The bookies currently fancy Big Phil’s men over Man Utd

Fancy a bet on the title race? Get the best odds and a free £25 with Betfair

The Blues are currently 7/4 to win it - bet here

If his four goal haul against AC Milan is anything to go by, poor Nicolas Anelka has recovered admirably from the heartache of missing the decisive penalty in the Champions League final shootout. But with Shevchenko still not delivering, Drogba out injured and no sign of Samuel Eto’o or David Villa bursting through the gates of Stamford Bridge with arms wide open, it looks like Chelsea will start the season depending largely on their stroppy Frenchman. And that can never be a good thing.

Here’s why the stats boffins at chickendinner believe they won’t win the title:

» In only one of the last 22 seasons (2004-05, Jose Mourinho) has a team with a new manager won the league.

» Newcastle and Arsenal have both finished second in the Premier League in successive seasons, but neither managed to go one better and win the title in the following campaign. That spells bad news for Chelsea who have been runners up in the last two seasons.

» Only once in Premiership history has a side finished second three years running, (Arsenal, 1998 - 2001). The Gunners finished behind Manchester United in each of the three seasons.

For more betting information on the forthcoming Premier League season, the Olympics and just about any other event worth punting on, head to chickendinner

Cold, hard evidence of who will walk away with the Henry Delaunay Cup

The bookies have been frothing at the mouth about Germany, everyone always says it will be Spain’s year - even though it never is - while the World Cup was all about France and Italy. But forget all that. Using just hard stats, the boffins at chickendinner have already worked out the winner.

Drink in the facts, people. Drink them in.

The chickendinner ten step guide to Euro 2008 victory

1. Only one of the last nine winners have been a host nation - that counts out Austria and Switzerland

2. The last eight winners had all qualified for past European Championship tournaments - that counts out Poland

3. The European Championship has NEVER been retained - say goodbye to Greece

4. And Germany are the only country to have ever bounced back from losing

The best sports on the telebox tonight

After graciously falling out of this year’s Champions League, Ronaldinho-less Barca must now concentrate their energies on taking second place in La Liga from Villarreal. Tonight, they are 9/4 underdogs in their visit to runaway title contenders Real Madrid - but in the past five seasons, El clásico has been won by the away side four times, and there’s been a shedload of goals too.

Check out the best odds on the match right here.

Indian Premier League Cricket
Mumbai Indians/ Rajasthan Royals (Setanta Sports 1, 3.30pm)

La Liga
Recreativo/ Villarreal (Sky Sports 1, 7pm)
Real Madrid/ Barcelona (Sky Sports 1, 9pm)

Scottish Premier League
Rangers/ Motherwell (Setanta Sports 1, 7.45pm)

French Cup Semi-final
Lyon/ Sedan (Setanta Sports 2, 8pm)

The best sports on the telebox tonight

It looks as if Bolton and Fulham will be getting some away games at the likes of Norwich and Blackpool next year, but who will be joining the big boys next year? The Championship is to tight it makes the Prem look like a foregone conclusion (although some would argue it is already), and tonight Stoke can climb to the top of the pile. It won’t be easy though, as a Crystal Palace win will see them back in the play-off pack. The bookies fancy Stoke, and there’s some great value to be had in the half-time/full-time market - check it out here.

Championship
Stoke City/ Crystal Palace (Sky Sports 1, 7.45pm)

Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen/ Falkirk (Setanta Sports 1, 7.45pm)

The best sports on the telebox this weekend

With the FA Cup, the Miami Open finals, the Bahrain Grand Prix ATP Masters finals, Arsenal/ Liverpool and the Grand National all happening this weekend, you’re barely going to have time to enjoy the crappy weather this weekend. So schedule an appointment with your couch, but not before using the intertubes to find the best odds available on all this weekend’s sporting action.

