Sportsbetting tips for this weekend
6th February, 2008
Sad Toon
Football
Toon fans could be in for more sorrow as Newcastle face another very tricky match on Saturday away to high flying Aston Villa and Kevin Keegan will probably have to wait a little longer for his initial victory in his second stint in charge of the Magpies. Martin Laursen is worth backing to score for the home team as the Villans' Danish defender has been finding the net regularly this season and you should be able get 20-1 or more about him being the first scorer. Portsmouth have a good away record this season. However, they could be a bit unsettled by the recent coming and goings at the club and are likely to find things tough at Bolton who have been playing well lately and will be keen to keep edging clear of the relegation zone. Derby have shown some improvement recently but nowhere near as much as Tottenham who are thriving under Juande Ramos. Spurs should take all 3 points on Saturday. Fulham enjoyed their first win under Roy Hodgson last Sunday and will be in high spirits when visiting Middlesbro but the Cottagers' away form has been so woeful it still has to be the home side, who are in good form at present, to come out on top. Boro are hardly prolific scorers and laying over 2.5 goals on the exchanges could be profitable. Wigan beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Stadium Of Light in the third round of the FA Cup and, even though the Black Cats have improved a little lately, Steve Bruce's team can come away from the north east again with a League victory. However, it is unlikely to be 3-0 this time and laying over 2.5 goals is suggested. West Ham should make home advantage tell against struggling Birmingham while Reading will need to play much better than they did against Bolton last week to get anything at Everton. Manuel Fernandes should now be approaching full fitness and the Everton man, who has been close to bagging a goal in the last two matches, is worth backing to score this weekend. Chelsea are as ruthless as ever and should see off an out of sorts Liverpool on Sunday. However, given the Blues' penchant for safety first football, a 1-0 correct score bet could be interesting. Arsenal will be strong favourite to continue their fine form against Blackburn at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night but Rovers are the kind of well organsised hard tackling outfit that are capable of unsettling the young Gunners and the draw could be the value bet.
Indian take away
Golf
History will be made this week when the Emaar-MGF Indian Masters is held at the Delhi Golf Club as it will be the first European Tour event in India. While the conditions shouldn't be a huge problem for world class professionals like Ernie Els and Darren Clarke, the local knowledge of Jyoti Ranhawa and Shiv Kapur could prove an advantage. Randhawa, who can be backed at 16-1, is a dual winner of the Indian Masters and Kapur, who is available at 33-1, is the course record holder at Delhi. Both should be supported each-way.
Backing players with good course records could also be the way to go in the AT+T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in America, a tournament which dates back to the 1930s when Bing Crosby gathered a ‘few friends’ to raise money for charity... and have a little fun. Mike Weir has an excellent record at Pebble Beach and the Canadian looks good each-way value at 20-1. Swede Daniel Chopra, who won the Mercedes-Benz Championship earlier this year, is another with a good track record and is worth including in the staking plan at 33-1. Kevin Na played four solid rounds to finish fourth in last week's FBR Open and could go well again at 66-1.
Football Saturday - Aston Villa v Newcastle home win and back Martin Laursen to score first, last and any time goal. Bolton v Portsmouth home win, Derby v Tottenham away win, Everton v Reading home win and back Manuel Fernandes to score first, last and any time goal. Middlesbro v Fulham home win and lay over 2.5 goals, Sunderland v Wigan away win and lay over 2.5 goals, West Ham v Birmingham home win. Sunday - Chelsea v Liverpool home win and back 1-0 to be the correct score. Monday - Arsenal v Blackburn draw.
Golf Emaar-MGF Indian Masters staking plan Jyoti Randhawa 1 point each-way. Shiv Kapur 1 point each-way.
FBR Open staking plan Mike Weir 1.5 points each-way Daniel Chopra 1 point each-way Kevin Na 0.5 point each-way
