Ghana kicks off Group D play against Serbia

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06/12/2010 - Pretoria, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin-Prince Boateng made headlines on the international level before ever playing for Ghana, and now the German- born midfielder is set to make more on the field at the World Cup.

Boateng, who played for Germany at the youth level, injured German captain Michael Ballack in the FA Cup final playing for Portsmouth against Chelsea. Ballack was ruled out of the World Cup. Boateng, despite being vilified, stepped up for Ghana.

The 23-year-old Boateng made his first appearance for Ghana on June 5, going into central midfield to replace the injured Sulley Muntari in a friendly against Latvia. Boateng teamed with Anthony Annan in the holding midfield roles.

With Muntari, who helped Inter Milan win the Champions League final, battling a thigh injury and Michael Essien already lost to injury, Boateng could start Sunday when his country plays Serbia in the teams' Group D opener at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

"It was his first game and he played in an unfamiliar role for him but he handled it quite well. It is the role I want to give him but for a first game with Ghana he did well," Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac said.

Although Essien was the big injury news for Ghana leading up to the World Cup, possibly playing without Muntari is another blow. Ghana will need Boateng and others to step up, or advancing past the group stage will be impossible.

"There are other young and hungry players who will be equally passionate to play," Rajevac said on Ghana's website.

Ghana advanced to the knockout stage in 2006 but lost to Brazil. Rajevac still has more World Cup veterans, including defenders John Pantsil, John Mensah and Eric Addo, and goalie Richard Kingson, to mix in with the young talent.

Serbia, one of the most underrated teams in the World Cup, will provide a huge challenge in the opener. The Serbians won Group 7 in European qualifying with one of their two losses at France and the other in a meaningless match against Lithuania when a World Cup berth was already secured.

Serbia has been impressive under manager Radomir Antic, but has never faced a three-game stretch like the one that awaits them in South Africa. But led by defenders Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, the country - which makes up part of the former Yugoslavia, and Serbia and Montenegro - could surprise.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.