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Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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A Good Week To Support England

Maybe these Nations League matches do mater after all. Spain and England played a proper international in the competition on Monday night and the best team won. England played a young side but were too good for their opponents in Seville. There were shades of Michael Own against Argentina in 1998 when Raheem Sterling slotted home the first goal. The other two goals from Marcus Rashford and Sterling again were works of art and Spain’s two goals in reply did not spoil the mood. After winning 3-2 in Spain and playing so well ENGLAND are now 8/1 with Coral to win Euro 2020. The semi-finals and final of the tournament are being played at Wembley Stadium, the only ground where England have won a major cup. 

The England cricket team are number one in the world rankings in the One Day format whereby both sides bat for 50 overs. A no result and win by the Duckworth-Lewis Method against Sri Lanka have consolidated their position at the top of the standings. The third of five ODI’s in Sri Lanka is played today and if it completed England should go 2-0 up in the series. Sri Lanka have lost 36 of their last 50 over matches when both innings have been over the full compliment of overs. The home side have lost four of the last five ODI’s at the stadium at which today’s match is being played. ENGLAND are with  4/11 with Paddy Power to take a two mach league in the series but bear in mind this meeting starts at 10am.    

The richest of five meetings in Britain and Ireland is the jumps fixture at Punchestown. The most lucrative race is the Irish Daily Star Chase at 4.10, a Grade 3 contest over three miles and one furlong. Three of the six runners are owned by Gigginstown House Stud but when the money is down the few big owners and trainers dominate the entries and often outcome on the track. Some of the money filters down to the grassroots but the medium sized trainer struggles to make a decent living from training jumps horses in Ireland and it’s a similar story on the Flat. ROAD TO RESPECT was fourth in the Gold Cup and that form makes the horse the nap on the meeting at 3/1 with Betfair.

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Stalemate When Ireland Host Wales 

When Wales beat Ireland 4-1 in Cardiff last month in the UEFA Nations League the best players on the pitch were the obvious candidates. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey could get a game for most international sides but they will be absent for the reverse fixture in Dublin tonight. Denmark could not score against Ireland on Saturday but the home team have found the net in the first half in just one of their last 11 internationals. Christian Eriksen did not play for Denmark against Ireland and he is their Bale counterpart as a world class player. Three of the last eight meetings between Ireland and Wales have been goalless and neither side have goals potential in the selected sides. Therefore, the best outcome to bet on in this fixture is the DRAW at 21/10 with Paddy Power.

There are eight other Nations League fixtures and 10 international friendlies tonight. It’s debatable whether there will be much difference in the level of effort and motivation in the two types of fixture. France and Germany have had huge meetings in the World Cup and European Championships. Germany lost 3-0 to another big rival in Holland at the weekend and the once untouchable manager is under pressure. Joachim Low may not survive another humiliating defeat and FRANCE should be backed at 8/11 with bet365 to win this fixture. Argentina will be without Lionel Messi when they play in BRAZIL tonight. The home team have lost twice in 29 fixtures so out the South American outfit to back at 8/13 with William Hill. 

There are two Flat meeting and two over jumps today in Britain and a jumps fixture at Punchestown in Ireland which offers most prize money. The conditions hurdle over two miles at 2.35 is the richest contest at the track. The race has only attracted four runners but none of those are bigger than 9/2 in the forecast betting. Don’t Touch It comes out on top for form and ratings but Hidden Cyclone has not run for 363 days. Stooshie is the most progressive of the quartet but EIGHT TILL LATE can translate good Flat form over hurdles and is the selection at 4/1 with Ladbrokes.   

This Weeks Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Roaring Lion Can Be The Champion

It’s Champions Day at Ascot this Saturday and the card is full of Group action in five championship races and a heritage handicap. The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 contest and offers the biggest prize. The race distance is one mile and two furlongs and colt’s and fillies aged three and older are eligible. There are weight for age and sex allowances which mean female horses aged three have a weight advantage. ROARING LION gets the age allowance and is the nap at 11/4 with Betfair.

The international break in football continues with more matches in the UEFA Nations League. England have picked up just one point from two fixtures in the competition. They lost to Spain at home and then drew 0-0 away from home against Croatia behind closed doors. England did have the chances to win and kept Luka Modric quiet but three months too late as he ran the World Cup semi-final. SPAIN should be too good for England in the reverse fixture and are 4/6 with Coral to win the match.

England play Sri Lanka away from home in the third and fourth of five One Day International this week. However, the series is a farce because it has been scheduled for during the rainy season. There was no result in the first match and England won the second ODI by 31 runs through the Duckworth-Lewis Method. It’s a big price for either of the matches to be completed with the full compliment of 50 overs for both sides. ENGLAND are 4/11 with bet365 to win the 3rd ODI.

