Best Of Bets

Author: Best Of Bets

  • Best of Bets PL GW17

    As the Premier League continues on apace despite the spectre of postponements due to the emergence of the new Omicron COVID-19 strain, Gameweek 17 should still have more than enough entertainment on offer for punters.

    Not least at the Emirates, as Arsenal face top-four London rivals West Ham United. With just two points between the sides, the Gunners could leapfrog into the top four for the first time the season with victory, coupled with the likelihood that Manchester United’s game with Brentford is called off.

    Though the north Londoners have lost three of the last five, this could be a good time to play the Irons, with David Moyes’ men having lost two on the bounce themselves, having recorded just one win in five. Indeed, the hosts are 6/5 favourites with SBK and SpreadEx for the win. Though West Ham have not as taken as much as a point on Arsenal turf since 2009, this is a different side from those encounters though, and the away win’s odds of 11/4 with Betfair, Coral and Ladbrokes is still one to look at.

    At the Etihad, Manchester City entertain Leeds United with the Cityzens top of the table by a single point. Having won the last six league games on the spin, Pep Guardiola’s men are in dominant form and can be taken for a best price of 3/20 with Novibet. Not much value here it seems.

    For the Whites however, Marcelo Bielsa often rises to the occasion against his bigger-name peers and looks well set to do so here. Though Leeds find themselves just five points from the drop zone, the Yorkshire side put in a plucky showing against Chelsea at the weekend, only denied a point via Jorginho’s last-gasp penalty at Stamford Bridge. City are a formidable force at home, but are fallible, having lost to Crystal Palace earlier this term. That makes Leeds’ sizeable price of 22/1 with PariMatch, SBK and BetVictor look quite attractive. The hosts are without question the better side, but Leeds are playing themselves into form, and even the draw at a weighty 9/1 – again with SBK – could be something to ponder.

    At Anfield, Liverpool welcome Newcastle United as the latest potential victims, despite the classic fixture’s Premier League pedigree. The Reds should have no problem in disposing of the Magpies, so the real value here is in goals and potentially, a few of them. In three of the last five league games, Liverpool have hit four goals home and away. If we also consider that Newcastle shipped four at Leicester in GW16 on Sunday, a similar scoreline could be on the cards. A 4-0 win for Jurgen Klopp’s men will fetch you 8/1 across the board, or, for total goals to be scored in the match, a price of 11/5 with PaddyPower and Betfair for over 4.5 goals to be netted, could set up a winner.

    Carrow Road sees in an interesting clash meanwhile, as Dean Smith welcomes recent employers Aston Villa, who make the trip across the Midlands. Succumbing to a narrow defeat to Manchester United mere days ago, the Canaries have still only lost one of six since November and can inflict a third-successive defeat on Steven Gerrard’s men in Norfolk. Available at 12/5 with Betfair, a Teemu Pukki-Ollie Watkins boosted double at 15/2 with SkyBet though, might be a better shot.

    Finally, should Leicester City’s game with Tottenham Hotspur go ahead, the Foxes looks another good punt for a win. With the Lilywhites not having played for over a week now due to their unplanned hiatus, their away form will be a concern for Antonio Conte, not to mention a lack of game time since the start of the month. For that reason, a Leicester side buoyed by a handsome win over Newcastle at home can look for further comforts at the King Power and at 15/13 odds with 10Bet and SportNation, is surely one to make a decent lay on.

  • Paul v Woodley The Unexpected Rematch

    The real reason why Tommy Fury pulled out this weekend’s fight against Jake Paul is still up for debate but it’s believed he may not have been as fit as he made out to be. Instead, an official rematch with the 39 year old Tyron Woodley has been confirmed and the YouTuber Paul is favoured once again.

    Betting enthusiast Jake Paul as also offered $500,000 to Woodley if the latter can knock him out.

    Looking at the Paul vs Woodley odds, Paul’s odds of 4/11 represent an implied win probability of 73.33 percent while Woodley’s odds of 4/2 have an implied win probability of 33.33 percent.

    Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley: odds analysis

    In this rematch, it appears the bookmakers had it right in the first place and are doubling down this time around. In the first bout, Jake Paul closed as the 4/7 mark whereas bookmakers are playing it slightly safer this time around as they’ve installed Paul at 4/11. Meanwhile, the former UFC champion, Woodley, was the 5/4 underdog back in August and is now 2/1 in the second fight.

