Celtic v Rangers
Scottish Premiership – 12.00 pm
Sky Sports
What a day of sport Sunday is going to be. Let’s jump right into the best bets of the day preview with the not so small matter of the Old Firm derby in Glasgow. Celtic have full command of the title race in Scotland with Rangers having had some slips recently. Celtic are still undefeated on home soil this season, winning all but one of their home games. In that sequence of home games, they have averaged 2.7 goals per game with a clean sheet in 73% of fixtures. They are 4/5 odds-on to win this with leading bookmakers.
Rangers and Celtic both took 1-0 home wins in their two meetings this season in the league. The Gers have just slipped out of form with no win in their last four across all competitions (D3 L1). They have fallen off the pace in the league with a W2 D3 record in their last five. They are undefeated in their last eight Premiership games, but still, it’s not been enough to keep tabs on their rivals. But they will carry a W3 D1 record in their last four away games, with them to Celtic Park. Can they make a small dent in Celtic’s 10 point lead at the top?
Cardiff v Chelsea
Premier League – 2.05 pm
Sky Sports
What an interesting fixture this is going to be in South Wales. On paper, and in the minds of the bookmakers who have Chelsea at 2/5 odds-on favourites for the win, this is a foregone conclusion. Namely a win for Chelsea to win. However, the Blues are in some horrible away form. They have lost four of their last five on the road, not scoring in any of those and conceding a whopping 14 goals in the process. There is one positive that Chelsea can take into the game. That is, they have won all away games against teams currently 13th or lower this season.
Cardiff though will be up for a fight. They need to be with relegation looming. Cardiff have won two of their last four home games in the league (L2) and given Chelsea’s travelling woes, what will the Bluebirds be able to produce? They do have the third-worst defensive record in the division, but with Chelsea misfiring so badly in front of goal away from Stamford Bridge, is there an opening for the home side?
Portsmouth v Sunderland
FA Trophy Final – 2.30 pm
Sky Sports
A piece of silverware will be handed over at Wembley on Sunday. This is the FA Trophy Final and both of these League One sides are making their first-ever appearance in this showcase match. They have both produced tremendous form as well in the competition, with Portsmouth winning all seven of their games, conceding just two goals in the process.
Sunderland went W6 D1 in their seven FA Trophy matches on the way to the final, conceding only one goal. Does that mean goals will be at a premium at Wembley on Sunday? The top bookmakers have under 2.5 goals at 3/4 for this duel. Sunderland are currently on a nineteen match undefeated streak in all competitions but lost against Portsmouth in League One earlier this season.
Bahrain Grand Prix
F1 – 4.00 pm
Sky Sports
The F1 season moves on to round two, out in Bahrain. The track in Sakhir is the polar opposite of what the drivers faced on the opening weekend in Melbourne. It was Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas who pulled off a surprise win in Australia. That was after all the focus had been on teammate Lewis Hamilton who went from the front of the grid. Bottas got the jump on Hamilton though and put in a fantastic drive.
Surprisingly the Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc lacked the speed that they had promised in pre-season testing. Will they be able to recover in Bahrain, where they should get more out of their car? Hamilton goes as the 11/8 favourite with Vettel at 3/1 second favourite and then Bottas at 5/2. It’s early season, but the excitement and tension has already been amped up. It’s all eyes on Ferrari’s response.
Liverpool v Tottenham
Premier League – 4.30 pm
Sky Sports
Here it is then. The game of the weekend in the English top flight. Liverpool can’t afford to drop points at this stage of the season in their hunt for the title. They are still embroiled in their tight scrap with Manchester City for that. Liverpool boast an awesome home record this season of W13 D2 L0. Their scoring has been up there as well with an average of almost three goals per game. They have scored at least three goals in six of their last seven at Anfield (W6 D1).
Their defence has been immense as well, conceding only 9 goals in 15 games. The Reds are 11/20 odds-on favourites with top bookmakers to win this top-three clash. Part of the reason for that is that Spurs are out of form. The Lilywhites are on three match losing streak away from home, defeats in that sequence coming against Burnley and Southampton who are in the bottom half of the table.
It is a four-match winless streak that Spurs are currently on, home and away. They have also lost three of their five away games against the other Big Six teams. But how long will Spurs be kept down? They have won 11 of 16 away games this season. They need to produce at Anfield as their top-four ambitions are starting to look in jeopardy. Spurs are 5/1 underdogs to pull out the win.
