Punters who bet on soccer games will be keen to note that the Frenchman picked up an injury during the warm-up of Chelsea’s victory against Blackburn, going on to play 40 minutes before being replaced.

There will now be a nervous wait for the winger to discover if he will recover in time for this weekend’s trip to the Allianz Arena to take on Bayern Munich.

With four frontline players ruled out of the final through suspension, Di Matteo will be desperate to have the rest of his available players fit and ready to try and finally bring Champions League glory to Stamford Bridge.

Malouda will join Gary Cahill and David Luiz in the treatment room this week, where the Chelsea medical staff will be well aware of the importance in getting the key players back fit before this weekend’s clash in Germany.

Di Matteo admitted he was still not sure whether or not he would have his injured trio available to him against Bayern, highlighting the toll the closing stages of the season had taken on the Chelsea squad.

“We took Malouda off – precautionary – with a little problem with his hamstring,” said Di Matteo. “Hopefully he’ll recover as soon as possible.”

“Cahill and Luiz are getting better day by day. We’re going to try to push them this week in training and see how far we can take them.”

“We’ve had a very intense nine weeks here together and it’s been fantastic. And we are all looking forward to next Saturday as well,” added the Italian.

Most Soccer betting tips are tipping German side Bayern to go on and lift the trophy, with the fact they are playing at their home ground a big advantage.

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni named his 23 man squad earlier this week and 23-year old McClean was thrilled to receive a call from the Italian. The former Derry City winger tweeted: “Absolutely honoured and couldn’t be happier to have been called up to represent my country at the Euros. No better feeling.”

Having previously represented Northern Ireland at U21 level, the Londonderry man’s inclusion in the Republic of Ireland squad has not gone unnoticed by some tweeters who have posted angry responses to McClean’s earlier post. Many of the responses have now been removed but it is reported that they contained sectarian abuse and threats against the Stadium of light favourite, who holds a passport for the Irish Republic.

In response McClean has said that “to be called up to represent Ireland has always been a personal dream of mine” and that he “can’t wait to join up with the squad and start to focus on the championship.” In addition to the negative comments there has also been a tide of goodwill and numerous good luck messages have been sent to the man who made his Republic of Ireland debut against the Czech Republic in February of this year.
Trapattoni’s men are currently outsiders in the Group C Euro 2012 Betting given they have been paired with current World and European champions Spain, 2006 World Cup winners Italy and dark horses Croatia.

McClean has impressed with Sunderland this season and has notched five goals in 22 appearances since signing for the Black Cats in August 2011 for £350 000.  Given the season that he has had McClean could be one of the unexpected stars of this summer’s tournament and if he can rise above the abuse, from a minority of the Northern Ireland faithful, then he could provide much needed potency up front for the Boys in Green.

For all the latest odds, previews and betting advice for Euro 2012 head over to www.betfair.com

Rovers went into yesterday’s encounter second-bottom in the league, and needing a win to prolong their relegation agony for another week. However, the beleaguered side were sorely outplayed in the Lancashire rain.

Wigan are now safe from the drop, having masterminded a late charge up the Premier League table, racking up six wins in eight outings. Wolves, bottom, have already been relegated; the fate of QPR and Bolton remains undecided. Voice your opinion on the remaining games of the season; have a bet on football at Bet Victor.

Rovers’ relegation caps a miserable season for the 1994/5 title winners. Blackburn’s fans have been at odds with Steve Kean and Venky’s, the club’s manager and owners, respectively, for much of the current campaign.

Few supporters are likely to exonerate the two parties from blame, as the Riversiders prepare to make their debut in the Championship. Worryingly, for fans, at least, it appears that the reign of Kean and the Indian poultry giant is likely to continue for another season.

Kean has refused to step down, despite renewed calls for his head; most notably, throughout the Rovers’ match with Wigan. A flag-wearing chicken that was released onto the pitch at Ewood Park is believed to have been a protest against Venky’s.

The Mirror newspaper summed up popular opinion of Rovers’ fate, by writing: “[Venky’s] ended up turning a stable mid-table club into a laughing stock” – chiefly, by sacking Sam Allardyce, for nebulous reasons, and then allowing star players, such as Phil Jones and Chris Samba, to leave.

Blackburn now face the prospect of losing their linchpins – Junior Hoilett, Paul Robinson, Gael Givett – to Premier League contracts. Get great odds on football with www.betvictor.com.

