Leaderboard

Just failed to make a profit on Saturday but hopefully that can change on Tuesday night where I have 6 bets. This will be fairly brief as rather busy this week. Aldershot v Leyton Orient and Eastleigh v Maidstone I know Orient were held to a draw against Aldershot in the reverse fixture and they put in a good performance at Barrow on Saturday when being unfortunate to lose, but Orient really need to pick up 3 points in games like this if they are going to win the league and they should be too good for them. Eastleigh bounced straight back from losing to Halifax by beating Chesterfield 3-2 in an exciting game. Maidstone finally won another game of football by beating Havant, but this is a much tougher test and I can't see them getting anything. The double pays 2.19/1 with Marathon. Barnet v Halifax Barnet might have got something at Gateshead on Saturday had they not gone down to 10 men as they were a goal up at the time and ended up losing 2-1. Fact is it is 1 win in 9 now and they really need to be careful. I put up Halifax on Saturday and the game was called off so I won't repeat their stats, but given they beat Barnet 3-0 last week it is hard to understand why they are 14/5 (BetVictor) to beat them again here especially given they didn't play on Saturday. Bromley v Chesterfield Bromley have lost their last 3 although they only lost to a late penalty at Harrogate last week. They were poor on Saturday though as they lost 3-0 to Dagenham who had hardly been in great form of late. As mentioned above Chesterfield more than played their part in the 3-2 defeat to Eastleigh and that was only their 3rd defeat in their last 10 games with the other two coming against Harrogate and Wrexham. They are better than their current league position suggests and they certainly shouldn't be as big for this as they are (13/5 with Marathon) Ebbsfleet v Maidenhead Ebbsfleet were Halifax's opponents on Saturday so they haven't played either, but I still think Maidenhead offer value here at 19/5 with Marathon. They deserved their win over Sutton on Saturday especially as they only had 10 men for part of the game (Sutton also had a man sent off towards the end) and they are playing really solid as a squad as at the moment. Oxford City v Woking God knows how Oxford conceded 5 goals to Hampton on Saturday given Hampton had only scored 4 goals in their previous 9 games. That makes it just 1 win and 1 draw in their last 10 games and they now face title chasing Woking. It is hard to understand why Woking are odds against (11/10 with Marathon) to win this as they should be odds on. St Albans v Weston-Super-Mare Weston produced a hell of a performance to beat Torquay a couple of weeks ago, but they then lost 5-0 to Wealdstone and could only play out a drab 0-0 draw with fellow bottom 3 side Hungerford. St Albans' home form is superb as they have only lost 1 of their last 10 home games and that was 7 games ago. They beat Dulwich on Saturday in a tough game and I think they will be too strong for the bottom side here. 143/100 with Marathon looks a big price. Leyton Orient/Eastleigh 1pt double @ 2.19/1 with Marathon Halifax 1pt @ 14/5 with BetVictor Chesterfield 1pt @ 13/5 with Marathon Maidenhead 1pt @ 19/5 with Marathon Woking 2.5pts @ 11/10 with Marathon St Albans 2pts @ 143/100 with Marathon

Philipp Kohlschreiber (+1.5 sets) to beat Novak Djokovic at 4.21 with Pinnacle I was deciding between the games handicap and the sets handicap for this one and decided to play it risky for once, hope it pays off. Djokovic was clearly rusty in his first match and that was hardly surprising given that he hasn't played since the Australian Open. He was in no danger of losing, but he could've dropped the first set with a bad shot or two and he's likely to give some chances to Kohli in the second round. The German has an absolutely dreadful record against Novak, but he's taken a few sets off him before and he's in good nick at the moment after crushing Herbert and playing really clutch against Kyrgios. The most crucial aspect of this bet, however, are the odds, as we're getting 4.21 for Djokovic to have a bad set or Kohli to have a really good one, which just looks too good to me.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Blackburn I'm not sure it's happened that we've previewed both Sheffield clubs in two separate previews in the same division before... until now! Here, we take a look at Sheffield Wednesday's home game against Blackburn that kicks off at 3pm this Saturday afternoon at Hillsborough. Sheffield Wednesday look revitalised under new manager Steve Bruce. Some fans are even suggesting their play-off push could be even stronger had he not spent so long living it up in the Caribbean watching England tour the West Indies in the cricket. The Owls are 11th in the Championship but only 4 points off the top six. The dream is still very much on. It's now 10 league games undefeated for the club. Blackburn will be happy to have all but confirmed their spot in the Championship for next season. Newly promoted sides are always after consolidation and Tony Mowbray's men have managed that. Rovers are in 16th place and even though the play-offs are a distance away a fine run of results could help them gate crash proceedings. Unfortunately, it's 6 losses from their last 8 league games. The fans will be hoping the 3-0 win at home to Wigan last week was a turn around in results. Wednesday have got Blackburn's number in terms of head-to-head meetings. The Sheffield side have lost just 1 of their last 10 home league games against their upcoming opponents. If Blackburn buck that trend and grab a win it would be the first time since 1994/95 that they've achieved a double win over Wednesday in the league. It won't be great news for Blackburn fans to hear that Bruce has a bit of a hold over their club. The former Manchester United captain has won 9 of his past 10 home matches against Blackburn. The fact Blackburn have also conceded the most goals away from home in the league this season is a bad omen. I'm going to back a solid home win. Wednesday and Bruce appear to be a match made in heaven. Who would have thought that on 10th April, 1993 when Bruce himself headed in twice in the dying minutes to give United the win that would help them on their way to their maiden title under Sir Alex Ferguson. Football's a funny old game isn't it? Sheffield Wednesday to Win @ 2.10 with BetVictor Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 2.20 with William Hill

Arsenal vs Rennes The second preview from this round of second leg matches in the Europa League last 16 comes from the Emirates Stadium where Premier League side Arsenal will be looking to overturn a disappointing 3-1 first leg deficit against Ligue 1 club Rennes in this 8pm kick-off tonight. Arsenal were left dumb struck by the heavy loss in the first leg out in France. Sokratis first half sending off saw an early lead by the Gunners cancelled out before the French side tore the vulnerable back-line of Unai Emery's side apart. Arsenal hit back on the weekend with an impressive 2-0 win over Manchester United in the league. If that performance was any indicator of what's to come tonight then it could be an interesting game. Rennes will be delighted to have this two goal lead coming into this second leg but will be wary of that away goal. It means even a 2-0 win for Arsenal will be enough and that's more than possible. Julien Stephan's men followed up the win last Thursday with another 3-1 win at home in the league against Caen. There is positive news for the Gunners with Alexandre Lacazette returning from suspension after his three game ban was reduced to just two matches. Lucas Torreira will also be back available for selection. The absence of Sokratis is a blow but this will be a game where Arsenal will very much spend most of the game in the opposition half. Only once in Europa League history has a team progressed to the next knockout round after losing the first leg 3-1. Interestingly, that was another London club in the shape of Fulham who lost 3-1 away to Juventus before beating them 4-1 at home. Imagine that score-line in today's climate! In the previous 18 times when Arsenal have lost the first leg of a European game, they have only progressed on 3 occasions. However, one of those occasions was in the previous round against BATE Borisov. So the odds may be stacked against them but there's hope. Rennes can come into this game in a positive mindset. Not only do they possess a two goal lead but they have also only lost one of their last seven Europa League knockout matches. That solitary loss came back in 2008 in a 1-0 defeat to Dutch side FC Twente. I have a funny feeling that Arsenal could still do this. I felt that before the red card of Sokratis that the Gunners were in firm control of the game out in France. They are a strong side at home having won 11 of their last 13 competitive matches at home. I can see a solid win for them here either 2-0 or even 3-0 victory. It may even take extra-time if Rennes get that away goal but I really think they're up against it despite their two goal advantage. Arsenal to Qualify @ 1.91 with William Hill Arsenal HT/FT @ 1.80 with Ladbrokes

