Author: Online Betting Pro

I am a punter that loves to follow the horse both in Australia and the United Kingdom. I enjoy writing about sports betting and also casino, poker and bingo. In my spare time I like to keep fit by playing football and going for long bike rides. I also like to travel the world and see amazing place s and meet wonderful people along the way.

Leicester v Man Utd: Foxes embroiled in relegation dog fight

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Leicester City welcome Manchester United to the King Power Stadium live on television on Sunday afternoon, desperate to get back to winning ways as they face up to the very real prospect of relegation.

Less than a year after their miraculous title win and despite taking the Champions League by storm and qualifying for the last 16, the Foxes’ defence of their Premier League crown has been nothing short of woeful. The club now sits just two points above the relegation zone and are currently as short as 7/2 with Bet365 to be relegated with 15 matches left to play.

Must win game for Foxes

On Tuesday evening, Leicester travelled to fellow relegation candidates Burnley and with a valuable point just moments away, Sam Vokes’ last minute strike, aided by his hand, snatched it away to suck the Foxes further into the mire.

Claudio Ranieri’s men have picked up just 21 points from 23 games this season with their away form a huge cause for concern to their manager and fans, with no wins on the road to date. Their home form has been nothing to write home about either with just five wins from 11 games. Sunday afternoon offers them another opportunity to improve that ratio whilst also improving their prospects of retaining their Premier League status.

United toiling in pursuit of top four finish

While Leicester battle the drop, United haven’t lost a single Premier League match since Chelsea thrashed them 4-0 at Stamford Bridge back in late October. Such a record usually indicates a club challenging for the title. But for Jose Mourinho and his players, the undefeated run has consisted of far too many draws, seven to be exact.

Now a daunting 14 points behind champions-elect Chelsea and four points outside of the Champions League places, United drew another blank on Wednesday evening when they failed to break down a stubborn Hull outfit with an inspired goalkeeper the difference between the two teams. United are now a massive 50/1 with Sky Bet to defy the odds and claim an unexpected 21st league title.

Failure to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition would represent a huge failure for Mourinho given the vast sums of money spent in the summer. Ladbrokes are more confident of United’s chances of a top four finish than their title hopes, though, quoting them as low as 11/8.

United favourites to extend Foxes’ woes

United go into this clash rightly proclaimed as favourites for victory, 8/11 with Paddy Power while Leicester, desperate for a reversal in fortunes are a somewhat tempting 9/2 with Bet365 to overcome the newly-announced wealthiest club in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

Not feeling a win on either side? You can get a decent 14/5 with BetVictor for United to once again draw a blank and Leicester to gain another point in their fight to avoid being only the second English club after Manchester City in the thirties to be relegated just a year after reaching their highest peak.

Fancy a flutter on first goalscorer? Jamie Vardy has failed to hit the heights of last season but is a cracking 17/2 with Paddy Power to strike first on Sunday, while United’s man of the season to date, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is deemed more likely at 17/5 to notch that all-important first goal.

Super Bowl Betting: Odds Drift Out on New England Patriots

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The Super Bowl is one of the biggest betting events in the calendar and huge sums are already being wagered on it, with forecasts expecting it to be worth more than $5 billion to bookmakers. As the money flies in, the odds are shifting constantly as online betting sites like Sun Bets, Sky Bet, Bet365 and more react to the trends and cover their backs. With the big game rapidly approaching, it is worth examining which way the betting is going before placing your wager.

The majority of NFL fans seem to have decided that the value is on the Atlanta Falcons as the odds on the underdogs have drifted in. A week ago the Falcons were best priced at 7/5 with William Hill but those odds have now shortened to 13/10 as the money has gone on Atlanta. That means you can now typically find better odds on the favourites, the New England Patriots. A week ago they were 20/31 at Bet365 and Ladbrokes but they have now gone out to 4/6. It might not sound a huge difference, as it is going from 1.65 to 1.67 when we render it in a digital odds format, but that 0.02 increase can count for a lot when you consider some of the sums being wagered on this game. The Patriots have been dominant this season and over the past decade with the Bill Bellichick-Tom Brady axis leading them to glory time and time again, and that 4/6 offers fantastic value. But the Falcons are the hottest team in the league right now thanks to an offence that is firing on all cylinders, so it is easy to see why people are backing them and causing the odds to fall.

