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This Weeks Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott 

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Wolves Are Tipped To Beat Liverpool In The FA Cup 

The 32nd and final tie of the third round of the FA Cup takes place tonight and the fixture between the home club in Wolves and Liverpool could go against form and current league standings. Wolves are becalmed in mid-table safety, too good to get involved in relegation issues and unlikely to break into the top six and contend for a place in the Champions League. 

Liverpool have set their heart on being the champions of England for the first time since 1990 and would love to be the top dogs in Europe for the sixth time. Team selection and motivation will be key but it’s worth noting that Liverpool have won just three of 10 FA Cup ties with Jurgen Klopp in charge. However, he did lead Borussia Dortmund to the league and Cup double in Germany in the 2011/12 season. 

However, the pressure to deliver a first Premier League title for Liverpool could lead to some second string players starting against Wolves. Newport showed that a hungry outfit can outplay an under strength Premier League side in beating Leicester in the Cup. WOLVES could be hungrier tigers than Liverpool and can be backed at 29/10 with William Hill to win the tie in 90 minutes. 

The Premier League reconvenes next weekend and the match of the schedule is Tottenham’s home match with Manchester United. The transformation in style and points gathering is such that United could win the match at Wembley. Three points would take them closer to Champions League qualification and MANCHESTER UNITED are now 7/2 with Paddy Power to finish in the top four. 

There are early season tournaments on the US PGA and European tours in golf and minor tennis events outdoors on hard courts in the Southern Hemisphere. These tournaments are prep events for the Australian Open which begins in three weeks. NOVAK DJOKOVIC is 5/4 with bet365 to win the first Grand Slam of the season. NAOMI OSAKA is 8/1 with bet365 to win the women’s event. 

There are no major handicaps or Cheltenham trials this weekend so the next key race is the Clarence House Chase at Ascot a week on Saturday. ALTIOR is an intended runner but only the money buyers will be interested in backing the horse at 1/3 with William Hill. The conditions stakes race at Wolverhampton on the All-Weather at 6.45 is the richest race of the day and HATHAL is the nap at 11/8 with Coral.   

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Chelsea Are Not Home Bankers Against Palace

On the face of it a Chelsea fixture against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge looks like a home win banker but there are reasons to suggest there could be a sting in the tail. Chelsea are one of three teams unbeaten after 10 games (it’s now 11 for Liverpool) and defeat looks out of the question. However, Chelsea have conceded at least one goal in five of their last six fixtures at home and Palace have Wilfried Zaha. Palace have beaten Chelsea on the road in two of the last three meetings. Chelsea were seconds away from losing to Manchester United at home and edged passed Derby in the EFL Cup on their own pitch. Chelsea are by far the most likely winners but the DRAW could be the outcome and that’s 11/2 with Betfair.

Manchester City are massive odds-on to avoid defeat at home to Southampton in a non-televised match. The visitors have not scored in all but one of the last six matches and City have registered a goal or more in 26 of their last 27 home matches. Kevin de Bruyne will be missing again but City can deal with his absence. City have won to nil in 6 of the last 10 fixtures but that’s a tricky bet because the opposition could score when the game has been decided. It’s far better to back MANCHESTER CITY – 2 goals on the handicap at 10/11 with Ladbrokes.

After the riches of the Breeders’ Cup over the last two nights the racing today would seem ordinary. However, in watching the coverage from Churchill Downs there seemed to be something sterile about the occasion. Racing on dirt does not seem right and even Enable’s great win lacked something. Maybe the coverage was poor for sound but the atmosphere of the event did not transmit through the screen. Three of the four meetings in Britain and Ireland offer excellent prize money and there is €238,000 up for grabs at the Flat meeting at Naas. The November Handicap over one and six furlongs at 3.00 can be won by LIMINI at 14/1 with William Hill.

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Manchester City Are Now A Team to Back

All the good things in the Premier League won to nil yesterday but the most explosive result was the draw between Chelsea and Manchester United. Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham picked up three points without conceding so Chelsea lost ground at the top of the table. It was not a bad day for Jose Mourinho but it could have been better. The club he has managed twice equalised in “Fergie Time” to deny United their best result of the season. MANCHESTER CITY are now 8/13 with Paddy Power to retain their title and that is now becoming a backable price.

