Atletico Madrid can lock up Champions League spot

Soccer Betting Lines

05/09/2008 - Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid hopes to secure a spot in the Champions League on Sunday against Deportivo. But while that's Atletico's main goal, Barcelona is also just three points away in third place.

Atletico Madrid beat Espanyol on Thursday, 2-0, and can secure at least fourth in the Spanish La Liga and a Champions League berth against Deportivo.

Atletico only needs a tie and a loss by Sevilla and a loss or tie by Racing to wrap up the spot during Sunday's full schedule in La Liga.

"The locker room knows that our aspiration pass through Sundays game against Deportivo," Atletico defender Luis Amaranto Perea said. "We have to play with seriousness and be focused to get the three points and reach our goal."

Three points would put Atletico in good shape to maintain at least fourth even if Sevilla and Racing win this week.

Atletico, which is led by Sergio Aguero's 18 goals, can also keep the pressure on Barcelona with a victory. Barca was defeated by Real Madrid, 4-1, this week and is just three points ahead in third.

Deportivo still has a slim chance of qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Deportivo is four points behind Racing for the final berth in that competition.

Barcelona, which fired coach Frank Rijkaard on Thursday, hosts Mallorca, which is seventh and still in the hunt for a UEFA Cup berth. Mallorca trails Racing by three points for the final European berth.

Fifth-place Sevilla is still trying to move up to play in the Champions League and also trying to hold off clubs below it to maintain a spot in the UEFA Cup. Sevilla visits Real Betis, which can still mathematically be relegated.

Racing visits Athletic Bilbao trying to maintain its hold on sixth place while still keeping an eye on a Champions League berth.

Five other games involve teams still in the relegation battle.

Real Valladolid hosts Getafe in the lone game involving two clubs in danger of being relegated. Valladolid is three points clear and Getafe is six points out of danger.

Osasuna is one point off the drop zone and hosts Real Murcia, which is already buried in the drop zone.

Recreativo, which is even on points with Osasuna, is currently 18th and in the last relegation spot with a trip to Almeria on tap.

Valencia visits last-place Levante still trying to secure its spot in La Liga. Valencia is five points clear and can secure survival with a win.

Real Zaragoza, which is one point out of the drop zone, has the toughest task when it hosts newly-crowned champions Real Madrid.

In the only match with no impact on European berths or relegation, Villarreal hosts Espanyol.

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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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