There is a lot more value to be had on the Patriots when you move into the spread betting market and fans have responded in their droves. Las Vegas has set the spread at Patriots -3 and NFL enthusiasts are lumping on the Pats to cover it. The odds on the Patriots with the spread have plummeted at most bookmakers, but Paddy Power is still offering a generous 21/20, so that looks a great option if you think they can do it. It promises to be a tight game and the Pats should shade it thanks to their superb defence, but New England -3 looks a bit risky. If you’re feeling more cautious, Bet365 has 5/7 on New England -2. Or if you’re feeling supremely confident in New England you can get huge odds of 7/4 on the Patriots -5.5 at Paddy Power. If, on the other hand, you think the Falcons might sneak a win but you are worried they could also fall to a narrow defeat, you can get 10/11 with Sky Bet on Atlanta +3 or 5/8 on Atlanta +5.5 at Bet365.

The other main markets and the wonderful, dizzying array of prop bets are pretty much stagnant at present and are unlikely to shift much if at all in the run-up to the Super Bowl as the serious money goes on the spread and the outrights, while these are more fun novelty options.

Top picks

New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl at 4/6 with Bet365 and Ladbrokes

Atlanta Falcons +5.5 with Bet365

Under 58.5 points in total at 10/11 with Sky Bet, Ladbrokes and various others

Julio Jones to score first touchdown at 8/1 with William Hill, Ladbrokes and various others

Tom Brady to be named Super Bowl MVP at 10/11 with Paddy Power

LeGarette Blount to gain the most rushing yards at 5/4 with Boylesports

No missed extra point at 2/7 with Betfred

No defensive touchdown scored at 4/6 with Bet365

Super Bowl prop bets: the good, the bad, the crazy

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The Super Bowl is sure to be one of the biggest betting events of 2017 and NFL fans are by no means restricted to betting on traditional lines like outright winner, point spread and points total. In the buildup to the big game the leading bookmakers compete to offer the weirdest and most wonderful prop bets (special bets) to make headlines and win business. Getting involved can be great fun, but also a good way to waste your money, so here we have rounded up the good, the bad and the crazy from this year’s prop bets:

The Good

The obvious bets are outright winner (the New England Patriots should win it), point spread (the Atlanta Falcons might sneak this as it is forecast to be close) and points totals (under 58.5 looks good thanks to the strength of the Pats’ defence). But a really important prop bet can be added to that mix: Super Bowl MVP. In the last 15 years a quarterback has won it nine times, a wide receiver three times, a wide receiver twice and a safety once. Chances are it will be won by a quarterback again and that pits Tom Brady against Matt Ryan. History is in Brady’s favour as he has already won Super Bowl MVP three times and is a big game player. Matt Ryan is the hottest QB in the league right now, but that might not be enough to stop Brady. He is odds-on favourite at 10/11 with Paddy Power, while Ryan is 15/8 with Sky Bet.

One spanner in the works could be Julio Jones, Atlanta’s beast of a receiver, who looks interesting at 16/1 with William Hill and Bet365. He also looks a good option at 8/1 to score the first touchdown. Another good prop bet is half-time/full-time. If you fancy the Patriots to dominate, you can get 11/8 with Ladbrokes on them winning half-time/full-time, better than the 4/6 available on them winning outright. The 8/9 on New England winning more turnovers looks great too. LaGarette Blount at 4/1 for most rushing yards looks an interesting bet as the Pats will try to grind the Falcons down, and he is another good bet for first touchdown at 8/1 with Bet365.

The Bad

You can get 18/1 on the winner successfully defending the Super Bowl next season, but Brady is ageing and the Falcons probably won’t reach the big game again, so this looks best avoided. The 5/2 on a kicker missing an extra point looks a terrible idea. The 66/1 on someone achieving a Hail Mary looks tempting, but again best avoided, as is the 4/1 on a defensive touchdown being given away and the 13/1 on a kick return touchdown as these defences are too good for that.

