Liverpool have been looking for a new manager following their sacking of club legend Kenny Dalglish last week. The Scot led his side to Carling Cup success and they reached the FA Cup final in which they were narrowly beaten by Chelsea. But a poor league position appears to have cost him his job.

Latics’ chairman Dave Whelan reluctantly granted permission for the Merseysiders to talk with the Spaniard who once again kept the club in the Premier League following a dramatic up-turn in fortunes in the final third of the season which included victories over Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Martinez is now the bookmakers’ favourite to take the job at 7/4 (William Hill) at time of writing.

Reds’ owner John Henry seems to have drawn up the longest ever shortlist for a vacant post in football history. The number of names who have been touted for the job and for whom they have believed to have contacted for discussions is incredibly long.

It appeared open for a number of possible targets, including former Chelsea and Porto boss Andre Vilas-Boas who was believed to have met with FSG in the States. Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers and Ajax head coach Frank de Boer both turned down the opportunity to talk with the Liverpool ownership and now Martinez looks like the firm favourite for the role.

Champions League Final

Allianz Arena, Munich. Kick off: 7.45pm

Much has been made of the players that sit out the final due to injuries and suspensions. Arguably Chelsea will suffer the most, especially at the back with Terry and Ivanovic, however it’s not as if they’re not short of international replacements. That said, there’s still a doubt over Cahill and Luiz fitness so who know who’ll end up in the Blues back four.

Even at full strength the Chelsea fans would be worried about the prospect of facing the likes of Ribery, Robben and Gomez, all of whom offer a tremendous threat going forward.  Gomes will be the one one to watch. He’s scored an impressive 42 goals in 51 appearances for club and country this term and first bet for tonight will be on him to score during the 90 mins at 13/10 with Paddy Power.

Bayern at 8/11 (Paddy Power) look far too short for me. Yes I think they’re the better side and yes I get the whole home advantage thing. But Chelsea have proven that they can mix it up with the best of them. They rode their luck in Spain and nullified Barca, whilst also proving to be a danger on the break – a similar combination makes 4/1 (Ladbrokes, William Hill) look on the large side. If you’re looking for value you’ll be on the Blues.

I’ll be on both teams to score. In losing the German Cup 5-2 to Dortmund, Bayern showed a defensive vulnerability. Attacking full-backs can leave them exposed at times and Chelsea can score. Bayern have enough attackers on show to grab at least one too. Both teams to score is generously priced at 10/11 with William Hill.

12 of the last 13 Champions League Finals have seen a goal scored in the first half. A repeat is 2/5 on the Half Time Over 0.5 market with Bet365.

Personally I think we’ll see the game stretch in the 2nd half and so have an eye on the total goals minutes. Best bet appears to be Bodog’s 20/23 on the cumulative minutes of goals scored being over 128.

Selectabet’s Best Bets

• Gomez to score anytime 13/10
• Both teams to score 10/11 William Hill
• Total Goals Minutes over 128 20/23 Bodog

Scottish Cup Final

Kick off Saturday 3pm

Everyone and their granny knows it’s been 110 years since Hibs last won the Scottish Cup. In fact even their great-granny can’t remember it – it’s been so long.

Billed as the biggest Edinburgh derby ever this really could go either way despite Hearts being clear favourites at 11/10 (Paddy Power). The Hibees are best priced 3/1 (Bet Victor) whilst it’s 12/5 (Boylesports) that it finishes all-square after 90 minutes.

Trying to predict the winner in any final is always tricky, when it’s a derby it’s nigh on impossible. If push came to shove though I’d have to side the the Jambos. Their recent record against Hibs will give them huge confidence going into the game and ultimately they are the better side. For Hibs to win they’d need to seriously up their game – not unheard of in a cup final but you get a feeling the star will need to align for the old trophy to find itself over to Leith this evening.

I’ll be looking elsewhere for a bet on the game.

Although I think there will be goals in the game I think it’ll be a slow-burner. Cup finals can often be cagey affairs and no player will want to risk anything early on. It could lead to both sides canceling each other out early on. Coral go 1/1 that the first goal will come on 28 minutes or more and that looks a decent bet on a game where value is hard to find.

With that in mind an interest in more goals being scored in the second half could also be the way to go at 6/5 (Coral).

I expect Hearts will enjoy the greater possession and with Hibs lining up with a narrow, compact midfield, without too much width it could also pay to side with the Jambos on the corners market. Take 11/8 at Stan James that Hearts (-1) win 2 corners more than Hibs

Selectabet’s Best Bets

• First goal time 28+ mins 1/1 (Coral)
• Hearts -1 on Corners Handicap 11/8 (Stan James)

Tuesday evening sees the two Merseyside clubs in action with Liverpool hosting Fulham while Everton travel to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke City.

