MLS star Landon Donovan will join German champ Bayern Munich and be with the team until mid-March. “He (Donovan) will in any case now play for us until March 15,” Bayern manager Uli Hoeness said. Donovan is the second Los Angeles Galaxy player to move overseas in the MLS off-season as David Beckham joined AC Milan earlier this year.

Donovan led the MLS with 20 goals in 25 games for the Galaxy this past season. He is also the U.S. national team’s all-time leading scorer. Donovan has not had much success in the Bundesliga in the past. Twice previously he has tried to make it in the league with Bayer Leverkusen and failed. He never got into a match from 1999-2001. He returned in 2005 but failed to score in seven league appearances and two in the Soccer Betting Champions League.

Donovan has been practicing with Bayern for the past week or so in hopes of joining the team. “He is the exceptional player in North America, including Mexico,” Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann said, “Landon knows that Europe is where it’s at in football. And he has all the qualities to break through in Europe.” The addition of Donovan could be an important one for Bayern. “He is an excellent player with many qualities and he is only 26,” Bayern striker Miroslav Klose said. “I think that he would find himself in the Bundesliga.”

Soccer Betting Preview: Landon Donovan to join Bayern Munich

Zenit St. Petersburg shocked Bayern Munich on Thursday 4-0 to reach its first ever UEFA Cup final where they will face Rangers. Zenit routed favored Bayern 4-0, winning the aggregate 5-1. Rangers defeated Fiorentina 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the teams played to a scoreless draw.

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“Zenit really played perfect today,” Zenit goalkeeper Vaycheslav Malafeev said. “We capitalized on the chances we had.” Bayern was expected to win, especially with forward Luca Toni returning from suspension but he missed a chance in the third minute to score and that seemed to give Zenit confidence. Just a minute later Pavel Pogrebnyak gave Zenit the lead with a free kick. Toni missed another scoring chance in the first half and Zenit doubled their lead in the 39th minute when midfielder Konstantin Zyryanov scored. Victor Fayzulin scored early in the second half for Zenit while Pogrebnyak got his second in the 73rd minute. “Zenit definitely will be the favorite in the final,” Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. “The team that beats Bayern 4-0 could not be anything but the favorite.” It may not be that simple for Zenit in the final because leading scorer Pogrebnyak will be suspended after he was called for a foul in the 76th minute.

Read more on Zenit and Rangers Advance to UEFA Cup Final

Bayern Munich will try and get a road win at Zenit St. Petersburg in the second leg of the Soccer Betting UEFA Cup semifinals on Thursday. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw last week in the first leg and Zenit would seem to have the edge playing at home but that is not the way the oddsmakers see it or how Bayern sees it. They are very confident of getting the road win. The other semifinal has Fiorentina hosting Rangers.

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Bayern is having a great year already having won its national cup and ready to clinch the German League title. Bayern is very confident they will win at Zenit on Thursday. “I am convinced that we’ll make it,” defender Martin Demichelis said. “They couldn’t finish us off in Getafe, so what can happen now?” Bayern was missing top scorer Luca Toni in the first leg but he will be back on Thursday. “The players really want to reach the final badly,” general manager Uli Hoeness said. “We are not in a great situation as far as the result is concerned, but the morale is intact and that can be decisive.” Toni has scored 36 goals in 42 games for Bayern this season and is the top scorer in the UEFA Cup with 10 goals. “We are totally self-confident,” said striker Miroslav Klose, “We are going to Russia to win.” Bayern is a half goal favorite at SBG Global with a total of 2.5 under. The three-way line has Bayern -110, Zenit +220 and the draw +210.

Read more on Soccer Betting Preview: UEFA Cup Second Leg Semifinals on Thursday

First leg action in the Soccer Betting UEFA Cup semifinals gets underway on Thursday as Zenit St. Petersburg hosts Bayern Munich and Fiorentina hosts Rangers. Bayern has been the favorite throughout the competition and should be able to take out Zenit but it may not be easy. Bayern will be without top striker Luca Toni in the first leg as Toni has been suspended for the match for accumulating five yellow cards. Toni has scored a goal in each of Bayern’s last four games. He had both of Bayern’s goals in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final. He has 10 goals in the UEFA Cup and 35 this season in all competitions. “I know I will be the biggest fan in the stadium,” Toni said. “We know the game will be a real fight.” Bayern will also likely be without midfielder Mark van Bommel, who fractured his nose during the win over Dortmund. Bayern also has to be mindful since van Bommel, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski are all within one yellow card of suspension.

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Bayern has a 10-point lead in the Bundesliga and could clinch the league this weekend. With a win in the UEFA Cup it could be the trifecta for Bayern and send goalkeeper Oliver Kahn into retirement. It will also be nice for manager Ottmar Hitzfeld since he is going to leave and coach Switzerland next season. “If Ottmar Hitzfeld can perfect the treble in the UEFA Cup, then that is the ideal farewell gift,” Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer said.

Read more on Soccer Betting Preview: UEFA Cup Semifinals Begin Thursday

Bayern Munich won the Soccer Betting German Cup final 2-1 over Borussia Dortmund as Luca Toni scored twice. Toni scored the opener just 11 minutes in taking a cross from Franck Ribery and putting it home. Dortmund shocked everyone as they scored two minutes into stoppage time to tie it on a goal by Mladen Petric. Near the end of the first extra period, Toni took a Lukas Podolski cross-shot and turned it into his 35th goal of the season. Dortmund finished with 10 men as Jakub Blaszczykowski was sent off for a second yellow card. Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was extremely pleased with the win. “It was a great send-off here in Berlin,” he said. “We had to win it because, for me, there would be no chance to repeat it again next year. Dortmund fought well and would have deserved the win themselves, but we were the lucky winners.”