The Merseyside outfit have been well below par in the top flight this term under manager Kenny Dalglish, with their challenge for the title really being over before it began, as they struggled to keep up with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City.

And for another campaign, the Reds will be without Champions League football next season, with a top four finish impossible for the Anfield side this term.

Granted the club have managed to secure the Carling Cup with a win at Wembley over Championship outfit Cardiff City and despite beginning the year as outsiders in the FA Cup betting, they have reached the showpiece final where they play Chelsea on Saturday.

This looks like it has been papering over the cracks given their inconsistent football scores in the league but Reina believes Liverpool have been making improvements this season, despite sitting in eighth place in the Premier League table.

He told the club’s official website: “There’s no doubt we’ve improved from last season already.

“We’ve won the Carling Cup with the possibility of a second while also qualifying for Europe.

“But before the start of the season, if someone had said we’d win the Carling Cup, reach the final of the FA Cup, as well as getting seventh, probably most people would have taken that.”

The domestic cups are all well and good but the bread and butter of the Premier League should be the priority for a club like Liverpool, who were challenging the likes of United for the title only a few seasons ago.

Surely the current season has been a step back for the former ‘Big Four’ side but there is no doubting the promise at the club and they may well push on next term.

Despite some poor touches and some below par defending, the former Liverpool striker found himself one on one with Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes in injury time, to have a chance to seal the game.
And this time, after a season of frustration for the forward, he rounded the keeper and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net to confirm Chelsea’s place in the final despite the champions league betting being against them throughout the whole tie.

Torres has shown great character to come through what has been a torrid spell and under manager Roberto Di Matteo the pressure has seemed to have been taken off the striker’s shoulders and slowly but surely he is edging towards the form that made him a constant favourite in the top scorer betting stakes.

The former Atletico Madrid star was delighted to help the Blues progress against the European champions and is now looking forward to the final.

He told Sky Sports: “I’m happy to be part of the game, to score the goal, to be in the Champions League  final.

“Obviously it’s a dream come true for all the Chelsea players, for all the Chelsea supporters who’ve come here and everyone watching the game at home.”

After his knee injury and personal problems, Woods has had to focus like never before, to try to reach the top of the mountain, and there have been glimpses lately that he is getting there.

Granted, Woods let his supporters down in the Masters, despite being a favourite in US Masters betting; he was not at all happy with his swing. He has since been practising with a new variation.

Added to that, he plays this course extremely well, having appeared five times, and been inside the top 10 on no less than four occasions, including when coming out on top five years ago.

Like Woods, Mcllroy has had a break since the Masters, and has happy memories of Quail Hollow, having gained his first ever PGA Tour victory here, two years ago. He posted a course record 62 on the final round, and he knows that a good effort here will keep him in the top echelons of the rankings.

One man who looks certain to be involved in the final two day’s play is Phil Mickelsen. He finished second to Mcllroy in 2010. He has never failed to make the cut in a number of appearances.

‘Lefty’ lines up on the back of a tied third in the Masters, in which he produced par after par to propel himself into a fancied position. His effort petered out late on, but he must go on the shortlist, as does the man in form, Hunter Mahan.

He won the World Matchplay, at the end of February, and added the Shell Houston Open to the list, a month later. If he can keep doing that, a top six place looks assured in the world rankings.

Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, and Zach Johnson all have the game to take a hand, while the locals will be cheering on Lucas Glover, who improved on his 2009 runner’s up effort to go one better, last year.

The Belgian arrived in Spain, last summer, from Chelsea. He had only recently arrived at the Blues from Racing Genk. The stopper has been sensational all season for Atletico, so much so that Courtois has found himself linked with a transfer to Real Madrid.

Atletico’s bitter rivals have reportedly targeted the Belgian international as the long-term successor to Iker Casillas. However, the 19-year old has made it clear that he is not listening to any rumours, preferring to remain at Atletico for another season, to continue his football education.

Chelsea know what an exciting prospect Courtois is, and may be keen on allowing the youngster to stay in Spain for another season. The development would be a boon to fans betting on Atletico with Betfair online.

The teenager has quickly established himself as a fan favourite, helping the club get within touching distance of winning the Europa League. He has admitted that he is loving life at the Vicente Calderon. He would be keen on staying for another 12 months, before returning to England and challenging for a place at Stamford Bridge.

