Football betting all week long

We're taking a look at the midweek football action in an attempt to follow up our good weekend form where we picked 4 from 6 bets on Saturday & 3 out of 4 on Sunday including tipping the 3-1 win for Spurs at odds of 11/1. We're steering clear of the Champions League action as we can't find a value edge but have great bets from the Championship on Tuesday & Wednesday & Europa League on Thursday.

(Crystal Palace keeper Julian Speroni can help the see off Portsmouth)

Selhurst Park is the setting for our Tuesday selection where Crystal Palace take on Portsmouth, a clash which pits 3rd vs 18th. Dougie Freedman's Eagles find themselves in the playoff places courtesy of a good run having last been defeated back in September, since then they've won five & drawn two to propel themselves up the league. Portsmouth sit just 3 points outside the relegation zone with a modest recent run - away from Fratton Park they've managed to secure just two points all season. Palace have no new injury worries going into the match & are therefore likely to stick with the lineup that earned a weekend point against improving Reading. Opponents Portsmouth have a couple of decsions to make over slight doubts Greg Halford & Benjani, the former was forced off against Derby & the latter has been recovering from a hamstring injury. We think Benjani is likely to remain on the bench for this one but Halford should be ok to start - if not Joel Ward is likely to fill the void. The loss of manager Steve Cotterill to Championship rivals Nottingham Forest also won't help the south coast club's cause. Palace can prove they deserve to be riding high in the table by winning this one, they are available at 23/20 with Victor Chandler to collect maximum points. Of the other Championship matches on Tuesday Southampton (8/15) & West Ham (2/5) look most likely to also win but they're skinny odds to do so & Palace definitely offer the best value.

On to Wednesday & staying with the Championship we like the look of Leeds United at home to Blackpool, purely on a stats basis they look outstanding value to beat the Seasiders. Leeds have lost just once at home in the league & that was their first home game against Middlesbrough, they've won four & drawn two at Elland Road in their other games & the weekend's draw was no disgrace against a very well organised Cardiff side. Blackpool on the other hand have won just once away from home this season & that was their first away game, recently they've taken beatings by West Ham & Burnley, they've lost 3 of their last 4 & their last two wins have come against bottom pair Bristol City & Doncaster, you have to go back to 10th September since their victory against Ipswich. Blackpool have conceded 13 goals in their 7 away games & they'll struggle to keep out Leeds & the league's joint top scorer Ross McCormack, at odds of 11/10 Leeds must be backed.

(Andros Townsend may be one of the youngsters getting a runout for Spurs on Thursday night)

On Thursday night it's the dreaded Europa League with the early kick off in Russia between Rubin Kazan & Tottenham Hotspur. It's a competition which is dragged out for far too long in its current format & can be a betting nightmare with so many variables to weigh up but we believe the current price of 3/4 for Rubin Kazan is too good to ignore. Spurs main target this season is a top four league spot & regular stars won't be seen until the latter stages, if at all in the Europa League. So Spurs have used the competition to blood their youngsters & give fringe players action with only regular right back Kyle Walker playing Thursday Sunday. Spurs have two wins & one draw so far in this league format & with fixtures against PAOK (h) & Shamrock (a) left after this game, qualification seems comfortable even with a defeat in Russia. Rubin Kazan who have played Champions League football in the last two seasons, will see this home fixture as a must win game because they won't want to be travelling to Greek side PAOK needing a victory on the final round of fixtures for qualification (as PAOK currently sit in 2nd spot with one more point than them). The game at White Hart Lane saw Spurs gain three points thanks to a stunning free kick from Roman Pavlyuchenko. But the Russians where the better side & Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes made a string of excellent saves as Spurs hung on at the end. After the game Harry Redknapp said about this fixture that 'it's a horrendous journey before you play on the Sunday. It's not what you want. It will be a good experience for some of the young players to go & I can save the senior ones for the game on the Sunday'. So it means you can place your bet early, safe in the knowledge that Spurs star players won't be on the plane, & take advantage of the current 3/4 price before it's hammered into during the week to maximise your winnings.

Selections:
Crystal Palace to beat Portsmouth at 23/20 with Victor Chandler
Leeds United to beat Blackpool at 11/10 with Coral
Rubin Kazan to beat Spurs at 3/4 (Victor Chandler & Paddy Power)

Monday Night Football - Magpies & Chiefs runs to come to an end

We can't lie, we love Monday nights, we like the fact that there are just a couple of nearly always great & competitive games to concentrate on - it can be tough to pick winning bets but it always feels a real achievement, we're attempting you give you an edge in Monday's matchups at Stoke & Kansas City.

(Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross can help them see off the Toon Army)

Monday Night Football begins live from the Britannia Stadium with Stoke City entertaining unbeaten in the league Newcastle United. Since their return to the top flight Stoke have become an established Premier League side & this season sees them embarking on European football for the first time since two brief spells in the 1970's. The board have backed manager Tony Pulis this summer with big name signings in Woodgate, Upson, Palacios & Crouch as they look to battle on all fronts this season. Although they still seem to struggle on the road, the Britannia is a fortress that no side likes to visit. This is backed up in the evidence by only one defeat in their last 13 games, with eight wins & four draws plus an outstanding defensive record of five clean sheets & only conceding five goals in their last ten home games. It is no surprise that Stoke have done well defensively, Ryan Shawcross is a rock at the centre & it seems extraordinary with his excellent play over multiple seasons that he hasn't been called up to the England squad ahead of other younger upstarts & some other flashier players in club sides conceding plenty of goals. Shawcross scored 8 goals in his 1st season at Stoke & although he hasn't been as prolific since he'll be in & around the Newcastle box for plenty of set pieces & at 33/1 to open the scoring that looks a real tempter.

Visitors Newcastle have made an unexpected yet hugely impressive start to the season which sees them unbeaten in the league with 19 points from their 9 games. Alan Pardew has formed a never say die team spirit & a strong spine running through the side of Krul, Coloccini, Cabaye & Ba. Demba Ba has scored eight goals in this last nine league games & they seem to have unearthed a star in French midfielder Yohan Cabaye whose reputation & influence is growing game by game & scored with two stunning strikes in the last week against Wigan & Blackburn. Our concern with Newcastle is that they suffered their first defeat of the season in the Carling Cup in midweek they need to show how they'll react from this & so far they haven't had the hardest run of league fixtures, especially away from St James Park. In their four away games they have won two at local rivals Sunderland (14th) & Wolves (17th) & drawn against QPR (12th) & Aston Villa (9th) & in these games Newcastle have only managed four goals. Taking into account Stoke's current home record we see a competitive match but Stoke coming out on top at the general price of 6/5.

 (San Diego's Antonio Gates can get a catch in the end zone on the way to victory over the Chiefs)

In the night's NFL game we have an AFC West clash between this season's highly fancied San Diego Chargers & last season's divisional winners the Kansas City Chiefs, as it is a divisional game it's hugely important with a win helping either side for a playoff push. The Chiefs started this season looking just about as bad as any team has for some time, they took beatings from the Bills & the Lions before only jsut losing out away to the Chargers in a game where quarterback Matt Cassel was for the most part hugely accurate completing 17 of 24 passes. They built on that narrow loss & won their next 3 but only narrowly against very poor Minnesota & Vikings sides before last week's shutout against the Oakland Raiders who had just lost quarterback Jason Campbell for the season & switched between backup Kyle Boller & new acquisition Carson Palmer - that goes some way to explaining how the Chiefs managed to pick off 6 passes for interceptions. Surprisingly the Chiefs running game (ranked 7th in yards per game) has been much better than their passing game (ranked 30th), their very different triple running back system has produced yards for the veteran Thomas Jones, Jackie Battle & hugely improved 2nd season rookie Dexter McCluster. Star receiver Dwayne Bowe is nearly at 500 receiving yards & their trade from the Cardinals Steve Breaston is contributing but otherwise no one else in the team is over 100 yards & that makes them easy to defend the pass against, cover those two & they're shut down, they'll find it almost impossible to pass against the Chargers who are giving up less than 180 yards through the air a game.

