the Munich side may need to finish the season on an eight-match win streak to have any hope of repeating.

"The coach [Jurgen Klinsmann] has made it clear that it's all or nothing now," Toni said. "They [Wolfsburg] need to feel us breathing down their necks.

"There's a massive difference between first and second. If we win ... we'll all remember the season. Otherwise, we'll forget it."

Bayern has been hampered by injuries throughout the season but with last week's exit from the Champions League, it has nothing else to focus on but the league.

Striker Miroslav Klose, the team's leading scorer this season, is still out but four players - Ze Roberto, Breno, Lukas Podolski and Massimo Oddo - who missed last week's 1-0 win at Arminia Bielefeld resumed training this week.

With Toni also regaining his scoring touch, he scored the lone goal last week, Bayern is in good position to make a run at the top spot. But while aiming for the top is the true goal, dropping just a few points could ruin the season and even knock the club out of next season's Champions League.

"We've already given away too many points this season. We can't afford any more mistakes," Bayern defender Martin Demichelis said. "Every game from now on is a final."

"We can't afford to drop any more points," Bayern defender Philipp Lahm added. "We're fired up and determined to win the league again."

Demichelis admitted "Schalke are always tough, but if we pull together, we can beat them."

Schalke has been revived under new coach Mike Buskens, one of the numerous guys who are filling in for fired coach Fred Ruttens. Schalke has won three straight since Ruttens was fired, but has yet to play a team as strong as Bayern.

Still, last week's 4-0 win over relegation-threatened Energie proved the team is not going to overlook anyone, and could be a spoiler down the stretch - plus move into a Europa berth.

"You could tell from the outset that we were determined not to let Cottbus take anything away with them," Buskens said. "We played some attractive football at times and deserved to win the game."

Schalke, led by 12-goal scorer Kevin Kuranyi, hoped to have Marcelo Bordon but he has been ruled out following a setback in training. Bordon has not played since April 3.

"Marcelo's done all he could to make himself available for us at the weekend," Buskens said. " Unfortunately, he's suffered a minor setback which means he'll have to go back to individual training for the time being."

On Friday, Hertha Berlin moved into second place with a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim as Patrick Ebert scored the game's lone goal in the 40th minute.

The win leaves Hertha two points back of leaders Wolfsburg, while Hoffenheim remains in eighth.

Also Saturday, Borussia Dortmund hosts Hamburg - which will be without 17- goal scorer Mladen Petric, Stuttgart hosts Eintracht, Werder Bremen hosts Bochum, Bayer Leverkusen hosts Karlsruhe and Hannover hosts Koln.

On Sunday, Wolfsburg will try to extend its 10-game win streak and 11-match unbeaten streak when it visits relegation-threatened Energie, and Arminia Bielefeld, without 12-goal scorer Artur Wichniarek, visits Monchengladbach.

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Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

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Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

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