I’ve been left with a bad taste in my mouth from the Carling Cup, so this weekend I’ll be betting on the Patriots to beat the Giants in Superbowl in two weeks time and Man Utd to beat Liverpool in the FA Cup this Saturday.
Suggested Bets:
New England Patriots to beat NY Giants @ 11/10 (next week)
Man Utd to beat Liverpool @ 17/10
It was a pretty poor week for my bets last time out, with both of my big punts failing to yield any return whatsoever. As I’ve mentioned above, I’ve a bad headache and a cotton mouth from the after affects of last night’s Carling Cup semi-final (it’s not just from the five cans of Heineken I had), with my big bet on Liverpool to win the match failing to come to fruition. Despite winning on aggregate, Kenny’s lads could only manage a draw in 90 minutes, meaning that my bet was a big fat loser. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole game, hoping and expecting Liverpool to take the lead but it didn’t come at the right time and a draw was the final outcome.
It was a pretty poor performance by the current Premier League leaders Man City and the blue side of Manchester seem to have totally lost their mojo. Worse still is the fact that Liverpool needed two penalties to beat a side with dodgy centre back Savic in the fray. The harsh facts of the game is that aging (yet still impressive) Craig Bellamy was the star performer in the Liverpool side and no matter how much you think of Man City, they were very poor over the two legs.
Having watched Liverpool play on a number of occasions at Anfield this season, I’m fully confident that Man Utd are a great price for the win in the FA Cup 4th round this weekend at odds of 17/10. United’s away form has been good this year and I’m expecting the confidence of last week’s Arsenal win to carry into Saturday’s fixture. I can totally understand why the bookies are giving Alex Ferguson’s men such a big price, as these matches have been notoriously unpredictable but for me 17/10 offers real value.
One thing that’s guaranteed from this game is drama and with the Suarez/Evra drama very much alive and kicking, adrenaline will be at an all-time high this Saturday at Anfield. I would count on this being a low-scoring game but it’s very hard to tell with a game as close as this one, 1-0, 1-1 would be likely scorelines which can be backed at around odds of .
In previous years, the Red Devils have relied heavily on their home form to carry them to Premier League success but this year it’s been a real mixture of both home/away form. 17/10 screams value to me, so take that price on Man Utd for the win. There’s no point in trying to lessen the risk with a handicap bet, as Man Utd + 1 is far too short at 4/9 and I’m not even confident that there will be that much between these two sides. A bet a massive odds which might suit the ‘Hail Mary’ punter is 0-0 half-time and Man United to win 2-1 full-time at gigantic odds of 80/1 but make sure to cross your fingers, avoid Magpies and have some holy water at hand for the duration of the game!
My other bet this weekend will be in preparation for the Super Bowl in two weeks, so there’s no real rush in getting this on. I don’t expect much fluctuation on the points margin of the match so New England Patriots – 3 v New York Giants seems like a real winner.
Watching last week’s AFC final the Pats were obviously very lucky to book their place in the Super Bowl but to be honest it was one of the worst displays from Tom Brady in quite a while and I can’t see a talented quarter-back like Brady slipping up two weeks in a row. The Patriots certainly weren’t at their best last week but a lot of this had to do with the defensive strength and pressure of the Baltimore Ravens backline. The Giants also needed a little luck to book their Super Bowl spot and once again the bookies are having problems defining where the liability lie but I think that a three point head start for the NY Giants won’t be enough to prevent Brady making the plays which is sure to secure him a ‘Hall of Fame’ spot.
Just a final remainder about the Six Nations coming up in two weeks, I’ve already placed a substantial bet on France in the outright betting market and I really can’t see the Championship going anywhere else this year. Les Bleus are currently available at 13/8 and I’m happy to say that I got them at a price that was a lot better than the one currently on offer. They seem to be shortening as the money floods into the bookies’ pockets, so make sure to get on before the first match so the price doesn’t become way too short which I think it might!