San Diego ranked 1st in both offensive yards gained & defensive yards given up last year yet failed to make the playoffs thanks to abysmal special teams play & the fact they ran over weak teams helping gain those stats but lost key games including 3 divisionals. They're 4&2 this year & have the players to win this one against the Chiefs, Philip Rivers is an elite quarterback  although this is a poor season by his standards with more interceptions thrown than touchdowns he will benefit from playing against the Chiefs average pass rush although he needs to keep the ball out of the hands of impressive cornerback Brandon Flowers. The Chargers, unlike the Chiefs, have great receivers with 3 players with over 200 yards & 6 totalling over 100 yards receiving, Vincent Jackson & Malcolm Floyd regularly make huge plays & tight end Antonio Gates is fit again after missing 3 games where Randy McMichael came in as backup & was very effective. They use their running backs well in the passing game too with Ryan Mathews & human bowling ball Mike Tolbert having over 20 receptions each, they're both pretty good on the ground too, with Mathews offering speed & Tolbert offering brute strength. The Chargers pass defense is very strong & they should have little to worry about today but they aren't so great at stopping the run & need their defensive line to perform better here, behind them they have one of the league's most exciting young linebackers in Donald Butler who leads the team with 41 tackles in his first playing season after injury prior to 2010. The Chargers will fancy their chances with the matchups in this game & look value to cover a -3 point spread & show why they have a genuine chance at Super Bowl glory this year. Antonio Gates is a genuine star at tight end & from 2004 his season touchdown totals read, 13, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8, 10, with him back fit the Evens on offer for him to score a touchdown at anytime looks hugely generous & should be taken with the utmost confidence.

Selections:
Stoke to beat Newcastle at 6/5 (various)
Ryan Shawcross to score first goal at 33/1 with William Hill
San Diego Chargers to beat Kansas City Chiefs with -3 points on the handicap spread at Evens with Victor Chadler & Ladbrokes
Antonio Gates to score a touchdown at anytime at Evens with Skybet & Boylesports (Ladbrokes offer 1/3!)

NFL Week 8 - I don't even believe in Jebus

Last week saw the NFL International series game in London with the Chicago Bears coming out victorious against Tampa Bay who didn't seem to start playing until the final quarter, we're back in North America for week 8's games although Buffalo are having their regular home game at Toronto when the host the Redskins. We're concentrating on a couple of games this Sunday & hope to get back on track after the freak result with Jacksonville not just covering the spread against Baltimore on Monday night but winning the game without scoring a touchdown.

(Houston Texans number 83 Kevin Walter can get a touchdown reception this Sunday)

Ok, so miracles do happen - Jacksonville actually won a game even though they're the worst ranked offense & they were playing the 3rd best defense according to the stats, but miracles don't tend to happen twice in a week & the Jaguars look to be horribly matched against the Houston Texans. The Jaguars are ranked last in total offensive yards & it's easy to see why, they have a very average rookie quarterback & are relying on the ground game of the excellent Maurice Jones-Drew too much & become predictable to defend against because of it, they also have to rely on Jones-Drew due to the mediocrity of their receivers & tight ends who don't give Blaine Gabbert too much help in the passing game. The Texans have always traditionally been poor defensively, which would give Jacksonville hope, but they're ranked 8th in terms of yards given up per game & have 19 quarterback sacks, tieing for 4th most, their defensive ends Antonio Smith & rookie JJ Watt are having great seasons & can help shut down this weak Jacksonville offense.

On the other side of the ball the Texans have a great & varied offense, they've been missing star wide receiver Andre Johnson for 4 games now & he probably won't be fit for this one but quality QB Matt Schaub has other options with Kevin Walter &tight end Owen  Daniels being favourite targets. Awesome running back Arian Foster looks to have a really well balanced game at the moment, being used in the passing game plenty & looks to be enjoying having some competition at the position with Ben Tate getting plenty of carries as well, meaning Foster isn't getting banged up on so many plays, meaning he's staying fit & effective. Houston should see plenty of the ball offensively as they're likely to make the Jags punt the ball a load & that gives them a chance to rack up touchdowns, with Andre Johnson out, Kevin Walter is their lead receiver & 7/4 on him to score anytime seems too big. The Texans were really clicking offensively last week when they travelled to this year's chief divisional rivals Tennessee & came away with a 41-7 win, at home in front of their fans they will be looking to put on a show & the Jaguars could be tired after Monday's tough game & we're confident that the Texans can cover the -9 points on the spread with another ace display keeping them on the road to the playoffs.

(Tim Tebow will have to pray & pray & pray if he's going to cope against the Lions pass rush - they are no Miami Porpoises)

Now this game should be fun to watch with the Tim 'The Saviour' Tebow starting at quarterback for the Denver Broncos at Mile High for the first time this season, & also against an actual real team in the Detroit Lions, unlike last week's cardboard cutouts that were the Miami Dolphins. Tim Tebow was a college football phenomenon, becoming the first player ever to rush & pass for 20 or more touchdowns in a season, he's freakishly good in the running game but there remain a few tiny, little, massive doubts that he can actually be successful at passing the ball in the professional game. He didn't do a thing until the last 6 minutes of the game against the Dolphins where they were trailing 15-0 to the worst team in the league before staging a remarkable rally, Tebow only completed 13 passes all game but was using his feet well to avoid being sacked - that won't be as easy to do against the Lions pass rush & he will be put under pressure all game. Tebow doesn't exactly have elite receivers to throw to especially now Brando Lloyd has been traded to the St Louis Rams & Denver will most likely use the running game a lot with tandem running backs Willis McGahee & Knowshon Moreno needing to have good games. Their limited offense might struggle to keep up with the Lions explosive pass offense, Matt Stafford should be fit after getting hurt on their last play against Atlanta but Jahvid Best may not play at running back. Luckily Stafford has the awesome Calvin Johnson to throw to, he's had 679 receiving yards & 10 touchdowns already this year, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew & rookie Titus Young are other more than solid targets for Stafford to hit when Johnson invariably gets double covered. Stafford has been deadly accurate this season with over 60% of passes completed & just 4 interceptions given away, he really looks after the ball well & shouldn't have too much to worry about here. The Lions defense have 10 interceptions this year to the Broncos 3 & the same amount of recovered fumbles, with the Broncos on offer at odds of 5/4 to have the most turnovers this looks an excellent bet. The Lions pass rush, including the scary tackle Ndamukong Suh, can force Tebow into mistakes here meaning they get the ball back & deliver a win at a price of 4/6 to get their season back on track after starting with 5 wins only to lose the last two against good sides.

Selections:
Houston Texans to beat Jacksonville Jaguars with -9 points on the handicap at 10/11 (general)
Kevin Walter to score a touchdown at anytime at 7/4 (Bet 365) in the Jaguars v Texans game
Detroit Lions to beat Denver Broncos at 4/6 with William Hill
Denver Broncos to have most turnovers v Detroit Lions at 5/4 with William Hill

Spurs to mind their P's and their Q's (and their R's.....)

On Sunday Tottenham host QPR at White Hart Lane in an all London affair. Before the weekends matches Spurs find themselves in 5th, 5 places and 4 points in front of their opponents from Loftus Road. Spurs come into the game on the back of an unbeaten run in all competitions that stretches back to August 28th. QPR come into the game on what can only be described as 'indifferent' form, last time out they took all three points off of Chelsea but before that feisty battle they drew at home to Blackburn and lost 6-0 at Fulham. Spurs have lost only once at home this season to current league leaders Manchester City. Tottenham could welcome back Ledley King and William Gallas to the squad however it's likely that Bassong and Kaboul will remain at the heart of the defence. The front 6 of Spurs may shuffle slightly from the side that started the last games at bottom club Blackburn if Sandro is included it's most likely that Aaron Lennon will be the man who drops out of the first XI. QPR are likely to stick with a similar line up that defeated Chelsea with Shaun Wright-Phillips playing in behind Heidar Helguson.

