Everton v Burnley
Premier League – 8.00 pm
Sky Sports
Burnley have already managed to avoid the drop this season. So they can be excused for any relaxed attitude. There’s no great pressure or intensity needed from them. They make the trip to Goodison Park for Friday night’s Premier League action. The Clarets have not had a great season on the road, winning just four times on their travels. To be fair to them, three of those four wins have happened since the turn of the new year. Burnley are W3 D3 L2 on their league travels in 2019. That’s not bad at all but they are 5/1 underdogs to win this game.
Everton do have a shot at a top seven finish. That door hasn’t been totally closed to them yet. However, they would have to overturn a four point-deficit in their last two games over Wolves to get there. It’s not too likely, but Everton have been in pretty good form since mid-March. The Toffees are W4 D1 L1 in their last six league games. The notable improvement from them has been in defence. They have taken five clean sheets in their last six league games. Leading bookmakers have even money on this game going under 2.5 goals. Will that be one of the best bets of the day from Friday’s football action?
Ireland v England
ODI Cricket – 10.45 am
Sky Sports
Ireland get to test themselves against England, one of the best sides in the world at the moment. Officially England are the best side in the world in the ODI format, according to the ICC rankings. England have taken a win in 23 of their last 34 such fixtures. This are important match warm-up for England ahead of this year’s Cricket World Cup. England are strong odds-on favourites to win this game.
Such is England’s batting power that leading bookmakers have 4/6 odds on a Century To Be Scored in the duel. Ireland will not be going to the World Cup but they are ramping up their activities. Following this they will go into a tri-nations against the West Indies and Bangladesh. So Ireland have ten matches coming up in a three-week period. This may be a good chance for them to look at some youth with more than half of their starting lineup over the age of 32. They are long odds to beat the English.
Sevilla v Leganes
La Liga – 8.00 pm
Premier Sports
The race for the top four in La Liga looks as if it is going down to the wire. Sevilla start the weekend fifth place, level on points with fourth-placed Getafe. So it’s all still to play for and no margin for error at this stage of proceedings. Sevilla have won four of their last five home games in the league and they have been scoring pretty freely as well. They have netted fifteen goals in their last five home games alone. All season they have averaged 2.18 per home game.
Sevilla are 13/10 to win to nil with leading bookmakers for this home game, . They have taken a clean sheet in half of their last six league games, and in total have earned one in 41% of their home fixtures during this campaign. Leganes are sat down in 13th in the league and have gone without a win in five (D3 L2). With them having won just three away games all season, seeing them claim three points may not be all that likely. But they can prove to be a stubborn opponent. Just back in mid-April Leganes claimed a draw against Real Madrid. Their problem has been putting the ball in the back of the net and they are 7/1 underdogs for victory on Friday.
Harlequins v Leicester
Premiership Rugby – 7.00 pm
BT Sport
Harlequins still have a chance at landing a top-four finish this season. That’s their big goal and they go into the penultimate round of action, level on points with fourth-placed Northampton Saints. So the door is wide open for the Quins in this one and this is the kind of game which they have to make the most of. It’s at home against the side sitting second-from-bottom. Harlequins though have to shake off some poor form as they are on a five-match losing streak in the league, two of those coming at home at the Stoop.
But they are favourites and leading bookmarks have a 10/11 price on a Harlequins -11 handicap to highlight that. That is because their opponents Leicester have won just one of their last five league games. That lone win happened against bottom side Newcastle. That was just one of two away victories that the Tigers have earned all season. But it’s not all doom and gloom. They are on a five-match winning streak against Harlequins, home and away, and are 7/2 underdogs to pull out another one.