The Reds are likely to field a weakened side with the FA Cup final just four days away. It could be a much changed line-up from that which took to the field against Norwich at the weekend, so expect the big guns such as Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard not to feature.

That on top of Liverpool’s suspect home form this season gives Martin Jol’s Fulham team more hope going into this fixture. The Cottagers don’t have a great away record though, and particularly on Merseyside.

They were on the wrong end of a 4-0 hammering on the other side of Stanley Park at Goodison Park just last Saturday and in 41 top-flight league visits to both Liverpool and Everton, they are yet to claim a three-point return.

If you’re a believer in former players haunting their old clubs, John-Arne Riise and Danny Murphy both return to Anfield and are big-priced outsiders to get on the scoresheet.

You’d think that Liverpool should win this one, despite resting a few players. But I can see their rather stuttering home form continuing and Fulham taking a point back to Craven Cottage at 5/2 (Coral).

Everton go into their fixture at Stoke in good fettle. That 4-0 drubbing of Fulham at the weekend is a sign of how good they can be, and Nikica Jelavic is looking like a very shrewd signing by David Moyes as he continues to find the net on a regular basis.

Stoke achieved a good point at home to Arsenal last weekend. They lie in a lowly 14th position in the table, mainly down to a lack of goal power. The infamous Rory Delap throw-ins haven’t produced as many goals as they have in the past, but they will surely be one of the main areas which Stoke will be looking to exploit this evening. And with that in mind, defenders Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross are always worth a little look in the goalscoring markets.

Everton are in very good form but the Britannia Stadium isn’t an easy place to visit, despite Stoke’s lowly league standing this season. I predict a draw again in this one at 9/4 (Coral).

On Wednesday evening, Chelsea host Newcastle while Tottenham travel to Bolton.

To a lot of people’s surprise this season, Alan Pardew’s men are still battling for Champions League qualification. Their 4-0 drubbing at Wigan didn’t help their case, but a win against a rival would do them no harm whatsoever.

That qualification could well be reliant on Chelsea failing to beat Bayern Munich in this season’s Champions League final, but the Geordies will be hoping to put the pressure on the Londoners as they hope to claim fourth place.

Games are coming thick and fast for Chelsea. Three days before the FA Cup final and with the Champions League final not too far away, there is bound to be a bit of reshuffling of the pack by manager Roberto di Matteo.

Alan Pardew will be keen to get a positive response from his players after their dismal first half showing at the DW Stadium. They can still make the top 4 but you’d think they’re going to need a win in this fixture to make that dream possible, so they have to go for it.

That should make for a nice open game, and if the Toon Army play as well as they can do, then there is a very real chance that the points could be travelling back to the North East at 9/2 (Coral).

The fixture at the Reebok Stadium is important for both sides at either end of the table, with Spurs still aiming for the top 4 while Bolton are desperately fighting against the drop into the Championship.

Defeat for either team would put severe dampeners on their respective hopes so it could well be a rather tight and scrappy encounter. I don’t foresee too many goals being scored, but if there is, then Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart would be the ones most likely to do so.

I’d predict a Tottenham victory at 10/11 (Coral) but only by a small margin.

Southampton should tie up promotion to the Premier league in the early kick-off today.

Up against already relegated Coventry, the Saints should be good enough to beat the handicap and get our treble off to a winning start.

Nigel Adkins men have been very impressive at home whilst Coventry must just wish that the season was over. You won’t get rich backing them at 1/4 but 118Bet’s asian handicap odds of 1.72 (-1.5 goals) looks much more sensible.

In the Conference Luton need a point at Champions Fleetwood to assure themselves a place in the end-of-season play-offs. The Hatters won on their last visit by 3 goals to nil and with Fleetwood players possible already placing their towels on the sun loungers it could pay to side with Luton.

118Bet go 1.85 giving Luton (0/+0.5) on the Asian Handicap so their the next pick for my treble.

Finally in Scotland Dundee Utd are finishing the season like a train and hunting down Motherwell in search of a coveted Champions League place. Hearts have their foot off the gas and will solely be concentrating on their forthcoming Scottish Cup final against Edinburgh rivals Hibs.

We can squeeze a bit more value if we back United on the handicap (-0.5) at 1.99, which is the same as backing them on the 1X2 market, where they’re just 1.97

Asian Handicap Treble

• Southampton (-1.5) 1.72
• Luton (0/+0.5) 1.85
• Dundee Utd (-0.5) 1.99
• 10 pays £63.32 at 188Bet

Kieran Young previews tonight’s Champions League clash in Munich and predicts goals at either end.

Bayern will be looking to grab a lead to take to the second leg in Spain this evening but keeping out a strong Madrid side looks near enough impossible.

The Spaniards have scored 17 goals in their last 5 matches and are sure to bag an away goal tonight.

