Football Betting
Premier League Betting
After the international break the hurly-burly of domestic football returns this weekend in two intriguing Liverpool versus Manchester match-ups.
Much has been made of Liverpool’s recent form with only an ill-deserved penalty rescuing the Reds from yet another embarrassing defeat against Birmingham City last time out. Rafa Benitez’s side host Manchester City on Saturday who have stumbled in recent weeks after a promising start. Even though their form is ‘awful’ (so says Glen Johnson) they should be able to do enough to beat City at 4/5.
In the other North West derby, Everton travel to Old Trafford to face a Manchester United side still raging against their unfortunate defeat at Chelsea last time out. Everton haven’t hit the heights of their last couple of seasons so far this season but with United failing to fire on all cylinders either it might be a closer match than some expect.
Bolton Wanderers host a third North West derby on Sunday lunchtime as they face Blackburn Rovers at the Reebok Stadium. This is hardly likely to be an open game full of attacking panache and be prepared for ninety minutes of gutsy, full-throttle attrition. I’d be tempted by the 2/1 on a Rovers win.
In one of the least glamorous pieces of TV scheduling possible, the main Sunday afternoon fare comes from the Britannia Stadium as Stoke City take on rock-bottom Portsmouth. Pompey have improved slightly of late but Stoke have an excellent home record and look terrific value at evens.
Premier League betting
Championship Betting
Much has been made of Ipswich Town’s disappointing start to the Championship season with the Suffolk team languishing in 23rd place in the table. However, Roy Keane’s team have only lost six of their sixteen league games to date, the same number as high flying Middlesbrough. The Tractor Boys are only a couple of wins away from the security of mid-table which is where Sheffield Wednesday sit after a solid, if unspectacular, start to the season.
Ipswich are actually unbeaten in five games, four of which finished in 1-1 draws. The Owls’ form is up and down and so at evens I’d side with the home team to give the Portman Road faithful something to cheer.
Championship Betting
SPL Betting
It’s been an interesting season in the Scottish Premier so far as neither Celtic nor Rangers have been able to put together anything approaching a run of form. Tony Mowbray’s side have been particularly frustrating, never more so than their crazy 3-3 draw at Falkirk last time out having been both 1-0 and 3-2 in front.
The league leaders travel to Dundee United in Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off and a win for the home side would take them to within two points of Celtic at the top of the table with a game in hand. Good away wins at Aberdeen and Kilmarnock in recent matches have carried the Terrors into a European place and they look great value at 7/2 to see off a misfiring Celtic side.
Scottish Premier Betting
FAI Cup Final
Less than two years into their existence, Sporting Fingal are looking forward to their first Cup Final this weekend as the first division side take on Sligo Rovers at the Tallaght stadium. Sligo Rovers have reached the final for the first time since 1994 and with not only the Cup but a Europa League qualifying place up for grabs they’ll be keen to put in a good performance.
It’s been a fairytale run for Liam Buckley’s side but with the good striking form of Matthew Blinkhorn and Rafael Cretaro, Rovers look good value at 6/5.
FAI Cup Final Betting
La Liga Betting
Despite their defeat to village team Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid sit just a point behind league leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table. Madrid have the easier of the two fixtures this weekend as they host a Racing Santander side sitting just outside the relegation places. I can’t see anything other than a Madrid win, even at 1/5.
Barcelona travel to the San Mames to face at Athletic Bilbao side who have won their last two games and sit comfortably in mid-table. Bilbao isn’t the easiest ground on which to get a result and with key Barca defender Eric Abidal likely to miss the game it might be worth a small investment on the home side at a standout 5/1.
La Liga Betting
