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A Boxing Day Sequel to Brisbane’s Epic

Posted on 2016-12-232016-12-24 by Online Betting Pro

Pakistan fought valiantly in Brisbane after being written off following their meek first innings. Their effort was surprising yet encouraging and gives game two in Melbourne an intriguing tint. Have Australia well and truly turned the corner, or does the fourth innings nerves prove that there are still nerves amongst the camp when they’re under pressure.

We’ll find out on Boxing Day when the MCG hosts the teams for game two of the series. Check out our thoughts on the key players and how you might be able to make some money from them below:

The Series So Far

The Gabba opener has been labelled the game of 2016, which is no mean feat given some of the exceptional games of cricket in Bangladesh featuring England earlier this year. At its conclusion, Australia snuck a 39 run win after setting Pakistan a mammoth 490 fourth innings chase. Pakistan garnered admiration for their effort in the fourth innings which was spearheaded by Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan and Azhar Ali. However, they also showed a fragility in the first innings that could be exposed throughout game two.

The Teams

Australia (likely):

1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steve Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Hilton Cartwright, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson Bird.

Debutant Hilton Cartwright is expected to replace Nic Maddinson after the left-hander has registered just 5 runs in his first three test knocks. The team is otherwise settled.

Pakistan (likely):

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali.

No changes are expected from the visitors for game two at the MCG.

The Key Players

Australia: David Warner was one of the big winners when the ICC announced their awards for 2015/16 during the week. Along with Starc, Warner was named in both the Test and ODI teams of the year. The selections illustrate just how important he is to the Australian side in both forms of the game, and how successful he has been.

Pakistan: Asad Shafiq is quickly becoming one of the premier test number 6s in the world. The diminutive veteran of 41 tests has hundreds in England, South Africa and Australia now, a feat that Kohli, Root and Williamson haven’t achieved. His even tempering and range of shots see him as the key player in the Pakistan batting line-up, as he proved in Brisbane. If he can replicate his effort, Pakistan could push Australia all the way and the test match well into the last day.

The Match Odds*

Australia – $1.40

Pakistan – $6

Draw – $5.50

*All odds courtesy of Bet365.

The Prediction

Australia hasn’t lost a Boxing Day test match since 2010 (against England). Therefore, we’re loathe to bet against them here. With momentum, history and form on their side, we expect Australia to win by 9 wickets or over 150 runs.

The Best Bets

Mitchell Starc was once rested for a Boxing Day test against Pakistan. It was 2012 and Micky Arthur didn’t last much longer after the blunder. He’s coaching Pakistan now but I don’t think he’ll be able to prepare his side for the Starc onslaught that’s about to head their way. We’re backing him to be the best Australian bowler at $2.75.

Younis Khan’s second innings of 65 showed he’s approaching close to his best form. He could be good money at $4.50 to top score for the tourists. If his top three can shield him from Starc early, a half century or more could be on the cards.

Will Leicester City Make History Again?

Posted on 2016-12-222016-12-22 by Online Betting Pro

Leicester City overcame pre-season odds of 5000-1 to win the Premier League last season. This is surely a feat that will never be repeated in our lifetime. They made history several times with regards to the records that they set but they are in danger of doing so again.

Only one team in the history of the English top flight have been relegated the season after being champions. The Foxes are in danger of repeating that. They only have 17pts from 17 games and that point per game ratio if continued will leave them fighting relegation come the end of the season.

The Big Problems

They host Everton in what is a crucial game for the Foxes. While it isn’t a “must-win” game by any means, defeat would be a big blow for Leicester. So just what has gone wrong? It’s an accumulation of problems. The main one has been their level of intensity. This has dropped alarmingly since last season and the stats back that up. There is a reason why top players and top teams keep on performing season after season. The big advantage that they have is in their mentality.

The top players are “top players” because they produce top performances season after season. If the Leicester players were in that category then they would surely have been snapped up by other clubs before they joined Leicester City. So a big problem has been in being able to rise to the same heights again and to retain the motivation levels. Clearly, Leicester has struggled in this area. Secondly, they lost N’Golo Kante to Chelsea.

