BOBBY’S BEST WEEKEND BETTING EVENTS – 2ND-3RD MARCH

Soccer – Major League Soccer – Orlando City vs New York City

The MLS returns to our screens on Saturday night, and I can’t wait for it to get started! The televised high-profile tie sees Orlando City take on NYCFC in Florida and it’s the first of my big betting events for this weekend.

Orlando are an interesting proposition this season as they look to bounce back from an incredibly poor season. James O’Connor’s men struggled for victories last season, with just eight in total, and they will desperately looking to improve this time around. Their squad looks stronger, and the addition of Nani has certainly given the fans a lift. He will fancy hitting the ground running after a mixed spell back home in Portugal, and he’ll be keen to get off the mark in this opening game.

NYCFC will be without David Villa and they have no players left from their expansion year in the league. It’s a completely new-look side, who will be hoping to continue the momentum they achieved last season. It’s Dome Torrent’s first full-season in charge of the club, and he’ll be desperate to reach the play-offs, and potentially the MLS Cup final. Maxi Moralez tends to be the star of the show and he will once again be key to their chances.

The visitors didn’t fare well on the road last season, and that makes this opening game a very interesting proposition. They were poor away from the Yankee Stadium, and this won’t be easy. It would be entirely possible to underestimate Orlando, but there is a feel-good factor about the club, and the off-season signings have given everyone a lift.

This is an intriguing opening game, and I love betting in-play on the MLS as there are always so many goals, cards and incidents in the division.

Some punters refuse to wager on the opening of a season, but I think this should be a hugely entertaining game for the neutral. It is certainly a great betting in-play prospect, and I can’t wait for it to get started.

UK viewers can enjoy all of the MLS action on Sky Sports between March and October this year.

Soccer – Championship – Ipswich vs Reading

I’m sticking with soccer for my second big betting event this weekend and I’m heading to the Championship. This game is far from the glamorous choice, but it looks an interesting betting heat, as there is so much at stake!

Both of these sides have had a season of struggle, and this game could help decide their future. Ipswich have long been written off as relegation fodder, but they continue to battle, and they aren’t easy to beat at the moment. They’ve now drawn three in a row, and although they are still nine points adrift of their hosts, if they can win here and take their momentum through to the end of the season, survival is not out of the question.

However, if they don’t take anything from this home game, it is pretty much curtains for Paul Lambert’s side.

Reading have improved under Jose Gomez, but they still aren’t out of the woods just yet! The Royals have lost just one of their last six games in the second tier, although too many draws have hindered their progress. They were battered by Sheffield United in their last away game, conceding after just 38 seconds, but they shouldn’t find this trip to Suffolk anywhere near a tricky, and many will be favouring them to take all three points.

This may not be a natural first pick for soccer fans, and it is just one of many 3pm kick offs in the Championship this weekend, but I find it an intriguing betting prospect. The bookies have struggled to price this one up, and it’s not easy to determine the outcome, thus making it a perfect in-play betting match.

Although the draw is a possibility, a point each doesn’t really help either side, and this relegation battle really could go right down to the wire.

EFL fans can catch highlights of this game on Quest TV on Saturday night.

Boxing – Super Welterweight – Erislandy Lara vs Brian Castano

After the excitement of last week’s entertainment in the ring, this weekend’s bouts are far less high-prolife. However, there’s a potential intriguing match-up between Erislandy Lara and Brian Castano in New York on Saturday night and it’s one that I’ll certainly be tuning in for.

We haven’t seen Erislandy Lara since his loss in April 2018, and he’ll be desperate to bounce back from his disappointing loss to Jarrett Hurd. The fiery Cuban will be hoping to KO the Argentine in front of a big audience at the Barclays Center.

Castano is unbeaten so far, and will be keen to defend his 154-pound title on Saturday night. He’s odds-against to do so, but it might be as simple as the bookies suggest. Lara has had a long-time to prepare for this, and there will be a determination about him when he climbs into the ring.

The former world champion will be keen to restore his reputation and claim the super welterweight time in Brooklyn, and this fight could potentially go the distance. The Cuban is very tactical, and he will have carefully studied the movement and reach of his opponent during the build-up to this fight, and that will certainly help his cause.

This is one-to-watch because there is a decent narrative to the fight. Castano is a former junior champion who remains unbeaten, and won’t be easy to KO. Lara is a tactical battler, who has much bigger fights during his career, but is looking to restore his reputation.

It’s going to be a fascinating night in the ring, and the betting markets make very interesting reading. Many punters will be looking to get stuck into the pre-fight markets, and then also return to the odds once the fight has got underway. It should be a cracker on Saturday night, and I can’t wait to see which way it goes.

This fight will be aired live on DAZN on Saturday night

Soccer – Bundesliga – Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayern Munich

My final big betting event of the weekend is from the Bundesliga, as the title race hots up with Monchengladbach taking on Bayern Munich.

Borussia Dortmund clinched a significant victory on Sunday as they overcame Leverkusen and got back to winning ways. It leaves them three points ahead of Bayern Munich with the pair meeting at the beginning of April. Bayern have the toughest fixture of the two teams this weekend with an unenviable trip to Monchengladbach.

The hosts have fallen away in recent weeks, and their title credentials are waivering following a heavy defeat to Wolfsburg here. They haven’t won in three games, but it doesn’t mean they will be a soft touch in their own back yard. Bayern lost their previous trip to this ground, beaten 2-1, and they were also stuffed at the Allianz by this opponent back in October.

Bayern have certainly begun to recapture their form, but this will be far from straightforward.

However, even with the UCL in the back of their minds, they must ensure they don’t lose any ground in the title race, and they can’t afford to let Dortmund extend the gap once again. Gladbach are 11 points off top-spot, and realistically they’re playing for third, but they won’t take foot off the pedal here. It should be a tremendous spectacle, and a really interesting betting heat.

Niko Kovac’s men are likely to start odds-on for this game, but it will not straightforward, and that makes it a must-watch and must-bet for me.

BT Sport have full coverage of the Bundesliga this season and this game can be watched live on their TV channel and App