(NewsUSA) - The most-anticipated match of the club soccer season approaches, as Liverpool takes on Real Madrid in the Champions League Final, May 28th at the Stade de France. Combined, these two have won the Champions League an astounding 19 times.

Liverpool currently sit as -170 favorites to hoist the trophy, while Real Madrid offer Champions League odds of +140.

Money Moving In on Madrid

La Liga champions Real Madrid proved themselves as the comeback kings of the Champions League this season. They stunningly overturned a last-minute, two-goal deficit in the second leg of the semifinal vs. Manchester City. In one of the most enthralling matches in the tournament's history, striker Karim Benzema scored the winning penalty to clinch Real's first UCL final since 2018.

Now, the 90-minute odds are gradually moving in Real Madrid's favor -- opening at +275, Real dropped in price to +250. (Another extra-time thriller is viewed as slightly less likely at +270.)

Los Blancos have one of the winningest managers in Champions League history, Carlo Ancelotti. His side have been on cruise control since clinching La Liga with four games to spare. Currently, Madrid's entire starting eleven is available for selection.

Fatigue, Injuries Cause Line Movements

Liverpool opened at -105, but have been expending energy in search of an unprecedented quadruple trophy haul. Liverpool's boisterous German manager, Jürgen Klopp, has constantly rotated his squad while juggling multiple concurrent competitions.

On the other hand, Madrid should have fresh legs, and analysts at the sports-betting website PointSpreads.com suggest that is why money backing Madrid has flooded in, moving Liverpool down to their current +105 winning odds.

Liverpool won the FA Cup final last weekend -- a penalty shootout victory over Chelsea -- but their second trophy of the season came with a cost. Leading scorer Mohamed Salah and key center back Virgil van Dijk left early with injuries.

Ballon d'Or Contenders on Both Sides

Real Madrid's Benzema, the imminent La Liga golden boot winner, will undoubtedly be on the shortlist for the prestigious Ballon d'Or. Liverpool's Salah and Sadio Mane have also played themselves into the conversation and Salah is the Premier League's joint-leading scorer. With no shortage of world class talent on display, bettors responded by taking the over.

Despite over 2? goals sitting at -135 odds, the last three Champions League finals finished with two or fewer goals. 

Reissue: June 15, 2022

(NewsUSA) - Pregnant or planning a pregnancy? It's time to think about your blood pressure, even if you've never had high blood pressure. About half of pregnancy complications, such as having a preterm baby, are related to high blood pressure. Pregnancy complications also increase your risk of heart disease later in life. But many pregnancy complications can be prevented.

You may begin your pregnancy with a healthy blood pressure of less than 120/80 mm Hg, but still develop a type of high blood pressure that occurs during or right after pregnancy. One complication is gestational hypertension, defined as blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg or greater. It typically occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy or close to delivery.

Another condition is preeclampsia, a combination of high blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy with other signs your organs aren't working well, such as high protein levels in your urine. Serious cases can lead to life-threatening seizures or coma, a condition known as eclampsia.

Here are seven ways to help keep you and your baby safe from problems related to high blood pressure.

1. Talk to your healthcare provider.

Even if you're not yet pregnant, knowing if you have high blood pressure can help determine if you're at higher risk for pregnancy-related complications. Work with your provider to make a plan for a healthy pregnancy. This includes discussing:

• What a healthy blood pressure range is for you.
• How to control or lower high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle, such as being physically active, choosing heart-healthy foods that are low in salt and sodium, and not smoking.
• Medications you are taking. If you're already on blood pressure medicine, ask if the type you take is okay to use when pregnant.
• Your family's health history. If others in your family had preeclampsia, your provider may recommend taking extra precautions.
• How other individual factors, such as your age, where you live, your race, or access to healthcare may affect your risk for pregnancy-related complications.

2. Monitor your blood pressure.

Usually, you can't feel if you have high blood pressure. As part of your regular prenatal care, your provider will check your blood pressure at each visit. If it's high, they may suggest you get a home monitor. If you need one, ask someone at your provider's office to help make sure it's working properly and that you're using it correctly. Then keep track of your numbers. Also, ask your healthcare provider when you should call if your numbers go up.

