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05/20/2010 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich's Hamit Altintop has sat on the bench a lot this season, going unused in more than 20 matches, but don't look for him there Saturday in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Coach Louis van Gaal left the Turkey international on the bench for the entire match 15 times during a 22-game span at one point this season.
Altintop made just start one after the winter break until late March, when he was thrust back into an important role in the Champions League.
Van Gaal used Altintop in the first game of the Champions League quarterfinals against Manchester United with Dutch winger Arjen Robben out. Altintop was on the field against Schalke a few days later as well, but went back to the bench and even went unused in the ensuing weeks.
Altintop continued to play his role on the Bundesliga and Pokal Cup champions without causing a problem, and replaced suspended winger Franck Ribery against Lyon in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Bayern, with Altintop playing a big role, won the second leg 3-0 in France to seal the series on aggregate 4-0.
With Ribery also suspended for the final, Van Gaal's obvious choice is to hand Altintop another start Saturday at the Bernabeu in Madrid at 2:45 p.m. (ET).
"Hamit has shown what he can do," Robben, who leads the club with 23 goals in all competitions, said on the team's website.
Altintop has 12 starts this season and has come off the bench 13 times, but in France a few weeks ago played his best match of the season. He assisted on one of Ivica Olic's three goals, and was involved all over the pitch.
Although Altintop has played a quieter role this season, he joked "I've always been around, even if you weren't aware of it." Although he has just one goal - in the Pokal Cup - he is a better defensive player than Ribery and can also be a weapon in the attack.
Altintop will try to compensate for Ribery's absence again, this time against a Jose-Mourinho led Inter side that disposed of defending champion Barcelona in the semifinals.
Bayern advanced to the final the hard way, losing 3-2 in the second leg of its Round of 16 series against Fiorentina and quarterfinal clash against United to advance on away goals following 4-4 aggregate draws.
Although Bayern rolled past Lyon, which knocked out Real Madrid earlier in the tournament, Inter Milan provides an even tougher challenge. With the exception of Ribery, though, Van Gaal has his first-choice lineup.
If Altintop, who played a great Euro 2008 tournament for Turkey, plays another game like he did against Lyon - he should have space to roam with Inter sure to focus on Robben - Van Gaal and Bayern won't feel Ribery's loss as much.
Bayern is searching for its fifth Champions League title, with its last win in 2001 against Valencia. Bayern also won three straight from 1974-76.
Inter also has to compensate for a banned player, with influential midfielder Thiago Motta suspended for the final. Inter is vying for its third Champions League crown, and first in 45 years. Inter won in 1964 and 1965.
Mourinho's plan to replace Motta won't be known until his squad gets onto the field, but the presence of Wesley Sneijder - who like Robben was sold by Real Madrid last summer - will go a long way again for the Italian champions.
Bayern and Inter have met four previous times in European play, with Bayern on top with two wins and a draw. The teams last played in the 2006-07 Champions League, when the teams tied the first leg 1-1 in Munich and Bayern won 2-0 in Italy in the group stage.
That was before Van Gaal and Mourinho arrived at their current clubs. Van Gaal and Mourinho have both won the Champions League before, Van Gaal with Ajax in 1995 and Mourinho with FC Porto in 2004.
Van Gaal was a mentor for Mourinho, widely regarded as one of the best coach's in the world, when he was head man at Barcelona and Mourinho was an assistant. Saturday's final will prove if the teacher is smarter than the student.
<< Zach Thomas retires as a Dolphin
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebacker Zach Thomas announced his retirement
on Thursday after signing a one-day contract with the Miami Dolphins, for whom
he played between 1996 through 2007.
Thomas left Miami after an injury-plagued 2007
<< Cards double up Marlins, earn series split
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday's two-run, go-ahead double in
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<< Webb to referee Champions League final
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Howard Webb will referee Saturday's Champions
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Webb, who has been an international referee since 2005, will be assisted by
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Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa has rejected a $28 million
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Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Benitez insists he is ready to
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Van Gaal plans to coach Bayern next season >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich head coach Louis van Gaal has
vowed to remain with the German giants next season, even if his side clinch an
historic treble by winning the Champions League final.
Van Gaal has enjoyed a dre
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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