Having been unlucky enough to have been drawn in the same Champions League group as the two favourites they still acquitted themselves admirably against Chelsea and Barcelona, with the Catalans having to produce their best performance of the season to dispose of them in the last round.

And any fears that they may have been unduly affected by their exit were blown away last weekend when they slaughtered Eintracht Frankfurt 6-2 away from home. Werder have been a joy to watch this season, scoring 45 goals in 16 league games before yesterday, and that attacking ability should serve them well amongst the lesser lights of the Uefa Cup. Their two closet rivals for the trophy, according to the bookies, are Spurs, currently languishing in the Premiership, and Sevilla, who are likely to be distracted by having a realistic shot at the La Liga title for the first time since 1946.

LAY TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR TO BEAT MANCHESTER CITY TODAY 3.05 Odds quoted are from Betfair Manchester City have a long and proud tradition of being infuriatingly erratic, but under Stuart Pearce they've found a slightly more settled way of being erratic, breaking it down into being rubbish away from home and unbeatable at home.

In eight games at the City of Manchester Stadium so far this season they've only conceded one goal and while Richard Dunne and Sylvain Distin remain prone to silly errors on the road, at home they are a picture of serenity and solidity.

Tottenham, in a handy counterpoint, have yet to win on their travels and have only managed to score three goals and pick up just three points away from home. With Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas out injured expect Spurs to struggle to find inspiration and backing them to fail to pick up their first away win today is a solid bet.

Where the money was. . .

ZARA PHILLIPS TO WIN THE BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 399-1 (Betfair) Many thought that Darren Clarke was such a shoo-in for this award that they were willing to take whatever odds they could get to invest on him. Zara Phillips started gradually picking up momentum though and having once been as far out as 399-1 was backed into shorter odds and claimed the prize.