A good night on Tuesday which was certainly needed. The weather could well play a part in the games this weekend as it is set to be very windy so I am going to keep stakes small, but I like 7 bets. Only time for brief previews again. Dover v Halifax Granted its another long journey for Halifax after the Barnet game on Tuesday, but the price on them to win this is just too big not to take a chance with. They should never be 16/5 (Coral) as there isn't much between these two and as I wrote last week they continue to be very hard to beat. Some people might want the draw onside, but the away win looks the best value. Sutton v Gateshead Gateshead continue to somehow be play-off contenders despite having players sold basically behind the managers back and they don't have that many left, but Tuesday's loss to Solihull was their first defeat in 8 games. Clearly the team spirit is huge and that is taking them a long way. Sutton are really struggling at the moment having picked up just 2 points in their last 7 games. They have lost their last 3 including losing 3-0 to Braintree on Tuesday night. The away side look value at 85/40 with BetVictor. Darlington v Chester Chester let us down last week and it was a shocking goal they conceded as well. As I mentioned in that preview their away form is shocking anyway and they are worth opposing here. Granted Darlington haven't won in 5, but they have had a pretty tough set of fixtures and with Chester away's form they have their easiest game for a while. Marathon's 36/25 is worth taking. Guiseley v Curzon Ashton Guiseley last won on New Year's Day and they are in danger of a double relegation. They have lost their last 3 games and their last game was the reverse fixture. Take away a 6-0 loss at Altrincham, they have only lost one other against Brackley in their last 10. It makes little sense why Curzon are 21/10 with Marathon for this and they should be shorter. East Thurrock v Oxford City Granted Oxford nearly got something against Woking on Tuesday night, but their woeful run of results continued. East Thurrock have massively improved in the last couple of weeks. They were unlucky to lose to Torquay and then they beat Billericay and Truro in their last 2 games. Perform like they did in those 3 matches and they win this game. 147/100 with Marathon looks worth taking. Slough v Billericay Billericay have lost their last couple of games, but they did play well against Torquay last week and with Jake Robinson back they have a strong chance of beating a Slough team who have only won once in their last 6 games. 101/50 with Marathon on the away side is big for the better team out of these two. Tamworth v Banbury Tamworth are in a rich vein of form having won 5 of their last 6 games which has seen them go clear of the relegation zone. The loss was to another in form team Hitchin. Banbury have also won just two away games all season and this for me looks the best bet of the day at 23/20 with William Hill and BetVictor. Halifax 1pt @ 16/5 with Coral Gateshead 1pt @ 85/40 with BetVictor Darlington 1pt @ 36/25 with Marathon Curzon 1pt @ 21/10 with Marathon East Thurrock 1pt @ 147/100 with Marathon Billericy 1pt @ 101/50 with Marathon Tamworth 2pts @ 23/20 with William Hill and BetVictor

Aston Villa vs Middlesbrough Our second Championship preview focuses on one team that appears to be getting its mojo back. Aston Villa will be looking to further enhance their play-off hopes in their home game with rival play-off chasers Middlesbrough in a game that kicks off at 3pm this Saturday afternoon at Villa Park. Aston Villa can make it four straight league wins in a row here. Dean Smith's side have suffered from inconsistency since he took the reigns at the club but now seem to be settling down. The Villains are 8th in the table and just 2 points off the play-offs. The impressive fact about their run of wins so far is that the performances have matched the results. Middlesbrough haven't won in three league games but remain 3 points inside the play-offs in 5th place with a game in hand on most sides around them. Tony Pulis has come under criticism over recent weeks for his negative tactics. Narrow defeats to Brentford and Preston in their last two matches have been gut-wrenching but not exactly unsurprising. A big bonus for Boro heading into this game is that they will have influential defender Daniel Ayala available after his red card against Preston in midweek was overturned. That could have given Pulis a huge issue at the back if that had been upheld. Especially when you consider Villa are likely to remain settled and unchanged. If Villa win this game then it would be the first time they've achieved a league double over Boro since the 2002/03 season. I can see it happening too. Middlesbrough will still be tough to break down but I think this Villa side that has scored 8 goals in its last 3 league games is in irresistible form and could sneak a 1-0 or 2-1 win. Aston Villa to Win @ 2.25 with Unibet Aston Villa to Score First @ 1.80 with Ladbrokes

Bournemouth vs Newcastle In a reduced Premier League schedule, due to the FA Cup Quarter-Finals, the first game up is one that has taken my interest because it's too close to call. Bournemouth and Newcastle go head-to-head in a 3pm kick-off this Saturday at Dean Court with both teams still not completely clear of the relegation dog fight. Bournemouth started the season exceptionally well but their form has petered out over the past few months. Eddie Howe's team are 12th in the top flight but just 1 win in their last 6 league games has seen them drop off the pace. The good news is that the single win came in their last match but it was against a beleaguered Huddersfield side. That winless run before that game did include matches against Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City so we perhaps shouldn't read too much into that. Newcastle have stormed up the table with Rafa Benitez helping to guide them away from the relegation zone. Their safety for next season hasn't been confirmed yet but it's looking more likely than it has so far this season. The Magpies are 13th and 6 points clear of the bottom three. 3 wins in their last 4 league games have contributed towards that rise up the table. The home side come into this game full of confidence that they can get a win. This is mainly due to them being placed 7th in the Premier League home form table. If you combine that with Newcastle having only won 2 of their 14 away league games this season and it make sense to back the Cherries. These two clubs have only played each other 11 times in the past. It's been fairly even with Bournemouth winning 5, Newcastle winning 4, and 2 matches ending in a draw. Newcastle have only won 1 of the last 4 meetings but Bournemouth have failed to win the last 2. I think this game will be a battle of Bournemouth's attack and Newcastle's patient counter attack. Benitez has struggled to get his team firing on the road and I can see that happening again here. Bournemouth have only lost 4 of their 15 home games and those defeats were against Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United. A home win for me here. Bournemouth to Win @ 2.15 with Betfair Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.85 with BetVictor @Mindfulness, @Pep004, @MaliMisko12, @betcatalog, @sajtion, @godofhorses, @Tiffy, @waynecoyne, @The Sexless Innkeeper, @Magic0024, @malabgd, @Duke_Tm, @dogmeister, @Arkadi Manucharov, @derbent, @fat, @allyhibs, @6avin24, @discipline, @the bastardian, @Bronxie, @Bett, @KikoCy, @teddybear3011, @markus808, @allthethings, @Kenton Schweppes, @vasilli07, @Dylan Lynch, @neilovan, @JKos, @zemo91, @kulikTS, @mrclubbie, @Judeksi, @Henind666, @Teodore, @kilkenny1, @newjack, @PokerWolf1, @Dave1X2, @real55555, @jazzman02, @Ameer13, @Gedkip, @mcsilks, @MangoTheThird, @Roy The Boy, @DonPaulo, @Duckets, @yossa6133, @sjuesju, @dylanphan, @thfc, @Dboston, @Dr. Florida192, @money44, @1moregoal, @ggm31v, @EuroDream, @ndanmak, @cummins91, @vicsuna, @abigail, @Carovie, and @AndreBR, what bets are you guys planning for this weekend in the Premier League?

Dominic Thiem to beat Gael Monfils @ 2.25 with SportingBet So I believe the price is clearly based on Monfils' recent excellent form, however, I still regard this game as a 50/50. Furthermore, Thiem owns the H2H 4-1 (and not all matches have been on clay). So I will take what I think is the value play here, and pick Thiem.

Philipp Kohlschreiber (+3.5) to beat Gael Monfils at 1.86 with Pinnacle Just have to play this after yesterday's result. The German is on fire.

Oh wow, my neighbours heard about that Woking winner

Felix Auger-Aliassime + Ivo Karlovic at 2.43 with SportingBet @darko08 has already explained why FAA should win. With regards to Karlovic, I'm very impressed on how he beat Coric - the slower conditions, somewhat oddly for a big server, seems to be helping Dr. Ivo. His opponent can usually be found on the Challenger circuit, so don't think Dr. Ivo should encounter too many problems today.

