Liverpool v Arsenal
Premier League – 5.30 pm
BT Sport
I couldn’t start anywhere else, could I? Sometimes winning the league is simply about holding your nerve. Liverpool have played their way to a great position of being six points clear now at the top of the Premier League table. Now that they are there, can they hold things together? Can they push on towards the title? After beating Newcastle easily at Anfield in midweek, for their eighth straight Premier League win, the Reds go into a defining point in their season.
Firstly they face Arsenal at Anfield and then in midweek have a showdown against Man City. Given Liverpool’s home form they are 9/20 odds-on favourites to beat Arsenal at leading bookmakers. But anyone who has watched Arsenal know that the Gunners are no lightweights, certainly not in front of goal. Arsenal have scored at least two goals in all but one away game this season. Can they upset the Reds as 7/1 underdogs? This big feature of our Bets of the Day should be a cracker on Merseyside.
Rangers v Celtic
Scottish Premiership – 12.30 pm
Sky Sports
This is such a crucial Old Firm derby on Saturday. The two Glaswegian rivals go at it again at an important juncture of the league season. Celtic are holding top spot in the Premiership after a great run of three straight wins. But only by three points over rivals Rangers. But Celtic do still have a game in hand. So if they were to raid Ibrox for all three points they would firmly be in the driving seat for another title.
Rangers basically have to keep their title hopes alive in this one but they are 11/4 underdogs at the top bookmakers to do so. Celtic go as the odds-on favourites. Earlier this season Rangers suffered a 1-0 loss at Celtic Park. Will they be able to reverse their fortunes and keep this title race wide open? It’s a fascinating scenario with so much at stake. It’s definitely one to keep an eye on in this busy weekend of sport.
Harlequins v Wasps
Scottish Premiership – 4.00 pm
BT Sport
Harlequins have had a really good season at home in the Premiership this season. They have lost just one of their last five league games there. Harlequins are sat in mid-table in the division and they play host to Wasps on Saturday. The two sides are actually level on points so this should be a really good tight battle. The top bookmakers agree with that as they have a short handicap at -1 on the Quins at 10/11.
That’s a solid general price across the board. Wasps haven’t managed an away win since a victory at Newcastle at the back end of September. They have managed to pick up just the one win in their last twelve games in all competitions so haven’t quite been at the races. But Wasps did get an away win over the Quins last season in the Premiership.
Michael van Gerwen v Ryan Joyce
World Darts Championship – 9.15 pm
Sky Sports
World number one Michael van Gerwen will be stepping up to the oche in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The 2019 World Championships are now at the business end of things. MVG is the red-hot favourite to win the tournament outright and he showed his very best in beating 16th-seed Adrian Lewis in the last sixteen. But he could face a tricky challenge in the final eight as he faces surprise quarter-finalist Ryan Joyce. It’s one of those matches where MVG is expected to win so easily, complacency could play a part in any potential downfall.
Joyce is a 12/1 underdog in this two-horse race for a semi-final place. But it has been some tournament from him. After beating Anastasia Dobromyslova in the first round, he then took out 8th-seed Simon Whitlock, followed by 25th seed Alan Norris. Then he stepped it up against in the last sixteen to take out 9th seed James Wade in a deciding set. Taking out MVG would be the result of the tournament though. Is the underdog up to that challenge?