There are some huge golf tournaments on the European Tour over the next few weeks. The HSBC Champions is a World Golf Championship event and then there are three post-season tournaments culminating in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. The Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation precedes those events this week. Vladerrama awards accuracy over distance. SERGIO GARCIA will be the favourite to win his own tournament but prices are unavailable.

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Cristiano Ronaldo is taking a break from international football because he has other things on his mind and Charlie Mulgrew is a major doubt for Scotland for their Nations League match against Portugal at Hampden Park. Portugal have shown they are not totally reliant on Ronaldo but can Scotland get by without Mulgrew? It seems ridiculous to be talking about qualification scenarios in the UEFA Nations League but three points today are more important for Scotland. However, there is no universe in which you would back the home team and their opponents are not a one man outfit. Mulgrew is Scotland’s most experienced defender so PORTUGAL must be backed to win this fixture at 19/20.

The British Masters must find a new sponsor in the next week or it could disappear from the European Tour schedule. Sky Sports are the current title backers and the most recent four renewals have been hosted by English golfers who have played in the Ryder Cup. It seems strange that an event with so much going for it cannot attract a major sponsor. Today’s fourth round throws up some betting opportunities. Lucas Bjerragaard is a player in form but MATT WALLACE has the game to beat him over 18 holes and that outcome is 10//11 with bet365.

Too Darn Hot was brilliant at Newmarket yesterday and the Dewhurst Stakes winner is now the favourite for next year’s 2,000 Guineas and Derby. The horse is owned by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and is wife and is good enough to justify a song and dance but jockey Frankie Dettori will have to compose himself for the 2019 colt’s Classics . After the Lord Mayor’s Show DOUBLE TREASURE looks overpriced at 14/1 with Ladbrokes to win the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle at Chepstow (3.25).

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Warrington Look Good With A Start 

Rugby league has it’s the day in the sun with the Grand Final between Wigan and Warrington at Old Trafford. However, there could be more rain than sun in Manchester, the city with a reputation for wet weather. In rugby league rain means difficult conditions and problems in handling the ball which points to a low scoring match. The favourite on the day has not won the Grand Final since 2010. During the regular season and Super 8s Wigan finished 2 places and nine points ahead of Warrington. Wigan had an average superior point’s difference of 4 points. You can cover two bases by backing WARRINGTON +4 at 6/5 with William Hill. 

Denmark have not conceded in seven of their last 10 matches and Ireland have won just once in six fixtures. Denmark were much too good for Ireland in the World Cup playoff match in Dublin last year and ran out 5-1 winners. They won’t have the same intensity for this Nations League match and Christian Eriksen, who scored a hat-trick in that meeting, is absent due to injury. Ireland lost 4-1 to Wales in Cardiff last month and they have just been humbled against Spain by the same score. DENMARK are the bet at 13/8 with bet365.

There are 34 declared runners in the Cesarewitch which is run over two miles and two furlongs at Newmarket today. Famously the race starts in one country and ends in another. Jumps trainers do well with predominantly National Hunt hurdlers and Willie Mullins has sent six horses from Ireland. However, Alan King who has few runners on the Flat, could have the answer with JUST IN TIME who is 20/1 with Betfair. The Dewhurst Stakes on the same card is the most prestigious race of the season for horses aged two. Too Darn Hot is a big favourite but at the relative odds ANTHNOY VAN DYCK is the horse to back at 4/1 with Ladbrokes.  

Rick’s Sports Betting: The Life Of A Sports Data Journalist – 0y Rick Elliott

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Twenty years ago the only live betting opportunities were on the winner of a match and you had to be in a betting office to place a bet. The betting environment has changed since the start of the century more than in the previous 100 years. The legalising of licensed premises was a big change in 1961 and the televising of races was significant. However, the basic fabric of betting on racing and sport was virtually unchanged for decades before the year 2000. 

Live betting has been part of that revolution and its growth seems to have no limits. Online bookmakers now provide literally thousands of live events which increase daily and it can be a minefield for the inexperienced. Possibly the most important fact to take on board is that the live television coverage is delayed by a few seconds. Therefore, it’s unwise to make your betting decisions based on the pictures on TV. The betting companies seem to react before things happen.   

Broadcasters possibly put a delay on live feeds in case there is a horrific event. The technology in use may mean the action takes a few seconds to go via satellite and appear on the screen. Betting is suspended on betting websites and a few seconds later there is a significant event. Bookmakers employ journalists to attend matches and transmit information in real time and as it happens. Companies were set up to supply bookmakers with accurate and up to date data.

