World Cup Qualifier, Tonight, 8pm, ITV1, bet here

The road to South Africa has been uncannily smooth for a side that couldn’t make it to the Euro 2008 starting line, with spread punters who got with Don Fabio’s side generally happier than those who didn’t.

They gave Croatia double trouble with a 4-1 smash and grab in Zagreb and a good old-fashioned 5-1 hiding at home as spread buyers of Three Lions’ total goals spread were left thinking ‘with games like these, who needs friendlies?’. Sporting Index’s total goals spread buyers who keep the faith for the Belarus game will feel safe in the knowledge England have averaged over three goals-a-game in Group Six. And, if that wasn’t enough for spread sellers to be cautious, then they’ll remember that two from Wayne Rooney and another from fellow Scouser Steven Gerrard helped their side breach the Belarusian goalkeeper’s net three times in Minsk. Despite neither man set to feature tonight, their deputies should be more than capable of filling their shoes. Meanwhile,

World Cup Qualifier, Saturday, 5.15pm, bet here

You may not have much luck watching England’s World Cup Qualifier on Saturday, but our friends at Sporting Index would like to help you make some money from it…

Save for last-minute injuries, Fabio Capello is expected to field a full-strength side against Ukraine, giving spread bettors and armchair fans – not to mention Croatia manager Slaven Bilic – the hope of seeing a competitive game in England’s penultimate World Cup Qualifier. Although effectively a dead-rubber for the visitors, the partisan home following will ensure a lively encounter at the 31,000-capacity Dnipro Arena, in the country’s third-largest city, Dnipropetrovsk. The newly built stadium may not have the tradition of Ukraine’s regular home, the Olympic Stadium in Kiev – which fits over 80,000 and is currently being renovated to host the 2012 European Championships final – but it is sure to provide an intimidating atmosphere for the Three Lions’ first trip to the country, and a new challenge for Sporting Index’s football spread punters.

Buyers of England’s win index spread

Chelsea/ Liverpool, Sunday, 4pm, Sky Sports 1, bet here

The phenomenal scoring rate of Premiership teams this season is great news for both armchair fans and spread punters, but an entertaining season for most of us usually means a disastrous season for the bookies: estimates suggest that punters have scooped around £7m since the start of the new campaign. Our friends at Sporting Index explain why goal spread bettors may be in for a treat when two of the league’s most prolific sides meet at Stamford bridge on Sunday…

Spread bettors may be unsure of whether Chelsea and Liverpool, will cancel each other out or pile on more misery for Sporting Index’s poor football traders when they play on Sunday. Buyers of the total goals spread may know that Liverpool have scored a staggering 22 in seven games, and a great many spread buyers will get on board in the knowledge that Torres, Kuyt, Benayoun and even Babel (after his two late strikes on Saturday) are firing on all cylinders. Buyers of any Chelsea-related

Some expert advice for the weekend’s activities from Sporting Index

In case you hadn’t noticed, all the cool kids are making their ritual viewing of Soccer Saturday a little more interesting with the help of spread betting. Our friends at Sporting Index are the go-to-guys for this money making art, and they have kindly provided previews of two of this weekend’s big clashes…

Stoke/ Manchester Utd
The Red Devils follow their derby triumph with a trip to the Britannia Stadium, where the Potters lost just four games last season. The comparisons drawn between Stoke’s home and Burnley’s Turf Moor are extremely welcome to sellers of United’s win index spread, as the Clarets, of course, defeated United there earlier in the season. Spread punters who followed the progress of Tony Pulis’s first top-flight season will remember, however, that United were one of the several clubs to leave the Britannia with three points, thanks only to a late Carlos Tevez goal. Chelsea are the only other member of the Big Four to play there so far this season and also required a last gasp winner. Buyers of the time of the last match goal will hope for a similar spread make-up on Saturday.

Fulham/ Arsenal
Due to their demolition jobs on Everton, Portsmouth and Wigan

Sporting Index provide vital some statistics for the new campaign

It hardly seems like it’s been three months since we last discovered which football team was the best one at playing football, but the journey starts once again tomorrow. The Spoiler enjoys a good Premier League flutter, and we’re particularly fond of the fine art of spread betting. Therefore, we’ve enlisted the help of the experts at Sporting Index, who have kindly provided a spread betting preview for three of this weekend’s opening fixtures…

Manchester Utd/ Birmingham
This season could be extra special for the Red Devils as they attempt to become the first club to win four Championships in a row, so Sir Alex will be glad of his team’s formidable record against Birmingham. Since 2002/03 the sides have met on five occasions at Old Trafford in the Premier League, and Fergie’s side have claimed all 15 points. Spread bettors who like to bet on the match supremacy spreads will be interested to know that in those five fixtures, United have not conceded a single goal and averaged 2.3 goals per game.

Tottenham/ Liverpool
Having ran United so close last season, Liverpool will be champing at the bit to go one better this season. Other than a home victory in the league and a repeat in the Carling Cup last season, Tottenham have a poor recent record against Liverpool. They have only won once in the league at White Hart Lane in the last five seasons,

They may sell a lot of shirts, but they won’t win La Liga next term

Kaka would later regret swapping iPods with Ronaldo

Real Madrid may have smashed the world transfer record twice this month in a bid to field another generation of Galacticos, but their vulgar spending spree hasn’t upset Barcelona’s chances of winning La Liga, according to the bookies.

Girly-named Barca president Joan Laporta taunted their closest rivals last week by claiming to be “trebly calm” and the bookmakers agree that there is no need for the reigning champions to get flustered.

Paddy Power price Barcelona as 4/5 favourites to retain the title next season, with Real Madrid not too far behind on 5/4. La Liga trends support those odds: Barcelona haven’t had a single season of isolated domestic success since Terry Venables was in charge in 1984-85, while just one of Real Madrid’s last 19 titles

Chelsea/Everton, Saturday 3pm, ITV1, £25 no loss Bet

The Big Four enjoyed a twelve year period of uninterrupted FA Cup dominance until last season, when Portsmouth gatecrashed the party. This year, the responsibility of ensuring the oldest football cup in the world stays out of the hands of the Premier League’s elite.

Check out the Big Match Wizard we have produced with Betfair to find out about Ashley Cole’s unprecedented FA Cup success, Chelsea’s superb defensive record when Alex plays, Louis Saha’s habit of scoring against the Blues and shitloads loads more vital betting statistics.

The numbers have persuaded us to back Everton to win 1-0 with Saha grabbing the winner - take a look now and decide if we are being a little bold.

Barcelona/Manchester Utd, 7.45pm, ITV1, £25 no loss Bet

In celebration of tonight’s clash between the winners of the two best leagues in Europe, we’ve teamed up with Betfair to produce a Big Match Interactive Wizard. Check it out and you will discover no fewer than 68 vital statistics about the game, all of which can help you make an informed decision before betting.