We think Spurs will prove too strong for last season's Championship champions. They are available at 2/5 to claim all three points, and we also fancy a few goals so suggest over 2.5 goals is backed at 8/13 and a smaller flutter on a scoreline of 3-1, which can be backed with Paddy Power at 11/1 (as little as 9/1 with some bookmakers).

In the Championship Leeds host Cardiff City. One point seperates the two clubs in a fixture that in recent years has been dominated by the South Wales club, in fact Cardiff have been victorious in the previous six matches against Leeds. The current form of the hosts is strong, claiming 17 points from a possible 24, much of this is down to the division's joint top scorer Ross McCormack who has found the net 9 times in the league in the 11/12 campaign. McCormack joined Leeds from Cardiff in 2010 and has grabbed his opportunity having played second fiddle at times during his Leeds career. 

 (McCormack will be looking to reach double figures with a goal against former club Cardiff)

After a summer shake up of both players and the coaching staff Cardiff seem to finding their feet once agains in the division. New boss Malky Mackay lost a plethora of players in the summer and had to build a team with relativley little money. The squad is beginning to gel and result are steadily being ground out by the Bluebirds. Of the 20 points the club has amassed to date 14 of those have come at home meaning just 6 away from home. The only victory cardiff have secured come on the opening day after a late Kenny Miller goal sunk West Ham - keeper Rob Green should have saved Millers effort too. Leeds are likely to still be without Robert Snodgrass due to his back problem and second choice 'keeper Paul Rachubka will retain his starting spot between the sticks. Cardiff have been coy over the aforementioned Millers injury that he sustained after an accidental clash with teammate Ben Turner. Young French stricker Rudy Gestede is likely to remain sidlined and defender Anthony Gerrard is suspended, however Mackay has recently dropped Liverpudlian Gerrard in favour of ex Coventry man Turner.

We think that a seventh successive victory for Cardiff is unlikely and Leeds, led by McCormack will win at Elland Road, they are best priced at 13/10 to do so, for the less optimistic a price of 4/6 on the draw no bet market is available with Skybet.

Selections:
Tottenham to beat Queens Park Rangers at 2/5 (various)
Tottenham vs Queens Park Rangers - over 2.5 goals at 8/13 (Boylesports)
Tottenham to beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 at 11/1 (Paddy Power)
Leeds to beat Cardiff at 13/10 (Paddy Power and Victor Chandler) or Leeds in the draw no bet market at 4/6 (Skybet)

Its Business, its Business Time!

It seems to have come around pretty quickly but the jumps season is well & truly underway again with Ascot having two Listed races & a Grade 3 & Wetherby having a Listed hurdle & two Grade 2's including the Charlie Hall Chase. We've just a couple of bets today but we think their good ones & think we've got the markets beaten with the value on offer.

(Tough & classy Kumbeshwar (left) can have his day at Ascot)

The Listed handicap hurdle at Ascot looks competitive at first glance with some decent types that have plenty of winning form about them. Top weight Topolski is unbeaten over hurdles, starting out winning a very steadily run novice at Sandown in which red hot favourite Megastar could only finish 3rd, Topolski went on to win at Newton Abbot before a big step up to win a Grade 2 on Grand National day at Aintree. That Grade 2 looked pretty weak for the money on offer & that sometimes happens with the meeting's proximity to the Cheltenham Festival, however Topolski did what was required & has had a pipe opener with a run on the flat at Newmarket, he struggled there & tailed in last but should be fit here, with a flat rating of 90 he always had a chance of being high class over this different code & is fairly weighted on a mark of 150. Others of interest are Gary Moore's tough Via Galilei & Paul Nicholls' highly tried Brampour, last seen finishing 9th in Topolski's Aintree victory, he has a 5 pound swing & Ascot may suit this Daylami gelding better.

All the previously mentioned have chances but we're hugely keen one chances of Alan King's Kumbeshwar, a horse with form of the highest calibre over hurdles. Kumbeshwar won its first race over hurdles, getting outpaced before storming through impressively & although that remains its only win the subsequent form is top notch. King's charge was next beaten in somewhat unsuitable heavy ground by 148 rated Houblon Des Obeaux, then finished 3rd in the Grade 2 Adonis hurdle with the winner being Triumph Hurdle winner Zarkandar. We then rated Kumbeshwar our best bet of the Festival at 33/1 when edged out by a neck by handicap blot What A Charm in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham, he carried top weight of 11"10 & giving 18 pounds to the winner, putting up a great front running performance. He then finished 2nd in Grade 1's at Aintree & Punchestown & looks to be exceptionally well treated off a mark of 145 here, if this comes down to any kind of battle we'd expect him to tough it out & he could well not see another horse if Robert Thornton sets him out in front, at 7/1 we are definitely on.

 (Time For Rupert can jump his way into the Cheltenham Gold Cup picture with victory in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby)

In the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby we only have eyes for one horse, many people's Cheltenham banker after an exceptional transition from staying hurdler to novice chaser Time For Rupert was one of the big let downs of 2011's Festival but had legitimate excuses. He was said to have broken a blood vessel in the race, the Grade 1 RSA Chase, & it definitely seemed like that happened when watching, however still finished 5th and was beaten just 6 lengths in the end. If Paul Webber has him over his problems we think he can beat last year's winner the very in & out Nacarat, a horse that when he's good he's very good jumping beautifully & travelling impressively, unfortuantely for backers Nacarat also loves running plenty of stinkers & we'd avoid betting in races he's in usually. The favourite for this one looks like being Diamond Harry who has been off the track since winning the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup, another horse to be stepped up to chasing to avoid Big Bucks in the hurdling division, he's clearly very classy but having had 11 months off doesn't endear him to us & Time For Rupert has the potential to be a genuine superstar, a win here at 3/1 can set him on his way to the Gold Cup in March.

Selections:
3.00 Ascot - Kumbeshwar at 7/1 (general)
3.20 Wetherby - Time For Rupert at 3/1 (general)

A £10 double on the above selections could return £320 winnings - get on!

Tricky 'Toffee' trip to end in triumph for United

The Premiership weekend kicks off at Goodison Park in a match between Everton and Manchester United. Everton, after another summer of no investment, have had their custormarily slow start to the season, currently sat in 13th position, with ten points from their opening eight league games. Their home form has seen no clean sheets and only one victory in four matches including defeats to QPR & bitter rivals Liverpool. Wednesday nights Carling Cup action saw a strong Everton side lose a hard fought game in extra time to Chelsea & also standout performer Royston Drenthe received his marching orders for two yellow cards which now means he's suspended for this weekend. After his worst defeat of his tenure, Sir Alex Ferguson's United will be looking to bounce back to winning ways & close the gap on local rivals City, if only for a couple of hours. A flying start of six wins from seven games has been followed up with a draw at Liverpool & the humbling defeat from Man City. There will almost certainly be changes to United's lineup, a big positive was Tom Cleverley's successful return from injury in Tuesday's League Cup game & Dimitar Berbatov may get a rare runout in the league, with him continuing to be overlooked it looks a very strange decision to hold on to him & pay his large salary when Paris Saint-Germain came with the money this summer. It looks like an over-reaction has been made by the bookmakers with the 5/6 on offer for a Manchester United & taking that can give a winning start to the weekend.

(Drenthe, suspended.)

The Hawthorns is the setting for Saturdays evening kick off. King Kenny’s Liverpool travel to West Bromwich Albion managed by former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson. West Brom have been in good form with two draws and two victories in their last four. The loss of Shane Long for up to six weeks following a knee injury he picked up during the last match against Midlands rivals Aston Villa however will be a setback for the Baggies. Liverpool come into the game in sixth position, recent form for the Merseyside club has been good and the form of Uruguayan Luis Suarez is exciting the Kopites, there is a doubt over his fitness following the midweek game against Stoke, Kenny Dalglish admitting that Liverpool will have to ‘see how he is’ prior to making his team selection. We expect the 5’11 striker to start the match, if not then one of Kuyt, Carroll or Bellamy will fill his void. Despite West Brom’s decent form and the doubt over Suarez’s fitness we think Liverpool will return to Anfield with 3 points. The Reds can be backed at a tasty 11/10 with William Hill.