Barnet v Harrogate Not many games on Tuesday night but hopefully when I land in Melbourne I will be seeing that Harrogate have picked up the 3 points. Barnet have only one win in 11 games now although they have drawn their last two games, but facing Halifax and Hartlepool is going to be very different to facing a bang in-form Harrogate side going for promotion. A few weeks ago Harrogate were going through a bit of a dodgy patch, but they have come out of the other side of that and they have won all bar two of their last 8 games. They have won their last 3 away games beating teams around Barnet in the league, Dover, Chesterfield and Braintree. Barnet should stay up, but they are finding it hard to win a game of football at the moment and most of that comes from the fact they can't score goals. They have only scored 7 goals in their last 10 league games and they missed some good chances again on Saturday. Harrogate should have enough to beat them and 1 goal might well be enough. 33/20 about an away win with Marathon looks a decent price. Harrogate 2pts @ 33/20 with Marathon

I am going to be mostly away personally this week, but good luck to everyone who's getting involved in Miami Open/Challengers!

Millwall vs Brighton One tie remains from the FA Cup Quarter-Finals and it's Millwall versus Brighton in a 2pm kick-off at the Den. It's the Championship versus the Premier League. Will we see a giant-killing or will the big guns prevail to join Watford, Manchester City, and Wolves in the Semi-Finals? Millwall reached the FA Cup Final in 2004 so it's a competition their fans have a fond affection for. That was a long time ago now but they could take a step closer to writing another chapter in their history books with a win here. Neil Harris has seen his team beat Hull, Everton, and AFC Wimbledon in the competition so far. It's been far from convincing but they're doing enough. Their league run of 4 defeats from their last 5 league games means they could do with a victory here. Brighton are also in desperate need of winning this game. Chris Hughton's men had been sliding down the Premier League table. The Seagulls have notched up back-to-back victories in the league but a loss here could seriously damage their morale at a crucial period. This competition has seen them Bournemouth, West Brom (after a replay), and Derby. A huge issue for Millwall here is the potential absence of a couple of key players. Strike Lee Gregory is in a race against time to prove his fitness. Ben Thompson, who bagged two goals in the midweek win against Birmingham, is cup-tied. Defender Murray Wallace is also suspended. It's not ideal for the Lions. The travelling side have their own concerns. Florin Andone and Pascal Gross will both be unavailable due to injury. Yves Bissouma is also suspended. 5 of the last 8 meetings between these two sides have ended in draws so it wouldn't surprise me with this team news if that happened again and the match was decided on penalties. I just think Brighton might have enough to sneak the win. Brighton to Qualify @ 1.67 with Betfred Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.68 with MarathonBet

Everton vs Chelsea The Premier League action continues into Sunday with Everton versus Chelsea taking place at 4:30pm at Goodison Park. These two teams are on opposite ends of the form spectrum right now with the home side struggling and the away side getting back on track. Everton are slowly dropping down the table with Marco Silva's side now in 12th place. Relegation isn't a real concern but their safety in the top flight isn't yet guaranteed and that's a huge disappointment for a team that was expecting to push the top six this season. Chelsea appear to have navigated their way through the storm that engulfed the club at the start of the year. Maurizio Sarri has seen his team's results and performances pick up lately. The Blues are 6th but could potentially breach the top four once again with a win here. Both teams are expecting a number of players to return to their first team line-up after missing their previous matches. The Toffees should welcome Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines back with Chelsea expecting a number of rested players from midweek to return including Eden Hazard, David Luiz, and Gonzalo Higuain. Kurt Zouma can't play against his parent club which is a blow for Everton. The previous two league meetings between these sides have ended in a 0-0 draw. Everton haven't managed to even score against Chelsea in their last five meetings with the Blues. Furthermore, Everton have only won 1 of their last 10 league matches with Chelsea. Form does not exactly favour Everton in this game. Silva's side have lost 4 of their last 6 league games. It is also now over two months since they experienced a win at home. It's also worth noting that Everton haven't beaten one of the established top six Premier League sides since January 2017. I'm a bit torn about which way to go with this game. I think Everton are in trouble. Silva seems to be running out of time. Sarri has looked to have sorted out the issues his team were enduring but they're still poor on the road recently. I'm going to take a bit of a punt here and back the Blues to scrape a narrow win thanks to a Hazard-inspired performance. Chelsea to Win @ 1.95 with Betfred Man of the Match: Eden Hazard @ 4.50 with William Hill

Watford vs Crystal Palace The FA Cup Quarter-Final previews are here and we kick things off with the intriguing clash of Premier League rivals that is Watford versus Crystal Palace in a 12:15pm kick-off this Saturday lunch-time live from Vicarage Road. Which of these two teams will take a huge step closer to realising their dream of playing at Wembley? Watford are surprising a lot of people, apart from their own fans, with their attacking displays this season. Every time the pundits expect them to lose their way they suddenly pick up their results again. It's led to Javi Gracia's side sitting in 8th place in the Premier League. The Hornets haven't conceded a goal in the FA Cup thus far with clean sheet wins over Woking, Newcastle, and QPR so far. Crystal Palace might still have one eye on the relegation dog fight but they're realistically one of the teams expected to survive this season. Roy Hodgson will have been disappointed with the result against Brighton last weekend but attention quickly turns to cup action here. The Eagles have also kept a clean sheet in every round of the competition so far with wins over Grimsby, Tottenham, and Doncaster. Palace haven't beaten Watford in their last three meetings and have lost the last two encounters. The last time these two met in the FA Cup was the 2016 Semi-Finals when Palace secured a tight 2-1 win to reach the Final. It was also Palace who won the previous Wembley meeting between the two teams before that Semi-Final with a 1-0 victory in the 2013 Championship Play-Off Final. I actually think Watford will put that cup hoodoo behind them and take the win. Watford to Win @ 2.41 with MarathonBet Watford HT/FT @ 4.00 with Ladbrokes @Mindfulness, @Pep004, @MaliMisko12, @betcatalog, @sajtion, @godofhorses, @Tiffy, @waynecoyne, @The Sexless Innkeeper, @Magic0024, @malabgd, @Duke_Tm, @dogmeister, @Arkadi Manucharov, @derbent, @fat, @allyhibs, @6avin24, @discipline, @the bastardian, @Bronxie, @Bett, @KikoCy, @teddybear3011, @markus808, @allthethings, @Kenton Schweppes, @vasilli07, @Dylan Lynch, @neilovan, @JKos, @zemo91, @kulikTS, @mrclubbie, @Judeksi, @Henind666, @Dave1X2, @canaries91, @jazzman02, @sajtion, @Darran, @postmanplod69, @eddiem, @bartonbank, @yossa6133, @Teodore, @thinkpink63, @Carovie, @i1_principe, and @AndreBR, what bets are you all placing on the FA Cup Quarter-Finals this weekend?

Torino vs Bologna Two teams facing two different kinds of battles go head-to-head this weekend in Serie A when European qualification chasing Torino host relegation-threatened Bologna in this 7:30pm kick-off this Saturday evening from the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. Who will come out on top? Torino are positioned in 6th in the Italian top flight and only 6 points off the pace of the Champions League qualification spots. Walter Mazzarri's team have won 5 and drawn 2 of their last 7 league games. They've also only conceded 1 goal in their last 7 league games. It's also now 5 straight wins with a clean sheet at home in the league. Bologna face a huge challenge here. Ex-manager Filippo Inzaghi was replaced by Sinisa Mihajlovic back at the end of January in an attempt to turn their fortunes around. It's not really happened with Mihajlovic seeing his team win 2, draw 1, and lose 3 of their 6 league games under his management. It has left the club in 18th place and 1 point from safety. The most concerning statistic for Bologna fans here is their club's away form. Bologna have only picked up 1 win in 14 away league games this season. When you possess that form on the road and take it to a stadium where the home team are in such fine form, it doesn't bode well. I can see a business-like win for the home side here. Torino to Win @ 2.04 with MarathonBet Torino HT/FT @ 3.40 with Ladbrokes @Pep004, @Magic0024, @malabgd, @four-leaf, @allthethings, @betcatalog, @sajtion, @the bastardian, @chris666, @thegeneral55, @Mindfulness, @stephen m, @teddybear3011, @jazzman02, @Bayern, @Xcout, @Valkovets, @MangoTheThird, @DonPaulo, @Franger83, @fhuefdsa, @dinero, @laprikon, @cluelessG, @Skenderbeg, @Gabosbet, @thinkpink63, @VYA, @balkan-pro, @i1_principe, and @scommetix, are you guys betting on the Italian football this weekend?

