Sheffield United v West Brom
Championship – 7.45 pm
Sky Sports
This will be a fascinating battle between two teams who have promotion in mind this season in the Championship. West Brom travel to Bramall Lane to take on the Blades on Friday night. Just one point separates the two inside the top five. Sheffield start in third place and three points from the game would see them close the gap on second-placed Leeds to two points. A loss and they will be shoved down the standings ahead of Saturday’s round of matches. So this is a big scrap. The Blades have had a decent season at home, but have gone off the boil there. They lost their last home game, which was against Leeds.
The Blades have failed to score in their last two at home. They are 13/10 favourites at home to win this game among the top bookmakers for Best Bets of the Day. Will their misfires in front of goal be problematic against West Brom? The Baggies are the top scorers in the division. West Brom (11/5 to win the match) have roared back into form with a five-match unbeaten streak of form going, but their vulnerabilities at the back continue with no clean sheet in twelve. What we basically have is the league’s best attack taking on the Blades defence which is the joint-third best in the division. Which prevails? This match is a clear highlight of the
Gloucester v Exeter
European Cup Rugby – 7.45 pm
BT Sport
Gloucester blew Pool 2 wide open last weekend as they went to Exeter and pulled a 27-19 victory out of their hat at Sandy Park. The difference at the end of the day was largely the boot of Danny Cipriani. After having started the game as underdogs, the four points that Gloucester got from the game swings a massive advantage to them now. They get to host Exeter in the reverse fixture in the European Champions Cup Pool, knowing that another four points would pretty much put the Chiefs out of contention to win the group. At the same time it keeps their own Pool-winning ambitions hopes alive.
Gloucester, who are odds-on favourites to win this home game, start in second place in the group, three points behind Irish powerhouses Munster, so have to keep driving on. Can they deliver at Kingsholm? The handicap market once again will offer stacks of value and the leading bookmakers have narrowed the margin for this one to Gloucester -4 at 10/11 from last weekend’s clash. Exeter, who are second in the Premiership remains winless in the Pool. After last week’s result, this just adds extra intensity to this weekend’s rematch. Can Exeter reverse their fortunes or can the Cherry and Whites topple them again?
New Zealand v Sri Lanka 1st Test
Cricket 23:00
Sky Sports
New Zealand host Sri Lanka in Wellington on Friday night in the first of two Test matches in this series. The Black Caps will be looking to make the most of home advantage here. They are fresh off a notable success over Pakistan in a three-Test series out in the Middle East. New Zealand won that series 2-1. New Zealand have good home form, having gone W1 D1 in their two Tests at home against England earlier this year. During 2017 they went W4 D2 L1 in seven home Test matches, crushing Bangladesh and West Indies while playing out a D2 L1 series against South Africa. It is those results against Bangladesh and West Indies, neither of those being in great form, which indicates their favouritism over Sri Lanka. The Kiwis are 2/7 to win this Wellington duel at leading bookmakers.
The Sri Lanka side are in a bit of transition. Mix together injuries, retirements and losses of form and they are going to have to dig deep. They suffered a three-match loss in their recent series at home against England. That having been said, on their last tour, they won both games against South Africa back in the middle of the year. Maybe the pressure of not playing in front of their own support is something that will gel them together again. They need to find a way to redress the balance against the Black Caps. Sri Lanka have lost their last four Test matches against the Kiwis and have won just two of their previous seventeen in New Zealand. Sometimes sport boils down to character. The tourists have to show plenty of it to overturn 8/1 odds on them to win this opening foray in the series.