The Crazy

Here we go. This year you can bet on: the primary colour of Joe Buck’s tie, the pattern of his tie, the extent of his facial hair, the amount of times Robert Kraft is shown on TV, the likelihood of a halftime sound malfunction, a wardrobe malfunction, Lady Gaga’s outfit, her hair colour and song choice, the visibility of her belly button, someone catching fire at the halftime show, how long the national anthem will take, Gaga getting booed, who will air the first commercial, who will win best commercial, anti-Trump speeches being made, whether a snake will make an appearance and many, many more. Most are fun if you’re only throwing small change on them, but two that could be interesting are: going over the over/under weight (249.5 lbs) of the heaviest player to score a touchdown as Blount is over, and the 7/4 on the first mention of Deflategate being in the first quarter.

Tottenham vs Middlesbrough – Spurs looking to bounce back

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High flying Spurs have taken 2 points from the last two games, including a disappointing 0-0 draw away against lowly Sunderland last Tuesday. They are looking to bounce back at home against a Boro side hovering above the relegation zone.

Playing catch up

Spurs’ form over the Christmas period was truly breathtaking, winning 7/8, including against bitter rivals Chelsea, a game that gave oxygen to the title race. But recent draws against Man City and Sunderland in the league, and their chaotic last minute win against Wycombe in the FA cup, have left the Tottenham faithful slightly on edge. Pochettino will be eager to prove that his squad isn’t stalling in its attempt to bring home their first top flight trophy since 1961, even as Chelsea edge even further in front. The slip up against Sunderland was a missed opportunity to capitalise on Chelsea dropping points against Liverpool and Arsenal’s utterly woeful home defeat against a Watford team who had lost to League 1 Millwall only 3 days before.

A classic Moyes rearguard action left Pochettino deeply frustrated on Tuesday, claiming that “We should have won. It was a massive opportunity to close the gap on Chelsea.” He wouldn’t be wrong to expect a similar approach from Aitor Karanka, whose Boro team’s only saving grace seems to be their ability to shut opponents out. Spurs will have to rekindle some of their flair of recent performances. But all things considered, they should expect to take 3 points at home.

Pochettino could well be without goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and Kieran Trippier is in doubt as well. Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen and Erik Lamela are all out with more long term injuries.

Treading water

Karanka’s perennial concern has been his team’s lack of goals; they have managed only 2 in the league in 2017, and 19 for the season overall. At first, it seemed their lack of goals might not be so compounding as to see them threatened by relegation, they were grinding out results at home and even picking up some away points at the beginning of the season. But in the cold, hard light of 2017, Boro are looking very capable of backsliding into a relegation dog fight. Sitting in 15th, with 21 points, a defeat to Spurs could potentially see them slip into the relegation zone for the first time this season, although there is only a slim chance of that happening.

Despite Spurs’ missing goalkeeper, it seems doubtful they will free scoring this Saturday. More likely, they will try and replicate their low scoring away draws with Man City and Arsenal earlier in the season. Head to head, there isn’t much to go on: Spurs won 2:1 in the corresponding fixture at the Riverside in September, but they haven’t otherwise played since 2009 when Boro was last in the Prem.

Boro have George Friend, Calum Chambers and Gaston Ramirez all unavailable.

The value

There is no value betting on a straight win for Spurs at 1/4 on Bet365, but Spurs to Win & BTTS No at 5/6 is tastier, considering Boro’s impotence up front, and could be worth including in an accumulator.

Bet Victor has Delle Alli to score anytime at 19/20 and Son Heung-Min at 5/4, which seems good value considering their form.

Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Can Chelsea Keep Another Clean Sheet?

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Some believe it’s already too late for Arsenal to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title, but if the Gunners are going to do it then February 4th’s clash with Chelsea is a good place to start. Heading into the game, Chelsea appears to have an unbreakable hold over the league.

With 23 games played, 18 wins and 56 points on the board, it looks as though the title is Antonio Conte’s to lose. However, Arsenal and Tottenham haven’t exactly been slouches this season. Although the London clubs are nine points behind Chelsea, a win for the former on February 4 could put the pressure on. Of course, there’s a huge difference between thinking and doing and Arsenal will have to be on top form if they want to get a result at Stamford Bridge.