Huesca vs Alaves If you had to pick a La Liga match that you'd highlight as one we'd choose for our weekly preview it probably wouldn't be Huesca versus Alaves in a midday kick-off on Saturday lunch-time at the El Alcoraz. Still, that's what we're going for and there's a very good reason why! Huesca were quite frankly awful under ex-manager Leo Franco. An opening day win was followed by a run of 6 league games without a win including an 8-2 loss to Barcelona and just 1 goal being scored in the last 4 matches in that run before Franco left the club. The arrival Francisco Rodriquez didn't really improve things immediately but results have gotten better recently with only 2 losses in their last 6 league matches. The club remains bottom of La Liga and 4 points from safety. Alaves are flying this season under Abelardo. The former Barcelona defender has guided his team to 5th in the table and the fans are now dreaming of making a return to European competition. Only 4 points separate them from the Champions League qualification places and they are enjoying a run of 5 league games undefeated. The odds being offered on Alaves here are well worth looking at for a draw no bet option. Huesca might well be showing signs of recovery but this match is against an Alaves team that have taken points in 50% of their away games. Huesca have won 3 of their last 5 home matches but Alaves have only lost 2 of their last 6 away games in the league. Alaves Draw No Bet @ 2.21 with MarathonBet Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.62 with Sportingbet @Pep004, @Magic0024, @betcatalog, @malabgd, @AndreBR, @Xcout, @four-leaf, @sajtion, @Arkadi Manucharov, @Jamesboaz, @RealUnited, @allyhibs, @jazzman02, @Mr.Paul, @notanotherdonkey, @Marek76, @freestylerx, @DonPaulo, @fhuefdsa, @laprikon, @Gabosbet, @Dr. Florida192, @thinkpink63, @MarioDunav, @EuroDream, @vicsuna, @i1_principe, and @derbent, are you guys planning any bets for the La Liga action this weekend?

Going to put the Fakenham Hunter Chase preview in here as well which is due off at 5.10. The favourite is a horse who ran in the Foxhunter last year in Sir Jack Yeats. He ran well to finish 12th as he was up there for a fair way before not surprisingly failing to stay. He made his seasonal debut at Kelso and travelled really well into the race won by Shantou Flyer, but I suspect fitness told and he faded to finish 13L behind the winner in 3rd. There is nothing of that one's class here and obviously should Shantou Flyer run a big race at Cheltenham an hour before then it will be a big boost to his chances. He's only 8 and he looks the one they all have to beat. Silvergrove was 3rd in the Kim Muir in 2015 although he only had 3 more starts under rules with the last one coming in January 2017 when 6th at Kempton. He hasn't actually been seen at all since May that year because he moved to James Owen in March 2017 and won all 4 of his point starts under his owner. The thing is none of those races were that strong. I was at Northaw for the last of his wins and the racing there is of pretty low quality. Like I say he hasn't been seen since and he is really going to have his work cut out to beat a horse like Sir Jack Yates on his first start for 22 months especially given his form in points is nowhere near what Sir Jack Yeats did in Hunter Chases last season or this. James King rides Sir Jack Yeats and he beat Zeroeshadesofgrey on Risk A Fine here last month. Since then he won a match at Horseheath which told us little, but his inexperienced jockey was outridden by James that day and that is a concern again here. To be honest I don't think he will be good enough anyway and he didn't jump well last month either. Dineur is the only other one worth mentioning for me. He was 7th in the Walrus at Haydock and I am not surprised he did so badly in a test like that given it was his first start since he won the Aintree Foxhunters in 2017. If he can bounce back to anywhere near the Aintree form then in my view he is the only one who could possibly beat Sir Jack Yeats. I would imagine connections are hoping he can go to Aintree next month and he will have to show something here if that is a realistic target. Given he is 13/2 I will have a small saver on him, but Sir Jack Yeats is a pretty confident selection and 5/2 is a nice price. Sir Jack Yeats 3pts @ 5/2 with Betfair Dineur 0.5pts @ 13/2 with Bet365, BetVictor, Betfair and Paddy Power

Personally i think that Raonic and Monfils will win. Kecmanovic looks good but the opponents he had can't be compared with the opponent that will face now. It's true that Raonic could have been eliminated by Giron but he finally survived that match and i can't see him playing as bad as he did against Giron. Monfils is not the same Monfils, he is playing with a regularity that i have never seen in him before so i can say that he's in the best form of his career. Im not impressed with what Thiem have done till here. He was disappointing in the AO and in the south american tour. I think that he's still here because he faced the right opponents but Monfils will dominate him if he doesn't improve for this game.

Slavia Prague v Sevilla- Sevilla to win at 2.05 with Bet365 Sevilla was e better team in 1st leg and deserved to win, but the match ended 2-2. I don't think in second straight game the luck will cover Slavia Prague, even more so Sevilla will be with fully of confidence after their big win against Sociedad at the weekend. Arsenal v Rennes- Arsenal to quality at 1.80 with Bet365 Arsenal lost in 1st leg with 1-3 and now will need to covered 2 goal difference. It won't be easy against hard to beat team like Rennes, but Arsenal are different team upfront their crowd. They won with 2-0 against Manchester United before few days and i think that they can repeat the same result here.

Double winnings pays 200 pts ...nice doing business corals

Muguruza - Andreescu My call for today is Muguruza to win @ ~1.7 (unibet). Spaniard looks to be on fire now. First of all, she finally succeeded to beat, 5-6 games ago, her frightening opponent with big serve - Yastremska (a type of player with powerful shot but not very good on long rallies). Yesterday she won over Bertens (a type of player with not very powerful shot but very good on rallies). I think her morale is up and healthy and she can fight any type of player right now. A very important thing is that Muguruza is a very good returner. That should work great against Andreescu's mediocre serves. If Muguruza does not have a new morale breakdown for some reason, I think she can easily dispatch the Canadian.