    The first Paul-vs-Woodley fight went the full eight rounds in August, with the judges scoring is 78-74, 77-75, 75-77 in favour of Paul, but there were moments when Woodley came close to rocking the YouTube sensation, so he definitely is capable of ending the fight early.

    Taking the fight on late notice, there could be added value for Woodley, who claims he’s been training the whole time as Paul was likely game-planning for Fury and it’ll be interesting to see how quickly he can change that up. Additionally, their first fight was a split decision and there wasn’t much separating the two fighters.

    In the first bout, there were a lot of questions about whether Woodley would let his hands go as they had gone a little silent in the latter stages of his UFC career. Unfortunately for the former champ, it took a few rounds for him to get the timing and start throwing.

    That said, his power was undeniable in the shots that he did land cleanly, notably in the fourth round when “The Chosen One” wobbled Jake heavily. Ultimately, though, Tyron was taking inventory for much of the fight, loading up on one strike at a time, leading to a split-decision loss.

    In the first fight, “The Problem Child” had moments of success as he landed some clean straights and uppercuts, but he never really hurt Woodley; instead, Paul did his best work when he was doubling and tripling up on his strikes, which seemed to anger Tyron and get him to charge forward. Jake’s counter hooks when Tyron would move forward were also very impressive. So many times, Woodley would load up on a strike as he lunged and Paul would simply time that with a stiff jab or hook and then circle away, avoiding any damage.

    Prediction

    It’s a tough one but as while Jake had moments in the first fight, it seems he may not have the power to knock out the former UFC champion. However, Tyron have the ability, and power, to take out Jake if he were to win; and that method would offer some good value odds. But Jake will still have the speed advantage, these rounds are quickly starting to add up, which is building his in-ring experience, and he should be able to outpoint Tyron again.

    Therefore, the 4/11 for Paul to win via decision is where the money is going just now.

  • Abu Dhabi GP odds Implied Probability Championship odds

    Abu Dhabi GP odds Implied Probability Championship odds

    Abu Dhabi GP odds Implied Probability Championship odds 

    Lewis Hamilton  10/13 56.52%  5/9

    Max Verstappen 18/10 35.71%  8/5

    Valtteri Botas 12/1 7.69%  N/a

    Sergio Perez 35/1 2.78% N/a

    Charles Leclerc 70/1 1.41% N/a

    Lando Norris 70/1 1.41% N/a

    Carlos Sainz 90/1 1.10% N/a

    F1 Odds: Lewis Hamilton given 56.1% chance to win Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
    F1 championship battle comes down to today’s final Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battle it out one final time this season. And as the latest F1 odds have spoken, Lewis Hamilton is the favourite to win this today, which means he’s also the favourite to win this season’s Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
    The two drivers have been neck to neck since the very start of the season which is reflected in the points as they’re entering today’s race at 369.5 points each  However, Verstappen is technically ahead because he owns the tiebreaker with nine Grand Prix wins to Hamilton’s eight this season.
    Because of the points the two drivers have accumulated throughout the season, and it being a tie, this means that whichever driver crosses the finish line before the other will be crowned champion. Something that the latest odds have taken into consideration – hence Hamilton is the favourite.

    Another aspect of this race that has some people buzzing prior to Sunday’s finals is that if neither driver was to finish, Verstappen would win. So, in theory, Verstappen could purposefully crash out Hamilton and himself to claim the Drivers’ Championship.

    However, F1 has already come out and said to remember that they may penalise drivers by taking points away from them, and wouldn’t hesitate to do so if a driver was to purposefully take another out.

    Earlier in the week, the F1 odds had Hamilton at 5/9 to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Now, just a few days later, those same odds have him at 10/13.

    At 5/9, Hamilton’s implied probability was 64.3% whereas now, Hamilton’s implied probability is 56.5% with his latest 10/13 odds, which suggests that following yesterday’s qualifying bookmakers have clearly started to like Verstappen’s chances.

    As for the Drivers’ Championship, Hamilton’s odds are souring too; although he remains the bookies favourite, he’s odds have gone from 1/2 to win the Championship earlier in the week to 5/9 as of this morning.

  • Formula 1 Desert Decider Betting

    Formula 1 Desert Decider Betting

    The Formula 1

    Formula One are being treated to a dream-finish to the 2021 season this weekend.