('Long but not forgotten', the Irishman is likely to be out for at least 4 weeks)

In The Championship Birmingham entertain Brighton at St Andrews, Chris Hughton’s men have been sneaking up the league fairly unnoticed in recent weeks, most probably due to participation in the Europa League meaning they haven’t been playing at the same time as most. The Blues were last defeated on 21^st September, when they succumbed to Manchester City in the Carling Cup. Since then an impressive run, which includes six wins and a draw, have catapulted Birmingham to eighth in the table with two games in hand over most. Brighton sit 13^th in the League, Gus Poyet has shown that his side can mix it in this division after some early season victories. However they are on a run of 8 games in all competitions without victory. Some of the early season praise may need to be revisited as victories in the league this season have come against teams currently placed 23^rd, 16^th, 9^th, 11^th, and 24^th. We think that this one will go to form with Birmingham claiming the 3 points, available at 11/10 with various bookmakers.

In the lower leagues we can see victories for Charlton, Huddersfield, and Swindon. Charlton have a long trip to Hartlepool, who, after a a decent start to the campaign, have faltered of late with four defeats in the last five with the aggregate score being a fairly comprehensive 12-3 to the opposition. We think that The Addicks will have too much for Wadsworth’s side and win this encounter. Charlton are best priced at 6/5 with Stan James to do so. Huddersfield travel to bottom club Yeovil where the hosts have already lost five times in eight games this term. Lee Clark has been heavily linked with the vacant Leicester City managerial post however we don’t think this will stop the Terriers coming out on top at Huish Park. Huddersfield haven't lost in an age and should have too much for the doomed South West outfit. Huddersfield are available at 4/5 with William Hill. Finally, in League Two, Swindon take on Bradford (can you believe both of these teams have played Premier League football?!) at the County Ground. Bradford sit 21^st in the table with just 13 points from their 15 matches. Swindon however find themselves in the play-offs after three straight league victories, we think it’ll go to form with Paolo Di Canio’s men having too much for the visitors, best priced at 4/6 with William Hill.

Selections
Manchester United to beat Everton at 5/6 (various)
Liverpool to beat West Brom at 11/10 (William Hill)
Birmingham to beat Brighton at 11/10 (various)
Charlton to beat Hartlepool at 6/5 (Stan James)
Huddersfield to beat Yeovil at 4/5 (William Hill)
Swindon to beat Bradford at 4/6 (William Hill)

An accumulator on the above teams pays a mouthwatering 50+/1

Crawley putting together a Championship push

We've some midweek football action coming from League two this Tuesday including league leaders & pre-season favourites Crawley who look to have their season back on track after a bit of a blip, as ever good luck if you're punting & let your friends know if you like the blog.

League two leaders Crawley Town face Dagenham & Redbridge at the Broadfield Stadium. After two heavy defeats to Morecambe & Swindon back in September, Crawley have bounced back with six straight victories which puts them top of the table. They beat another promoted side in AFC Wimbledon 5-2 at the weekend with Matt Tubbs increasing his goalscorer tally to nine in all competitions. Visitors Dag & Red sit one point above the relegation places & after three wins in their first four league games they have embarked on a terrible run with eight defeats in their last ten league games & no clean sheet in that time. In their last five matches they have conceded 13 goals & their last fixture saw them hammered at home by Aldershot 5-2 who before the fixture had only scored 12 in 13 league games. This game will bring a comfortable home victory for Crawley (at the best price of 4/9 - a banker in any midweek accumulators) but the question is by how many goals will they win by? Crawleys attacking players, spearheaded by Matt Tubbs will be licking their lips in anticipation & we see value in backing Crawley -1 on the handicap market at 11/10.

Also in League two, Swindon Town entertain Gillingham at the County Ground. Paolo Di Canio's Robins sit one point outside the playoff places & have won three of their last six league games. They had a hard fought 1-0 victory away at the improving Plymouth with De Vita netting a late winner. Their strength is in front of their home fans with four victories & 16 goals so far. Gillingham who sit in 5th spot, come into the match on the back of two victories; a 5-2 away win at Torquay & 1-0 victory against Oxford this weekend. The latest victory is even more impressive when you see Oxford were on a eight match unbeaten run & Gillingham played most of the second half with 10 men & even 9 men for the last couple of minutes. The unpredictability of Swindon & the impressive current form of Gillingham makes picking the winner difficult but one thing we can expect from these sides is goals. Six matches at the County Ground have brought no less than 23 goals at an average of 3.83 goals per game & Gillingham on the road this season have scored 16 & conceded 13 goals so an average of over 4 goals per game. A goal feast is expected with the attacking players of Kerrouche, Ritchie & De Vita of Swindon trying to outscore Gills loanee striking duo Kuffour & Nouble with us the neutrals being the real winners. Over 2.5 goals is available at the general price of 4/6.

Selections:
Crawley Town -1 goals to beat Dag & Red on the handicap market at 11/10 (Paddy Power/Stan James)
Over 2.5 goals in the Swindon Town vs Gillingham match at 4/6 (various)

Monday Night Football - Ravens can tear poor Jaguars to pieces

We're pleased to see some English football back on a Monday night after last week only had a Spanish game & of course we have our usual NFL preview too. Last week we got the Jets to cover the spread & Santonio Holmes scored a touchdown at Evens to make it a decent night's work, we're looking to follow up in the Ravens v Jaguars game & the Brighton v West Ham game in the Championship.

(Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert could be in for a rough night against the Ravens defense)

The red hot Baltimore Ravens roll into Jacksonville on Monday night to take on the less than good Jaguars & this could get ugly for the home side. The Ravens got their season going with an exceptional performance against their arch rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers & apart from a shock loss to the Titans in week 2 they've won all of their games & been impressive doing it, with their vaunted defense creating turnovers & scoring points from them. Quite simply the Ravens defense is awesome, they rank 3rd in yards per game given up & have conceded just 14.2 points per game, linebacker Ray Lewis is still doing the business & is maybe the best in the game at the age of 36, Ed Reed already has 2 interceptions this year & cornerback Lardarius Webb seems to get better & better. The Jaguars rank last in offensive yards & this is quite simply a horrible matchup for them, they cut quarterback David Garrard just days before the season started & have gone with rookie Blaine Gabbert who has completed less than half of his passes, he has been sacked 14 times in his 5 games & that could get worse in this one, he will never have faced a pass rush like this in college! On the plus side the Jags have an elite running back in Maurice Jones-Drew who has been having the ball handed off to him 20 times a game & been averaging over 95 yards a game, expect to see him see plenty of it in this one in an effort to limit turnovers.

The Ravens offense certainly isn't as good as the defense & we're still not convinced by QB Joe Flacco but they have an excellent receiver in Anquin Boldin & it looks to have been a smart move to trade up to select Torrey Smith in the st round of the draft. Like the Jaguars they also have a great running back in Ray Rice, at 5 foot 8 he's incredibly elusive but also has great hands when catching the ball & has over 300 yards receiving this year. This looks an excellent chance for the Ravens to get to 5 & 1 for the season & they can cover the -7.5 points William Hill offer on the points spread to do it at 10/11. In the 4 games Baltimore have won they've done it by a difference of 28, 30, 17 & 15 points, those were in games against better teams than Jacksonville, apart from maybe the St Louis Rams game & with other bookmakers making this a 9.5 point game the 7.5 looks an awesome bet.