wonder what price city were -6 lol

Manchester City vs Schalke The second leg of the last 16 tie between Premier League club Manchester City and Bundesliga side Schalke is taking place tonight in an 8pm kick-off at the Etihad Stadium. Apologies for a late preview post. Storm Gareth has been a right little terror in South Wales and caused issues with my internet. Hopefully all fixed now so let's crack on! Manchester City won the first leg 3-2 in what can only be described as one of the knockout stage's most riveting ties in recent memory. Pep Guardiola's team came from behind to take the win with the in-form Raheem Sterling scoring a last minute winner. The Citizens will be without Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi. They are hoping Aymeric Laporte will return to the first team but John Stones is likely to miss out. Schalke will be desperately disappointed to come into this second leg at a disadvantage. Domenico Tedesco's men were 2-1 up going into the last 5 minutes of the game. To put it simply, they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory! Three defeats in the league conceding 11 goals in the process have followed. How badly has that first leg capitulation affected the team? Badly, it would seem. The club has the triple blow of playmaker Daniel Caligiuri missing out injured with ill-disciplined duo Mark Uth and Amine Harit also being left out for their behaviour. On each of the previous 27 times when a team has won the away leg scoring 3 or more goals in the Champions League knock-out stages, that team has gone on to progress to the next stage of the competition. That's what we were saying for PSG last week but this feels a bit different with Schalke not quite on a resurgent level of Manchester United. City also not quite the bottle jobs of PSG either. Further evidence backs the Schalke win with City having won all three previous meetings with Schalke. The English side have also only lost 1 of their last 10 home matches with German teams in European competition. That lone defeat came against Bayern Munich in the 2013/14 season. I have to back a solid City win here. I think that late collapse by Schalke has knocked the wind out of their sails. This City team is pretty special and they've drawn comparisons to Pep's Barcelona team. I can see them making light work of this. The weakened defence means they'll have to attack and that won't be pleasant for the German side. Manchester City HT/FT @ 1.55 with Boylesports Manchester City -2 @ 2.05 with Coral @vasilli07, @Xcout, @Icongene, @KikoCy, @DrBetter, @Duuc, @DrO, @immortal--, @Notorious, @betcatalog, @KingSoccertips, @discipline, @Pep004, @HastGill1, @ElPrincipito007, @salmonman, @DW_United, @allthethings, @MightyWell, @liamcorrigan86, @mijOsim, @dorleywilliams, @soccerprediction123, @TOTTI3, @LePapo, @seifer365, @MPLouis, @Jack A, @JJG, @Pipoca, @neilovan, @wcz, @newjack, @matt-e-matticle, @EBTA, @cluelessG, @mtom, @Marek76, @allyhibs, @alani42, @jazzman02, @hristofor, @fhuefdsa @Gedkip, @Carovie, @money44, @Donvitz, @swasya, @vicsuna, @Neubs, @i1_principe, @the bastardian, and @WinningAdvice, will you guys be betting on these matches?

This is the last race I will be in the country for until the Aintree Foxhunter as I am flying to Australia on Monday night and don't come back until the day before Aintree starts. The form books will be making the journey with me though and the previews will still be here although they are likely to be at strange times of the day given the time difference. What is a bit frustrating is that this race and the Carlisle race have taken place before I go away because there is little to write about them. No doubt the 8 that happen when I am away will need a fair bit of study! Road To Riches is set to head to Aintree after his win today, but it obviously told us nothing new about him. I think the Aintree Foxhunter will be harder to win than the Cheltenham version and he doesn't really strike me as a likely winner. The problem with Maxwell increasing the amount of horses he owns means he can target more races and races like the Exeter one on Monday that he normally wouldn't have a horse for. For the 2nd day running it means we have a massively uncompetitive race. Diplomate Sivola should win this with ease and it is much weaker than the Catterick race he won a couple of weeks ago. The fact he is 1/6 tells its own story. Summons To Court is making his debut for Jimmy Frost having been in Ireland before. He was 2nd in a maiden Hunter Chase at Limerick over Christmas, but he was 11L behind the winner who happened to run in a handicap on Sunday at the same track. He finished 3rd off a mark of 107 so based on that Summons To Court is a mid 90s horse at best. In Arrers has won a Restricted and an Intermediate in 4 points so far this season. He is only 7 and he is clearly progressing nicely, but the times have been nothing special and the form isn't overly strong. He won on soft ground last time so at least he handles the ground. The only other real contender is Kit Barry. He managed 3rd in a couple of Hunter Chases at Cheltenham and Worcester last season and although they were pretty weak affairs those efforts would give him a fair chance of being 2nd in this. The problem is he is he ran terribly in his only run so fair this season last month so he would need to come on for that to be best of the rest here. As on Sunday I don't have an overly strong view on who will finish 2nd, but if pushed I think Kit Barry is the value as it stands. Again like on Sunday I won't be recommending a bet though. The next races are at Chepstow and Ludlow on Thursday, Newbury on Friday and Bangor on Saturday.

Trotter, Just for the record BACK TO THE THATCH was down for a long time following his fall at the last,we feared the worst,but he got up to one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon!. Richard Johnson stayed with him the whole time despite it teeming down with rain,who says jockeys don't care eh?.

Angelique Kerber (-2.5) to beat Bianca V. Andreescu @1.90 Local bookie I already wrote about Andreescu and some of you may have noticed that I bet on her on several occasions, but this time I will go against her, as situational factors are not on her side. I still consider the Canadian as the greatest surprise of the season, but I think she has played too many tennis lately and that her "tank is empty",really no fuel for the final. I watched her match against Svitolina. At the end of the match it seemed to me that she's going to almost start crying as tired as she was. Also this will be the most important match in her career so far and nerves and lack of experience will play a role for sure. Kerber did have some difficulties in couple of rounds but then she raised her level of play against Venus and against Bencic. Unlike the opponent, she is fresh, she has played a lot of such matches and will know what to do.

2 e/w for ne Dell Arca 25/1 & Get On The Yager 20/1

Final Day Well done to Alastair who holds on to win this years Cheltenham Competition. ChangesAA and Jazzy Jasper fill the places We had 104 entries and will do it all again at Aintree next month Prizes: £60: Alastair £25: ChangesAA £15: Jazzy Jasper All 3 winners also receive PL merchandise! Can the winners send their PayPal details, PL name, prize being claimed and home address (if not already won PL merchandise) to: team@punterslounge.com

Manchester United has a harder job on Wolves' field, but has the quality to go into the next phase of the cup WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS vs MANCHESTER UNITED @@ MANCHESTER UNITED, odds 2.30

Trends Selection 9/10 Aged 9 or under we lose Folsom Blue, Dell Arca, Smooth Stepper, Dawson City, Milansbar, Regal Flow, Raz De Maree, Final Nudge 9/10 Rated 138 or under We lose American, MsParfois, Ballydine, Prime Venture, 7/10 Ran within 2 months We lose Back To The Thatch 14/20 Placed last time out We lose Potters Corner, Jetsteam Jack, Kilkishen 17/20 Ran at least 3 times this season We lose Get On The Yager 19/20 Won at 3m or more We lose Jammin Masters Selections: 1pt Arthurs Gift 12/1 PP 1pt Chef D'Oeuvre 11/1 PP

I've backed Djokovic and Fognini to beat Kubot/Melo at these odds. The veteran doubles specialists looked too shaky this week, for me, this is a much closer matchup than the odds suggest, so I'm going for value here.

Arthur's gift 303 Kilkishen 300 Chef douevre 298 Very tough race and hard to know who will get the distance on soft but top 2 are big prices so roll the dice and have a go Arthur's gift 5pts ew 12/1 pp Kilkishen 5pts ew 20/1 pp

I know it is easy to talk after a match was already played... For the moment, Hurkacz doesn't possess the weapons to beat Federer, and he must keep his first serve percentage quite high to have a chance. Well, that did not materialize today, the only slight opportunities arose when Roger kind of fell asleep for half minutes. Despite the fact 110 looks a bit far away, after reaching the 100 trophy milestone, the GOAT will try to make the most of every chance if he reaches the later stages of a tournament, so I would rather back than lay him this weekend. Just my two cents.

Bencic to beat Kerber @ 1.90 unibet Bencic is on fire and unstoppable and Kerber will be the next T-10 casualty!