Crystal Palace have a genuine injury crisis for their match at Everton on a ground where manager Roy Hodgson has won just one point in eight visits during his managerial career. Eight players could be missing but seven of those absentees could be relatively insignificant. When Wilfried Zaha has not played for Palace since the start of last season they have lost. On 10 occasions in that spell their best player has not been on the pitch and Palace have earned exactly nil points. They are struggling for goals with or without Zaha and Everton are playing well for the new manager. EVERTON look good things for a home win at 20/23 with Betfair.

Kempton has now become a venue for a constant stream of moderate All-Weather races but today the course stages a decent turf fixture over jumps. The track is under threat of closure and despite its closeness to London race goers do not flock to the venue. Anybody that turns up today will see a good Class 1 hurdle over two miles (4.10) for which VERDANA BLUE is a decent bet at 5/6 with William Hill.

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Europe Keep Matching On In The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup was turned on its head yesterday afternoon as Europe produced their first whitewash since 1989 and their first ever in foursomes. Trailing 3-1 after the four balls Europe won all four matches in the afternoon. The second day action has begun and the United States have not responded, losing three of the four matches in the early stages. At the time of writing EUROPE are 1/3 with bet365 to win the Ryder Cup and now you could cash out to guarantee a profit.   

Chelsea beat Liverpool at Anfield in the EFL Cup on Wednesday but today’s Premier League fixture in London will be a different kettle of fish. The outcome of the Cup tie will have very little bearing on today’s match at Stamford Bridge. Both managers made eight changes in the week and Chelsea’s second string plus Eden Hazard were too good for the opposition. 

Today’s Premier League showdown is one of the blockbuster matches of the league season and the outcome will be significant in the race to be top dogs in England. Liverpool have conceded at least one goal in the last 14 meetings and on this occasion CHELSEA can secure three points and are 9/5 William Hill to win and leapfrog Liverpool at the top of the table.    

Jose Mourinho is the 5/2 favourite for the first Premier League manager to leave his current position. In most seasons losing in the third round of the EFL Cup would not be a major issue but for Manchester United just now every reverse increases the pressure on the not so Special One. Romelu Lukaku has a good scoring record against West Ham and he can ease the pressure on his boss by helping MANCHESTER UNITED beat West Ham at the London Stadium and an away win is 4/5 with Ladbrokes.  

The Cambridgeshire is a heritage handicap over one and one furlong at Newmarket and with a maximum field of 35 runners is difficult to call. KENYA won the Irish equivalent with something to spare and can be backed at 14/1 with William Hill. There are two Group 1 races and one at Group 2 level before the big race. On ratings PRETTY POLLYANNA is the horse to back in the contest at the highest level for fillies aged two (2.25) and the best price is 6/4 with Betfair.  

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Derby Day In London And Glasgow

There are two football derbies today that feature coincidences that a few years ago you would not have envisaged. The London derby brings together two teams who have won their first three matches in the Premier League but Chelsea or Arsenal are not one of them. The Glasgow derby involves managers who were on the same side in the past. Watford and Tottenham have picked up maximum points and Celtic and Rangers are managed by Brendon Rodgers and Steven Gerrard who were manager and captain together at Liverpool. Celtic and Tottenham are the favourites and the DOUBLE on them pays 6/4 with Ladbrokes.

It is rare that two teams from capital cities play against each other in a domestic fixture. Cardiff are the only team to win the FA Cup from outside England while Arsenal are located in north London. The clubs are located in the capitals of Wales and England and today’s match in Cardiff could be a stalemate. Cardiff are the favourites for relegation and Arsenal are adjusting to a new manager. You can back the DRAW at 7/2 with bet365. MANCHESTER UNITED can give Jose Mourinho some respite by winning at Burnley and that outcome is 4/6 with William Hill.

The racing is poor today which defeats one of the objects of Sunday racing which was to provide quality action on the second day of the weekend. There are no fixtures in Ireland so it’s just Brighton on the Flat and Worcester over jumps. FANFAIR is the outsider of five in the 4.00 race at Brighton but warrants a small bet at 10/1 with Coral. The horse is the only runner who has run at the track before and it takes some knowing and experience of Brighton is a major positive with this tip.