The home side are desperate to win the competition and this year has the perfect final destination – their home stadium. Both these two sides have scored in all but one of their last nine encounters.

With Bayern winning eight of their last nine home games against Madrid and Real Madrid being one of only two sides to have opened the scoring in each of their 10 Champions League games this season the match is screaming out GOALS.

Kieran’s Best Bet

• Both teams to score 8/13 (Bet365)

With his first of hopefully many (winning) tips here at Selectabet.net is Kieran Young, our newest member of the Selectabet Team, who brings us some top Both Teams To Score Tips for today’s football action.

Burnley v Coventry

With Burnley desperately searching for a win to keep their play-off hopes alive and the visitors in a relegation dog-fight this is sure to provide entertainment.

Both teams have netted in their last 5 and I predict plenty of goals at Turf Moor tomorrow.

• Best Odds: 10/11 (Coral)

West Brom v QPR

With the last three meetings between the pair at the Hawthorns producing 16 goals, and QPR looking to stave off the immediate threat of relegation while WestBrom look to secure their Premier League status, I predict a goal frenzy in the Barclays Premier League encounter.

• Best Odds 4/6 (Bet365)

Hartlepool v Chesterfield

The visitors travel to Victoria Park on the back of a 4-0 win while knowing only a win is good enough to keep their slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive.

Previous to their triumph last weekend Chesterfield had conceded 13 goals in 4 matches and the home side should capitalize on their opponents defensive woes.

• Best Odds: 5/6 (SkyBet)

Colchester v Sheff Wed

With the home side scoring in each of their last five whilst still chasing promotion it’s hard to see past them continuing to do so. Although, it will take results to favour the home side, as well as them picking up maximum points to go up, they will want to keep believing as long as possible.

Wednesday are still in the hunt for promotion so will come out all guns blazing in order to get the result needed.

• Best Odds: 10/11 (Ladbrokes)

Airdrie v Brechin

Both these Scottish Division Two sides have netted in their last five and here’s hoping the scoring form continues this weekend.

The last clash in Febuary saw the sides play out a 1-1 draw and tomorrow could have a similar outcome, even though the home side have won their last five.

• Best Odds: 4/6 (Bet365)

Accumulator

• Back all 5 team at a best price of 14/1 at Bet365

Betfred boss Fred Done said, “Even with the Derby to come, a five point lead is just too much for City, so once again I’m letting my United punters have their dough early to the tune of just over half million quid.”

Fred Done was the first ever bookmaker to pay out early back in March 1998 when Manchester United were twelve points clear of Arsenal, only for the Gunners to pip the reds by one point.

Done added, “Back in 1998, Fergie told me to never pay out early again but Sir Alex need not worry, I’ve not got it wrong this time, United are past the post for a record twentieth Premier League title.”

However, the bookmaker does believe the experience will serve City well for the future and has installed the Blues as 7/4 favourites for next season’s Premier League.

Premier League 2012 – 2013: Manchester City 7/4, Manchester United 9/4, Chelsea 9/2, Arsenal 7/1, Tottenham 12/1, Liverpool 16/1.

Man City v Blackburn

After easily disposing of Porto in the Europa League it’s back to Premier League duty for Manchester City for the first time in two weeks as they try to stay one step ahead of Manchester United.

Roberto Mancini’s side have been imperious at home and enjoy an unblemished record of 12 wins out of 12. On Saturday it’s Blackburn’s turn to try to bring that run to an end but it’s hard to see anything other than a comfortable home win at the Etihad Stadium.

City have won all but one game by two goals or more at home this term, with Arsenal being the only side to be beaten by a single goal. Opponents Blackburn have failed to keep a clean sheet all season and have lost more goals than any other team in the Premier League. The signs don’t look good for Steve Kean.

Understandably the handicap is set high and starts at (-2) which is available at 3/4 (Bet365). The split handicap of (-2/-2.5) is just over evens at 11/10 (Paddy Power), while (-2.5) is 13/10 (Victor Chandler) but means we’d need City to win by three or more to bag the cash.

I’m inclined to play this one a little safe and think 1.79 is a decent price for Man City to win by more than two with the insurance of our money back if they only manage a two-goal win.

AC Milan v Juventus

There’s a tasty encounter in Italy on Saturday night when Serie A’s top two go head to head. Just one point separates AC Milan and Juventus although Juve’s game in hand could give them a two-point advantage should they win it.

But first they need to negotiate a trip to the San Siro and I think they look best value, especially with the handicap on our side.

Arguably Antonio Conte’s side have been the best in Italy this season as they’ve yet to be beaten in the league. They’ve also won both encounters with Milan; the first a 2-0 league win in Turin then a 2-1 victory earlier in the month in Milan in the Italian Cup, so they’ve clearly got the measure of The Rossoneri.