Experts Don’t Have Confidence in Arsenal

Now, if you listen to Jamie Carragher, Arsenal will be lucky to get a draw on Saturday. With Chelsea drawing at Liverpool and Arsenal ending a disappointing performance against Watford as 2-1 losers, Carragher believes Arsene Wenger’s men will struggle.

“You always feel with Arsenal in the big games they’ll be found out or just come up a little bit short. I don’t see it being any different at Stamford Bridge,” the former Liverpool player told Sky Sports.

Whether or not Carragher is right, the bookmakers seem to agree. The current outright betting line at Sun Bets has the home side as the even-money favourites with the visitors out at 11/4. Things don’t get much better for the Gunners over at Paddy Power with the odds showing 13/5 for the win and 9/4 on the draw.

Arsenal Can Score, but Will They?

For Arsenal fans, it’s not all doom and gloom in the stats department. When it comes to goals scored, Arsenal is leading Chelsea at a difference of 51 to 48. Unfortunately, it’s goals against that seems to be letting Arsenal down. As they showed in the Watford game, they’re more than capable of scoring. However, they’re also prone to letting goals slip. With 25 conceded (Chelsea 16 against), it’s hard to see how Chelsea won’t score at least one on February 4.

If Chelsea does score, recent results suggest that Arsenal probably won’t. Even though a strike rate of 51 goals in 23 games shows they’re more than capable of finding the net, Arsenal’s last nine matches against Chelsea have seen only one team score.

History Suggests a Shutout is Likely

Going all the way back to December 2013, Chelsea has won five games without conceding, while Arsenal has done the same on two occasions. Even the two draws were goalless affairs, which suggests that once one of these teams starts to dominate, they tend to completely shut out the other.

Looking back at the odds, 0-0 is currently 9:1 at 888sport, while 1-0 in favour of the home side is 7:1. For the adventurous, 11:1 is the price for the classic 1 nil to Arsenal but for our money 2-0 Chelsea at 9:1 looks to be the bet of the day. With Arsenal coming into the game on a downer and Chelsea looking strong against Liverpool, it looks as though all three points will stay at Stamford Bridge this time around. If that does prove to be the case, look for Chelsea to come away with a clean sheet and at least a goal or two.

Who Will Win the Top Midlands Derby?

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Leicester City may have been crowned champions last season but that is well and truly in the past now. There is little doubt as to who the current top two teams are in the midlands. That honour belongs to West Brom and Stoke City. Once again they are showing the rest of the league how to survive comfortably in what is the toughest league in Europe. Their respective managers Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes must take a lot of credit for that.

The balance of power in the midlands has swung away from Aston Villa and Birmingham City in recent seasons. West Brom is best-priced 11-8 with BetVictor and as the home team are rightly the clear favourites. Tony Pulis spent several successful seasons at Stoke and was the guiding force behind their transition into being a regular Premier League club.

Simply Nothing to Choose

The fact of the matter is that there is simply nothing to choose between these two clubs. This has been the case for the past several seasons. Clubs like West Brom and Stoke never seem to fire the imagination but both of them play entertaining football when they need to and are a match for any top club on their day.

Stoke are a best-priced 12-5 with Bet365 while the draw is an interesting 11-5. If you fancy these two teams to battle out a draw but you don’t fancy the 11-5 then why not take the better odds of 4-1 on the score being level at half-time and full-time? That seems to be better value given the fact that there is so little to choose between these teams.

Stoke have the Flair Players

Stoke City do seem to have the better of it when it comes to talent. Players like Marko Arnautovic, Charlie Adam and Xerdan Shaqiri are players who can turn a game and excite the crowd. West Brom, on the other hand, have grit and that reflects their “no nonsense” manager Tony Pulis. Games like these are often decided by singular moments of brilliance or a big decision by the referee or possibly by pure luck. There are rarely comfortable wins for either team and that especially applies to the away team.

So we can expect a close encounter with the winning margin being no more than two goals at best. Stoke and West Brom are renowned for grinding results out with their solid approaches and that is why they are where they are in the league table.