3. Know the signs of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia may not cause symptoms at first. However, you may notice some mild symptoms, such as:

• Swelling in your hands or face
• Gaining weight suddenly over one to two days
• Gaining more than two pounds a week
• Peeing less often than normal

Preeclampsia generally occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy. It can also develop after delivery, most often within 48 hours. If you have any symptoms or something doesn't feel right, it's always best to call your provider. Go to the emergency department or call 9-1-1 if you experience any of these symptoms of severe preeclampsia:

• Headache that doesn't go away or becomes worse
• Trouble breathing
• Pain on the right side, below the ribs, or in the right shoulder
• Nausea and vomiting
• Vision changes

4. Get support from friends and family.

Share signs of pregnancy complications with your family and friends. Ask them to help you monitor how you're feeling and help you get medical care. When you're talking to a health provider, these friends can make sure you describe all of your symptoms and ask all of your questions, and they can advocate for you so you get the care you need.

5. Try to manage stress.

Stress isn't good for your blood pressure. Practice turning on your body's built-in relaxation response (the opposite of the stress response). Guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing exercises are techniques that can help you relax. Moving more can help calm your mind and body, and is important for your overall heart health. Try yoga or meet up with friends for a brisk walk. Being in nature can also be very soothing for some people.

6. Stay healthy post-pregnancy.

After your pregnancy, try to keep up your self-care routines, especially for your heart health. If you had preeclampsia, you'll need to take extra care of your heart. One of the best things you can do is share the details about pregnancy complications with your healthcare providers. Tell them what happened and what treatment you received. You may need a cardiovascular screening three months after pregnancy and then annually. The screening will measure your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight. Remember -- you know your body. Identifying and modifying cardiovascular disease risks early can significantly reduce the risk for experiencing a heart attack or stroke later in life. Tell your healthcare provider if your blood pressure goes up or something doesn't feel right.

7. Learn more.

Learn more about heart health and pregnancy and find resources for tracking your blood pressure numbers at nhlbi.nih.gov/hypertension.

(NewsUSA) - Approaching age 65 can be an overwhelming time for many newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries. When can you begin to enroll? Which plans should you consider? What do you need to know?

Here's some information that can help.

You have a seven-month window called the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) to sign up for Medicare benefits, which begins three months prior to the month you'll turn 65. You are first eligible to receive Medicare coverage at the start of your birthday month. If your current benefits end once you turn 65, it's important to begin researching and comparing your Medicare options early to make sure there's no gap in your coverage.

There are several different types of Medicare plans available:

* Medicare Part A (hospital) and Medicare Part B (medical)

o Administered by the federal government, Original Medicare includes Parts A and B that provide hospital and medical coverage. For most people, Part A is free, so it's important to evaluate your options as soon as you become eligible for Medicare.

* Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage)

o Offered by Medicare-approved private insurance companies and can be considered an "all in one" alternative to Original Medicare. These plans include all the coverage provided by Medicare Part A and B, and some may include additional benefits like prescription drug coverage, routine dental, vision and hearing care, and innovative offerings such fitness programs, healthy food debit cards for those who qualify and transportation benefits to help you get to doctor's appointments.

* Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Plans)

o Original Medicare doesn't cover most prescription drugs, so you'll need to sign-up for a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) if enrolled in Original Medicare. These Part D plans are offered by Medicare-approved private insurers, like Humana.

* Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap)

o Like Medicare Advantage, these plans are offered by private insurance companies and may help pay some of the healthcare costs that Medicare Parts A and B don't, like coinsurance, copayments or deductibles.

When selecting a prescription drug plan, you'll want to make sure the medications you're currently taking are covered and compare their costs across different plans. Some plans also take steps to help save you money, like Humana for example. They suggest generic or lower-cost equivalent drugs to their members when they're available. And when it comes to costs, look beyond the monthly premium and consider the additional out-of-pocket costs. Always evaluate the full cost of the plan, including co-payments or co-insurance, and the deductible as well as which pharmacies are in network.

While the many plan options can seem overwhelming, there are resources available to help you choose Medicare coverage that best suits your needs. The Medicare Plan Finder on Medicare.gov allows you to easily compare the benefits and costs of different plans. Other resources on sites such as Humana.com include helpful information to consider in shopping for plans like Physician and Pharmacy finders to help you see if your providers are in a plan's network. While planning ahead is helpful, rest assured that, as your needs change, you can change your plan during the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Annual Enrollment Period, which goes from October 15th to December 7th each year.

Medicare-eligible individuals can visit www.Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additionally, you can learn about Humana Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans by going to www.Humana.com/Medicare, www.Humana.com/pdp or calling 1-800-213-5286 (TTY: 711) to speak with a licensed sales agent from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time, seven days a week. 

Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, PDP, and PFFS organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.

