This week on The Betting Blog
Well, Tiger has proved me well and truly wrong. It just shows what a truly great competitor he is, claiming victory at the US Open despite limping around 91 holes and clearly not playing as well as we know he can.
This week, Euro 2008 enters the knockout stages, with some attractive looking showdowns. There have been some slightly unexpected results in group games, which means some big names will be squaring up.
My two picks, Spain and Holland are both performing well, but Croatia might be worth a punt at this stage as well.
We’ll also preview the rugby at the weekend, with England’s much-changed side facing New Zealand in the second test. There are a few new names, and the bookies won’t know what to expect so there should be some opportunities for us.
Super 14 Picks Round 13
Game 78: Hurricanes v Force: Hurricanes by 14
Game 79: Bulls v Brumbies: Bulls by 8
Game 80: Highlanders v Blues: Blues by 19
Game 81: Reds v Crusaders: Crusaders by 14
Game 82: Sharks v Cheetahs: Sharks by 16
Game 83: Lions v Chiefs: Chiefs by 21
Game 84: Stormers v Waratahs: Stormers by 6
Some good games in prospect this weekend, and only the last one looks slightly contentious - go for another accumulator with Bet365 and hope Game 84 goes our way!
Guinness Premiership nears the finale
In a way, it’s a shame that Gloucester and Bath are already guaranteed a semi-final berth - their showdown this weekend would have taken on much more importance.
As it is, Wasps and Sale have it all to play for, the former taking on lowly Leeds and almost assured of a place, the latter taking on London Irish at Edgeley Park.
Harlequins and Leicester are the only other teams with an outside chance of climbing into the last four - they play each other on Saturday and will need other results to go their way.
Leicester’s defeat to Newcastle, and then Wasps bonus point victory over the same team has slightly taken the sting out of the tail of the playoff race. Gloucester, Bath, Wasps and Sale should make it, and set up a fascinating knockout finale.
The final is on 31st May at Twickenham - end of season specialists Wasps, and consistently strong Gloucester are currently joint favourites (9/4 with Paddy Power).
This week on The Betting Blog
It’s another relatively quiet week in the sports betting world, although the football and rugby premierships are coming to an end and nothing is guaranteed just yet.
The Super 14 is also reaching the knockout stages and a number of teams are still in contention. We’ll be having a look at potential winners and losers in all three leagues and keeping an eye on where the value might be for a cheeky punt.
Let us know what you are betting on this week, and if there is anything else you’d like us to preview.
Have a good week all.
Super 14 Picks Round 12
Here are my picks for this weekend’s matches. I’m slightly late posting these, but I was pretty close on the first two.
Game 71: Crusaders v Sharks: Crusaders by 7
Game 72: Reds v Blues: Blues by 8
Game 73: Cheetahs v Highlanders: Highlanders by 5
Game 74: Hurricanes v Lions: Hurricanes by 22
Game 75: Force v Chiefs: Chiefs by 9
Game 76: Bulls v Waratahs: Waratahs by 12
Game 77: Stormers v Brumbies: Stormers by 6
Heineken Cup Semi-final preview
It’s one of the biggest weekends in domestic rugby with just four teams remaining in the Heineken Cup, battling it out for a coveted place in the final.
Few would have bet against Munster and Toulouse being there or thereabouts at this stage, but very few would have backed Saracens and London Irish to be making up the quartet.
These two teams have been the ’story’ of the competition, with consistent but fairly indifferent form in the Guinness Premiership, yet stepping up their performance on Cup weekends. Saracens’ win over the Ospreys was the highlight of the competition for me, and seeing Richard Hill at the top of his game was priceless.
Hill will need another heroic performance to overcome Munster on Sunday. The Irish side come into their own in the European competition, and although the national team has been misfiring of late, Munster’s victory over Leicester was anything but unconvincing.
Munster are experts at controlling a game from start to finish, imposing their style of play on the match and not letting the other side get a sniff of dominance. It should be a fine fixture, and although Sarries can’t be written off, I’m backing Munster to reach the final.
London Irish also face a fearsome task as they entertain Toulouse at Twickenham. The French will play at a lightning fast pace, looking to set free their exciting back line. The Exiles will want to exert their control on the game, and are likely to opt for a tighter game.
