Soccer – Championship – Stoke vs QPR
The EFL is back! Many of the my favourite betting leagues are slowly beginning to return, and I can’t wait to get stuck into the Championship this weekend. I’m intrigued by the match involving Stoke and QPR, and it’s the first of my big betting events this weekend.
It was a miserable season for Stoke City, who went off as 11/2 favourites for the Championship title last season, yet somehow they managed to finish lower mid-table. The Potters have been preparing for this upcoming campaign for quite some time by employing Nathan Jones. The intense Welshman will demand the highest standards from his squad, and he has had a number of months to work with his players. He’s recruited an interesting bunch of players with the hugely talented-but routinely injured Nick Powell arriving from Wigan, whilst Tommy Smith and Liam Lindsay both arrive to bolster the defence.
The Potters are amongst the top six in the pre-season betting once again, and their fans will be quietly optimistic of a positive campaign. They were defensively resolute during the latter half of the campaign, but it was play in the final third which was hugely concerning.
They begin with a winnable-looking contest against QPR, who are a young side that have been tipped to struggle this time around. I don’t think the Rs will be pushovers however, and they’ve signed well with Marc Pugh and Jordan Hugill both arriving in West London in the last seven days.
Stoke are odds-on for this contest, but QPR will make it tough for the hosts. I’m looking forward to seeing how they implement the wing-back system that Jones favoured at Luton. James McClean has been touted for a left-back role this season whilst youngster Tom Edwards will provide plenty of guile down the right. If it works, and it all clicks, then Stoke could be unstoppable, but the pressure will be on them from the off.
The Championship is a hugely competitive division, and this match is perhaps unlikely to be quite as one-sided as the betting suggests. Stoke are an interesting project this season, and I’m looking forward to seeing whether Jones can get his side firing from the off.
Both teams will have different-look squads from their last meeting. QPR don’t traditionally play well against this opposition, and haven’t beaten Stoke since 2012, whilst they haven’t won at this ground for eight years.
It’s an intriguing first-day fixture, and one that I will keeping a keen eye on.
UK viewers can enjoy this match via Quest TV’s Championship highlights which will be shown at 9pm on Saturday.
Soccer – MLS – FC Cincinnati vs Vancouver Whitecaps
Although there is a huge fanfare over the recommencement of the EFL season, there are still a number of divisions that are ongoing, and are likely to produce interesting betting events this weekend. The MLS is one of those, and this fixture between FC Cincinnati and Vancouver Whitecaps is the second of our big betting events.
Neither of these two sides have performed well enough in 2019, and neither will make the play-offs this time around. FC Cincinnati looked like they were starting to find their feet at this level, with back-to-back wins in mid-July. However, they’ve since slipped to three consecutive defeats, and were narrowly seen off at BMO Field on Saturday. They’ve not kept a clean sheet in 21 games, and they are still searching for their first shut-out since registering as a franchise.
The Whitecaps haven’t been much better defensively, but they do at least come into this game off the back of a draw. Marc dos Santos’ side have been fraught with error this campaign, but they have at least been showing some willing, and they could outplay their price here.
It’s now 11 games since the Canadians were last victorious, and they are currently embarking upon a tough and gruelling schedule. They’ve also been trailing at the break in four of the last five games, and they need to improve their concentration in the first period.
This is the first ever meeting between the pair, and it should been an intriguing contest. Rarely, do we focus on a game involving two poor sides, but it does often lead to a more intriguing betting event.
The Whitecaps have four more points than their opponents, but Cincinnati get the chance to play host this weekend, and they will be looking to use that to their advantage here. Both sides have offensively talented players, but it’s their back-lines which continually let them down, and another error-strewn 90 minutes await.
UK viewers can enjoy live games and highlights from the MLS on both Sky Sports and Premier Sports this season
Soccer – League Two – Salford vs Stevenage
The second visit to the EFL this weekend takes us to Moor Lane, or the Peninsula Stadium as it’s also known. It’s our first look at Salford as a Football League team as they take on Stevenage in their opening League Two clash. This game is the third of our big betting events to take place this weekend.
There is a little bit of resentment regarding Salford this season, and the big-spending outfit have been chalked up as one of the pre-season favourites. They are tipped to be situated towards the top of the table, and with experienced boss Graham Alexander in the dugout, they should challenge. They are also odds-on in this opening game, but I think the bookies have probably underestimated Stevenage.
Dino Maamria’s men are never going to be the most fashionable outfit, and they aren’t being spoken about in terms of promotion, but they will not give their hosts an easy ride here. Stevenage play some nice stuff, but they can also go direct if required, and they don’t take an prisoners. Salford will be expected to win, and there is enough pressure on them here, that could play its part in the outcome.
Fans will have been pleased to open the campaign with a home game, but they will have significantly easier games than this. Stevenage are underrated by the bookmakers, and they are dark horses this campaign.
This League Two clash is an early kick-off, and it’s set to be an intriguing lunch-time kick off. I can’t wait to see how Salford adjust to life in the EFL, and assess whether their expensively-assembled squad is up to the job this season.
Highlights of this game will be shown on Quest TV, but the match will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football on Saturday lunchtime.
Aussie Rules – AFL – Freemantle vs Geelong Cats
We’re back in the AFL, and we’re getting ever closer to the play-off stage of the 2019 season. Another crucial game for leaders Geelong Cats awaits, and their visit to take on Freemantle is the last of our big betting events this weekend.
The Cats lead the way with 56 points, and despite a couple of underwhelming performances in recent weeks, they still look the team to beat in this season’s AFL. The Hawks and the Bulldogs have both been victorious, and caused the upsets in recent weeks, and the Dockers will be hoping to add their name to that exclusive list.
The Cats have won 14 of their 18 matches this season, and although they have been lucky with injuries, they have managed to showcase their squad depth on a number of occasions.
This weekend’s opponents are in a bit of a rut, and their play-offs hopes are fading by the minute. Freemantle started the season well, but have now lost four of the last five, and need to turn things around quickly. Realistically, a slip-up here, will end their play-off hopes, and they need to ensure they don’t give the Cats too much leeway during the opening stages of this game.
The Cats have a good record against this opposition, and they’ve won each of the last four meetings against the Dockers. Freemantle’s 113-66 defeat to the Bulldogs last weekend was worrying, and their defence simply must improve. The Cats have a two-match buffer at the top of the ladder, and they won by 27 points last weekend. It was the ideal to bounce back from a negative result, and they will be looking for back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly six weeks.
This AFL match will be amongst the highlights shown on BT Sports in the UK.
