Soccer – Premier League – Manchester City vs Chelsea
The Premier League throws up another fascinating contest this weekend as Manchester City host Chelsea at the Etihad. City fans will have been delighted to see Liverpool drop points on Monday night in East London and this a chance to keep the pressure on the Reds.
It’s not been an easy period for Pep’s men with some tricky fixtures but they saw off Arsenal and they will be fancied to do the same against an inconsistent Blues.
The betting markets are heavily favouring the hosts but I wouldn’t be completely writing off the visitors as this is the kind of game they relish. They were much better against Huddersfield at the weekend and Gonzalo Higuain is off the mark in the Premier League. The striker could cause City some problems here.
I think some of the matches between top six sides have potentially been overhyped by Sky Sports this season but I’m genuinely looking forward to this one and I can’t wait to see how the two managers match-up to one another.
Chelsea beat them 2-0 at Stamford Bridge back in December and they will be keen to do the double over the high-flyers but this could be very close indeed.
Another fascinating fixture awaits and I can’t wait to see how the betting markets chance between now and kick-off.
This Premier League game will be shown on Sky Sports this weekend alonside Spurs vs Leicester
Rubgy Union – Six Nations – Scotland vs Ireland
Ireland’s title defence got off to the worst possible start when they were beaten by a physical England side last weekend and Joe Schmidt’s side must find a way of bouncing back here. They face a favourable fixture against Scotland and will be expected to pick up their first points of the 2019 Six Nations.
Jamie Ritchie believes that the Scots can match the physicality of England and they will certainly be full of confidence following their victory over France. The Flanker believes his side will need to be on top of their game for 80 minutes. Gregor Townsend’s men can certainly take some lessons from Eddie Jones’ side and they must put Ireland under pressure from the off.
This is going to be a really interesting battle and I’m intrigued to see how Ireland respond to that setback. Will Joe Schmidt be tempted to make changes to the side or will he keep the faith with the side who were imperious during 2018?
Scotland are likely to be largely unchanged and they could keep the score down. It might be a low-scoring match-up and the Scots will be determined to avoid going behind early on as they won’t want to chase the game.
It’s tough to call and tactics will be key here. There are three fascinating match-ups this weekend but this is the one that I’ll be keeping my eye on.
The BBC will have full coverage of Six Nations this weekend and will be showing this game live.
Soccer – La Liga – Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
The Madrid derby is always a fiercely contested 90 minutes and there is even more at stake this weekend as just two points separate these rivals in the La Liga standings. Atletico slipped up last weekend to Quique Setien’s Real Betis and they will be keen to bounce back. They are always much stronger at the Wanda Metropolitana and they are yet to be defeated here this season.
They also lost just once here last season and managed to hold Real Madrid to a goalless draw. It should be more entertaining this time around.
Real Madrid have started to put together a decent sequence of results and they are searching for their fifth consecutive win here. They’ve won five times on the road this season and they would go above their rivals if they could continue their winning streak.
Both sides are unlikely to dethrone Barcelona anytime soon but there’s more than pride at stake here and the intensity of this game is a huge reason to tune into the action from the Spanish capital.
It is also a fascinating betting proposition because you’d ordinarily favour Atletico at home but Real Madrid have suddenly got going and they are playing with togetherness and spirit once again. Each of the last three meetings between these teams have ended all-square and if it is to be a draw, let’s hope it’s a high-scoring one.
I’m looking forward to another great sporting weekend and this fixture is one of the standout betting events of the week.
UK Soccer fans can enjoy all of this weekend’s La Liga action on Eleven Sports.
Boxing – WBC World Super-Bantam Weight – Rey Vargas vs Franklin Manzanilla
This should be a very entertaining fight on Saturday night/Sunday morning between Rey Vargas and Franklin Manzanilla. Vargas is set to start as overwhelming favourite for this fight but he could have a lot on his plate against his lively opponent. He is defending his title after all and will be expected to retain it here.
Until his victory last year against Julio Ceja, Manzanilla wouldn’t have been given a hope of causing an upset here but the nature of that victory means that he could cause Vargas some problems here. The Mexican has also had his fair share of injuries in recent years and after a number of cancelled bouts, he’ll be keen to make an impression here. He described Manzanilla as a ‘dangerous opponents’ and he knows that he can’t afford to be complacent here.
The 12-round fight should be a hugely entertaining affair and with both boxers having a great record with recent knock-outs, it might not last too long. The whole card makes for an intriguing evening and it’s the unknown package of Manzanilla which helps make this fight the best betting heat of the day.
I’m looking to another fascinating Saturday night of boxing and I can’t wait to see how this one plays out.
Boxing fans can watch the whole card on DAZN and enjoy every single bout on the card.