(Craig Mackail-Smith can help this one be a high scoring encounter)

In the Championship, live on skysports Brighton entertain West Ham at the Falmer Stadium, promoted Brighton started the season taking the Championship by storm, winning five of their first six games but have struggled of late. Their current form has seen them unable to muster a win in their last six games with three defeats & three draws which has seen them drop into the mid-table places. Positive news for Brighton is that Will Buckley returns to the squad after limping out of the Carling Cup defeats to Liverpool but Gus Poyet is playing his cards close to his chest whether he will be in the starting line-up. Visitors West Ham (our pre season Championship winning selection) have made a solid but not spectacular start to the season & are currently sat 4th but a victory would see them jump into the automatic promotion places. Their current form is mixed with two wins, two draws & two defeats in their last six & have a mounting injury list with loanee Henri Lansbury & Matty Taylor recent casualties. Picking the winner of this match is difficult so we see value in backing over 2.5 goals at a best price of 10/11. The Falmer Stadium has seen 19 goals in its six games at an average of over 3 goals per game & West Ham on the road have scored 11 & conceded 4 meaning an average of 2.5 goals per game. On Monday night sit back, relax & enjoy the attacking forces of Mackail-Smith, Barnes, Buckley, Carew, Baldock & Nolan as they serve up a goals feast.

Selections:
Baltimore Ravens to beat Jacksonville Jaguars with -7.5 points at 10/11 with William Hill
Over 2.5 goals in the Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham United game at 10/11 with William Hill

NFL Week 7 - Buccaneers come swashbuckling to London

This week sees the NFL's International Series continue with another game at Wembley, London & there has even been talk of having multiple games each year with a view to seeing whether there is potential for a franchise to be based in the UK. It's exciting times for British football fans & the two teams travelling across this year have genuine playoff aspirations with the improved Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking on the Chicago Bears from the hottest division in the NFL, the NFC North. We're taking a look at that game & finding the best bets from the rest of this week's games & trying to follow up on our red hot touchdown scorer betting form that has turned a profit of £339.92 to a £10 stake from 16 bets this season.

 

(The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be looking to light up London)

There has been a pattern of success when it comes to winning in the London game with teams coming across to the UK to prepare winning whilst teams flying over last minute as if it's a normal away game tend to pay the price for lack of preparation in the different surroundings, this doesn't bode well for the Chicago Bears who've taken the second option whilst this is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2nd time at Wembley after 2009 & they've been in the UK since Monday this time around. Neither side have been offensive powerhouses with the Buccaneers ranking 14th in passing yards & 15th in rushing, the Bears rank 21st & 20th in the same categories. On the defensive side both have been somewhat poor against the pass with the Bears ranked 25th & the Bucs 26th & the Bears have been giving up more yards on the ground than the Buccaneers.

(The Buccaneers' quarterback Josh Freeman can take off & run for a touchdown in this one)

The key players in this game on the offensive side look to be ace running back Matt Forte for the Bears & hugely talented quarterback Josh Freeman for the Buccaneers. Forte is an offensive powerhouse who leads the team in rushing with 527 yards & in receiving with 36 catches for 381 yards, it is somewhat surprising to see him with just two touchdowns on the season though, although it is sensible for the Bears to use the bruising Marion Barber in short yardage rushing situations. Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman is a massive talent in more ways than one, standing at 6 foot 6 inches tall allows him to see over the offensive line & pick out passes with accuracy (62.6% this season), he's also quick with his feet & hard to stop if he gets rolling, with two rushing touchdowns already this season you would think the bookmakers would take note but they haven't he's available at 33/1 to score 1st & a huge 5/1 to score at anytime. With running back LeGarrette Blount looking slightly doubtful fitness wise the Buccaneers will elect to put the ball in Freeman's hands & he can find his set of receivers with regularity, including second season players Arrelious Benn & Preston Parker, to put the Bears under real pressure. There is strife in the Bears camp with Forte wanting a new contract, safety Chris Harris requesting a trade & maligned quarterback Jay Cutler seen to be arguing with his offensive co-ordinator during the victory against the Vikings, we like the Bears a lot - they have the tools to perform well (especially the irrepressible Devin Hester!) but things are conspiring against them. Add to the Bears troubles that their offensive line isn't performing well enough to keep Cutler out of trouble & they may struggle this week, we're picking the Buccaneers to win this one at odds of 23/20.

Elsewhere the Houston Texans travel to the Tennessee Titans in crucial AFC South game, with one of these two sides looking most likely to win the division & progress to the playoffs. The Titans are coming off a bye week whilst the Texans come off a loss away to the powerful Baltimore Ravens, the Texans run in for the rest of the season appears to contain eminently winnable games & they will want to start rolling here. The Titans surprised everyone in week 2 with their win against Baltimore & they've since gained wins against poor Broncos & Browns teams before taking a beating against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 5. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has performed to a higher level than many people expected this year & it helped that he started out with top notch wide receivers Nate Washington & Kenny Britt this year, Britt unfortunately tore ligaments in the Broncos game & is out for the season, he'll be a big loss & Hasselbeck's passing numbers have dropped in the games since. With their pass offense weakened the Titans may opt to switch more to the ground game & they have the player in 2009's offensive palyer of the year, running back Chris Johnson, the thing is that this year it just hasn't been happening on the ground for Chris & the Titans, they rank last & Johnson has only had 100+ yard rushing game, he seems to be used more out of the backfield than as a traditional rusher. This looks a great game for the Texans to be playing with Tennessee having fundamental problems in offense as they lost star linebacker Mario Williams 2 games ago & it showed against Baltimore, on the other side of the ball they seem to be clicking in all areas of the game. Although the Titans defense is a solid unit & they rank pretty well against both the pass & run they will struggle against the options that the Texans have, Matt Schaub is a very good QB, Arian Foster was last season's leading rusher & although star receiver Andre Johnson is sidelined they are able to go to top tight end Owen Daniels instead. In terms of rushing the ball the Texans have used second season player Ben Tate as much as Foster & he has been excellent with 4.7 yards per carry, with so many options the Texans can wear down all areas of a defence & keep getting 1st downs, they can win this without the points they'd get on the spread & at odds of 6/4 they rate a serious bet.

Selections:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat Chicago Bears at 23/20 with Ladbrokes
Josh Freeman to score 1st touchdown at 33/1 with Coral & to score at anytime at 5/1 with Paddy Power
Houston Texans to beat Tennessee Titans at 6/4 with Skybet

Top top top teams (from Manchester) go to war

Sunday's football is massive in the Premier League with first & second facing off at Old Trafford & another 4 games taking place including the West London derby between QPR & Chelsea. We've looked at both of the derbies & tried to find an edge in the betting markets although these are the kinds of games to sit & savour even without having a punt.

(Nani's OK by us & we think he can follow up his Community Shield winner with a goal on Sunday)

It would have seemed ridiculous just 3 years ago to anyone but City supporters to say that the Manchester derby would be the biggest match of the season in the Premier League but it certainly seems to be the situation now, with the incredible spending City have undertaken making them true rivals to the team that have dominated English football for the past 20 years in Manchester United. Both sides are unbeaten with City only having dropped points when they blew a two goal lead at Fulham whereas United have drawn twice, both in tough away games at Stoke & last week at Liverpool. Manchester United have an incredible home record, having dropped just two points at home last season & their last home loss came in April 2010 to that year's champions Chelsea courtesy of a controversial Didier Drogba goal. United have genuine stars in Nani & Rooney, both are players who can turn a game in their team's favour instantly & both seem to be best when at home, the 7/2 on offer about Nani to score at anytime looks great with him becoming a real big game player. With Ashley Young looking likely to start after Valencia's recent downturn in form United should have three players who can constantly harass the City defence with runs, crosses & shots from all three from all areas of the pitch. In goal De Gea has started to really show his worth, his performance against Liverpool was his best of the season, & he could be defended by arguably United's first choice back four in this game with Ferdinand, Vidic, Smalling & the always underrated Evra all available.

(United will have to get past a proper defender in Vincent Kompany to score success)

United's weakness certainly seems to be central midfield with Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher & Giggs unlikely to be on many opposing fans wishlists, this is the area that City will try to dominate with ball winners Yaya Toure & Nigel De Jong getting the ball & giving it to the wonderfully talented David Silva & likely starter Samir Nasri. Darren Fletcher often seems to some to the fore in big games & United will need him in this one & many others if his fellow central midfielders continue to fail to sparkle. At the back City are rock solid with Vincent Kompany being one of the world's best central defenders & Joe Hart an excellent keeper, if United are to get at them it may be down the left against Micah Richards who is still not totally disciplined defensively, it was the only are of the pitch United had any joy in midweek with Nani & Evra linking up & overlapping with some regularity. Up front City have a plethora of options but currently only Aguero fully convinces & he is still working back to full fitness, Balotelli is clearly talented but unpredictable to say the least & Dzeko came flying out of the blocks but has stumbled recently, he won't beat Vidic in a physical battle & may lack the pace to trouble this defence. If Aguero plays & is fully tuned up City have a genuine chance here but if not they could struggle to find the goal they surely need just to avoid loss as United look unlikely not to get a goal if they play near the top of their form.