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The win in the German Cup could be just the start of things for Bayern. They are solid favorites to win the UEFA Cup. They are in the semifinals and are heavily favored to turn away Zenit St Petersburg. They also have a big 10 point lead in the Bundesliga.

Soccer News: Bayern Munich Wins German Cup Over Borussia 2-1

Bayern Munich is the favorite to win the Soccer Betting UEFA Cup and they will try and stay on track as they host Getafe in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Thursday. If they are able to win their series against Getafe they could end up playing their German rival Bayer Leverkusen. Both teams have won the UEFA Cup before as Leverkusen won it in 1988 and Bayern in 1996. Leverkusen will be playing Zenit St. Petersburg in the quarterfinals. In the other quarterfinals on Thursday, PSV Eindhoven plays at Fiorentina, while Rangers host Sporting Lisbon.

Bayern has been trying to get information about Getafe and how they play. Franck Ribery has talked to his France teammates Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry about Getafe. “They told me that Getafe is a good team with plenty of skill and that it’s difficult to play at their stadium,” Ribery said. “That’s why it’s important for us to win our home game and the best would be not to concede a goal. We’ll have to attack and press forward.” Bayern will likely be missing striker Lucas Podolski who is doubtful with an ankle injury. Getafe is not playing well in the Spanish League this season but their form in the UEFA Cup has been much better. Getafe has already defeated Benfica and AEK Athens in addition to Anderlecht and Tottenham. Getafe is also playing in the Copa del Rey final on April 16. “This locker room transmits confidence,” Getafe president Angel Torres said. “And in reality, the locker room is the key to everything.”

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Leverkusen sits in fourth place in the Bundesliga, trailing Bayern by 10 points. The team will have to deal with Zenit striker Pavel Pogrebnyak if they expect to win.

Read more on Soccer Betting Preview: UEFA Cup Quarterfinals Begin Thursday

Bayern Munich should have no trouble moving into the quarterfinals of the Soccer Betting UEFA Cup as they won 5-0 at Anderlecht on Thursday in the first leg of Round of 16 play. That should put them through easily into the next round and allow them to rest players in the second leg. Marseille also looks good after they got a 3-1 win against Zenit St. Petersburg in the first leg. Marseille got two goals from Djibril Cisse in the victory.

Bayern started early against Anderlecht as Hamil Altintop scored in the first 10 minutes. Marcin Wasilewski was sent off with a second yellow card for Anderlecht in the first half and any hopes Anderlecht had were over. Luca Toni made it 2-0 before the half. Toni will not play in the second leg for Bayern as he will be suspended but it won’t matter since Bayern has such a huge lead. Lukas Podolski scored in the 57th minute while Miroslav Klose scored 10 minutes later. Franck Ribery ended the scoring in the 86th minute.

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PSV Eindhoven won at Tottenham 1-0 as Jefferson Farfan scored the only goal in the 34th minute.

Bayern Munich Wins Big in Round of 16 UEFA Cup Play

Bayern Munich advanced to the semifinals of the Soccer Betting German Cup by beating second-division rival 1860 Munich 1-0 on Wednesday as they scored on a penalty in extra time. Bayern was already down to ten men when the penalty was called. The penalty was disputed and very controversial. Franck Ribery scored on the penalty and Bayern advanced. The replays showed that Bayern’s Miroslav Klose was brought down outside the penalty area.

It was not a pretty game but Bayern advanced. “They made life very difficult for us,” Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. Bayern had lost their top striker Luca Toni when he was sent off in the 84th minute with his second yellow card of the game. Benjamin Schwarz was sent off for Munich in the 111th minute. Bayern totally outplayed Munich and had the far better chances in the game. Tony Kroos shot high in the 36th minute and Mark van Bommel’s shot was stopped by Munich’s goalkeeper Philipp Tschauner. They also had a chance in extra time but Philipp Lahm was wide with his shot. It appeared the game was headed to a penalty shootout when Klose was brought down and the penalty called. Ribery easily put the ball in the net after a great fake. In the last couple of minutes Thorandt was sent off and Bayern finished with nine players.

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Other German Cup results had Wolfsburg winning in extra time as midfielder Marcelinho scored in to give Wolfsburg the 2-1 win over Hamburger SV. Grafite scored from a penalty kick in the 17th minute to put the home team ahead.

Read more on Football Betting Results: Bayern Munich Advances in German Cup

The second leg of UEFA Cup Round of 32 action gets underway on Thursday with Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Marseille looking to advance. Many of Europe’s top teams are trying to balance out resting players with important competitions looming or playing top players in the UEFA Cup and trying to advance.

Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 last week at Galatasaray and will look to win the second leg at home but will be without striker Dmitri Bulykin. Atletico must overcome a 1-0 deficit against Bolton and they will have to do it without winger Simao Sabrosa. Marseille is in good shape leading 3-0 but they will not have Benoit Cheyrou when they play the second leg at Spartak Moscow on Thursday.

The favorite to win the Soccer Betting UEFA Cup is Bayern Munich. They got a 2-2 draw against Aberdeen in the first leg and are heavily favored to win the return match. “If we got a result it would be historic,” Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood said. “We have to win the game or get a high-scoring draw, but we can always dream.”

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