    This Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the 30th time in Formula One history that the title has been decided at the last race, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen level on points at 369.5; it’s also the second time ever that two title contenders have been tied at the top going into the final race.

    Lewis Hamilton enters race week as the bookmaker’s favourite at 4/7 followed by Max Verstappen at 2/1 and Valtteri Bottas ay 12/1, according to BestofBets.com

    And although Verstappen owns the tiebreak with nine wins to Hamilton’s eight, Hamilton has all the momentum as he’s riding a three-race winning streak heading into the 22nd and final race of the season.

    As it stands, the odds imply that Hamilton has a 63.64% chance to win the world championship while Verstappen has a 33.33% chance to do so, however, it’s worth remembering that the Dutchman was the winner of the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP, which saw Valtteri Bottas finish second and Hamilton third. However, since then, the Yas Marina Circuit has undergone some changes, many of which people think will favour Mercedes and Hamilton. The degree of several turns have been increased whereas other changes have occurred to allow cars to carry more speed in through the corners and on the straightaways.

    One outcome that would be disappointing, but possible, is that both top drivers crash out, which the bookies have at 4/1  which would result in Verstappen being given the title due to having one more win than Hamilton. And knowing what Verstappen is like, should he be behind late in the race, there is a possibility that he tries to take out Hamilton, given the bad blood between the two; and it’s happened before. Both drivers have proven they’ll do whatever it takes to win.

    Yet, other than Verstappen’s 2020 win, Mercedes have won every Abu Dhabi GP since 2014, which is very much reflected in the odds:

    • Lewis Hamilton 4/7
    • Max Verstappen 2/1
    • Valtteri Bottas 12/1
    • Sergio Perez 28/1
    • Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris 66/1
    • Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly 100/1
    • Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda 250/1
    • Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell, Kimi Raikkonen, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, Nicholas Latifi, Nikita Mazepin, Sebastian Vettel 500/1

    Odds for fastest lap

    The fastest lap bonus point – awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap of the race and finishes in the top 10 – has turned out to be decisive this season, Hamilton having clinched it on top of his win in Saudi Arabia to level the standings.

    Although the scenario seems unlikely (although stranger things have happened this season) fastest lap could come into play this weekend once again to equal the standings, if Hamilton finishes ninth and Verstappen 10th with fastest lap.

    Other than the above, neither driver can use the bonus point to level the standings: this is a winner-takes-all situation.

    Who’s favourite to take the bonus point in Abu Dhabi?

    • Lewis Hamilton 6/4
    • Max Verstappen 11/4
    • Valtteri Bottas 3/1
    • Sergio Perez 53/10
    • Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly 33/1
    • Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda 40/1
    • Daniel Ricciardo 50/1
    • Fernando Alonso 66/1
    • Esteban Ocon, Sebastian Vettel 100/1
    • Lance Stroll 150/1
    • Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell, Kimi Raikkonen, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, Nicholas Latifi, Nikita Mazepin 250/1

    Odds for which team will take the most points

    Mercedes outscored Red Bull to open up a 28-point lead after the Saudi Arabian GP and now the Silver Arrows are favourites to win the constructors’ championship.

    • Mercedes 2/5
    • Red Bull 3/1
    • Ferrari, McLaren 40/1
    • AlphaTauri 66/1
    • Alpine 100/1
    • Aston Martin 250/1
    • Alfa Romeo, Haas, Williams 500/1

    The odds for a Safety Car appearing during the race

    Saudi Arabia saw two Safety Car periods and we’ve now had deployments in half the Grands Prix this season. The Safety Car has been deployed in two of the last five Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, and all the odds point towards another appearing this weekend, although they’re a lot narrower than in previous races.

    • Yes 2/1
    • No 6/4

  • UEL/UECL MD6 bets

    With the Champions League Group stages now all-but completed, Thursday sees the final round of games in both the Europa League and Europa Conference League.

    In Group C of the former, the picture remains wide open ahead of Thursday’s finale, as Leicester City travel to Naples for an all-or-nothing clash with Napoli. Victory over Legia Warsaw on MD5 saw the Foxes leapfrog to the top of the standings, and a draw will be enough to see Brendan Rodgers’ men through here but possibly not in first place. Napoli, having lost striking talisman Victor Osimhen have rather lost their way, and though having not lost since the trip to Moscow, have shipped five goals in two in Serie A. Only a Partenopei win will book their place in the knockouts, whilst a draw may not be enough if Spartak Moscow at least draw in Poland.

