Struggling Stuttgart, Nurnberg need a win

Soccer Betting Lines

11/02/2007 - Nuremberg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending Bundesliga champion Stuttgart and reigning league cup champion Nurnberg - which have combined to lose nearly as many games this season as the clubs did all of last year - play Saturday in a key league match for both clubs.

Stuttgart is the most disappointing club in the league this season, losing six of its first 11 matches to sit 12th in the standings with just 13 points.

Nurnberg, which finished sixth in the league last season, has also dropped six games through 11 matches, but is even worse shape with just nine points and is 15th in the league.

The teams lost just 13 matches combined all of last season.

Stuttgart (4-6-1) visits Nurnberg (2-6-3) on Saturday in a match featuring two clubs in desperate need of a victory.

"After their cup success," Stuttgart coach Armin Veh said, "Nuremberg have had similar problems to us in the league."

Stuttgart did gain a little momentum with a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen last week, snapping a three-game losing streak where it was outscored 8-2. But then VfB needed an overtime winner from Mario Gomez to edge Paderborn in the league cup on Wednesday.

"Of course a win like that (against Bayer) boosts a sides confidence, but in saying that, we thought the same thing when we beat Frankfurt 5-1," Nurnberg manager Hans Meyer said.

Nurnberg followed that impressive win with a 3-1 loss to Wolfsburg last week, a match Meyer said "we deserved to lose." Nurnberg added a loss to Carl Zeiss Jena in penalty kicks on Thursday in the league cup.

Although Stuttgart may have a little more momentum, it has yet to win (0-5) on the road this season in league play. It's a stat Meyer is aware of, but isn't very concerned with.

"Lets imagine all these statistics have absolutely no baring on the game. If we win, I'll tell you that it was clear to me that VfB would lose, if we are beaten then I'll have something to worry about ...," Meyer said.

Stuttgart will also not have Mexican defenders Pavel Pardo and Ricardo Osorio, who were given time off by Veh.

"Both have played over two years straight through without a break," Veh said, "so I've given them three days off."

Stuttgart is also without Roberto Hilbert, who tore a ligament in his ankle in last weekend's win over Bayer. He's expected to miss two-to-three weeks.

Nurnberg is also decimated by injuries and will not have Robert Vittek, Javier Pinola and Angelos Charisteas this weekend.

Nurnberg has gotten the better of Stuttgart recently, winning both matches in league play last season and a third meeting the league cup final. Nurnberg won those three games by a combined score of 10-3, including 3-0 and 4-1 victories during league play.

Of the two clubs, Nurnberg is more in need of a victory or it could be in one of the three relegation spots by the end of the weekend. Bochum and Duisburg each have nine points as well, but Nurnberg currently holds the tiebreaker.

Also on Saturday, first-place Bayern Munich hosts Eintracht, Werder Bremen hosts Rostock, Bayer Leverkusen hosts Arminia Bielefeld, Hamburg hosts Hertha Berlin, Bochum hosts Wolfsburg and Hannover hosts Borussia Dortmund.

On Sunday, Karlsruher hosts Duisburg and Bochum hosts Wolfsburg.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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