(NewsUSA) - The matchups are yet to be decided, but here are 12 facts you should know before placing your NBA Finals bets. Some of these little-known facts and figures can be the keys to placing winning bets. But keep in mind, betting lines are subject to change. Online sportsbooks such as BetUS.com update their NBA odds regularly.

* The winner of Game 1 has claimed the title in 14 of the last 20 NBA Finals.

* The home team has won Game One in 15 of the last 16 NBA Finals, excluding the 2020 championship, which was played on a neutral court. That trend could continue, so keep an eye on the NBA lines once the Finals are decided.

* The team with home-court advantage has also won the championship in 14 of the last 20 NBA Finals. Golden State will have home-court advantage no matter its opponent. Dallas would have homecourt advantage over Boston but not Miami.

* Since the NBA Finals MVP was first awarded in 1969, only two players -- Joe White (1976) and Chauncey Billups (2004) -- are among eligible players on the outside looking in at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The other 51 are either enshrined, still active or waiting to become eligible. That means the MVP will be: Steph Curry (+225), Jayson Tatum (+250), Jimmy Butler (+550) or Luka Doncic (+650).

* The East has not had consecutive titles from different teams since Detroit and Chicago won back-to-back championships in 1990 and 1991. The winner of Miami and Boston will try to end that streak after Milwaukee won last year.

* The last time a team outside the top two seeds represented the West was the 2012 Mavericks, who won the title vs. Miami as a No. 3 seed. The last time a No. 4 seed did the same? The 2008 Mavericks, who lost the championship series to Miami. Could we see a rubber match?

* The 2008 Celtics were the last No. 1 seed from the East to win a title without LeBron James on their roster. Miami has a chance to change that.

* The last three head coaches to win NBA titles -- Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Mike Budeholzer -- were all first-timers. Golden State's Steve Kerr has three titles, and Miami's Erik Spoelstra has two, while Dallas's Jason Kidd and Boston's Ime Udoka are in search of their first rings as head coaches.

* The average NBA Finals score has leveled out since skyrocketing to 236 points per game in 2017. Averages were about 217 PPG in both 2018 and 2019 before dipping to 214.5 in 2020 and sneaking back up to 221 in 2021. Keep an eye on the totals (or over/unders), as anything outside that range may give you a leg up.

* Dallas finished 6-2 in the regular season vs. the three other remaining teams. Golden State went 4-4, Boston 3-4 and Miami 2-5.

* How long will the series last? History says six games is the most likely result. Since the 1976 merger, six series have been 4-0 sweeps, 10 have ended in Game 5 and eight have finished in a do-or-die Game 7. The other 22 went six games.

* Titles have been relatively even between the two conferences. The West holds a 26-24 advantage over the last 50 championship series, and the last 10 are split evenly at 5-5.

Smart bettors read between the lines, and keeping these twelve little-known stats, facts and figures in mind when laying your NBA Finals bets this year should improve your odds of making a profit as we send this year's NBA season off to the history books.

(NewsUSA) - - The 2022-23 NFL season kicks off Thursday, Sept. 8, as a marquee matchup headlines several intriguing matchups. Here is a look at what you can expect.

Game of the Week

Buffalo Bills (+1) at Los Angeles Rams (-1)

The season kicks off September 8th in a game featuring the defending Super Bowl champions facing the current AFC favorites -- and the tightest opening point spread of Week One, with just a single point separating the teams.

The Rams will begin their title defense when they host the Bills in primetime on Thursday night. With two of the league's best arms -- Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen -- and a gauntlet of weapons, you can expect a high-scoring battle between two of the NFL's top eight scoring offenses from last year. BetUS.com has the total (or over/under) pegged at 52.5 at press time.

Top Storyline

Denver Broncos (-3.5) at Seattle Seahawks (+3.5)

The first week's most talked- about story will almost certainly be the last game of the week, when Denver's Russell Wilson meets an old friend in a familiar location.

The star quarterback will make his Broncos debut in Seattle, where he played his first 10 professional seasons before being traded in the offseason.

All of this will be on Monday Night Football, where Wilson sports a 10-3 record. It would be hard to ask for a more dramatic scene as one of the biggest revenge games of this or any season on September 12th. Denver opened as -3.5 favorites and, according to BetUS, early action on the game is favoring the Broncos despite the team is on the road 

Other AFC West Matchups

Raiders (+4) at Chargers (-4). Total: 51.5

The last time we saw the Chargers, they were being dramatically eliminated from the playoffs by the Las Vegas Raiders, 35-32, in the regular season finale. That was the fifth time in the last six meetings that the game was decided by a touchdown or less. Their opening week rematch could, yet again, have major playoff repercussions in a hotly contested division.