United's home record is of major consideration in this game & if they can play with some of the attacking quality they've shown against Tottenham & Chelsea this year they should be able to score goals against even the meanest of defences, they will have played all of the top sides in the league after this game & will want to get back to the top before they start a long run of eminently winnable games, at 11/10 United look the value. It should be noted that Ferguson has been critical of his side's openness since they went behind after being in a 2-0 lead at half time to Basle in Europe, they could also have conceded plenty in the 3-1 win against Chelsea, but his attempts at Liverpool & Galati to make the team more solid have resulted in somewhat listless performances. Playing 5 in midfield (& importantly without Rooney) against Liverpool meant Danny Welbeck didn't get the service he needed & Anderson & Carrick played far too deep against the Romanian champions Otelul Galati, United are a far less adventurous & much slower side when Carrick is in the line-up which would play into Mancini's hands & the success of our bet could depend on him not starting.

(That will be another booking then Ashley, yeah? And a nice profit for us!)

In the 4 o'clock kickoff Queens Park Rangers face a huge test when they take on in form Chelsea at home in their biggest game since rejoining the top flight. QPR have started to wobble after some impressive performances that lacked a cutting edge, the 6-0 loss to Fulham seemed to come from nowhere & they followed it up with a disappointing draw at home to Blackburn. Chelsea meanwhile have been taking apart weaker teams although have failed in their two tough assignments so far, drawing away to Stoke & losing to Manchester United. Chelsea's 6 league wins have come against West Brom, Norwich, Sunderland, Swansea, Bolton & an out of sorts Everton, there's been nothing wrong with their recent wins, gained in style but it would be unwise to get carried away, they should win this one against QPR who already seem to lack the team spirit they'll need to survive but there's little value in the 2/5 to be had about an away win. The market we're interested in is the bookings with Ashley Cole available at 3/1 to pick up a booking, he's picked up 5 already this season, with 4 coming in the league. At 30 years old & plenty of miles on the clock maybe Cole's legs are just fractionally slower meaning fouls become more likely, whatever the reason one more yellow means he'll pick up a one match ban which he'd serve in the Carling Cup clash with Everton meaning he'd be free to take part in key games against Arsenal & Liverpool - a cynic may even say he has an incentive to be carded!

Selections:
Manchester United to beat Manchester City at 11/10 (general)
Nani to score at anytime at 7/2 with Paddy Power
Ashley Cole to pick up a booking in the QPR v Chelsea game at 3/1 with Skybet

Fencing to put opponents to the Sword

The flat season is rapidly drawing to an end but there are still some great races to round off the season, including Saturday's Racing Post Trophy, meanwhile the jumps season is starting to get into the swing of things with decent meetings at Chepstow & Aintree. We've got picks today from Doncaster & Chepstow, we'd have liked to take a look at the Old Roan Chase at Aintree but a disappointing field of three runners, albeit including Master Minded & Albertas Run, means that we won't be getting involved.

 (Fencing streaks away at Newbury - can he follow up in the Racing Post Trophy?)

The Racing Post Trophy is the UK's last Group 1 of the season & is seen as the key two year old trial for the following year's Derby with three winners in the 2000's following up in the world's most famous flat race, this year sees an interesting field with plenty of exciting, unexposed types. Camelot is hot favourite for this, with Aidan O'Brien's colt as short as Evens with some firms & has a lovely pedigree being by Montjeu out of a Kingmambo mare, a mile at this stage of his career should be ideal. Camelot has just raced the once, picking up a Leopardstown maiden back in July over this distance, it's understandable why Camelot is favourite & should be respected with his connections but the prices available offer little value & this will be some test for jockey Joseph O'Brien up against some of the riding world's elite. Godolphin's Encke is a colt by Kingmambo & absolutely flew home in a maiden 3 week's ago at Newmarket & only made its debut in September, there should be plenty of improvement to come & Frankie Dettori will place his mount with every chance, we'll certainly be wary of this one. Our fancy is John Gosden's Fencing another that has raced just the twice but was successful in a Listed contest on that 2nd start, impressing hugely that day, the form of Fencing's maiden (finished 3rd) hasn't worked out too badly with the winner Entifaadha following up in a Group 3 & running well since. He should appreciate the likely sound surface & although he was said to have had a minor setback since his win in August John Gosden wouldn't be running him without thinking he held the best of chances, we can't wait to see Fencing use his awesome exceleration against other top horses, odds of 100/30 with Ladbrokes look very fair.

At Chepstow, the Welsh National track, we have a highly competitive Grade 3 handicap hurdle but we think we've got a good one from the 18 runners with David Pipe's Shoegazing, a relatively lightly raced horse that has run to a consistently decent level of form. Shoegazing won well over this same distance with similar ground at Ffos Las last February & was sent off 2nd favourite for the conditional jockeys hurdle at Cheltenham Festival but took a couple of bumps & could only finish 9th of 23. Some of the other major trainers have multiple entries in this contest (Nicholls has two & Hobbs has three) but David Pipe relies solely on Shoegazing with the ever-improving Tom Scudamore getting the leg up, we fancy his chances at odds of 14/1.

Selections:
3.00 Doncaster - Fencing at 100/30 with Ladbrokes
4.15 Chepstow - Shoegazing at 14/1 (Boylesports & Bet 365)

Hull City can keep up unbeaten run

We took a break from football bets last weekend with the lower leagues looking to have some very tight games to predict & the Premier League & Championship coming back from intrenational breaks always making things tricky, we're back this week though & are going down through the leagues starting in the Championship. Later we will also have a preview of the Premier League action on Sunday where the two favourites for the title battle it out at Old Trafford in what looks to be a derby to savour between United & City but before that we hope to load our wallets & yours with Saturday's best football wagers.

(Hull captain Andy Dawson can show why the Tigers have been conceding less than a goal a game)

In the Championship, Hull City entertain Watford at the KC Stadium. The Tigers are currently sat in 12th position in this tight league but are only two points off the playoff places with a game in hand on those above them. They are currently on the longest unbeaten run in the league with four wins & three draws in their last seven league games and these results are based on a solid defensive unit making them hard to beat & means the odd goal is usually enough (four 1-0 victories already), that being said they could do with Leicester City loanee striker Martyn Waghorn showing more of the talent he showed as a really promising youngster. Opponents Watford are struggling this season and only sit one place & one point above the relegation places, their current form reads one win, one draw & four defeats in their last six league games with the latest defeat against Leicester on Wednesday night. They have problems at both ends of the pitch which have been highlighted in their last three matches where they have failed to score in any & have conceded eight in the process. This is just the 4th league home game this season for Hull & although they've only scored 4 goals in the 3 games before this we aren't reading too much into it, Hull look to play to their strengths & we can't see Watford halting their side towards the relegation places this weekend so back Hull at a best price of 5/6.

 League One has been excellent this season with some players of real quality plying their trade & fans turning out to watch have had plenty to enjoy, there have been just three scoreless games in the last 50 fixtures. MK Dons have an average turnout at their ground of nearly 8,000 & are unbeaten at home though will want to improve on their 3 wins & 4 draws with victory against Scunthorpe United. Last weekend MK went 1-0 up against Bournemouth before falling behind & coming back late on to salvage a 2-2 draw & before that had lost to an in-and-out Oldham side but overall have been pretty solid this season & have dangerous players in Dean Bowditch & the veteran Clinton Morrison who always seem to be involved in creating or putting away chances at this level, borne out by MK's league leading 16 goals scored at home. Scunthorpe have managed just one win away in the league but have gained 4 draws with just  2 defeats, but they have also only gained one win at home & there's a suspicion that they aren't a great side & could struggle against better sides. The Iron will be missing midfielder Andrew Wright after his sending off against Brentford, there will be a temptation for them to play defensively like last weekend but MK Dons are difficult to stop from scoring in front of their home fans & 10/11 about a home win seems more than fair.