If you’ve often wondered how odds can be updated for even the most obscure football matches there is an explanation. At least one data journalist goes to each match in person. He or she has a keypad and when something happens a code is entered. Betting is automatically suspended around the world when a goal is scored. The updated odds appear after a short while and the betting continues. The keypad is also used to report corners, injuries and dangerous attacks. However, a dangerous attack is defined as a team in possession in the final third. 

Betting exchanges and traditional bookmakers rely on the accuracy of the information. The latest score is updated based on the combination of numbers put into the console. If the date journalist presses the wrong button a goal can be credited to the wrong team. These errors are rare but they cause bookmakers great embarrassment and upset their customers. The data journalist must get things right and there is a zero tolerance to major errors.

The journalists who go to matches to relay information are not paid a fortune. Being paid to watch matches in person seems a great job. However, the reality is somewhat different. They have to be at a stadium an hour before the match and travel time is covered by a petrol or travel allowance. The job involves huge concentration and a mistake can be costly. There are fines on a scale depending on the severity of the incorrect information. If the journalist gets the scoring team wrong the match fee goes in the form of a fine and subsequent mistakes soon lead to dismissal. From personal experience I can say the job is more trouble than its worth.

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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So England Can Beat Croatia Tonight. Yawn! 

The last time England played Croatia it all ended in tears but the match meant something. Tonight’s meeting in Rijeka in the UEFA Nations League is not only relatively meaningless in terms of the result there will be no fans in the stadium. Due to earlier transgressions the match is being played behind closed doors. If England beat Croatia in the next 100 glorified friendlies the disappointment of losing to them in the semi-finals of the World Cup this year will remain. Ironically ENGLAND can win this fixture at 19/10 with Ladbrokes. 

This evening’s match and the last four encounter in the World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium will be like chalk and cheese in terms of intensity. Avoiding the wooden spoon in the Nations League group is at stake rather than playing in the final of the football world championships. Team selection and motivation will be key for an occasion being played in front of a few hundred officials and dignitaries. In terms of goals the scoring could go one of two ways: lots of them or very few. Croatia will be without at least four of the World Cup regulars while Gareth Southgate could blood some kids. UNDER 2.5 GOALS is 8/13 with William Hill. 

It’s the second round of the British Masters. The course at Walton Heath rewards solid iron play and is a second shot track. The epitome of finding greens in regulation  is the Open champion and Ryder Cup hero, Francesco Molinari. However, he took six shots more than best mate Tommy Fleetwood in the first round yesterday. MATT WALACE has won three times this season but missed out on a Ryder Cup wildcard and is the in-play tip currently at 7/1 with bet365.    

It’s the first day of the Future Champions Festival at Newmarket and the highlight is the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at 3.35 over the Rowley Mile course at HQ. This is a championship contest for female horses aged two and could identify the winter favourite for the 1,000 Guineas. On statistics and ratings it’s hard to ignore the claims of PRETTY POLLYANNA and if she gets the trip 7/2 with Coral is a steal. 

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Bale Big Miss For Wales Against Spain 

Wales are playing Spain in Cardiff tonight in an international friendly but not the Nations League but both types of fixtures are basically the same. Wales have a poor record in non-competitive fixtures and their cause is not helped by the absence of Gareth Bale, their one world class player. When Bale plays for Wales anything is possible and any player who has scored 30 goals in 72 internationals will be missed. In his playing days Ryan Giggs missed many friendlies so its ironic he now suffers from a weakened team in his role as the manager. Spain are as short as 4/11 but home advantage can help Wales to secure the DRAW at 4/1 Betfair.   

Scotland beat Albania in their first Nations League match and they can take charge of a weak group with a win in Israel tonight. The away team had a poor record on the road but secured maximum points in Lithuania and Malta during qualifying for the last World Cup but still did not qualify for Russia. The rules of the Nations League are that it could provide Scotland with a route to the finals of the European Championships so the matches for them are more than friendlies.  Israel are not a strong outfit so SCOTLAND are the bet to win this match at 8/5 with Ladbrokes. 

By a twist of fate (or a fixed draw) Francesco Molinari and Tommy Flertwood are in the same three ball in the first round of the British Masters. The numbers are made up by Thorbjorn Olesen who was a team mate in the Ryder Cup. The Old Course at Walton Heath is ideally suited to the attributes in the game of MOLINARI so he should be backed to beat Fleetwood and Olesen over 18 holes at 7/5 with bet365.   