Losing the Midfield Dynamo

Allowing Chelsea to snatch N’Golo Kante has proved to be a big loss for Leicester. So much of their play went through him and he was certainly pivotal in most of their attacking play. The new rules on holding and grappling in the penalty area have also handicapped Leicester City. Players like Wes Morgan and Robert Huth were masters of the “dark arts” of defending.

Leicester will continue to struggle this season because they have simply lost their intensity. They host Everton who will be eager to bounce back from their stoppage time home derby defeat to Liverpool. Despite all of Leicester’s problems, they can be backed at an outstanding 9-4 with Coral. That is surely too high and represents great value. Leicester swept aside Manchester City recently which is another indication that 9-4 is a good bet.

The draw can be backed at 12-5 with Ladbrokes while Everton seems poor value at 2-1 with BetVictor. The demands of playing Champions League football have also taken their toll on Leicester. In the Premier League, opponents have become very familiar with Leicester’s style and this is another factor as to why they have struggled this season.

New England Patriots can cover largest point spread in history

Posted on 2016-12-21 by Online Betting Pro

With just two games to go, it is still all to play for in the AFC as just two of the six playoff places are currently filled, so there is plenty to look forward to in week 16. The Steelers and the Ravens are fighting it out in the AFC North, while the Texans and the Titans are neck and neck in the AFC South. The Patriots have run away with the AFC East, but the Dolphins are in with a great shout of earning a wildcard. The Oakland Raiders have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2002 after beating the Chargers last weekend, but they are still not guaranteed to win their division as the Chiefs are still breathing down their necks. It promises to be another spectacular weekend, full of twists and turns as these teams go for broke.

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills

Miami is 9-5 and hoping for a wildcard spot, but face a tough challenge when they travel to Buffalo, who are 7-7 and have only the slimmest chance of making the playoffs. Still, the Bills are better at rushing, point scoring and red zone performance than the Dolphins and are likely to derail their wildcard bid this weekend. They are odds-on favourites to win this but you can get evens with Sky Bet on them covering a -3.5 spread.

New York Jets at New England Patriots

The Pats are on a five-game winning streak, have the best record in the league and have been installed as 11/5 favourites to win the Super Bowl with 888 Sport. They host a Jets team that is down and out, with a 4-10 record leaving them bottom of the division. It should prove a complete mismatch, and as such, the best price you can get on the Patriots is 1/14 with Ladbrokes. Bookmakers are offering the largest point spread in history on the Pats, -16.5, and you can get 10/11 on that with Bet365, William Hill and various others. They have been outscoring the Jets by nine points on average this season, so there is a gap to make up, but their offence and defence are on fire at the moment, and the Jets are expected to roll over, so that actually looks a good bet.

Indianapolis Colts at Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are going to the playoffs, but they still need to keep winning to ensure a favourable schedule. The Colts are 7-7 and have a tiny chance of making it, but the Raiders should crush those hopes in front of their jubilant home fans. Back the Raiders to cover a -3.5 spread at 10/11 with William Hill, Bet Victor and Bet365.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

This is a huge game for both teams. The Chiefs have a chance of beating Oakland as division winners so will be going all out while reigning Super Bowl champions the Broncos will be out of the playoff picture if they lose. The Chiefs have been the better team this season, however, and should cover a -3.5 spread at evens with Bet365.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers can clinch the NFC North by beating Baltimore in the big Christmas Day game. The Steelers have been better at passing and rushing than the Ravens over the course of the season and come into this match on a five-game winning streak that has seen them emerge as dark horses for the conference. They should make it six in a row here, and the 10/11 Boylesports has on them covering a -4.5 spread looks good.