    The Group is in the balance then, but Napoli are at 13/10 with Coral, Betfair and QuinnBet. Leicester are 9/4, but as documented, a draw is all that is needed and at 13/5 across the board. In terms of scorelines, when the two met earlier this season, four goals were shared and in their corresponding domestic fixtures, both teams recorded 2-2 draws on the road on December 1st. Could that be an omen? At a price of 14/1 with William Hill, a repeat result might tick a box.

    In east London, West Ham United have already stamped their place in the next round as winners and entertaining a Dinamo Zagreb side who may need a point to join them, may also rest some of their regular starting XI. Despite this, the Irons’ have a 100% record in qualifying and at a price of evens with Ladbrokes, West Ham could double your money.

    Interest will turn to Group E also, as Lazio and Galatasaray square off in the Eternal City. With the Istanbul outfit leading the standings by three points, Lazio though, will jump into top spot with a win, courtesy of goal difference. A feisty encounter is expected and though the hosts are backed to advance, a low-scoring contest could be in offing given the stakes. As such, for under 1.5 goals to be scored, all four of BetVictor, PariMatch, UniBet and BoyleSport’s 4/1 could pay off.

    Elsewhere, for the game that could bring the most goals, Celtic versus Real Betis appeals. Though, perhaps something of a dead rubber, Ange Postecoglou will want his charges to go out of the Europa League in style. Betis can technically still go through as winners of the group, but need a big win, coupled with Ferencvaros getting not only their first points, but their first win, at home to Bayer Leverkusen.

    Despite that, this game looks appealing. Not only because Betis’ games in the group have seen at least four goals scored three times, but with Celtic’s encounters witnessing four goals-plus in four of five meetings also. Moreso, the Glaswegians last two group games have had a total five goals notched in each, but the bigger signal for goals could be that when the two met in Spain during MD1, a 4-3 thriller played out. A similar scenario would not be a surprise and for over 3.5 goals to be scored, odds of 8/5 with PariMatch, UniBet and BetVictor might pique your interest, or for a more adventurous but not unlikely 4.5 to go in, PaddyPower and SBK will further your odds at 19/5.

    Finally, a clash that may not at first garner much attention, the Conference League Group H decider between Basel and Qarabag is for all the marbles. With both Azerbaijani and Austrian sides level on 11 points, just two goals part the teams ahead their meeting in Bern, with the hosts having scored one more goal over the five games thus far, but also with one more conceded to their name. That leaves Basel knowing a draw will suffice, while the visitors must win to snatch top berth. To pull off the upset, Qarabag are 16/5 with Bet365.

  • Manchester United v Young Boys

    Manchester United will be bidding to end a successful 2021-22 Champions League group-stage campaign on a positive note when they welcome Young Boys

    Same as Chelsea, The Red Devils have already advanced to the round of 16 as Group F winners, while Young Boys can still finish third but need to win in Manchester and hope that Atalanta BC lose to Villarreal.

    Clean sheets and control are top of Ralf Rangnick’s agenda at Manchester United and he should see his new charges achieve both in their final Champions League group-stage outing against Young Boys.

    The ‘Rangnickification’ of Old Trafford began in earnest with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at the weekend and United’s interim head coach took great delight in both the result and shut out.

    Visiting sides found it all too easy to breach the Red Devils under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – United kept only 25 clean sheets in 83 home games under the Norwegian. So their first home clean sheet since April was a good starting point for Rangnick, as was the high press and work rate his team demonstrated in the first half against Palace.

    Having averaged four turnovers per game in the final third this season before Rangnick’s arrival, United won possession 12 times in that area of the field on Sunday – their highest tally in any game since the halcyon days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

    All metrics pointed towards a United team working hard for their new manager and although they weren’t able to sustain their efforts for 90 minutes, it was a positive start.

    United will again hope to impress against Swiss visitors Young Boys, even though they have already sewn up top spot in Group F.

    With six Premier League games to come in a 24-day period after Wednesday’s match, Rangnick says he’ll rotate his side and has plenty of options at his disposal, even though the likes of Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane are still absent.

    The same can’t be said for a Young Boys side beset by injuries to key players, with goalkeeper David von Ballmoos and last season’s top scorer Jean-Pierre Nsame among those currently unavailable to head coach David Wagner.

