Soccer – Premier League – Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
The first of my big betting events this weekend is starting to look incredibly familiar. Manchester City and Spurs must be sick of the sight of one another by now!
This will be the third time in the space of two weeks that the top flight foes have crossed swords, but each fixture so far has been tactically fascinating, and this one should follow suit.
Following their 2-0 victory over Chelsea, Liverpool continued to pressure Pep’s men at the top of the Premier League table, and this is City’s joint-toughest PL assignment left. How will they cope juggling so many fixtures in such a short space of time?
Some fans have questioned Pep’s selection methods over the last couple of weeks, and he simply can’t afford to get this wrong. Raheem Sterling has been in electric form recently, and he is almost guaranteed to start this game. It remains to be seen whether Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus will get the nod up front.
Spurs may be without Harry Kane, but they were at their destructive best against Huddersfield last weekend, and they have a number of dangermen here. Lucas Moura finally looks to be living up to his billing, whilst Son is a bundle of energy, and won’t give the City defence a moments respite.
It’ll be fascinating to see how each coach sets up his side ahead of this game, and whether it’ll be vastly different to the recent Champions League meeting.
With the Manchester-derby on the horizon, City must be vigilant here, but even a point would hand the initiative back to Liverpool. Pep’s men do have a game in hand, but they simply must be victorious in each of their remaining matches in order to keep up their title hopes.
The Citizens are heavily odds-on for this fixture, and they have netted seven goals in the last two meetings at this ground, but the fixture pile-up may not make it quite as easy this time around.
It’s an early kick-off on Saturday, and it should be a fascinating match-up once again. These two sides know each other well, and another absorbing 90 minutes surely awaits.
This Premier League game can be enjoyed on Sky Sports Main Event on Saturday lunchtime
Aussie Rules – AFL – Greater Western Sydney vs Fremantle
The second of our big betting events comes from the UNSW Canberra Oval and takes place on Saturday morning in the UK.
It’s been a great start to the 2019 season for GWS, who have won three of their first four matches, and beat early pace-setters Geelong during the last round of fixtures. It was a narrow victory, but an important one.
It was the first time that they’ve won against the Cats at the MCG, and they will be aiming to take that momentum into this week’s match-up with the Dockers. If they want to prove their Grand Final credentials, they must win this contest.
It’s been a mixed start for Fremantle, with two wins and two losses to get their season underway. They were defeated at the Eagles last weekend, but they put on a decent show, and displayed plenty of fight throughout. A number of missed opportunities was the story of the game for the Dockers, and it’s something they may have been working on in training this week.
GWS can’t call upon the services of Callan Ward, who went down with a knee injury last weekend, but they still have plenty of talent in this squad, and they are relatively well-stocked in midfield. They have a hugely talented roster, and they simply must beat the Dockers here.
The last meeting between these sides was incredibly scrappy, with GWS continuing their domination in this fixture. They’ve now won each of the last four meetings between the pair.
This game is made even more interesting by the virtue that Rory Lobb comes up against his former employers. He walked out on GWS last season, and now lines up for Fremantle, and his team-mates are unlikely to show him much mercy here. He doesn’t always cope well with physical ruckman, so he could struggle against Shane Mumford, who took his place in the GWS side, and has stepped up superbly.
On paper, GWS should win this game fairly easily, and it should be another comfortable success for the hosts, but the Dockers have been unpredictable in recent weeks, and they are creating plenty of chances each week.
A fascinating match-up in the AFL, and it’ll be worth getting up early for!
All of the AFL highlights can be enjoyed on BT Sport this season, and also on the BT Sport App.
Soccer – League One – Accrington vs Luton
Over the Easter weekend, there’s a whole host of live games to choose from, but Accrington vs Luton is going to be amongst the most interesting in my opinion. League One is absolutely fascinating this season, and that’s why this game is the third of my big betting events.
Luton had their 28-match unbeaten run abruptly halted by Charlton last weekend, and they’ll be looking to get back on track here. It looks like the ideal fixture.
The Hatters have been absolutely superb this season, and promotion looks to be a formality this season. Mick Harford’s men are leading the way, but they’ve only won two of the last five games in League One. They’ve had a difficult set of fixtures recently, but this is far more palatable.
Accy are scrapping away at the bottom of the table, and they will be hoping to preserve their third tier status with three points here. John Coleman’s side continue to successfully punch above their weight, and they did beat Walsall at the weekend, to help steer themselves away from the bottom three.
There was plenty of needle last season between these two when they met during the League Two promotion race, and both teams have been victorious in this fixture recently. Luton ran out 2-1 winners last time they came to the Crown Ground, and a similar result would suit them here.
James Collins returns after his one-match suspension for the Hatters, and they will continue to trouble sides with their width, and energy on the flanks. Accrington will have to be at their defensive best here if they are to keep the Hatters at bay.
There’s an abundance of League One football on the television this weekend, and Burton vs Portsmouth should also be another interesting betting event.
Luton are odds-on in this game, but Accrington will make a decent contest of this, and it might be a bit closer than the odds suggest.
UK Football fans can enjoy this game on Sky Sports this weekend alongside all of the other easter EFL action.
Boxing – Welterweight World Title – Terence Crawford vs Amir Khan
We’re off to Madison Square Gardens for the last of our big betting events this weekend with Amir Khan facing a tough task against Terence Crawford.
Pound-for-pound Terence Crawford is ranked number two in the world behind Vasyl Lomachenko. The Ukrainian displayed his credentials at the weekend in a thunderous display to destory Anthony Crolla, so Khan has plenty to be wary of.
The movement of Crawford could prove to be problematic for Khan here, and he can’t afford to take his eye off the ball at all here. The American also possesses plenty of intelligence, and could also out-smart the Boltonian in the ring.
We aren’t going to get rich backing Crawford here, but there are many ways to get involved, and many are predicting this to be over and done with in the first few rounds. Don’t expect to be staying up all night for this one, Khan may struggle to remain competitive.
With a perfect 35-0 record so far, Khan is up against it, but I’m fascinated to see which way he approaches this one. He knows he is the underdog, and he needs to approach it rationally and tactically.
Crawford’s reputation is on the up, and he will make it tough for his opponent here.
Just because this bout should be relatively one-sided, it doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, and I can’t wait to see how Amir Khan approaches this one.
UK viewers can enjoy this bout on BT Sport Box Office on Saturday night
