Today's Papers / Top Dog / 02 April 2008 / Leave a comment " class="free-bet-btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">Free Bet

Betfair's top dog sniffs around the truth behind the latest tabloid tales

Top Dog

Cruft's champion - Top stories that can dominate the news agenda
Pedigree chum - Insights that tell you something you don't know
Dog's dinner - Speculation, guesswork, or ideas that just don't come off.

Top Dog says:

It's the Ronaldo and Rooney show on the back page of all the papers this morning after Manchester United's win in Rome. He came, he soared, he conquered, says the Mirror. Top Dog liked The Sun's back page headline better, though: Cristian slays Romans! United are now as short as [3.0] to win the Champions League, as well as [1.27] to win the Premier League.

Cruft's:

The Sun - Fergie's just a joke says Avram - Signs that Sir Alex is getting to Avram Grant in the psychological warfare stakes. The Chelsea manager has branded Fergie 'a joke' for telling Chelsea to stop moaning about having to play a Thursday TV fixture on the title run-in. At odds of [6.4] Chelsea remain the only threat to a United title, but can Grant handle the pressure?

Pedigree Chum:

The Sun - Zarate dream fading - Birmingham's attempt to keep Argentine starlet Mauro Zarate faces problems because his club in Qatar don't want to sell - and are owned by the Royal family so they don't need the money either. Birmingham are [3.95] to win against old boss Steve Bruce on Saturday

Daily Express and others - Reds don't like to Rome - If you need more reasons to bet against United, they are provided by Roma boss Luciano Spalletti and reported by all the papers. He points out that while United might have sploshed his club 7-1 at Old Trafford last year they actually lost 2-1 in the first leg and their away results in general are merely average

The Sun - Nicholas Anelka interview - Ian McGarry gets a good and revealing chat with Nicholas Anelka as he goes back to Fenerbahce tonight. He's [3.35] to get a goal

Daily Star - No room for Didier at Pic-Nic - Peculiar headline, but the story from David Woods in Istanbul is a good one. He reckons Avram Grant will leave out Didier Drogba tonight to give Anelka the chance to play in his favourite forward role. Chelsea are [2.24] favourites to win in Istanbul, which might be worth laying if Grant can't sort his best team out

Daily Star - I came here to Kop top prize - Fernando Torres talks about his Champions League ambitions with Liverpool. He's [3.2] to score tonight, with Reds as long as [4] to win at The Emirates

Daily Mirror - Arsenal way is the right way - Sign of Rafa Benitez under pressure, he's talking about how Arsenal have got it right by giving their manager time to build his own style of play with his own players. 'We can not compete with Manchester United and Chelsea for spending money, so we have to progress slowly and put in place the right things for the future', he says.

Daily Express - Carew blow for O'Neill - Aston Villa's season has blown up badly and now striker John Carew will be out for two more weeks with a groin strain. Villa are worth laying at [3] a top six finish, and on current form might even struggle to beat Bolton on Saturday. They are [1.78] the home win

Daily Mail - Styles pays the price - Good news for football fans everywhere, calamity ref Rob Styles has been taken off this week's Premier League list after his dreadful penalty decision at Birmingham last week.

Dog' s dinner:

Daily Star - Jose is no mate - Danny Fullbrook claims an exclusive interview with former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, who is supposed to have blamed Jose Mourinho for his miserable spell at Chelsea. That's the complete opposite to what Kezman told the Mail's Matt Lawton in a much longer face-to-face interview yesterday. This looks to have been ripped off from a dodgy Turkish source

Today's other headlines:

The Sun - Wayne's a Rooman conqueror - Arsene: We're Gunstoppable - Bojan is Barca's boy wonder - Rafa: I'm jealous of Wenger - Arsene: I'll have no regrets - West Brom's blank look - Big Four ko has saved the Cup says Sol Campbell

Daily Express - Rocket Ron ruins Roma - Rome comforts suit Fergie - Rafa: Torres gives us edge - Grant rage at Joker Fergie - Rafa's fired by model Gunners - Dozen days that could shape the future for Wenger - Cardiff let off by misfiring Miller

Daily Star - It's Rome sweet Rome - Super Ron enjoys last laugh - Moment of truth for Weng boys - Toure's got to stop Gerro - Harry has raised Bar - Bruce to feel the Forss

Daily Mirror - He came, he soared, he conquered - Rome and dry - We are the Real deal says Anelka - Cardiff v West Brom is a final to fear - Capello will get England right if given time

Daily Mail - White hot Ronaldo - Wenger: It's my moment of truth at Arsenal - Madeira marvel is becoming Best of his generation - Rafa cool but chaos reigns - Stop Gerrard and we stop Liverpool - No joke for Grant as Fergie's jibe rattles Blues boss - Cup heroes fail to raise spirits

Tags: Champions League odds, Christiano Ronaldo, football stories, Top Dog, Wayne Rooney