Chiefs (-3) at Cardinals (+3). Total: 53

Defending AFC West champ Kansas City will start its season in Arizona, the first of eight consecutive opponents for the Chiefs which had winning records last season.

Other Intriguing Games

Tampa Bay (-2.5) at Dallas (+2.5). Total: 52

For the second consecutive season, NFC favorite Tampa Bay will face Dallas in a primetime slot. The Buccaneers snuck by the Cowboys 31-29 in a thrilling battle to kick off the 2021-22 season. A similar result could be expected this time around, according to the opening odds posted by BetUS, where the Bucs opened as a 2.5-point favorite. A more appealing wager might be the over 52 points.

Pittsburgh (+7) at Cincinnati (-7). Total: 44

The Bengals start their defense of the AFC crown at home against the Steelers, who are entering a new era following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. Cincinnati has won the last three matchups by an average margin of 18, and the Steelers have managed just one, first-half touchdown in that stretch. Despite those stats, bookmakers opened the Bengals as only a 7-point favorite -- a line many bettors are sure to find tempting. 

Here is the full opening week schedule with the latest NFL lines:

Thursday, Sept. 8

Bills at Rams (-1). Total: 52.5

Sunday, Sept. 11

Ravens (-5) at Jets. Total: 45
Saints (-3.5) at Falcons. Total: 42
Patriots at Dolphins (-3). Total: 45
Browns (-4.5) at Panthers. Total: 43.5
Steelers at Bengals (-7). Total: 44.5
49ers (-7) at Bears. Total: 42
Eagles (-4) at Lions. Total: 46.5
Colts (-9) at Texans. Total: 44
Jaguars at Commanders (-3.5). Total: 44
Chiefs (-3) at Cardinals. Total: 53
Raiders at Chargers (-4). Total: 51.5
Packers (-1.5) at Vikings. Total: 49
Giants at Titans (-7). Total: 44
Buccaneers (-2.5) at Cowboys. Total: 52

Monday, Sept. 12

Broncos (-3.5) at Seahawks. Total: 41 

Lines are subject to change. Check the latest NFL Week One odds.

But what every sports fan might not know is that now is the time to find some of the best odds to bet your favorite teams to win this year's World Series. We're talking about betting futures, and they offer some of the best chances of scoring a big payday this baseball season.

The first step is finding the best value for your money, so you need to choose teams that play good baseball but still have odds that offer you, the sports bettor, a decent return should they go all the way this year. For example, there is plenty of risk but not much reward in betting the 5.5-to-1 odds on the Los Angeles Dodgers to become this year's World Series champs, according to Barry Barger, a senior betting analyst at BetUS.com, an online sportsbook that is a favorite for baseball bettors across the country. The NL West team is loaded, but also is in a division which every team is playing solid baseball.

One team that gave the Dodgers a run for their money in 2021 is the San Francisco Giants. And you can get both San Francisco and the San Diego Padres at 17-1 odds on the World Series futures market at BetUS.

The current World Series champions - the Atlanta Braves - surprised last year, yet are currently offered at generous 15-to-1 odds to do it again this year because of a sluggish start and the strong play of the New York Mets. "Remember, this is a 162-game season plus the grind of the playoffs, so intriguing betting opportunities will abound," Barger says.

Another team on the West Coast is also offering attractive odds. Currently, the Los Angeles Angels carry 21-1 odds to win the World Series at BetUS. And along with the Angels comes Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon and a ton of talent. "If the Angels stay healthy, it could make their fans a lot of money this year," according to Barger.

Meanwhile, The Tampa Bay Rays sit at 17-1 and they are off to a more than solid start. This club has had so much success in recent years, it figures to somehow, someway earn the World Series trophy for the first time.

A touch below the Rays are the Milwaukee Brewers, another squad that wins a lot of games but just not at the right time. They look enticing at 15-1.

Not far behind the Brewers in the NL Central,, but trailing them significantly on the Futures market are the St. Louis Cardinals, who are 34-1. That is a franchise with great success in the postseason and is never a surprise when it succeeds.

Another team offering potentially more excitement and bang for your betting dollar are the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are showing plenty of spark and life - and BetUS currently offers them at 34-1 to win the World Series this year.

Before placing their bets, fans should review all the current odds to win the 2022 World Series because odds often change as the season progresses.