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Football Betting
Chelsea seemed to be effortlessly dispatching everything before them until they imploded on Saturday at lowly Wigan Athletic. The Blues face Liverpool on Sunday in a match which pitches Rafa Benitez against the manager he defeated in the 2005 Champions League final.
Chelsea looked to be solid, efficient and completely in control under Carlo Ancelotti but go into Sunday’s showpiece game without first choice goalkeeper Petr Cech and injury doubts over Joe Cole and John Obi Mikel. Liverpool however have recovered from a shaky start and in Fernando Torres they boast one of the world’s top strikers. The Reds can further undermine Chelsea’s excellent start in this one.
Manchester United have strolled to the top of the Premier League almost under the radar with a series of effective if unspectacular performances. Sunderland were outplayed for large parts of their 5-2 win over Wolves and I can see them being on the receiving end of a comfortable United win on Saturday teatime.
Arsenal face Blackburn after an unusual gritty (and lucky) 1-0 win at local rivals Fulham. Rovers were fortunate to escape with three points against Villa last time out and look a shadow of the side Mark Hughes took to the top half of the league. Arsene Wenger’s men should easily win this one.
Golf Betting
It’s the Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York this weekend featuring a range of what you might politely call ‘second ranked’ golfers. There might be value to be had in 40/1 shots John Rollins and Matthew Goggin, however, and Troy Matteson has finished 41st and 26th on his last two starts here and looks a good each way shot at 66/1.
A host of big names take to the tees at St Andrews for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the 2002 and 2006 winner Padraig Harrington leads the betting. Rory McIlroy was third here in 2007 and can continue his rise to superstardom with a good showing here and Ross Fisher is available at 16/1 after his play-off defeat last year.
Robert Karlsson won the event in 2008 and assuming his injury problems are behind him should give punters a good run for their money at 33/1.
Golf Betting
Tennis Betting
The late withdrawal of Rafael Nadal has thrown the field wide open for this week’s ATP Thailand Open. The Spaniard will be out for between two and three weeks with a thigh injury and so Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Giles Simon head the seedings for this popular tournament.
Tsonga should have a reasonably effortless route to the final in Nadal’s absence with only the retiring Marat Safin and the Serbian Viktor Troicki in his half of the draw. It could well be an all French final in Bangkok with both Fabrice Santoro and Giles Simon fancied in the lower half of the draw although the big Austrian Jurgen Melzer is one to watch.
The early defeats of Venus Williams, Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova have left the Pan Pacific Open tournament wide open. The improving Maria Sharapova has a great chance of progressing to the latter stages of a tournament as she continues her return from injury and both Elena Dementieva and Caroline Wozniacki will also be hoping to profit from the top seeds demise.
Cricket Betting
Quite where England’s Champions Trophy form has come from, heaven only knows. After a mauling at the hands of Australia, one day ties against Sri Lanka and South Africa looked as daunting a task as any but Andrew Strauss’ team have come through with two terrific performances.
England could well face an eighth match in quick succession against the Australians in the knockout stages and whereas a mere ten days ago we’d have given England absolutely no chance, now – well, anything could happen.
Rugby Union Betting
Saracens are the only team to retain a 100% record in the Guinness Premiership thanks to their closer than expected win over Gloucester last time out. I predicted a London Irish win over Wasps in an entertaining encounter and that’s exactly what transpired with a great second half performance from Toby Booth’s side sealing a 28-16 win. Saracens travel to Newcastle on Sunday and I expect the away side to prevail.
After a narrow opening day defeat, London Irish have been irresistible since and can continue their excellent form with an away win at Sale this Friday. Northampton have made a promising start but Wasps should prove too strong at Adams Park and Leicester can beat Worcester.
Horse Racing Betting
The Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe is Europe’s most prestigious horse race and the world’s second richest turf racing event. Run over 2,400 metres at Longchamp the event is the pinnacle of European flat racing. Epsom Derby and 2,000 Guineas winner Sea the Stars is the odds-on favourite and faces, amongst others, six mounts from Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable including second favourite Fame and Glory.
The big racing this weekend in the UK comes from Newmarket with the Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes the feature race. This group One event is run over a mile and is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares which are three-years-old or above.
The Cambridgeshire is also this Saturday - the first half of the traditional ‘Autumn Double’. Over nine furlongs this is a great racing spectacle but notoriously tricky for punters.