The biggest Hunter Chase of the season is the Cheltenham Foxhunter and 26 horses remain in the race ahead of the final decs on Wednesday. I don't think it is an overly strong renewal and not that many have a serious chance. I have already put up Caid Du Berlais and although there are no other bets at this stage I will more than likely add at least one more bet on Thursday night once the offers are known. Ardkilly Witness - Could be 1000/1 and I still wouldn't want to back him. Asockastar - Took his form to a new level at the back end of last season when finishing a great 2nd to Barel Of Laughs in the big race on Hunter Chase night here in May and then finished in the same position in the Stratford Foxhunters behind Chosen Dream. I do think that Stratford race is suspect form wise because so few horses on the night handled the over watered ground, but he deserved the win at Leicester on his seasonal return when comfortbaly seeing off Just Cause. Can see him finishing top 10, but he shouldn't be good enough to hit the frame. Balnaslow - I'm guessing he wont have Derek this year and that will be a big miss because he has given him two superb rides in the last two renewals finishing 5th in 2017 and 7th last year when he wasn't fully fit. He went on to win the Aintree Foxhunters although it has been rumoured that he will lose that race after failing a drugs test. He then pulled up at Punchestown, the race he won in 2017, and he was a well beaten 4th at Stratford. He has run just once this term and finished last of 7 in a point although he pulled up in his only start before this race last season. Even so it is hard to see him improving on either of his two previous runs especially without Derek on top. Caid Du Berlais - I thought he ran a massive race in the last year to finish 5th less than 4L behind Pacha Du Polder. Going into the race I wondered if he stay, but I thought he saw it out well enough especially when you consider how soft the ground was. He then went to Punchestown and bolted up in impressive style. You can pick holes in that form, but if we use Sizing Coal is a yardstick then Stand Up And Fight has 40L to make up on Caid Du Berlais. Now racing is never as simple as that, but it does back up my thinking that the Irish aren't that strong in this division at the moment. This year he didn't get the opportunity to run until a couple of weeks ago because of the weather, the flu and then he picked up a foot infection. Before backing him I did want to see him run as I think it is very tough to win this race first time out, so it was pleasing that he was unchallenged to win a Mixed Open at Biships Court. It wasn't the strongest race in the world, but he couldn't have done it any easier and it was the perfect prep for this. After Tuesday there appears to be no or little rain in the forecast so it shouldn't be as testing as last year which should help him. There is also a lot of pace in the race and that should play into his hands. He should be pushing for favouritism in my view and a double figure price is still too big about him. Chosen Dream - Same connections as Balnaslow and he caused a massive shock when winning the Stratford Foxhunters. That is a massive shock for all bar his trainer who apparently fancied him for the race. He finished 2nd to Coastal Tiep in a point in November and then was 4th behind Ucello Conti at Thurles in January. As mentioned above I think the form of that Stratford race is highly suspect and for me he has a fair bit to find. Coastal Tiep - Ex Paul Nicholls who current connections picked up for £18k last year. He won hist first two points to get his qualification in for this early, which as mentioned above included him beating Chosen Dream by 4L. Was a well beaten 5th behind Stand Up And Fight at Down Royal before finishing 2nd to Ucello Conti at Navan last month. He is only 7 so might have more to come in future year, but the 2 Hunter Chase runs suggest he will be lacking here and he looks under priced at the moment. Cousin Pete - Looked like he would be a potential Foxhunter contender when wining on Hunter Chase night here in 2016 and after not being right in 2017 he did go on to prove that to be correct last year when he ran a stormer to finish 3rd. He has had 3 runs this season including finishing a well beaten 7th to Hazel Hill at Warwick. That day though he clearly wasn't at his best as he didn't jump well and didn't travel all that great either. He stayed on a bit at the end and I think he just found everything happening too quickly for him. He has bounced back to win at Garthorpe last month. He ran so well last year that you have to respect his chances although at the same time it is hard to see him going two places better. I would have him shorter in the betting though as he has better chances than some in this. As an aside I think the 4m race here on Hunter Chase night will be right up his street. Dont Do Mondays - Hugely flattered to finish so close to Monsieur Gibraltar at Fontwell in May and he pulled up at Godstone earlier in the month on his seasonal retyrn. Going to finish nearer last than first. Double Whammy - Ran two good races in Hunter Chases at Perth and Kelso last May behind Creevytennant and Kilbree Kid and could well find a Hunter Chase to win if still in that form at 13, but it certainly wont be this one. Haymount - Was a good horse for Willie Mullins and the highlight was a 3rd in the National Hunt Chase at the 2017 Festival just behind Tiger Roll. After disappointing in the Kerry National last year he moved to Tom Ellis' yard and the target has always been this race. He ended up having to qualify on the last weekend he could because after winning at Sherriff Hutton he then missed races thanks to the weather and the flu. He won a Ladies Open at Chaddesley Corbett, but the problem for me is the form. William Money was only a neck away in 2nd with Patricktom Boru close behind in 3rd. William Money ran the Saturday after and he was a fairly well beaten 2nd in a Novice Riders race. He holds the form back for me because Haymount really ought to have beaten the field easier than that. What he does have on his side though as a yard having a good season, he has one of the best jockey's in the race and obviously his back form is pretty strong in the context of this. I'm wary of him, but I would have like to have seen a bit more last time really. Hazel Hill - A horse who has obviously had his issues over the years as he has only seen a racecourse 19 times despite being 11 now. 12 of those runs have come in British points and he has won 11 of them only losing in a 3 runner race to Garde Ville at Sandon on his final start last season. He has won 3 Hunter Chases 2 very easily last season at odds of 2/11 and then at Warwick back in January. Before that Warwick run I saw him run at Chaddesley Corbett and although he won by 12L I wasn't overly impressed. I thought his jumping left a bit to be desired and he was workmanlike. At Warwick though he was very impressive beating on paper what was a strong field with ease and he earned a RPR of 151 for that win. He did jump much better that day to be fair to him, but you can pick all sorts of holes in the form. Mr Mix was 2nd and had already been beaten in a couple of points before making hard work of beating a poor field at Godstone. Brandon Hill was 3rd and he had led and tried to go with the winner turning for home, but he didn't stay. Upswing in 4th has run terribly since. Shantou Flyer was 5th and was clearly nowhere near his best. There was a 100/1 shot in 6th and Cousin Pete was 7th and he barely went a yard. He is clearly a good horse, but on reflection that win wasn't quite as strong as it looked at first. I'm still a little worried about his jumping as he wasn't great at Towcester a year ago. I certainly respect his chances, and if he did win I wouldn't be surprised, but for me his price his tight enough and I am happy to pass him over. Just Cause - Shown useful enough form in the last couple of seasons pointing and beat Mr Mix at Cottenham back in December. That isn't good enough to finish anywhere near the front in this though and his Hunter Chase form certainly isn't. He finished 2nd to Asockastar at Leicester last time and he was clear 2nd best that day. One Conemara - Surprised to see him entered given connections have said he doesn't handle Cheltenham as proven by his runs in the 4m race here on Hunter Chase night. That race should have been perfect for him and he has no chance in this. Pacha Du Polder - Bidding to win the race for the 3rd time and the horse that only non Hunter Chase experts could possibly have backed/tipped up in the last couple of years. Most people didn't think he would stay and he proved that wrong 2 years ago and then last year it was the jockey who wasn't going to be good enough, but he was able to carry Harriett to success. This is set to be his last race and surely he can't win it again. His prep run last year at Doncaster wasn't great, but did at least have a bit of promise in it. Nicholls said last year that he had been held up and it was a rush to get him ready for Doncaster and Cheltenham, but this year he said he had no setbacks and so his poor run at Haydock is hard to explain. He has 55L to make up with Road To Rome and that is a huge amount. I would be silly to say he can't win because as we know horses who run well at the Festival can do so on repeat visits, but I just can't see how he can do it on the back of that woeful Haydock run. Road To Rome - Whatever he does here this horse has to be the be the training performance of the season. His last run for Oliver Sherwood was in May last year and he was 2nd at Bangor over 2m4f off a mark of 109. God knows what Oliver was doing with him because Joe O'Shea has turned him into a completely different horse. He was still a maiden so he started off on the opening day of the pointing season in a maiden at Buckfastleigh where he was the biggest certainty going in hindsight. He then won his Restricted and Intermediate before Christmas. Next up it was the opening Hunter Chase of the season at Taunton and he bolted up by 25L. He then went and won the next Hunter Chase of the season beating Beeves by 5L. Beeves was hard work that day, but I thought he ran his race because he did keep finding for pressure and the rest were miles away. He had a little break but then went back to Ludlow where he beat a couple of decent horses and he was giving 16lbs to the 2nd. 10 days later it was the Walrus at Haydock and he put in his most devastating performance yet. The only horse that could live withim was Ballotin and he could only finish 4th in the end after he tired having tried to keep up. Pacha Du Polder was 54L behind him in 5th. Sam Waley-Cohen keeps the ride despite the fact his Dad co-owns Wonderful Charm which suggests he was very impressed. There are some minor concerns. First of all his jumping hasn't always been foot perfect, but it does seem to have got better as the season has gone on. There are other front runners in this field so I am not sure he will be able to get an easy lead, but interestingly connections were shrewd enough to allow Beeves to make the running at Ludlow and he only took it up so early as his superior jumping took him there. Therefore I think he is flexible when it comes to having to make the running. The main concern I do have though is the trip especially if the ground is on the soft side. Having said that he hasn't stopped galloping so far at the end of 3m and given the season he and the trainer have had there is every chance he could go very close. Samanntom - Was 2nd to Ucello Conti at Thurles, but has been beaten in both point starts since and was beaten in two prior to that run as well, after winning on his seasonal return. Hard to see how he can reverse form with Ucello Conti let alone some of the others here. Shantou Flyer - I'm sure Maxwell paid a few quid for him in the view of winning this race given his strong Cheltenham record which includes being beaten a neck by Coo Star Sivola in the Ultima at last year's Festival. As mentioned above he was well beaten by Hazel Hill on his seasonal debut. He then won at Kelso after looking beat at one stage although his cause was certainly helped by the fact Mr Mercurial dogged it after being in front for too long. He then had an easy task at Fontwell as his main rival Southfield Vic ran a long way below his best. I respect his Cheltenham form, but he is under priced on what he has done this year. Also there is a rumour that Maxwell tried to buy Road To Rome so that hints at the fact he doesn't think Shantou Flyer is the horse to give him his first Foxhunter win. Some Are Lucky - Was a useful horse for Tom George although his only chase win was in a 3 runner race at Leicester last January. Sold for £18k in the summer and has thrived in points over in Ireland winning 4 of his 5 starts including beating Samanntom last time out. Might well have improved but will have to have improved a fair bit on his former rules form to go close in this. Southfield Theatre - Has won a couple of points at Larkhill and Cocklebarrow this season, but the same horse has finished 2nd both times and they weren't strong heats. He was put in his place by Monsieur Gibraltar in between those two wins and as much as he will give his young jockey some fun out in front for a while he shouldn't be good enough. Stand Up And Fight - Has been favourite for this race since he won at Down Royal on Boxing Day. He had been a pretty good novice hurdler which included a 2nd in a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse a couple of years ago. They then sent him chasing last season and that didn't go to plan. This season they have decided to turn him into a Hunter Chaser and he made a winning start in a point in November. He won the Down Royal race by a comfortable 5L beating Sizing Coal, but that one had been 45L behind Caid Du Berlais at Punchestown and was pulled up at Gowran Park over the weekend. Kruzhlinin was 3rd and he has been winning plenty of points this season and they were miles clear of the rest including Coastal Tiep. The problem is he was beaten last time out at Kilfeacle when going down 4L to Fenno's Storm. That one lost the next time, but did win that Gowran Park race. I have seen it suggested that he wasn't well after that although I have seen nothing official on that front. Even if he was his form isn't overly strong for me and there has to be a stamina concern as well. The furthest he has gone under rules so far is 2m6f and he has another half a mile to go here at a testing track on likely soft ground. He might well prove to be the new On The Fringe, but for me on what he has done so far he doesn't deserve to be favourite and I am happy to take on. Sybarite - Connections had said he was retired after he was last of 4 behind Hazel Hill last year, but clearly something most have made them change their minds as he turned up in the Walrus and finished 2nd to Road To Rome at Haydock. Granted he was 34L behind and he did what he always does in that he was last for most of the way and then stayed on for 2nd. He nearly won the 4m race on Hunter Chase night in 2017 and I guess if the fire still burns that would be the obvious target again, but he will be massively outclassed here. Timewaitsfornoone - Won a maiden Hunter Chase a year ago at Downpatrick and then on his next start to he finished 2nd at Punchestown behind Caid Du Berlais. A fine effort but he was 25L behind him and he hasn't run since. Only 7 so sure to be improvement to come, but it is hard to see him winning this on his first start in nearly a year with plenty of ground to make up on Caid Du Berlais. Top Wood - Ran a hell of a race to finish a close 2nd to Pacha Du Polder last year especially given he had made most of the running in the testing ground. He then ran way below that when pulling up at Punchestown and he hasn't been seen since. Would be some training feat to get him fit enough to make all the running again especially given some potential other front runners and at 12 I struggle to see him repeating last year's efforts let alone go one better. Ucello Conti - His seasons always used to based around the Grand National and he has run in that the last 3 seasons, but he only competed once when 6th in 2016. He's never been to Cheltenham before, but comes here on the back of 3 wins which includes Hunter Chase wins at Thurles and Navan. He probably would have won at Thurles, but Gwencily Berbas was still in front when when unseating at the last. At Navan he won a bit easier, but I think you can pick holes in the form. Sydney Paget clearly didn't run his race and Salsify was 11L back in 3rd. It feels like a long time since Salsify was at his peak and he duly pulled up over the weekend. I respect his chances, but I just think the Irish don't have a strong hand this year and I think others come here in better form Summary - Having already put up Caid Du Berlais up I am happy to have him as the main bet in the race and I still think the price is value if you haven't already backed him. It was a cracking run in the race last year when not everything went his way and the Punchestown win was superb. The Irish challenge is headed by Stand Up And Fight and Ucello Conti, but for me they head a pretty weak bunch. I'm not sure Stand Up And Fight will stay and Ucello Conti hasn't really impressed me in his two Hunter Chase wins so far. You can pick holes in Hazel Hill's Warwick win, but he is clearly a good horse and if his jumping stands up to this test then he can go well. Shantou Flyer looks under-priced to me and you are hoping that Cheltenham brings him back to form if you back him. No doubt Pacha Du Polder will have his backers, but I would be amazed if he landed the hat-trick. Haymount has the back class, but needs to step up on what he has done this season. Last year's 2nd Top Wood will do very well to repeat that effort first time out and the 3rd Cousin Pete makes more appeal at a big price as Cheltenham clearly brings out the best in him. The only other one worth mentioning is Road To Rome and given what he has done so far this season you certainly can't rule him out from running a big race in this. Final Thoughts - Caid Du Berlais is not surprisingly very strong in the market on Thursday night and I actually wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't get close to being favourite although that will depend on if the Irish want to get stuck into their two at the head of the market. I'm happy to still be against Ucello Conti and Stand Up And Flight. Looking at the final field there is a hell of a lot of dead wood in it that has no obvious chance and because of that I am going to add two horses to the bets near the head of the market. Road To Rome is drifting at the moment and I think at 8/1 he is worth a play. He doesn't have to lead if others want to go too quick and if he stays then he will surely be involved in the finish. The other one I am going to back is Hazel Hill. I must admit if you read my initial preview that probably surprises a little, but I have given it some thought and as much as you can pick holes in the form it is the time that catches the eye. He recorded a high topspeed rating and despite being 11 he is still unexposed. He might just be able to land this and at 6/1 I am happy to have him covered. I have looked through the big prices and nothing really stands out although I am going to have a small play on Cousin Pete. He was a really good 3rd in this last year and I can see him finishing pass beaten horses off the likely fast pace. He has it in him to hit the frame again. Hazel Hill 1pt @ 6/1 with Bet365 and most others Road To Rome 1pt @ 8/1 with Betfair, Paddy Power and BetVictor Cousin Pete 0.25pts e/w @ 50/1 with William Hill 1st 3 only or 40/1 with Betfair and Paddy Power 1st 4 Already advised - Caid Du Berlais 1pt e/w @ 20/1