This Weeks Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Not Good Enough Manchester United – Mourinho Favourite To Go First

Manchester United are 25/1 to win the Premier League and Jose Mourihno is now the favourite to be the first man to lose his current job. There is a full schedule this weekend but United are playing in the Monday night fixture. Mourinho has seven days to put many things right before the must win match against Tottenham at Old Trafford this time next week. His boys were a joke at the back and garbage in midfield against Brighton. Paul Pogba in appearance looks like that brilliant midfield player who won the World Cup with France but in performance he is a different man. MANCHESTER UNITED are now 10/11 with bet365 NOT to finish in the top 4.

To make matters worse Manchester City looked as good as last season in the 6-1 home win against Huddersfield. The match brought together the club with the biggest spending power and opponents with one of the smallest budgets but the job still had to be done. Liverpool can rub it in for United fans by winning at Crystal Palace tonight. However, since the start of last October Palace have lost just two of 32 league games by more than one goal. They will provide a tough test for Liverpool and a DRAW would be a good result and that outcome is 15/4 with Ladbrokes.

It’s the four day Ebor meeting at York from Wednesday to Saturday this week and the highlight is the lucrative handicap that gives the meeting its name on the fourth day. The favourite is STRATUM who is owned by Tony Bloom, the owner and chairman of Brighton FC. If his horse wins the Ebor he will have had a good six days and the best price for that result is 4/1 with Paddy Power. If Stradivarius wins the Lonsdale Cup on Friday connections get a £1,000,000 bonus for winning the three biggest staying races of the season. STRADIVARIUS is 4/9 with William Hill to complete the treble.

In the few days before a huge meeting the racing is usually ordinary. For some racing fans the York August meeting is better than Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood. The racing is just as good and the champagne and beer is relatively inexpensive. Windsor’s regular Monday evening meeting offers £117,000 tonight and that’s not bad for the first day of the week. The most lucrative race by far is the sprint handicap series final over six furlongs for horses aged three and older at 7pm. QUENCH DOLLY is the each-way standout bet at 16/1.

There are the usual tournaments in tennis and golf and Test cricket between England and India but the main action will be at York racecourse and behind the scenes in Manchester at Old Trafford.

oday’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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How Many Goals Will City Score today?

Manchester City are the favourites to win the Premier League and some pundits are tipping Huddersfield for relegation. The champions from last season have a home match today with the team that kept their top flight status by the skin of their teeth. We are still in the midst of the cricket season and the odds suggest City could rack up a cricket score in the meeting today. The home team will be without Kevin de Bruyne but the squad can absorb that loss. Huddersfield are 25/1 to win this fixture but MANCHESTER CITY -3 goals on the handicap at 7/4 with Ladbrokes is the bet.

Brighton were promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield the season before last and they play Manchester United at home today. The bookmakers predict a tighter contest and United’s trip to the south coast might not be a fun day at the seaside. Brighton avoided defeat in five of their last six home Premier League matches last season and United were not convincing in beating Leicester at home on the opening night. If they return to Manchester with three points Jose Mourinho will be their only manager to win the opening two matches in his first three seasons as boss. However, he may have to settle for a DRAW and that outcome is 23/10 with William Hill.

The best racing action is at Deauville today. Pontefract stages a decent Flat meeting and they race over jumps at Southwell and Tramore. The best race is the Group 1 Prix Morny in France, a race over six furlongs for colts and fillies aged two (2.45 GMT). The female runners get a four pounds allowance and that advantage will make PRETTY POLYANNA hard to beat and the filly can be backed at 7/4 with bet365 to win this race.

Three Against The Field In Ascot’s Heritage Handicap 

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Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

CRYSTAL OCEAN (5/2 with William Hill) is the tip to win the King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot but the feature handicap on the card is not as easy to work out. The International Stakes (3pm) is a heritage handicap over seven furlongs. There are 29 horses declared to run and some bookmakers are paying out on the first six places but you only get one fifth the odds. The standard terms for a handicap with 16 runners or more are four places at one quarter the odds so its swings and roundabouts in terms of at which bookmaker you place your bets. One bookmaker is going a step further by settling each way bets on seven places at one fifth the odds.