There are four meetings in Britain today and the racing is no better than ordinary. No race is worth more than £10,000 and most horses running will not cover the cost of being in training from the prize money. You could say the grandstand at Bangor won’t be overcrowded but the track is the only one in Britain without that facility. Race goers watch the action from a grass verge in front of the track. Today they can back FLYING VERSE at 10/1 with William Hill to win the handicap hurdle at 2.15. 

England Play Croatia And Spain In “Friendlies” – By Ian Hudson

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England would probably swap 100 wins over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League for a victory in the semi-finals in this year’s World Cup. The wheel keeps turning and we are now in the next two-year cycle of international football which culminates in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley. The semi-finals and decider of the European Championships are being played at the national stadium. However, when those matches take place Wembley could be in private hands.

The owner of Fulham Football Club is looking to increase his business interests in sport in England by buying the iconic venue. The bait for the FA is a big investment in grass roots football but those against the deal suggest it is false economy. There might be financial gains but the sport will have sold its soul. The deal could go through and only then will be the effect on the national sport be known. In fact, it might be a good thing to take the England team around the provinces. 

When Wembley was being rebuilt England played competitive home matches and friendlies in the midlands and north. It was a special occasion to see an England international at Anfield or Old Trafford. There clearly is an appetite to see England play around the country. Taking fixtures away from Wembley could work but it’s the future for the playoffs and minor cup finals that worry traditionalists. The potential buyer owns an NFL team and the end game could be setting up a franchise in London. 

England play in Croatia in the new-fangled UEFA competition on Friday and visit Spain next Monday in the three-team group. Apparently not winning the group could provide an easier route to the finals of Euro 2020 but these matches are glorified friendlies. If 100 people were surveyed and asked would you prefer England to win the World Cup or Euros or Nations League the latter would get a big fat zero. The matches will still be used for experience but nobody really cares about the outcome.  

Gareth Southgate sees some value in the matches but only to introduce young players into the squad environment. Jadon Sancho gets a call-up at the age of 18. He left Manchester City to join Dortmund where he had a better chance of first team football. He has started his career in the Bundesliga with assists and goals. Sancho is the first player born in the new millennium to be selected for the England national squad. He is one of several youngsters who are being fast-tracked from their age group and two age-related world championship winning squads.         

Croatia were worthy winners against England at the World Cup. They took the initiative at the start of the second half and England paid for not scoring a crucial second goal. England were 22 minutes away from reaching the World Cup final but the equaliser was coming and Croatia deserved the winning goal in extra time. France were too good for them in the final but a questionable penalty decision in favour of France was key. The current squad is pretty much the same as the World Cup squad and in Luka Modric they have the FIFA world player of the year.  

England can avoid defeat against Croatia but not losing to Spain in Seville on Monday is a different matter. Spain underperformed at the World Cup but have a good record at home and Seville is a tough place for visiting teams. England might not win either match in the Nations League during the international break but throwing teenagers into the squad scenario will be more valuable than winning meaningless matches.  

England Can Confirm Number One ODI Status In Sri Lanka 

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Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

    

There is now too much international cricket and the Test format could be radically changed or sacrificed for shorter versions of the game. England are now embarking on a tour of Sri Lanka just a month after completing a five match home Test series against India. There is now no close season for international cricketers for the detriment of the game in the five day format. Sri Lanka and England meet in five One Day Internationals but just three Tests and there is the obligatory Twenty20 international. ENGLAND are number one in the ODI rankings so should be backed to win the five 50 overs contests series in Sri Lanka at 4/9.  

The home team have won just 14 of their last 56 ODI’s and in this format there is rarely a draw or no definite result. Sri Lanka have suffered three 5-0 drubbings in the format over the last two years. The first match today is a day/night affair in Dambulla that begins at 10am. The match may have started by the time you read this preview but you can bet in-play. England have the superior batsmen and bowlers in white ball cricket so can win this match and the series. The pre-match odds are restrictive and you might do better if Sri Lanka start well. You should not avoid the obvious so back ENGLAND at 2/5 with William Hill to win the first ODI match against Sri Lanka. 

 

The only football match of note in Europe tonight is Italy’s home international friendly against Ukraine. There has been some soul searching after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. The match is being played in Genoa in memory of fatalities of the bridge tragedy. The best result is a DRAW at 12/5 with Coral.

Cork in Ireland stages a decent Flat meeting which features two competitive handicaps and a listed race over one mile and half a furlong (3.05). Fillies and mares and horses aged three get both allowances and that advantage could be crucial. SHIP OF DREAMS is a filly aged three so gets up to eleven pounds from the older colts. That edge cannot be ignored so the horse should be backed today at 9/4 with bet365.