NFC Conference: Giants and Packers look like good outside bets

Posted on 2016-12-19 by Online Betting Pro

The race to reach the playoffs is heating up, with just two games to play and several spots still up for grabs. In the NFC, the Cowboys and the Seahawks have already made it through, while the Giants look good for a wildcard spot. The second wildcard spot will either come from the NFC North or NFC South, divisions in which it looks set to go down to the wire. The Lions, Packers, Falcons and Buccaneers are now essentially fighting it out for the final three NFC playoff places, although the Vikings and Redskins also have an outside chance. There are several exciting games to look forward to and plenty of good value for punters in week 16.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

The early game next weekend sees the Giants travel to Philadelphia, and they will be buoyed by a two-game winning streak built on a truly formidable defence. They have gone 27 drives without yielding a single touchdown, including an entire game against the Dallas Cowboys, who are second favourites to win the Super Bowl. They were superb in beating the Lions 17-6 last weekend and Odell Beckham Jr looked unplayable at times, capping a great performance with a one-handed touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia has lost five in a row and threw it away against the Ravens last weekend by going for a two-point conversion right at the death, a plan that failed. They are done for the season and should have no chance against the Giants, who should cover a -3 spread, with Paddy Power offering a generous 21/20 on this.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

The Packers are the form team of the conference at the moment, on a four-game winning streak that has taken them to within a game of the Lions at the top of the NFC North. The Lions were tamed by the Giants last time out to leave them 9-5, while the Vikings have gone from 4-6 to 8-6 to leave them looking good either to win the division or claim a wildcard spot. The Vikings are third in the division at 7-7 and have a slim chance of making the postseason, but the Packers can put an end to that by beating them here, and home advantage should help them prevail. Green Bay are on fire at the moment and are just 2/7 to win this with Sky Bet, so for more value back them to cover a -7 spread, with Paddy Power again offering the best price, 21/20.

NFC outrights

The Dallas Cowboys are deservedly favourites to win the conference (they are second favourites to win the Super Bowl after the New England Patriots) at 6/4 with William Hill and Coral as they have the best record in the NFC and will enjoy a bye to the Divisional Round, where they will have home advantage. But the NFC is not as clear cut as the AFC, where the Patriots are head and shoulders above the rest and expected to walk it. The Giants have the second-best record in the conference, but it is their misfortune to be in the same division as the Cowboys, so they look destined for a wildcard spot and will have to do it the hard way. But their recent back to back wins over the Cowboys and the Lions will give them confidence and they look a great bet at 12/1 with William Hill. The Seahawks, 5/2 with Coral, are in with a shout, as are the Falcons (9/1 with William Hill), but the Packers have hit form at just the right time and look a really good outside bet at 9/1 with Coral and Paddy Power. You could spread your stake between the Giants and Packers and be in with a great chance of making a profit.

Spurs, Warriors and Raptors look good for treble

Posted on 2016-12-192016-12-19 by Online Betting Pro

The past week has seen the Golden State Warriors embark on another winning run and their season win percentage now stands at a remarkable .857, with a record of 24-4. That percentage is the third best of all time, and if they keep it up they will start threatening to break the all-time record of .890 they set last season. In that phenomenal campaign, they broke the record set by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in 1996, but they still weren’t good enough to win the NBA Championship as they lost to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the final.

The Warriors have responded in style this year, but they are not having it all their own way in the Western Conference, as the excellent San Antonio Spurs are on 22-5, with a win percentage of .815 currently leaving them 15th on the all-time list. Last year the Spurs ended on .817, the joint eighth best record of all-time. They lost to the Thunder in the playoff semifinal, but have proven themselves modern greats, and are on course for another fantastic season.

Western Conference

Bookmakers are offering lines on the amount of regular season games various NBA teams will win this season, and have most of them covered. The 10/11 Bet Victor is offering on the Spurs to win more than 57.5 games currently looks like a brilliant bet. Last season they won 67 games and, despite the retirement of long-time captain Tim Duncan, they are in very similar form this year and on course to once again reach 67 wins. It has not been quite so generous with the Warriors, who have to win more than 67.5 games in the over/under betting, again at 10/11. They should cover this, though. They are in superb form and finished with 67 wins two seasons ago, when they went on to win the Championship, and bettered that with the record breaking 73 last season. They are currently on course for 70 or 71 wins and should, therefore, be good to get at least 68. A double on the Spurs and the Warriors would get you odds of 41/25, which looks great.