Fulham vs Liverpool Two clubs that are experiencing two different extreme types of emotions within football right now meet each other this Sunday. Relegation battlers Fulham welcome title challengers Liverpool to Craven Cottage for this 2:15pm kick-off and it's almost too good to ignore in terms of the betting. Fulham spent £100 million in the summer. I won't tire of saying that after they were lauded for spending big as Cardiff were criticised for sticking to a budget. All that money has done absolutely nothing for their survival hopes. The sacking of both Slavisa Jokanovic and Claudio Ranieri has shown what a mess their campaign has been. Scott Parker has been given the managerial job on an interim basis but the club is now in 19th place and 13 points adrift of safety with just 8 games left to play. Their season is all but over. Liverpool continue to push themselves to the maximum in both the league and Champions League. A potentially tricky tie with Porto awaits on the European front whilst domestic obligations come thick and fast. The Reds are in 2nd place just 1 point behind league leaders Manchester City but have only lost one league game all season. Jurgen Klopp's side haven't tasted defeat in the league since the 2-1 loss to City on 3rd January. Unfortunately, just 3 wins in their last 7 league games has seen their lead at the summit eradicated by Pep Guardiola's side. I'm not really sure much needs to be said about this game. Liverpool were fantastic against Bayern Munich in midweek. Parker has done his best to motivate the Fulham players but he's still effectively an inexperienced manager. It's a potential horror show waiting to happen. I think the home side will put up a battle but Liverpool should win this by a couple of goals at least. Liverpool -1 @ 1.73 with SpreadEx Liverpool HT/FT @ 1.80 with Ladbrokes