Also in their favour is the absence of the mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic who must serve the final match of three-game ban despite his club’s best efforts to appeal the sanction handed down for a slap on Napoli’s Salvatore Aronica. The ex-Juve striker will be a sore miss as his 15 goals already this season will testify.

Juventus can be backed with half a goal start (+0.5) at 13/20 (Bet365) but I’m feeling a bit more confident and happy to take them at 3/5 (Bet365) on the (0) handicap, which effectively means your backing them Draw No Bet.

Roda JV v De Graafschap

In Holland it’s worth opposing bottom of the table De Graafschap who are away to Roda JC.

De Graafschap look doomed to return to Eerste divisie and a large part of their problems have been their form away from home and lack of goals. They’ve averaged less than a goal a game and in last week’s 4-1 loss at home to VVV they scored their first goal of 2012.

By contrast Roda have an excellent home record with eight wins from 11 are the highest scoring team outside the top six. In Egyptian Sanharib Malki they’ve a striker who has been in prolific form, scoring 16 in 21 for the club – his latest in last week’s 2-1 loss at Heracles.

De Graafschap have lost by two goals or more in seven of their last eight fixtures and Roda’s last four at home have seen them score 13. Games have been reasonably tight when these sides have met, although the best De Graafschap have managed in the last eight is a couple of draws so the home team look a good bet to beat the (-1.5) handicap at odds of 17/20 with Bet365.

Asian Handicap Treble

• Man City (-2.0) at 3/4 Bet365
• Juventus (0) at 3/5 Bet365
• Roda JC (-1.5) at 17/20 Bet365
• The treble pays £51.00 for £10 stake at Bet365

Manchester United travel to the Netherlands for their tie with Ajax. The Dutch side are not the force they used to be. The 1995 Champions League winners have produced many a star name, but now they seem to move on as soon as they come off the production line so the current side is not as strong as it once was.

One of the key players for the Dutch team will be young Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen who caught the eye of English onlookers in an international friendly last year. He’s their main creator but can also nick a goal as well and can be backed to score anytime at 11/2 (SkyBet).

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has chosen to rest a few players for this clash, with Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra and Dimitar Berbatov all remaining back in Manchester. Phil Jones has returned to the squad while there may be places on the bench for youngsters Paul Pogba and Zeki Fryers.

Despite them resting a few members of the first team, the Red Devils will still have a strong team out and will be difficult to beat. I fancy them to nick an away goal and take a slender lead back to Old Trafford ahead of the second leg at 17/20 (Paddy Power). A 2-1 away victory can be backed at 8/1 (Ladbrokes).

The blue side of Manchester are also involved in Thursday night football, and they travel to Portugal to face FC Porto.

Porto are a very good side and they will be very stiff opposition to Manchester City, especially at the Estadio do Dragao. They have the likes of strike duo Hulk and Kleber who give the City back four no end of problems.

City may be able to recall the Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya back into their ranks following their enforced absence at the African Cup of Nations. They will be looking to get over the disappointment of losing the final to Zambia last weekend with Ivory Coast and may be thrown straight into club action at the first opportunity.

City boss Roberto Mancini could well field a very strong side for this tie. Having been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round, they have no game to look forward to at the weekend so can go all out to try and take a good result back to the Etihad Stadium for the return next week.

Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko have all travelled and all three might be good bets for the first goal. An outside bet for that opening goal is Lucho Gonzalez of Porto. The talented midfielder has a keen eye for goal and scores some spectacular goals from outside the penalty area so City best be on their guard when he gets the ball. He’s available at 12/1 (SkyBet, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes).

Porto are strong at home and I fancy them to sneak this one, albeit with City getting an important away goal. 2-1 Porto can be backed at 10/1 (888 Sport).

There is another English club in Europa League action, we must not forget. Stoke City have one of the biggest nights in the club’s history when they host Spanish side Valencia at the Britannia Stadium on Thursday.

The Potters have done fantastically well to get to this stage of the competition in their first campaign in European football. Tony Pulis’ side is hard-working with no little talent to call upon so it should be a close tie to call.

The Britannia is a very difficult place to go, as the Premier League big-boys will vouch for, and I don’t think the La Liga side will find it easy at all. The infamous long throws and gritty determination of Stoke will cause them a lot of problems and I can definitely see the English club coming out on top after the first leg at home.

Stoke are 2/1 to win on the night (BetVictor, Paddy Power) which looks good value to money to me. With set pieces being a strong part of their game, Stoke’s big defenders are always a threat and worth a look at in the goalscorer markets. Robert Huth is 20/1 for the first goal (Totesport, Betfred) while his likely centre-back partner is a massive 40/1 (Totesport, Betfred).