Eastern Conference

The Cavaliers’ .760 would only leave them third in the Western Conference, but they are comfortably leading the Eastern Conference, with second-placed Toronto Raptors back on .704. They may not be as consistent as the Warriors or the Spurs, but James is a big game player, and they look good to win the conference again this season – they are 4/9 with Paddy Power to do so. Whether they will win more than 67.5 games (the over/under benchmark set by bookmakers) is another matter, however. The freak defeat to the Grizzlies last week should set alarm bells ringing, and that bet might be best avoided as they are currently on course for 62. A better bet could be on Toronto Raptors getting over 50.5 wins, at 4/5 with Bet Victor. Last season they got 56, and this time they are on course for 57. Put Toronto in a treble with the Warriors and Spurs and you get 139/25.

Upcoming Games

On Wednesday, a huge game sees the Spurs play the form team of the league, the Houston Rockets, who are on a 10-game winning streak. Someone has to put an end to it sooner or later, and the Spurs can be the team to do it, so backing them outright might be a good idea. Another good team, the Utah Jazz, play the Warriors on the same day, but with the way the Warriors are playing at present you would expect them to cover a reasonable spread. The Raptors play the struggling Brooklyn Nets and should cover a large spread. The Cavs play the Bucks twice in quick succession, but might be best avoided after they went 1-1 against the Grizzlies last week when they played twice in a row. Then it’s the big game on Christmas Day, where the Warriors travel to Cleveland looking for revenge for their final defeat last season. Given the way the form is going, the pendulum has shifted to the Warriors, who are currently looking good to get a road win at 20/21 with Paddy Power.

Liverpool Simply Cannot Afford to Lose

Posted on 2016-12-182016-12-18 by Online Betting Pro

The Merseyside Derby is one of the most eagerly awaited matches in the English Premier League calendar. This fixture has a long history with many famous matches being played down the years. Merseyside Derbies have even been played out in cup finals too. There were two famous all-Merseyside FA Cup finals within the space of three years in 1986 and 1989. On Monday evening they will be battling for points at Goodison Park. Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp has made a great start to the season. Everton has been solid as well.

Title D-Day for Liverpool

It is only a couple of weeks ago that Liverpool was being spoken of as title challengers. They then had a crushing 4-3 loss at Bournemouth and dropped further points at home to West Ham. Couple this with Chelsea’s brilliant unbeaten run and the Reds are now nine points behind the men from Stamford Bridge. Should they lose this derby on Monday night then it will look increasingly likely that the title could be slipping away before the end of the calendar year.

Liverpool has put in numerous stunning attacking displays this season. Jurgen Klopp has certainly brought exciting times to Anfield. The question is, do Liverpool really have the personnel to challenge for the title? There is a world of difference between challenging in November and being in contention in April. Liverpool is similar to Manchester City in that they are prone to leaking goals. Their capitulation away to Bournemouth was proof of that.

Koeman has steadied the Ship

Everton, on the other hand, has been solid if unspectacular this season. After several recent managerial changes, they clearly needed stability. David Moyes left to go to Old Trafford and Roberto Martinez did well for a while before he was replaced. It is tough to see Everton reaching the top six this season. This match is a tough one to call because it all depends on whether Liverpool can “park the bus” well enough to prevent defensive mistakes.

This has been their Achilles heel this season. Even their goalkeepers have been causing Jurgen Klopp problems. It is clear that Liverpool needs to strengthen their defence. If they cannot do so in time during the January transfer window then the title is surely out of reach this season. William Hill quotes odds of 19-20 for a Liverpool win. Meanwhile, Everton can be backed at 3-1 with PaddyPower and Stan James with the draw at 11-4 with Bet365.

If you are looking for value in these prices then it doesn’t appear to be with Liverpool. Everton will be up for this game. Their loyal fans will not let them put in anything other than a solid display. Jurgen Klopp will be acutely aware that staying nine points behind Chelsea in the table could prove to be terminal for their title chances. The value does seem to be either in the draw at 11-4 or the 3-1 for a home win.

Author: Online Betting Pro