Antalyaspor - Alanyaspor Alanyaspor is keeping to play their offensive football with their famous coach Sergen Yalcin. They have won against to Erzurumspor last week at home. (2-1). Even score was 2-1 Alanyaspor missed 2 penalty kicks and several goal chances. There should have been more than 7 goals at this game. Antalyaspor who lost against to Galatasaray 5-0 in Istanbul also missed more than 4-5 %100 goal chances but Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera didnt let the ball in. Especially last 3-4 weeks, both teams are playing offensive game. Both team doesnt have any trouble for the table righr now but it would be better for Antalya to win keeping themselves safe. I am expecting goals... The odds should be reserved , something is wrong @over 2.5 2.05 @both team to score 1.85 Good luck

Hi guys, This is rainmaker from Turkey. I am writing as a Tipster in a local Turkish Forum, have already investigated your high quality forum and wanted to share my picks for Turkish Super Lig. I wil continue every week. Cheers. Sorry for my English from now as it is not native one Kayserispor - Basaksehir Basaksehir who is playing most collective football in the league is aginst to Kayseri on away game, on Sunday. Last week Basaksehir played with Fenerbahce. Everything was as excepted till 15 min. Their most rated deffender Epruanu was injured and Serdar Tasci was playing instead of him. Serdar Tasci injured on 15th min and Atomoah startedn to play instead of him. Atomoah is a player who is making most self mistakes in the league. After that Fenerbahce started to find positions and at least scored against to Atomoah's big mistake. However Basaksehir continued with dicipline , scored second time and won the game 2-1.Eprianu probably will play this week if not Serdar Tasci is ready to play. Kayserispor is having trouble with offense these days. They are not able to score as before. Last week they lost to Rizespor 3-0 at away game. If we look their home performance ; there have been under 2.5 goals scored in 8 of Kayserispor's last 12 home games. There are 3 important players for their offense; Deniz Turuc, Bernard Mensah and Bilal Basakcioglu. Three of these guys are not going to be on the pitch due to their injuries and suspensions. Another interesting hint ; Basaksehir won to nill 4 of last 6 away games. Basaksehir win 2.00 Basaksehir win to nill 2.92 Good luck

A few things in this year's Fiorentina championship, since it is in danger of staying out of Europe again. Some good games can not save the game ... and especially coach Stephan Piolli points back to the wall. Today, his team is being tested at Cagliari's headquarters in Sardinia and the match looks quite difficult to predict. Both teams have several medium-term capabilities and their problem is defensive. To a point where the show can go everywhere, but more likely it feels the many goals CAGLIARI CALCIO vs ACF FIORENTINA @@ +2.50 Over, odds 2.10

After the first leg score, for me Rennes should be favourites to qualify from the tie, but they are still outsiders, so have to go with Rennes to qualify at 2.00 (Ladbrokes). And no, i'm not going against Arsenal because i'm a spurs fan! I read earlier this week that Rennes have scored at least once in every single away game they have played dating back to October 2017 which is some going. Arsenal are not the most defensive minded of teams and therefore I think Rennes are likely to score at least 1 in this match, meaning Arsenal need to score 3 just to get to extra time. Of course they are capable of doing that, or even winning say 4-1 to win the tie. But I think with a 2 goal start and a proven goal scoring record away from home (they scored 3 vs Betis away in the last round), I think the French side are the value pick.

I also have doubts about how good is Wang against players with a strong shot (as Andreescu is). I just remember a past year game of Wang against Yastremska and the chinese just could not do much against those strong shots.

@money44 that match could have won by both players. A lot of upsets in this tournament so I'm gonna try some ones. Struff to beat Alexander Zverev at 5.00 with 888 Zverev had some health problems in his last match. Lesia Tsurenko to beat Sabalenka at 3.40 with 888 I know Sabalenka is the favorite but giving her these odds against a player like Tsurenko? I know Tsurenko recent form is not the best but she has a lot of tennis and she can win against Sabalenka if she show that tennis. Gilles Simon to beat Dominic Thiem at 3.05 with 888 Thiem recent form is horrible. Simon is a hard player to beat and if Thiem is not accurate with his shots we could see him doing a lot of UE.

Mona Barthel to beat Julia Goerges @ 4.09 with Pinnacle - 10 units Barthel likes this tournament.. She is playing healthy, and having a great time here relaxed.. Julia Goerges maybe is the more talented player, but she could use some more rest, and playing deep into this tournament is quite a bit dangerous because she's unlikely to beat Pliskova/Osaka/Williams/Sevastova .. any of these players on her side of the draw.. I do think Mona is completely fit, and will desire greatly to see the next round.. We both Barthel last time because Keys was not trustworthy.. It seems as tho Keys played a decent enough match, but once again in form Mona Barthel got the victory.. I expect more of the same today, and goerges may matchup better than Keys because her forehand and serve are not as strong as Keys on this surface.

14.30 Taunton Motts Cross 12/1 bet365 All the best.

Making the most of betting offers First race weds ballymore novices City island 288 Beakstown 286 Battleoverdiyen 283 These 3 are well clear of rest so I'll use 10 pts free bet from skybet (from first race Tues cash back ir 10pts from winnings )...on beakstown 12/1 .... .double winnings coral on city island 10/1 (pays 20).....10 pts battle 7/2 ....minimum returns 45 possible 100 200 6x 2pt rev forecasts also

Jan-Lennard Struff (+4.5 handicap) v Sascha Zverev at 1.72 with SportingBet I actually think Struff can upset Zverev today, however the 5-0 H2H in favour of Zverev means that I will back the safer option of the +4.5 handicap. I think that Sascha is not 100% fit, and we can't draw too many conclusions from him winning against Klizan, as Klizan retired.

Kempton 5.30 RUN AFTER GENESIS e/w 14/1 ladbrokes

Marin Cilic (-1.5 sets) to beat Dusan Lajovic @1.70 local bookie I'm aware of the fact that Cilic isn't in the best shape,but neither is Lajovic. I've seen Lajovic's match agaist Daniel and i can tell you that he was pretty poor and very lucky to win. He won't stand a chance with that kind of performance against Cilic. Also i think he will struggle with Cilic's agressive shots. Garbine Muguruza Blanco (+4.5 games) to beat Serena Williams @1.72 local bookie A little risky bet i admit,but i think that somehow Garbine was always a bad matchup for Serena. Serena won over Azaranka but Vika is not a shadow of a player she was. I'm not sure that Muguruza has what it takes to win the match,but i hope she can cover this line. Andreescu (vs.Voegele) + Schwartzmann (vs.Carballes Baena) @1,69 local bookie Canadian girl Andreescu is still flying high while Voegele is real "blast from the past" in IW this week. Still..i think her run ends here...DIego should be too strong for Spaniard even he also had couple strange results lately