Valencia vs Atletico Madrid – Both Teams to Score @ 2.03
Despite a poor 2019/20 season and a weak start to this campaign, Valencia seem to be back on track. 9th in the table with 12 points doesn’t sound all that amazing, but they were in a real rut not too long ago. A surprise 4-1 win against Real Madrid was swiftly followed by a gutsy 2-2 draw against Deportivo Alaves where they came back from two down. Some would say the Valencia of last season wouldn’t have been capable of something like that. Now, they will face Atletico Madrid, who sit second on the table. Los Rojiblancos have also been impressive recently, both domestically and abroad, in spite of their 0-0 draw against Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League this week. Both these sides sit second and third on the table for goals scored behind league leaders Real Sociedad and finding the back of the net hasn’t been an issue. Although Atletico typically don’t concede, we’re confident that Valencia’s attack will be potent enough against a side who is coming off a mid-week fixture to at least score once. 1 unit on this one.
Arsenal vs Wolves – 1×2 – Draw @ 3.30
Mikel Arteta will have been grateful for an easy Europa League fixture in midweek against Norwegian side Molde so that his team could remember how to find the back of the net again. It’s been a miserable month for the Gunners, with their only point in the last three games against a Leeds side who probably had enough chances to win three games. That being said they should welcome back 45 million pound midfield Thomas Partey this weekend and in Aubameyang, Saka and Lacazette an attacking trio that are certainly talented enough to start firing again. They come up against a Wolves side one point ahead of them in the league and with exactly the same goals scored and conceded (nine and ten respectively). Nuno Espirito Santo’s men themselves have been very patchy form wise all season and he’ll be looking for more consistency from his team. However they should welcome back Conor Coady to shore up the defence after having to self isolate for Covid related reasons. With the lack of consistency (and goals) from both teams as well as the similar style of play both teams like to adopt, we expect them to cancel each other out this weekend. Back the draw at 3.30. 2 units here.
Southampton vs Manchester United – Over 2.5 goals @ 1.78 & Anytime Goalscorer – Bruno Fernandes @ 2.70
Manchester United are nine points from nine away from home this season, and have scored 10 goals already on their travels. As soon as I saw that this fixture was at St Mary’s, my first thought was that there would be goals. Southampton themselves are not shy in front of goal, having also scored an average of two goals a game at home this season. Three games out of the last four these two teams have met, has seen this leg be successful. We expect two teams who will come to win the game, have no issues finding the auld onion bag. In regards to Bruno Fernandes and the Anytime Goalscorer market, it’s very simple. He takes pens, sometimes corners, sometimes free kicks, and scores worldies when he is in the mood. Bruno has also created the most chances in the league by a mile, and it’s only a matter of time before the likes of Cavani, Rashford, Martial and Greenwood start finishing those chances at a better clip. For now, Bruno is in fine form in front of goal himself, one of the best goalscorers in England since signing from Sporting, in fact. Keep those eyes peeled, Bruno is red hot after a tremendous brace in the Champions League (on a hattrick he gave Rashford the penalty, what a guy!). 1 unit on each selection here. For the sake of our multi, we will use the Over 2.5 goals market.
FC Barcelona vs CA Osasuna- 1×2 – CA Osasuna @ 12.00
Hear us out. Yes, Barcelona has arguably one of the top 10 greatest players of all-time in Lionel Messi, and their star-studded list and Goliath status have them a clear favourite. But this is 13th vs 14th, a real mid-table battle. We’re backing David. Barcelona have underperformed this season, and somehow can’t afford to boost their ranks to help themselves out. Their defence is wonky and very vulnerable to counter attacking football, a specialty of traditional lower-tier teams such as Osasuna. There is tension throughout the ranks, including players, coaches, and the board, so team chemistry is low. Barcelona are lacking talismanic leadership and their usual cutting edge on the pitch, so we’re looking for a huge upset to continue one of Barça’s worst seasons in recent history. 1 unit here.