Finally down in League Two, Southend welcome Torquay to Roots Hall, the Shrimpers have flown up the table in recent weeks thanks to picking up 16 points from a possible 18 in their last six league games. With confidence in abundance, goals have started to flow right through the side with 16 of their 22 league goals coming in this run. Torquay's form is nearer the other end of the scale with only four points in their last seven league games with four draws & three defeats. Their last two results have seen them suffer a heavy 5-2 home defeat to 9th place Gillingham & a 1-0 defeat away to 22nd place Bradford despite the home side playing for over 75 minutes with ten men. Key to Southend's success will lie in keeping Torquay's captaon Lee Mansell quiet as he's an inspirational figure & has 4 league goals to his name this season, their own midfield is packed with quality though & Jemal Johnson, Anthony Grant & Ryan Hall will make things difficult for the Gulls. Southend are available at 5/6 to beat Torquay & have added incentive with league leaders Crawley facing a tricky tie at AFC Wimbledon so a Southend victory could see them end Saturday evening at the top of the summit.

Selections:
Hull City to beat Watford at 5/6 with Coral
MK Dons to beat Scunthorpe United at 10/11 (various)

Southend to beat Torquay United at 5/6 (various)

Champions Day at Ascot - Ringing the Bell for British racing

Saturday sees the richest ever day's racing in the UK with an outstanding card at Ascot including the Queen Elizabeth II stakes over a mile for £1m & the Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs for a total of £1.3m in prize money. Top horses are taking part including the freak that is Frankel in the QE2, surely one of the best we've ever seen, plus high class & competitive fields for the other 4 championship races. We're excited as this seems a genuinely great idea & showcase for British racing & we're taking a look at the meeting to find the best value bets on offer.

The 6 furlong Sprint Stakes is a tricky race to find a value angle in as Deacon Blues is a deserving favourite after stepping up to group race company since winning the Wokingham at the Royal meeting (we were on that day) with incredible success. James Fanshawe's gelding is potentially the best sprinter in Europe & definitely the most exciting having now won 4 on the trot & in some style including the Dubai International World Trophy witha great turn of pace in the final furlong, he's better over this distance & is proven at the course, 11/4 is definitely a fair price especially with the all important course form, we were doubters originally about his ability to step up but Deacon Blues has converted us with some great performances. The French filly Moonlight Cloud is the main opposition according to the market, she started favourite for our 1000 Guineas but flopped a little there only to be reinvented back at sprint distances & putting in a stunning performance when winning the Group 1 Prix Maurice De Gheest over this distance by 4 lengths after a surging run at the end of the race. Moonlight Cloud is respected but she doesn't have the overall consistent look to her form that Deacon Blues has & we're begrugingly swerving her. The other horse that catches our eye at a massive price is Royal Rock a 7 year old that has clearly been difficult to train with just 22 runs in its career, 8 of those have been wins with two of those being in a Group 3 & a Listed race over 6 furlongs at Ascot in October. Alright one of those was in 2009 but he only saw two runs in 2010 & took some time to come to his own in 2011 but has won twice in the past month, first picking up a little race at Yarmouth before winning here after a slightly troubled passage in a decent & competitive Listed contest. Many horses just aren't geared towards this part of the season but Royal Rock is thriving, likes the course & is at too big a price to be ignored, an each way bet at 25/1 is the sensible option & best bet of the day.

(Ring-a-ding-ding Gertrude Bell (middle) winning the Lancashire Oaks)

The Group 2 Fillies & Mares race over 1 mile 4 furlongs is a bit of a forgotten race today with no Midday, Snow Fairy or Blue Bunting taking part but it has a competitive feel to it & some very nice types taking part. We very much like the look of Gertrude Bell the 4 year old filly trained by John Gosden, she won the Cheshire Oaks as a 3 year old before running with credit in hot renewals of the Oaks & Ribblesdale, she's won both her races this season & looks a real furlong specialist, with a lovely running action & decent attitude. She's only run the twice this year which is a slight concern but John Gosden has always had this as her target & if she's right (he thinks she is) she'll be there or thereabouts, at 14/1 she's a great one to have on side. Henry Cecil's Vita Nova is a much shorter price at / even after losing to Gertrude Bell in the Lancashire Oaks, the general view is that she would have won that day of it hadn't been for her saddle slipping badly & she did extremely well to finish 2nd, she has unfortunately finished 2nd on her last 3 starts & that's not something we like to see although her 2nd to Blue Bunting last time is excellent form. Another contender Ferdoos beat Vita Nova back in May & she's been a tough one to train with just 4 runs, Ferdoos is exciting but her lack of race experience could be hard to overcome on a day like this. Dancing Rain is this year's Oaks winner although her excellent jockey (especially round Epsom), Johnny Murtagh's ride was given as a key reason for that win after she made all off a slow pace, similar tactics would see her to her best today but that mightn't be possible in this field.

In the QE2 Frankel cannot be opposed & we don't intend to, he's an incredible horse & the hope is that he wins extra impressively, comes back safe & sound & then proves himself further next year by winning his races with extra weight as a 4 year old. Frankel can do the lot & we think he may genuinely be ridden with restraint this time before clearing away a furlong or so from home, best odds of 1/3 seem absolutley fine to us although not as tasty at the 4/5 we tipped him at when beating Canford Cliffs! We'd love to see Side Glance chase him home after being at Salisbury to see Andrew Balding's very nice gelding pick up the same race his sire Passing Glance managed in 2003, at 40/1 he could be an interest bet for forecast backers.

The Champion Stakes is the feature race & has great strength in depth with top notchers So You Think, Snow Fairy, Midday, Twice Over, Cirrus Des Aigles & Nethaniel in attendance with some others hoping to male the step up to genuine Group 1 horses. Globetrotter Wigmore Hall is taking part & Dubai Prince will be hoping to step up form the form he showed as a two year old that made him a short price for classic honours in the antepost markets. This is a dead tough race to call & we can't make a recommendation but if pushed we'd go with Snow Fairy at 8/1 who won 4 Group 1s in 2010 including the Oaks, the Hong Kong Cup & a Grade 1 in Japan, she's tough, versatile & has run with credit this year, she deserves a success & we'd love to see her beat the great, but not as great as people (Aidan O'Brien, Bart Cummings) say, So You Think.

Selections:
Ascot 2.25: Deacon Blues at 11/4 (general) & Royal Rock each way at 25/1 (several)
Ascot 3.00: Gertrude Bell at 14/1 (Coral & Skybet

Like Buying Money's Star Bet: Royal Rock each way at 25/1

FC Porto to show they're European Hotshots

Wednesday sees the end of the first half of the fixtures for the Champions League group stage & there's also a fixture in the Championship. We were looking like having a treble up on Tuesday night with CSKA Moscow & Ipswich Town successful but Leeds United conceded to Coventry City very late on to ruin that, for Wednesday we're going for just the two selections & feel confident of getting the double in the bank.

 (FC Porto's Hulk - Apoel Nicosia won't like him when he's angry)

FC Porto are one of the better sides in the Champions League currently & they should be backed to take care of the Cypriot side Apoel Nicosia. Porto went unbeaten in the league in 2010-11 & won the Europa League, they lost great striker Falcao to Atletico Madrid for 40 million Euros but retained nearly all of their other players including the Brazilian Hulk & have invested in having an overall stronger squad. Apoel Nicosia have started phenomenally well in this competition with a home win against Zenit St Petersburg & drawing away to Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar dominated that game & Apoel will do well to hold out against the attacking flair of this Porto side, Porto need to win this to put them in a good position to qualify & they won't want to take any chances here, back them to win at Evens with a -1 goal handicap, Apoel's fairytale start can have a very unhappy ending.