As a punter I prefer to have two win bets on different horses rather than an each way bet on one horse. The place terms mean that the true odds of a horse backed at 20/1 to be placed at one quarter the odds are 2/1 and not 5/1. The total win and place stake is 2 units and the return is 6 units. The win part of the bet is lost if a horse does not win a race but finishes in the frame. In a competitive handicap with so many runners you could burn the midnight oil and still be well off the mark. Today we can simplify things by backing the three joint top-rated horses. Our three against the field are Flaming Spear (9/1 with Ladbrokes), Shady McCoy (12/1 with Betfair) and Cardsharp (16/1 with bet365).

You may wish to ‘Dutch’ these three horses which means adjusting the stake so the profit is the same regardless of which one wins. Obviously there are 26 other runners in the race so picking the winner is not guaranteed. Let’s assume the total investment is £50 the dutched stakes are as follows:

£21.21 on Flaming Spear

£16.31.63 on Shady McCoy

£12.48 on Cardsharp

The profit is £162.09…as long as you have found the winner!

This Weeks Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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England Could Be World Cup Winners This Time Next Week

There are more members of FIFA than the United Nations and over 200 countries entered the World Cup. We are now down to the last four and one of those is England. The betting money has all been for England to beat Croatia in 90 minutes and qualify for the final. England have got better as the tournament has progressed and Croatia have not reproduced the level of performance that saw them beat Argentina 3-0 in the group stages. England have never played in a World Cup final outside England and they won’t get a better chance for many years to win the World Cup for the second time. ENGLAND are 5/2 with Ladbrokes to become the champions of the world.

If England progress on Wednesday they will meet France or Belgium in the final. Whoever wins that semi-final there will be many Premier League players representing their country in the biggest match in football in four years. In fact half the players in the starting 11s could play domestic football in the north-west of England, for the two Manchester clubs and Everton and Liverpool. There will be players from United and City in both line-ups at the start of the match. Friends and colleagues will be in opposition in a life-changing fixture. Two of the semi-finalists have won the World Cup before and the other two would be first time winners. Football is coming home.

It’s the second week of Wimbledon and Rafael Nadal is in great shape to win the championships for the third time. He has had an extra week to adjust from the clay courts at the French Open to the grass. Nadal is the current world number one and is playing like the champion. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are still in the mix but NADAL is the player to back at 5/1 with William Hill.

The three-day July meeting is at Newmarket at the end of the week. The racing is superb without the jamboree that is Royal Ascot and provides Group race opportunities between the royal meeting and Glorious Goodwood at the end of the month. The feature race is the July Cup on Saturday which identifies the best sprinter in Europe. HARRY ANGEL is the ante post bet at 6/1 with Boylesports.

This Weeks Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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Uruguay Have Been The Best All Round Team In The World Cup

At the start of the World Cup no team left in England’s side of the draw was less than 16/1 in the outright winner betting. Germany, Spain and Argentina, all former winners, are out and there is now a lopsided draw. England have a great opportunity to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since Italia 90. This time next week England could be facing a last four match against Brazil or be back home in the UK. The shock results have opened up the tournament and ENGLAND can benefit and win the World Cup for the second time and that outcome is 6/1 with Betfair.

There are four more ties in the round of the last 16 today and tomorrow and then there are two days with no World Cup action. The top goalscorer market has been turned upsides down with the elimination of Spain and Portugal. Diego Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo have gone which means it has become a market dominated by Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku. Uruguay have been one of the best teams and can go all the way so their striker, EDINSON CAVANI, looks a big price at 20/1 with Ladbrokes to be the leading scorer in the World Cup.

Andy Murray has withdrawn from Wimbledon which starts today and will be all over the BBC for the next two weeks. In a World Cup year when England are involved the tennis takes a back seat. Roger Federer is the defending champion and the player from Switzerland could win the title again. His country are still in the World Cup but Spain are out so RAFAEL NADAL can win something for his country. He is 7/1 with Paddy Power to be the Wimbledon champion for the second time.

The main race of the week is the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on Saturday. This is an all-aged Group 1 contest over one mile and two furlongs. It is the first major race of the season that brings together the Classic generation and older horses. Three-year-olds receive a 10 pound weight-for-age allowance which means Masar has a huge advantage. However, the Derby winner has to be supplemented so the horse in second place at Epson, ROARING LION, is the bet at 5/2 with William Hill.