Argentina vs New Zealand- 1×2 – New Zealand @ 1.06 & Asian Total – Over 60.5 @ 3.95
The All Blacks enter this battle in unusually poor form. The renowned most successful professional sporting team of all time have had recent losses to the Wallabies and Los Pumas themselves, so have a point to prove. The All Blacks will be looking to assert their dominance. It sounds like a stretch at 60.5+, but we’re expecting an onslaught here, though won’t count out the Pumas to possibly claw back a try or more. Think double-digits either side, but the All Blacks could take that 60.5+ alone, and won’t lose a third test in the space of only a few weeks. 3 Units on 1×2, 1 Unit on Asian Total. For the sake of our multi, we’ll take New Zealand to win, just to be safe.
UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis – Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis – Winner – Blaydes @ 1.25 & Asian Total – Under 1.5 @ 2.37
This is an exciting fight because Curtis Blaydes is a monster who is likely going to take home an early TKO victory while conceding relatively little. These are two Top 5 Heavyweights, but expect the fight to be a little one-sided. Blaydes is on a four-fight streak, including annihilating titans Junior Dos Santos and Alexander Volkov already in 2020. Keep those hands up Derrick Lewis, some big punches are coming. We’ll go with 2 units on each selection and for our multi, we’ll take Blaydes to win.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers – Winner (incl. Overtime) – Carolina Panthers @ 2.60
After we collected last week on the underdog Rams to take down Tom Brady’s Buccaneers, we’re looking for another win on an unfairly treated Panthers outfit. Carolina managed to secure an impressive shutout win last time out against Detroit with their backup QB at the helm. This week, they get Teddy Bridgewater back behind the wheel, a marked improvement over journeyman PJ Walker. They’ll put their defense to the test against Dalvin Cook and the Vikings here – a team that last week lost to the woeful Cowboys at home and just squeaked past an inept Bears offense the week prior. Carolina are missing their star man in Christian McCaffrey, but they can rely on the excellent Mike Davis to fill in once more at RB. With their starting QB back, great receivers and a defense that just recorded a rare shutout performance last week, we feel that 2.65 is a great price to take here. 1 unit here.
South Africa vs England – 1st T20I – England to win @ 1.59 – Winner (incl Super Over) & Jos Buttler to score 50+ @ 3.55
England have arguably their strongest line-up available with key men like Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer both available after the duo have missed some of their T20 matches this year. Both were in exceptional form in the IPL and they return to Eoin Morgan’s team to make them even more formidable in this format of the game. With the opportunity of becoming the #1 T20I side if they win the series (and Australia lose theirs to India), you know England will come out showing their intent. The same cannot be said for the hosts who have had two positive Covid-19 tests creating some question marks over selection: their all-rounder spots without Chris Morris and at the top of the order as to who will partner Quinton de Kock. England simply have to be favoured if they field their strongest team. Proteas are also 2-4 W/L in their last 6 matches at Newlands. Jos Buttler has been given the nod at the top of the order over Ben Stokes by Chris Silverwood giving him enough time to set the tempo and when opening the batting Buttler averages 51.0 in T20I. Also, the Newlands pitch in Cape Town, although can spin, is quite batter friendly – both David Warner and Aaron Finch score 50+ back in February. We’ll put 3 units on England to win and 1 on Buttler to raise the bat. For the multi, we’ll also take England to bring it home.
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United – 1×2 & Both Teams to Score – Palace & Yes @ 5.00
Both these sides have the attacking capability to win matches but the main reason why they often find themselves lower in the league than they’d like is down to one thing. Defence. Palace have been sturdier in recent times than Newcastle and at Selhurst Park, we’d back them to win against a Newcastle side who have been up and down this season. Even another Karl Darlow masterclass might not be enough to save the Magpies in London. Back the Eagles to get the job done with both sides beating the keeper. 2 units here.
Multi odds – 3918.93*
*Odds are subject to change prior to the beginning of each event
If you like our selections and would like to use them for yourself in a parlay or multi, use sport:4684403 and you can do as you please from there.
And remember, if every leg of the multi wins and you backed the exact same multi, we’ll pay out some cheeky coupons to every single player who supported our tips!
Happy punting this weekend!