    The depleted visitors do have something to play for as they could snatch a Europa League berth with victory, but they’re rounding out 2021 with a whimper, winning just two of their last 11 matches.

    Their two group games on the road have yielded no points or goals and they could be overwhelmed by a reinvigorated United.

    Rangnick will have few concerns about his frontline’s ability to hurt Young Boys – United having scored at least twice in their last four Champions League outings – with more emphasis likely to be placed on keeping back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since March.

    Odds via BestofBets.com
    Manchester United – 4/11
    Draw – 4/1
    Young Boys – 7/1

  • Zenit Saint Petersburg v Chelsea

    Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had a rare shocker in Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League defeat at West Ham but his defensive colleagues should be trusted to bounce back on their Champions League trip to Zenit St Petersburg.

    The Blues have won three of the last five matches and registered the victory in four of the five UCL meetings. On the other hand, Zenit also hold the streak of five unbeaten games. They have been going through the turns of draws and wins, winning two of them in the last five games. But the Blues look more confident for the win. The last meeting between the teams also witnessed Chelsea on the winning side.

    Although today’s game doesn’t have any impact of the next stages as both squads European futures have already been decided, having drawn two of its last three games, Zenit would probably like to find a positive result as it nears a significant break in matches for the club.

    Chelsea, however, could do a confidence boost as their recent draw against Manchester United, which was followed up with a loss against West Ham, has cost them the top spot and their now third in the Premier League.

    It’ll be interesting to see how Thomas Tuchel approach this as he could either opt to try to correct the dip in form with a strong lineup that has a chance to find its cohesion ahead of the bust upcoming playing schedule or he could opt to rest a number of key players in an attempt to freshen up legs.

    Odds via BestofBets.com
    Zenit Saint Petersburg: 21/4
    Draw: 16/5
    Chelsea: 1/2

  • I’m a Celeb Naughty Boy is bookies favourite to be voted off

    Following the eliminations of Arlene Phillips, Kadeena Cox and Snoochie Sky, Naughty Boy has been installed as the odds-on favourite to be the next campmate to be voted off as his odds of leaving the hit show have taken a nosedive from 4/1 to as short as 1/3, which carries an implied probability of 75%, reports BestofBets.com.

    A BestofBets.com spokesperson said: “It’s safe to say that Naughty boy has done more than his fair share of trials since entering the camp at Gwrych Castle last month; however, he’s failed to gain much support from the public and instead, a record amount of bets have been placed on the DJ and music producers elimination, which has forced UK bookies to slash his odds to be the one being voted out tonight.”

    Since last night’s show, an ‘impressive’ 93% of bets are on Naughty Boy to be the next celebrity leaving the castle. Interestingly, never in the show’s history have so many bets come in on one and the same contestant to be voted out, reports the betting site.

    A BestofBets.com spokesperson continued: “The numbers obviously speak for themselves but it comes to show that with a program such as I’m a Celeb, the voting as very little to do with who’s doing well on the trials as at the end of the day, it’s a popularity contest as it’s the people who decide the winner. And as we’ve seen on social media, many fans are annoyed with Naughty Boy about the One Direction fall out, years go, but that is now the reason for wanting him out.”

    Leaving I’m a Celeb today:

    – Naughty Boy 1/3
    – Adam Woodyatt 2/1
    – Matty Lee 4/1
    – Louise Minchin 8/1
    – Simon Gregson 10/1
    – Danny Miller 14/1
    – Frankie Bridge 18/1
    – David Ginola 22/1

    Meanwhile, the former The Saturday’s band member Frankie Bridge continues to attract support as she’s bagged one of the highest number of bets in the show’s history. Such is her popularity that 1 in 2 bets on the show winner overall are for Bridge, with 53% of betting slips having her name down as the winner.

    Already one of London’s biggest celebrity couples with former Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge, the 32-year-old from Upminster has seen her odds having shortened to 7/2 from 11/2 last week.

    A BestofBets.com spokesperson said: “With her popularity in one of the UK’s biggest girl bands in recent years set in stone, Bridge has been a breath of fresh air – or perhaps that should be wind – with her Gwyrch Castle antics, including her revelation that she had a cast of her rear made as a present for hubby Wayne.

    “With Jacqueline Jossa and Giovanni Fletcher having won the last two editions of I’m a Celeb, recent history is on Bridge’s side to complete a female trio of winners during the past three years, however, the last time a member of a band was crowned was with Westlife’s Kian Egan back in 2013. That being said, since 2010, young females have more often than not being crowed the show’s winners; apart from in 2018 when Harry Redknapp, who won over the entire Nation, and broke a number of records doing so, was crowned the King of the Jungle.

