Tag: odds

Australia Facing Prospect of Series Upset in Geelong Twenty20

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

While the stars of the Australian cricket landscape were plundering runs against the India A side ahead of their test series, the second stringers (and unkind but convenient title in this case) lost a tight Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka in Melbourne. The contrast highlights the intricacies of cricket scheduling but also proves that the Sri Lankans are a real chance to take a rare series win on Australian soil.

The Series So Far

A final call boundary from the bat of Chamara Kapugedera saw Sri Lanka get over the line at the MCG. Chasing a middling 169 to win, contributions from Dickwella, Gunaratne and Munaweera were enough for Sri Lanka to sneak home against the makeshift Australian outfit.

Australia’s 168 was built around Aaron Finch’s 43, Michael Klinger 38 and Travis Head’s 31, but ultimately lacked a decisive innings that took the game by the scruff of the neck. The smaller Geelong venue for Sunday’s game might be conducive to bigger scores and more sixes (there were just five in the game on Friday).

The Teams

Australia (from):

Aaron Finch (capt), Michael Klinger, Travis Head, Ben Dunk, Moises Henriques, Ashton Turner, Tim Paine (wk), James Faulkner, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake.

Ben Dunk and Jhye Richardson didn’t play in Melbourne so could be in line for a game, however, if Australia prefers that the same squad atone for their own efforts, there might not be changes.

Sri Lanka (from):

Upal Tharanga (c), Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunarathna, Dilshan Munaweera, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardena, Sachith Pathirana, Chamara Kapugedara, Seekuge Prassanna, Nuan Kulaskera, Isuru Udana, Dasun Chanaka, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga, Vikum Sanjaya.Captain

Sri Lanka came through the series opener unscathed; they are unlikely to make changes aside from potentially resting Malinga and managing his comeback workloads.

The Key Players

Australia

Discarded then recalled captain Aaron Finch is the most experienced member of the Australian side and is therefore expected to lead the side diligently and score the bulk of their runs. With 29 matches under his belt he’s played significantly more cricket than his peers and needs to turn the 40-odd he made in Melbourne into a sixty or seventy; a score that will get Australia closer to 180 / 190. That said the signs were promising in game one.

Sri Lanka

Malinga has still got it. The biomechanics exception was back to his death bowling best on Friday night; slinging down four overs for just 29 runs as well as picking up two wickets. The left armer will be pleased with his return from a serious knee injury and he’ll be especially pleased with the way he was used by his captain – short bursts with both old and new ball. He’ll be dangerous again tomorrow night. Hopefully, he’s not rested.

The Match Odds*

Australia – $1.40

Sri Lanka – $2.87

*Odds from Bet365.

The Prediction

An inexperienced Australian side is an interesting beast. On one hand, they’re Australian and they’ll bounce back strongly from the loss at their home of cricket, but the other hand says, they’re still just a raw side; playing a team that has now won three out of their last four games in the format. The bookies have given them more of a chance in game two, but the home side is still the favourites – we’ll go with them too because we want a series decider.

The Best Bets

As a cricketer, Travis Head makes a lot of starts. He very rarely falls for scores of less than ten. As an example, in his last 11 innings’ in ODI cricket he has failed to pass 24 just once. In amongst those scores are four 50s and one hundred. Find a market that predicts Head will fail and bet against it or take the $4.33 at Bet365 on offer for him to top score.

Southampton vs. West Brom – Tense, Exciting Battle for Mid-Table

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Two teams in solid form coming together in what will be a tactical and potentially cagey mid-table battle between two effective and organised squads.

Clash of the Overachievers

Southampton and West Brom have undoubtedly been two of the surprise packages of the season so far. Having seen second summer of transfer raids on St Mary’s, and a third managerial regime change in 3 successive seasons, Southampton were being tipped at the beginning of this season for possible decline.

Currently sitting in 7th place after a good run of form, taking 10 points in the last 5, and progressing in the EFL Cup with a 2:0 win away to Arsenal, Claude Puel is proving those critics wrong. A poor showing in the Europa League could end up being a mixed blessing for a side looking to finish in a solid Premier League position while competing in 2 domestic cups. Southampton has a game in hand over West Brom, playing Tottenham on Wednesday night in their post-Christmas fixture. This will be an important game for Puel, as a defeat here could spell the end of any hopes for his team to finish in a top 6 position, while a victory will see them keep pace while doing damage to an immediate rival.

Against West Brom, the Frenchman will have to deal with some absences: with Jordy Clasie definitely out and Alex McCarthy in doubt, as well as long-term injuries for Charlie Austin and Matt Targett. Having only 3 days between their previous game, as opposed to West Brom’s 5, could have an impact on overall squad fitness.

Getting back to their best

West Brom is currently 8th, only one point behind Southampton, having played one more. The Baggies will be looking to pick up important points in a game they have every reason to believe they can win, or at least take points. Tony Pulis’ squad have had some tough recent fixtures, playing Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in the last four, with their win against Swansea the only bright point in a gruelling winter period. A closer look at those games, however, demonstrates an organised and capable West Brom side. Against both Arsenal and Chelsea, they only lost by one goal conceded in the last 10 minutes, and they weren’t exactly overwhelmed by United. Pulis generally puts his back to the wall against the bigger clubs, while targeting teams below or around him to try for consolidated results, and he will very much want to take 3 points in this last game of December.

West Brom is amongst the fittest squads in the League, with all first team players available, apart from Saido Berhino who hasn’t played a role so far this season.

Where is the value?

We have seen a clean sheet in the last eight games these two have played, and the last nine games split evenly with each team taking 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses. Picking a result seems to be quite a challenge, with West Brom having the edge in fitness, but Southampton having the home advantage.

It’s very hard to imagine this being a particularly high scoring game; Southampton has one of the lowest BTTS ratings in the league, as well as a good run of home clean sheets. BTTS/No and Under 2.5 goals looking like solid picks, they are both at 8/13 on Bet365. Some outside bets on a correct score could be interesting, with Southampton 1:0 and 2:0 at 19/4 and 7/1 respectively on BetVictor.

 

Will Leicester City Make History Again?

Posted on 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 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.