Paul Byrne / 18 July 2009 Free Bet

This is David's younger, weaker, scrawnier brother versus Goliath. This is the equivalent of an arm wrestling match between King Kong and one of the Cheeky Girls. Like a slug taking on an eagle in a flying contest! Ok you get the message, basically what I'm trying to say is that Shamrock rovers are slightly up against it this Monday evening when the galacticos of Real Madrid roll into Tallaght Stadium.

The interest in this pre-season game has been unprecedented; with newsflashes from Sky News if a Madrid player so much as sneezed during their training sessions at the impressive Carlton House complex in Kildare. There was a certain sense of satisfaction seeing Madrid's pampered stars having to slosh their way through a rain soaked training session last Wednesday afternoon. Although in fairness, much of that satisfaction is probably generated through jealousy on my part. What I wouldn't give to be a pampered superstar. Even a plain old superstar without the pampering would do actually.

Much of the interest for this (mis)match has been generated by some guy called Ronaldo who just happens to be the most expensive player in the world. He will make his debut in Tallaght Stadium on Monday night in a game which will be shown live on Sky Sports. Time for Cristiano to start earning his €200,000+ per week in wages. I'm pretty sure the Portuguese star isn't stuck for a few quid but just in case that €200,000 a week isn't enough for him, I've had a look at a few bets that could help swell his designer pockets.

A bet that stands out like a clown at a funeral is the [2.0] offered by Betfair punters for any unquoted score. Basically this means that if Madrid score four or more, the bet is a winner. I know this is a friendly and there's a danger that the players will be going through the motions - but with Madrid's team packed full of new signings I reckon they'll be up for this and wanting to show off their skills to their new team mates. I'll be surprised if Madrid don't score four goals and to me the [2.0] represents decent value. Another factor that I believe will help Madrid is Rovers' pitch. It's a brand new pitch and is pretty much in perfect condition which will suit the passing game of Madrid. Rovers will try their utmost to stop the Madrid juggernaut but it will be like trying to eat soup with a fork and it could get embarrassing.

With Ronaldo not guaranteed to start, I wouldn't be too interested in the [4.0] available for him to score first. Instead I'll take Arjen Robben at [9.0] who looks like he'll be in the first eleven and who will be looking to impress so as to put a marker down to the manager for the forthcoming season.

Well done to Rovers for managing to attract such a huge team to Tallaght and hopefully the weather plays nice and we will see all of Madrid's stars at some stage of proceedings on Monday evening. Gary Twigg will relish facing Iker Casillas and Tallaght stadium will go buck mad if he or any of his teammates can put the ball past the Spanish international goalkeeper. Even as a Dundalk fan I wouldn't begrudge Rovers grabbing a goal on the night. But in saying that I'll be hoping for a 5-1 Madrid win with Robben to score first! Enjoy the match if you're attending or watching on telly.

Match Bets:

2 Points- Any Unquoted Score at [2.0]
0.25 Points- Robben to score first at [9.0]

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