“I am very happy that the fans chant my name, and I have said I would be happy to stay at Atletico for another year, but I will have to wait”, he said. “I am not 100 per cent sure what is going to happen, but I would like it to happen and I think it will.”

“Everything has been great for me here, I did not know what to expect, as I have not competed in a league like this, coming from Belgium. I really like Atletico and Spain.”

Mourinho had just watched his side beaten on penalties by the German outfit, following a tight and tense encounter at the Bernabeu, 24 hours on from Chelsea’s shock victory over Barcelona.

“I obviously want Chelsea to win; they were heroes to beat Barcelona with 10 men”, said the former Blues boss. “I’m proud of my players, and we have to be strong, but we were lacking freshness in an enormous game.”

Real enjoyed a season-defining victory at Barcelona, on Saturday, and carried that form into the early stages of the last-four tie, in Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice inside 15 minutes to hand Real a 3-2 lead on aggregate.

The home side did not hold the lead for long, though, as Arjen Robben converted from the penalty spot to restore parity, much to the reilef of fans who had picked Bayern in Betfred betting.

The second half was in sharp contrast to the first, with both sides less-inclined to take risks. The game followed a similar pattern in extra-time and the tie went to penalties.

Ronaldo and Kaka had penalties saved in the shoot out, before Sergio Ramos fired over to hand Bastian Schweinsteiger the chance to book Bayern’s place in the final. He made no mistakes, gifting Bayern a dream spot in the Munich final.

Mourinho, who was looking to win his third Champions League with a record third club, was gracious in defeat. “You have to stay balanced when you win and when you lose.

“The lads were fantastic, with an incredible mentality against a great team, against a team that, last weekend, were on holiday [Bayern rested players in the Bundesliga]. We lost, we are sad, and they are happy, but that’s football.”

Goss will be supported in his quest by an exciting looking roster, containing Brett Lancaster, Tomas Vaitkus, and Jens Keukeleire, who will all play roles in the Goss’ sprint lead-out team.

The 25-year old is highly thought of in the sport, and GreenEDGE are backing him to challenge for stage victories in the Tour de France warm-up event. Check out the Tour de France odds for more information on the riders.

While the team have admitted they won’t be challenging for the general classification, director of sport, Matt White, has revealed the team will have a good chance of picking up some stage victories.

“We’re solely focused on stage wins”, said White. “We’ve said that from the beginning. We definitely don’t have anyone for the general classification.

“Most of our riders will have a chance for individual stage wins, and Matt Goss is our leader for the sprints. The Giro is an important race for Matt Goss”, added White.

Also named in the GreenEDGE team are Svein Tuft, Jack Bobridge, Fumiyuki Beppu, Christian Meier, and Daryl Impey.

Tuft and Bobridge are expected to play key roles in the time trail sections of the event, as well as the important job of looking after Goss during the peloton.

The Three Lions striker, who has led the attack for a number of games for his country in recent outings, suffered a nasty ankle injury back in March and has since been having to watch from the sidelines, as his team struggle in the Premier League.

After Tuesday’s home defeat to Bolton left them just three points above the dropzone, many fans are starting to bet on relegation overcoming their side at the end of the season.
Relegation and a missing out on a major tournament with England yet again would cap a depressing year for the former Charlton and Ipswich man.

England meanwhile will be just as rueful. They have limited options in attack, with Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney the only real guaranteed starter when he returns from suspension for the competition in Poland and the Ukraine.

Bent would have been set to start next to the Red Devil’s frontman but that was cast into serious doubt after the 28-year-old’s injury setback.

Having undergone surgery in March, Bent has been working his way back to fitness and now the former Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland goal machine is fighting a battle against time to be fit for the upcoming Euros which kick-off in June.

Villa boss Alex McLeish has missed the striker’s services since the ankle injury but has now given hope to England fans, with the news Bent is firmly on the road to recovery, though he stresses the need for Bent to watch football live from the sidelines for a few more weeks yet.

The former Scotland and Rangers manager said: “Darren is bang on course for a full recovery and we are all very pleased about this.

“The player himself is obviously delighted and he has began to do light running which is good news.

“He will continue to work under the guidance of (Villa doctor) Dr Ian McGuinness and the medical team.”