Soccer – Scottish Premiership – Hearts vs Rangers

My big betting events take a rare trip to Scotland to get things underway. Scottish football often gets overlooked but as a result, it can often throw up some wonderful betting opportunities. This particular tie is eye-catching because both teams have made decent starts to the season but they now seem to be travelling in opposite directions form-wise.

Steven Gerrard has improved Rangers significantly and it’s great to see one of the games greatest players enjoying success in the dugout. They have become incredibly hard to beat and that is always something to look for when placing a bet. Only Celtic and Livingston have beaten the Gers this campaign and both of those defeats were by the narrowest or margins. They’ve conceded just a single goal in their last three matches but they’ve netted twelve times and I’m looking forward to seeing whether they can continue that fine run of form. They will also be coming off the back of a Europa League tie and that can often affect results.

I enjoyed watching Hearts earlier this season and they have a good young dynamic side but maybe it’s time to start opposing them on a weekly basis. They’ve dropped down to third and I think they are struggled to sustain their early season momentum. They’ve scored 16 fewer goals than their opponents and haven’t found the net since October 23rd. I’m intrigued to find out whether they can put that wretched run behind them this weekend.

UK viewers can enjoy this game on BT Sports 1 on Sunday lunchtime

American Football – NFL – Falcons @ the Ravens

As the play-offs edge nearer, there are plenty of exciting NFL games taking place this weekend. I’ve made this particular game one of my best betting events of the weekend as I’m interested to see whether the Ravens have enough offensive power to continue their late push for the play-offs.

The Falcons won’t be competing in the end of season shake-up for the first time in the Dan Quinn era and it’s a shame for Falcons fans that their side haven’t been able to show more consistency this season. They must play for pride and continue to look towards next year but that isn’t always enough to inspire a squad who have lost three straight matches.

The Ravens have one of the tightest defences in the NFL and they run a tight ship. They aren’t always the most entertaining side to watch but their games usually follow a set pattern and that’s why they are a great side to wager on. What they lack going forward, they make up for in defence and they will be expected to continue their mini-revival here.

Instead of sulking about their last-gasp defeat to the Saints, they started to make tweaks to their play and have responded in the perfect way with back-to-back victories. Last week, they picked up a confidence-boosting victory over the Raiders, who are comfortably the worst side in the Conference.

It’s going to be a battle and I can’t wait to find out whether the Ravens can continue to push their way into the play-off picture.

Sky Sports in the home of NFL in the UK and viewers can enjoy this game on their various channels.

Football – Premier League – Crystal Palace vs Burnley

This game at Selhurst might not be a natural pick for neutrals but from a betting perspective, I think it will be a great match. Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park are always slightly underrated by the bookmakers and Roy Hodgson’s men should never be written off in South London.

With the top four looking imperious this season, I often look further down the table for my betting opportunities and I can’t help but find myself attracted to Palace matches this year. The Eagles are still flirting with relegation but they were the better side against Manchester United last weekend and deserved to take all three points from the game. They’ve also had some incredibly difficult fixtures so far.

I always look for sides who sit in the bottom half after being dealt a difficult fixture list and Palace certainly fit the bill. They’ve faced five of the top nine away from home and have already faced Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal here. This should be much easier.

Burnley have lost four of their last five games and last year, I continually backed them to get something from their matches as they were always overpriced but that steeliness seems to have disappeared and with so few shots on target this season, they could easily be heading back to the Championship.

This is a match-up between two sides who desperately need the points and that makes it a fascinating betting heat in the Premier League.

Extended highlights of this game can be viewed with Sky’s Match Choice on Saturday evening. 

Boxing – World Heavyweight – Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury

My final big betting event of the weekend could be one of the best fights of 2018 and I can’t wait for the action to get underway in Los Angeles. It is one of the most talked-about and one of the most heavily anticipated sporting events this month and it will also be a great betting proposition.

They are both unbeaten and there doesn’t appear to be much between the pair. Deontay Wilder has been crying out for a tougher match-up and it’ll be interesting to see whether he can cope with Fury at the Staples Center.

The way Wilder dispatched of Luis Ortiz earlier this year was exceptional and if we see a similar performance here, it will be a great spectacle for all. He will be priced up as the favourite and I can understand the reasons for this however I think it will be closely fought and it might be one for punters to get involved with in-play.

Wilder’s 10th round victory showed tremendous stamina and he means business here. He will not give up and this could go the distance giving those fans who have travelled to the venue plenty of value for money.

Fury comes off the back of a hiatus but he appears to have been preparing for this bout for quite some time and he will make it tough for this opponent. His last couple of victories have been clinched on decision and it may be another busy evening for the judges. This is all set up to be a great spectacle and a terrific betting event between two hugely talented fighters.

The fight will be shown live on BT Sport Box Office on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning in the UK. 

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