The set-piece should be crucial, and if Paice and Kennedy are on song in the lineout, Geraghty and Hewat can look to play a territorial game, picking up points when they can. Unfortunately for them, Ellisalde’s side have the ability to strike from wherever they are on the pitch, and I expect them to be too much for London Irish.
Unfortunately, you won’t get great odds by backing the favourites - the best odds are currently at SportingBet - so go for a Double on two Away wins.
Super 14 Picks - Round 11
There were a couple of unexpected results last week, with the Crusaders and the Sharks both losing their first games of the season, the race for the semi-final places is definitely on.
There are still eight teams in with a chance of reaching the knockout stages, and the Stormers and the Chiefs seem to be the fastest movers up the ‘log’. The Waratahs are still in the top four thanks to consistently strong performances, whilst the Hurricanes have slipped after their defeat to the Stormers last week.
The match of the round looks to be the Waratahs v the Sharks, with the South Africans hoping to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later.
Here are my predictions for this week’s matches.
Crusaders v Blues: Crusaders by 14
Brumbies v Lions: Brumbies by 24
Chiefs v Reds: Chiefs by 15
Waratahs v Sharks: Waratahs by 7
Cheetahs v Hurricanes: Hurricanes by 14
Stormers v Highlanders: Stormers by 12
This week on The Betting Blog
It’s another Champions League week as we embark on the semi-final stages, and with three English teams in the last four once again, the interest from football punters will no doubt be high.
We have another Liverpool v Chelsea showdown to look forward to, whilst Manchester United take on Barcelona - what price an all-English final. Stand by for some special offers on both ties in the middle of the week.
The snooker World Championships continue as well, so we’ll keep an eye on any good-looking opportunities, and then at the weeken, it’s the Heineken Cup semi-finals.
With several of the big guns having already fallen, the coveted prize is up for grabs - the quarter-finals saw one or two upsets, and there could well be more this weekend.
Guinness Premiership Betting - Bath v Leicester
Last night we saw the beauty of the Money Back Special, and these special offers are always worth looking out for. I had backed Chelsea to be leading at half-time and full-time, expecting them to come out firing and lead all the way through.
I also had Frank Lampard to score at anytime - I was cursing my luck when he pulled out shortly before kick-off. However, both of these bets were made in the knowledge that Boylesports would refund my stakes if Chelsea didn’t win, so thank you Emile Heskey and thank you Boylesports!
Tonight we turn to the Guinness Premiership, where Bath host Leicester and Wasps take on Sale. It’s a crucial stage of the season with all of these teams jostling for a place in the top four.
Leicester have selected their second string for the clash with their oldest rivals at The Rec, whilst Bath are pretty much at full strength. It appears that Tigers’ coach Marcelo Llofreda is writing this one off (a fixture they would be unlikely win with a full strength side), resting the big guns for the Bristol game this weekend.
With that in mind, it’s worth taking Bath on the handicap (-9) at 10/11 with Bet365 and Ladbrokes.
Chelsea v Wigan football betting
The excitement of Augusta is all over, with outsider Trevor Immelman sporting a new green jacket - we didn’t see that one coming unfortunately!
However, I hope you all had JB Holmes on Betfair to start with, then laid him off over the weekend. He finished around 20th overall, which isn’t bad for someone valued at nearly 400/1 on Thursday.
It’s a big week in sport this week, as we approach the business end of the rugby and football seasons.
Chelsea face Wigan tonight as they try to keep up the pressure on Manchester United, whilst there are midweek rugby games for Sale, Wasps and Leicester on Tuesday night.
For tonight’s Premier League game, Boylesports are offering a Money-Back Special - if Chelsea fail to win this game, they will refund losing first/last/anytime goalscorer, correct score & half time/full time bets on this match.
I’ve gone for Chelsea to be leading at half-time and full-time, with a fairly large stake - there’s not too much risk, and if Chelsea don’t win, you’ll get your money back anyway.
If you fancy a bet with longer odds, have a look at Frank Lampard to score at anytime - he’s been on blistering form in the last few games and has a habit of delivering in important games.
It’s a generous offer, so I suggest you bite their arm off!
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