In the Championship Sven-Goran Erikksson's Leicester City side take on Watford at home in a match they must see as the sort of game they should win comfortably if they are to live up to their tag as pre-season favourites. Leicester have spent heavily & have undoubtedly improved in a defensive capability, after a slow start they hadn't conceded in 4 games before losing away to Birmingham on Sunday. Leicester have however looked weaker going forwards with only two players with more than a single goal, Darius Vassell & David Nugent, they looked to be changing that a little with the impressive 4-0 win against Derby & if Erikksson can instil confidence in the team they are very dangerous. Watford have been pretty poor this season with just two league wins at Reading & home to Millwall, they've scored just twice in their last 5 games with forwards Iwelumo & Deeney having failed to score in 8 & 10 games respectively. After years of flirting with relegation this could be the year when they go down if they don't start to improve quickly. Overall this lloks too good an opportunity for Leicester to pass up, with defender & captain Matt Mills missing through suspension they may want to take a more attacking style & that should see them win this one at odds of 8/13.

Selections:
FC Porto to beat Apoel Nicosia with a -1 goal handicap at Evens (several)
Leicester City to beat Watford at 8/13

Tractor Boys to keep on Rolling Rolling Rolling!

There's a full fixture list throughout this midweek following the lull last week for the international qualifiers & we're starting out looking at Tuesday night's games for the best bets available with a couple of Championship games & an overpriced home team in the Champions League.

(Hey you guys! Jimmy Bullard can help Ipswich gain victory against Portsmouth)

At Portman Road you have Ipswich Town up against managerless Portsmouth. The Tractor boys have endured an inconsistent start to the season with heavy defeats to Southampton & Peterborough but seem to have found form recently with three wins & two draws in their last five league matches. Their front six of Edwards, Bowyer, Andrews, Bullard, Chopra & Scotland all have Premier League experience & now seem to be gelling into a formidable attacking unit with Chopra & Andrews sharing nine league goals between them. Portsmouth loss their manager Steve Cotterill last week but managed a 2-0 victory against an average Barnsley side in the late weekend kick off. It was their third league victory of the season but all have come at Fratton Park & on their travels they have three defeats in their last three matches against Leeds, Hull & West Ham. Ipswich have the stronger line-up with plenty of attacking players in good current form & can continue their rise up the Championship table with a home victory against Portsmouth at 10/11.

Further North we see Leeds United entertain Coventry City at Elland Road. Leeds easily won 3-0 against Yorkshire rivals Doncaster on Friday night with Ross McCormack scoring an excellent overhead effort. After a difficult first season where McCormack only found the net twice, he has been on fire this season with nine goals in ten league appearances. Then adding the returning Luciano Becchio into the mix, Leeds have a potent strike force which will cause plenty of problems to any Championship defence. Visitors Coventry have struggled on the road this season with four defeats against Barnsley, Ipswich, Crystal Palace & Birmingham in their five matches & have conceded nine goals. They don't score many goals either with only eight all season & just two on the road. Five of these goals have been scored by young striker Lukas Jutkiewicz & he continued his impressive record with the only goal of the game against strugglers Nottingham Forest at the weekend but the victory came at a cost after losing keeper Joe Murphy in a collision with Ishmael Miller. Leeds have won their last two matches & boast a home record of four wins from five, we can't see anything other than a comfortable home victory at a best price of 4/6. You can't ignore Ross McCormack's current form so back him to open the scoring at 4/1 & he can be backed at 11/10 to score at anytime.

In the Champions League we see the Russian league runners up CSKA Moscow host the Turkish league runners up Trabzonspor in a game that can really get the Russian side's European campaign up & running. Trabzonspor lead the group thanks to a shock win away to Inter Milan in the opening week & drawing at home to Lille in week two, CSKA also managed to draw with Lille but away from home & they suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to a spirited Inter side. The Russian sides are notoriously difficult to beat at home & CSKA will have targeted this as a must win game, they've conceded 5 times in the competition so far but really have an excellent defence with Ignashevich playing with the Berezutski twins & having the outstanding goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev between the sticks. Up front for CSKA Vagner Love is always dangerous & former Manchester United player Zoran Tosic has established himself in the side offering flair & assists, Trabzonspor don't have the players to match with former Spurs player Didier Zokora in midfield plus wing back Marek Cech signed from West Brom. It loks as though the layers have overreacted based on a couple of  performances & have overpriced CSKA Moscow who we would expect to be 1/2 for this, instead you can take 4/6 with Boylesports for what should be a comfortable CSKA Moscow win.

Selections:
Ipswich to beat Portsmouth at 10/11 (several)
Leeds to beat Coventry at 4/6 (several)
Ross McCormack first goalscorer at 4/1 (general) & anytime goalscorer at 10/11 with Betfred
CSKA Moscow to beat Trabzonspor at 4/6 with Boylesports

Monday Night Football - Dolphins caught up in the Jets' Stream

There's no English league football this Monday but we have the usual NFL game with the Jets hosting the Dolphins & an interesting game from Spain in La Liga with Athletic Bilbao taking on Osasuna. We've had a look at both games & think we've found an edge in both of them to turn a nice profit.

(Santonio Holmes can celebrate for the Jets in their Monday night game against the Dolphins)

The winless Miami Dolphins are horrible, just horrible & a trip to face the New York Jets who will be desperate to arrest their own dip in form is not what they need. The dolphins have lost first choice quarterback Chad Henne for the season, we think that he's pretty poor anyway but having to go with someone the team feels is worse is not a good situation & they have Matt Moore stepping up who was with the league worst Carolina Panthers last year before injury ended his season. The Jets have been poor on defense this year whihc is surprising considering it is what their success for the past couple of seasons, where they've reached AFC championship games, has been based on. When you look at their last 3 games, that they've lost, you see that they've been up against the Ravens, Patriots & Raiders so these were top teams & the Ravens were monstrous on defense, the Dolphins don't look to have the weapons to hurt the Jets as they rely too much on wide receiver Brandon Marshall, the Jets will counter him by putting corner back Darelle Revis up against him & not having to use double coverage. On defense the Dolphins have been disappointing, struggling to make big plays with usually dependable players such as Kendall Langford & Karlos Dansby not getting the kinds of tackling numbers you'd expect. Overall the Dolphins just don't get enough pressure on quarterbacks & that would be the key to beating the Jets as Mark Sanchez has still yet to convince as a QB who'd be coveted by other teams, too often he lets his head drop & seems to go in & out of games. It could be that this game will be a confidence booster for Sanchez where he'll get plenty of time to throw to his receivers & the main beneficiary will be the outstanding Santonio Holmes he gets passed to all over the pitch & we think he can add to his 2 touchdowns so far this season, he can be backed at Evens to score anytime. We can see the Dolphins struggling all game when it comes to the redzone & although the Jets aren't usually high scoring they can win this one & cover the -6.5 points on the spread to get their season back on course.

(Athletic Bilbao will be tough to beat in front of their excellent support)

Pamplona's Osasuna travel to take on Athletic Bilbao in a match between some of La Liga's less glamorous teams but both sides have positive qualities & this should be competitive. Osasuna fans could have been forgiven for expecting the worst this year after their side lost 8-0 to Barcelona offering very little resistance but how their season pans out isn't going to be decided in games against the top sides & they've conceded just 4 times in their other 5 games although they've only scored 5 themselves. Bilbao have only won once in the league so far but they haven't disgraced themselves & they will have been pleased to see star striker Fernando Llorentes score twice in the 2-1 victory against Real Sociedad last time. These teams finished 6th & 9th last year & will both see this as a game they can't afford to lose, that sometimes leads to slightly stilted games where both sides are afraid to commit & we'd be surprised if the total goals weren't under 2.5 goals & the 8/11 on offer should be taken, we think Bilbao might just edge this but we're not keen to back them at odds on.

Selections:
New York Jets to beat Miami Dolphins with -6.5 points on the handicap at 10/11 (general)
Santonio Holmes to score a touchdown anytime at Evens with Coral in Dolphins v Jets game
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna to be under 2.5 goals at 8/11 (general