FRIDAY

Tennis
Miami ATP Masters (Sky Sports Xtra, 6pm)

Bundesliga
MSV Duisburg/ Energie Cottbus (Setanta Sports 1, 7.30pm)

SATURDAY

Bahrain Grand Prix
Qualifying (ITV1, 12pm)

The Grand National, Saturday, 4.15pm, BBC One, bet here

When it comes to picking a winner at the Grand National, everyone has a different method - some put on blindfolds, scatter bits of paper with horses names on into a clay pot and then select at random. The handsome devils at chickendinner, however, tend to use things such as facts and logic to conjure up a winner. They’ve whittled it down to one horse, and are kind enough to share the secret with you:

» The last time a horse won with odds longer than 33/1 was in 1995 (Royal Athlete, 40/1). Eliminating all those with longer odds than 33/1, and we’re left with twenty-three horses in contention.

» The winner must have won a three-mile plus race - that counts out King John’s Castle, Royal County Star and Patsy Hall. Twenty left.

» Experts insist that the winner should be carrying between 10 and 11 stone. That eliminates Slim Pickings, Simon, Butlers Cabin, Snowy Morning, Mr Pointment, Chelsea Harbour, Hedgehunter, Lami, Vodka Bleu, Knowhere and Turko. Nine remain.

» Only six favourites have won since 1960 - that eliminates Cloudy Lane. Eight left.

Champions League, 7.45pm, ITV1, bet here

A bad day for polite society as word arrives that record immigration levels have brought the country no economic benefit. Where to stand? Put the fences up at Dover, but with exceptions for the house-cleaning and child-watching workforce? Or leave the flow unchecked - the quality of plumbing has never been higher - until the children’s places at secondary school are taken by out-of-towners, and then quietly phone the authorities? Probably best to just go back to bed.

While the politicians fret, however, Sir Alex Ferguson embarks on his own annual cultural exchange programme to Italy, including, for a select minority, a visit to a local hospital. United must be feeling that this is their year in Europe, with the last eight made up of three other English teams who currently lie beneath them, and four not particularly strong European sides, including a Barcelona in meltdown and a Roma missing Totti and Perotta. Not to mention it being the 50th anniversary of Munich. It’s Sir Alex’s for the taking. If he can just get his immigrants to do as they’re told.

The statistics

* United haven’t won on their last four visits to Italy, losing three and drawing one

The Grand National, Saturday, 4.15pm, BBC One, bet here

Monday morning - not the traditional moment for the week’s heavy lifting, but that hasn’t stopped film star and theatrical dream weaver Kevin Spacey fearlessly going for the jugular of one of the great threats to the nation’s integrity: reality television. Mr Spacey’s objection is to the BBC’s support of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Oliver” thing. “Where’s my thirteen week promotion?” he whines. “Come again?” tops the list of responses. But reality has lost its gloss: Celebrity Big Brother - appalling. The new American Idol - boring. I could go on, but an antidote is at hand: the Grand National. Forty horses, thirty fences, just jump over them and keep on running. No gimmickry, no cod

Our thanks this Monday go, as most Mondays, to the News of the World for revealing just a little more about the human condition than we were previously aware. “I always say” says a woman who has slept with a thousand men, “a slut will sleep with anyone but a tart will pick and choose.” No room for such subtle distinctions in the Premier League, where you go with everyone whether you like it or not. Manchester City and Everton are two such chilly bedfellows, not because they’ve tried before and it just didn’t work out, but because they’ve both got strong feelings for Liverpool, or rather Liverpool’s fourth place in the league. Considering what’s at stake, tonight’s game ought to be epic, as before they can get at Liverpool, they’ve got to kill each other off. And then if they do achieve the fourth place dream by season’s end, with its Champions League supercash, they can have all the fur coats and stripper heels they want.

If you want to catch this north-west cage fight on Setanta tonight, you can sign up by clicking here.

The statistics

* City have won five of their last six home meetings with Everton in the Premier League, including a 2-1 win in January last season.

* There has