ATP Indian Wells Betting: Ramos to make things tricky for Cilic while Murray may struggle against Donskoy

"The highest ranked player that Cilic has ever beaten at Indian Wells is Florent Serra, who was ranked number 73 when Cilic beat him here in 2011 and Ramos should have enough about his game to give the Croat a hard time again tonight.."

Back Ramos +3.5 games to beat Cilic at 2.01/1

Any Murray supporters beware! It's been an unpredictable start to proceedings at Indian Wells, so can Sean Calvert find some winners in today's second round matches?

The 2013 BNP Paribas Open continued to confound on Saturday, with no less than seven seeded casualties in the men's draw and another tough loss for my recommended bet.

David Nalbandian lost a tight one to Jerzy Janowicz and resorted to his time-honoured tradition of booting the advertising hoardings. Thankfully there wasn't a line judge sitting behind them this time, but the well-backed Nalbandian's supporters could empathise with the Argentine.

But there was a bright spot amongst the carnage, as David Ferrer's defeat to Kevin Anderson has opened the draw up nicely for my two outright recommended bets Tomas Berdych and Gilles Simon.

The latter came back from 5-1 and match points down to defeat Paulo Lorenzi yesterday, while Berdych's chances of making at least the semi-finals look good with Ferrer's loss.

So, there's plenty to play for and Andy Murray begins his Indian Wells campaign tonight against improving Russian Evgeny Donskoy, but it would be a huge surprise if he were able to push the Scot close.

That said, Murray has lost in the first round here for the last two years in a row and it's certainly not his favourite venue. His Masters 1000 form hasn't been great lately and you have to go back to Shanghai 2011 for his last Masters title.

It could be worth an interest to side with Donskoy +6.5 games on the handicap in this one, as Murray hasn't played since the Australian Open and might be rusty enough to allow the Russian enough games to cover that quite generous allowance.

But one I prefer on the handicap is for Albert Ramos to cause Marin Cilic enough problems to beat the Croatian with a 3.5 game start at around 2.01/1.

The left-handed Spaniard defeated Cilic in their only hard court meeting in Shanghai at the end of 2011 and last year he took down Richard Gasquet in this tournament, so the conditions here suit Ramos.

They don't really suit Cilic though, as his record here is poor, with just three wins at this venue in total in his career. The highest ranked player that Cilic has ever beaten at Indian Wells is Florent Serra, who was ranked number 73 when Cilic beat him here in 2011 and Ramos should have enough about his game to give the Croat a hard time again tonight.

Recommended Bet
Back Ramos +3.5 games to beat Cilic at 2.01/1

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Serie A Betting: Tricky travelling tests for Juventus and AC Milan

Italian Football / Michael Lintorn / 30 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Antonio Conte aims to become the third visiting coach to leave Parma's Stadio Tardini with three points

"Parma have lost just once in eight and none of their last six Serie A home games."

Italy's top two Juventus and AC Milan will both see potential for their rivals to slip up in midweek, with Lazio and Inter among those hoping to take advantage...

Parma v Juventus, Tuesday 19:45, Betfair Live Video, Match odds: Parma [5.7], Juventus [1.8], The Draw [3.65]

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has labelled AC Milan "super favourites" for the scudetto, yet though both this writer and the Betfair market put the holders on top at [1.98], it looks increasingly likely that this will be the Old Lady's strongest challenge since Calciopoli.

A 2-1 triumph over Udinese on Saturday saw them maintain their one-point lead and superb record against fellow contenders, but this is a fourth match in 11 days, a marathon stint for a side whose success owes plenty to only playing once a week while all their rivals have been in Europe.

Parma have lost just once in eight and none of their last six Serie A home games. They frequently prove a bogey club for the table-toppers too, winning three of their last four meetings, so have a fair chance of frustrating the unbeaten Bianconeri.

Best Bet: Lay Juventus @ [1.81]

Inter v Palermo, Wednesday 19:45, Betfair Live Video, Match odds: Inter [1.5], Palermo [8.6], The Draw [4.3]

One of the main problems during Gian Piero Gasperini's brief spell in charge of Inter was that his system didn't accommodate prize asset Wesley Sneijder, and Claudio Ranieri - for all the good that he has done - faces a similar headache.

Their recent eight-match winning streak was achieved with a 4-4-2, however Sneijder's return to full fitness led Ranieri to reintroduce him in a 4-3-1-2 at Lecce on Sunday. The experiment couldn't have backfired more, the playmaker making way at half-time in a 1-0 defeat that marked their struggling hosts' first home victory of the season.

This isn't an easy encounter in which to resolve that issue, especially as Palermo have finally found form under Bortolo Mutti, aided by seven goals in two games. The reverse fixture ended 4-3 to the Rosanero in Sicily and both sides have scored in each of their last seven clashes with one another.

Best Bet: Both teams to score @ [1.95]

Lazio v AC Milan, Wednesday 19:45, Betfair Live Video, Match odds: Lazio [3.4], AC Milan [2.4], The Draw [3.35]

This will be the second time that these two teams collide in seven days, after AC Milan knocked Lazio out of the Coppa Italia at the San Siro last Thursday.

The champions were ultimately worthy 3-1 winners but Lazio started strongly and fired first, just as they did in the opening fixture of the campaign against them in September, and ten goals in five games shows that they have enough going forward to frighten the Rossoneri.

AC Milan don't lack in that department either though, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic the best player in the world not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo right now, and with a far less stellar supporting cast too. The Swede has scored 12 in his last 11 appearances, rendering Adriano Galliani's obsession with signing Carlos Tevez all the more bewildering.

Best Bet: Back Lazio to score first @ [2.42]

Dave Farrar foresees a good weekend for aiming high in the over/under markets in Italy, spotting big prices in Inter and Palermo's games, and tells us all about the latest dance trend gripping European football......

Coppa Italia quarter-final week features three north-versus-south showdowns between top-seven sides, spread over three days. Michael Lintorn ponders each of them......

With sharp attacks and dodgy defences on display, Bolgna and Parma should produce more than three goals, says Dave Farrar. Meanwhile, a new signing can freshen up Juventus as they aim for three points on the road......

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