Get set for a brilliant weekend of sport with lots to get ones teeth in to on BETDAQ. There’s another big night of boxing on Saturday with Carl Froch (3.7 to win on BETDAQ) against Andre Ward (1.32). British fighters have been involved in 11 title fights this year and only won two – let’s hope Carl Froch can put that right this weekend. He’ll have his work cut out as Ward is supremely talented and makes boxing look so easy. However, will he relish a scrap with Froch, who is as hard as they come? I think the mercurial Ward will be too good but can easily see Froch taking him the distance.
The weather threatens all the big meeting in England on Saturday. I reckon Ascot will be ok and there’s some very competitive racing. I imagine Paul Nicholls’ horses will be all the rage in the big handicap hurdle at 3.35. I can see Prospect Wells going off very short. However, this is a race Nicky Henderson has dominated in event years and I fancy Gibb River to give him another success. This horse does nothing flash but two miles on soft ground will be right up his street. Gibb River has been trained for this and ran a cracking trial on Tingle Creek day at Sandown. He will strip much fitter on Saturday and looks on a decent mark Last week I got the trainer’s Grandouet badly wrong. I thought he might be a ‘bridle’ horse, travel beautifully and trade very short in running. He did the latter but went on to win impressively and is now trading at 8 on Betdaq for the Champion Hurdle. How wrong I was.
Chelsea’s win over Manchester City on the Monday Night Football didn’t exactly blow the title race wide open but it certainly made it a lot more interesting. It also set up a Christmas cracker of a Super Sunday this weekend. Yet for 25 minutes on Monday night at Stamford Bridge, City were sensational again and Gary Neville and I thought we were in for a repeat of one of the destruction jobs we saw at White Hart Lane and Old Trafford. City drifted to1.83 to back, 1.85 to lay on BETDAQ but I remain convinced they are much the best side in the country.
I’ll be heading up to Manchester on Saturday to host Sunday’s triple header of big games.
We go on air at 11.30am on Sky Sports HD1 and the first game is QPR against Manchester United, who meet for the first time in 15 years, since they drew 1-1 at Loftus Road in March 1996. QPR’s last win came almost 20 years ago – 4-1 in a top flight game at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day 1992. Dennis Bailey scored a hat-trick for Gerry Francis’ side, spoiling Sir Alex Ferguson 50th birthday which he had celebrated the day before. I think this will be a lot tougher and closer than most pundits expect. QPR have only won once at home but have impressed against the big guns at Loftus Road and Sir Alex is down to the bare bones, especially in central midfield. I can see plenty of shrewdies laying the champions at around 1.54.
Our second game of the day is Aston Villa versus Liverpool. Villa won 1-0 at Villa Park on the final day last season – their first win in 13 Premier League meetings with Liverpool at home. Under 2.5 goals could be the way to go on this one as the last three meetings at Villa have produced just two goals and Liverpool have not conceded more than one goal in their last 12 PL visits to Villa Park.
Super Sunday climaxes with a massive game at the Etihad Stadium. This is the first time this season that Man City have faced any of the other top six PL teams at home and I can’t see any way that Manchester City v Arsenal won’t be a great game to watch. Arsenal will have a go, as they always do, but it’s hard to see even their much-improved back four holding out for 90 minutes against City’s attacking flair.
It promises to be a great day of football and if Man City achieve a better result than Man Utd, they would guarantee themselves PL top spot on Christmas Day. In five of last seven seasons, the team top at Christmas has gone on to win the title.
I fancy Blackburn to beat West Brom this weekend. Rovers won both games last season – their first top flight double over Albion since 1962-63 and have lost just one of the 10 PL meetings, winning 4. They have never lost at home to Albion in the PL – 5 games, 2 wins – and look like they can score against any side at the moment. Blackburn are also over due a change of luck and look a decent bet at 2.46 on BETDAQ.
ED’S BETS
Gibb River (Ascot 3.35)
Aston Villa v Liverpool (UNDER 2.5 goals)
Blackburn to beat West Brom
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