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Football Betting
After the international break, the rough and tumble of domestic football returns this weekend with a cracking match in prospect on Saturday lunchtime. Aston Villa host Chelsea in the Premier League with the home side looking to keep ahead of upstarts Manchester City as the team most likely to break into the top Four.
I’ve not been that impressed with Villa so far this season and their surprise victory at Anfield was as much about Liverpool’s early season form as it was about Villa’s. I thought a draw was a fair result for Martin O’Neill’s side last time out against a talented City side and with Chelsea’s additional organisation and experience they can further dent Villa’s European ambitions at 5/6.
There aren’t many more fiercely contested local derbies than the east Lancashire clash between Blackburn Rovers and Burnley and if previous meetings are anything to go by the local constabulary may be as busy as the respective goalkeepers.
Despite their mauling at the hands of Arsenal last time out Rovers matched the Gunners for half an hour and their last home performance - an admittedly rather fortuitous victory over Aston Villa - will have given them some confidence. Burnley are not the same team on the road as they are at Turf Moor and at 4/5 Rovers should win this one.
Wigan have been somewhat enigmatic under Roberto Martinez mixing impressive wins over Aston Villa and Chelsea with defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Hull. They host Manchester City on Sunday in a match which could conceivably go any way. With a 5-0 home defeat to United and a 3-1 victory over Chelsea just three weeks apart it rather suggests that the result will depend very much on which Wigan side turn up. For value, I’d take the 4/1 that Martinez’s men replicate their Chelsea performance than back City at 7/10 in the hope that Wigan capitulate as they did against Man Utd.
Football betting
Golf Betting
It’s the third Portugal Masters this weekend and the weather looks promising for a beautiful tournament with a very strong field. Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy lead a strong European contingent at the Oceânico Victoria course with Lee Westwood, Ross Fisher and Alfred Dunhill Links victor Simon Dyson all in attendance.
Alvaro Quiros is 30/1 to retain the title he won in 2008 and after four sub 70 rounds at the Madrid Masters last week there is sure to be some ‘each way’ money at 50/1 on the Welshman, Bradley Dredge.
Golf betting
Tennis Betting
It was another good week for our tennis tips as our each-way pick Marian Cilic came up trumps at 12/1 in the China Open, beating Rafael Nadal on the way to losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.
With the end of season Masters event moving to London, Shanghai gets its own ATP event this week and despite the absence of the top two seeds there is a strong field. Rafael Nadal didn’t look his normal self in the heavy defeat to Cilic last time out and with the likes of James Blake, Fernando Verdasco and recent Japan Open winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his half of the draw it will be a tough task for the Spaniard to make the final.
Novak Djokovic looked impressive in Beijing and will reclaim his world number Three spot from Andy Murray next week. These fast courts will suit the Serb and he looks the man to beat here.
Rugby Union Betting
The opening group matches in the Heineken Cup can often be cagy affairs, but there was precious little evidence of that in a spectacular opening weekend of Union action.
Pool One was blown wide open on Saturday with two unexpected results. French champions Perpignan suffered a shock 9-8 defeat at the hands of Treviso - a result which represented one of the finest in the history of Italian rugby. Then a superb match at Franklin’s Gardens saw a Shane Geraghty inspired Northampton defeat the three times Cup winners Munster 31-27.
Northampton face Perpignan on Friday evening and will be looking to replicate their terrific performance. Geraghty and second row Courtney Lawes were terrific against Munster and if the crowd can make Franklin’s Gardens a fortress then I can see the Saints recording their second win.
Our tip London Irish did us proud at the RDS Arena on Friday, defeating the reigning champions Leinster 12-9. The Irish side face a tricky away trip to Brive in Pool Six as they look to get this season’s campaign up and running, and despite the French side’s comprehensive defeat to the Scarlets in the opening round they’ll be looking not to start their first Heineken Cup campaign in eleven years with two straight defeats.
Our tip for the Cup, Clermont Auvergne, started in fine fashion with a comfortable win over Viadana. The French side travel to the Ospreys this weekend and the Welsh side will be bitterly disappointed not to have won their opening match against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. The game finished 32-32 despite the Ospreys leading for much of the match and there may be more disappointment for the Ospreys after the French team have finished with them on Sunday.
Rugby Union Betting
Horse Racing Betting
Newmarket is the focus of this Saturday’s racing with a terrific card including the Cesarewitch. First run in 1839, this race for three year olds is run over two miles and two furlongs with an unusual course layout. The race is run primarily in a straight line with just one right hand bend and holds the unusual honour of starting and finishing in a different county.
Darley Sun is the ante-post favourite at 6/1 from Swingkeel and Electrolyser.
It’s also one of Australia’s richest horse races this Saturday with the 133rd running of the Caulfield Cup at the Melbourne Racing Club. Predatory Pricer is the ante-post favourite for the mile and a half handicap although I prefer one of last year’s favourites, Master O’Reilly, at 12/1.