    “In fact, since 2010, seven out of eleven winners have been female. So if history, and betting trends are anything to go by, Frankie Bridge may well become the second Queen of the Castle next weekend.”

    The top 5 most popular show contestants in I’m a Celeb history:

    1. Harry Redknapp
    2. Frankie Bridge
    3. Vicky Pattinson
    4. Stacey Solomon
    5. Kian Egan

  • Best of Bets PL GW14

    As the festive period draws nearer, Premier League fans are given an early Christmas present in midweek as Gameweek 14 serves up the Merseyside derby and Manchester United entertaining old foes Arsenal.

    To begin however, bottom two Newcastle and Norwich clash at St. James’ Park in what already looks like a relegation six-pointer. In Eddie Howe’s first home game in charge of the Magpies, the hosts run the risk of being cut adrift at the foot of the table and need to win here to draw level on points with their opponents. The bookies expect a home win but only at evens, with BetVictor, PariMatch and Betfair. The Canaries, though, are unbeaten in the last three after holding Wolves to a goalless draw last time out, with Dean Smith having made a difference across the pitch for the Norfolk side. Norwich are priced at 29/10 with Bet365, SpreadEx and SBK for the win and because of their recent form, that value looks good here.

    GW14’s big game comes at Old Trafford as Ralf Rangnick begins his Manchester United tenure at home to Arsenal. Having taken a hugely creditable point at Chelsea on Sunday, Michael Carrick has handed over the reins with United in good health, but Rangnick will need to be on the case straight off the bat versus a Gunners side who have lost just once in 12 games. Nevertheless, the hosts are favourites to begin the German’s stint with a win, but like Newcastle are merely evens to Arsenal’s 11/4 odds. Perhaps a tight encounter is on the cards here with both sides keen to avoid defeat, and for less than 2.5 goals to be scored, 11/10 with BoyleSports and Bet365 looks to be a smart play.

    At Goodison Park meanwhile, Everton host Liverpool. As the Reds make the short trip across Stanley Park, Jurgen Klopp’s men have scored twice in every game in all comps since mid-September, also hitting four in each of their last two league games. The Toffees sit worryingly in 14th spot, and conversely, are winless since late September having lost five of the last six.

    On paper, this could be one of the most uncomfortable meetings for Everton in some time, and the price boost market has appealing offers. SkyBet are dangling a Mohamed Salah hat-trick at 20/1, together with a Salah-Diogo Jota double at 4s, whilst William Hill have a Jota brace at 7/1 from 11/2. Overall goals could be a better option and for Liverpool to bag four, Betfair and Paddy Power’s 4/1 could be rather apt.

    Watford’s home clash with leaders Chelsea at Vicarage Road also looks intriguing. As Claudio Ranieri once more faces his old side, the Hornets, of course, were 4-1 winners over Man Utd in their last game on home soil. Defensively, Watford leave much to be desired, however in attack, Ranieri has overseen 11 goals in his five games in charge, with both Josh King and Emmanuel Dennis in form. The Blues should have no problem in picking up a win here and are widely as short as 1/3 for three points, but for both Teams to Score, 22/19 with SBK looks likely. For King to score anytime, William Hill’s boosted 29/10 is for certainly worth a ponder, as is the case with Dennis, who like his strike partner has netted in back-to-back games, only the Nigerian is priced at rather more amenable 21/4 with UniBet.

    Finally, Steven Gerrard has overseen successive wins to begin his stewardship at Aston Villa, as Manchester City roll into Birmingham next to provide a litmus test in GW14. Villa Park could become a fortress again for the hosts under the former England skipper, and make no mistake, this is as tough a game for City as it is Villa. Rather surprisingly, the hosts are a full 17/2 with SkyBet and SpreadEx, whilst even the draw is 9/2. It could be the latter that is the smart play here.

  • Ballon dOr Messi eyes prize for seventh time

    Ever since its inception in 1956, the Ballon d’Or has been the most coveted individual award in all of football.

    Although a team sport, individuals have always dominated the sport and the big, gold award has often been used as a way of gauging which player is the very best in the world at any given time.

    And with just hours before we’re let in on who’s won the 2021 Ballon d’Or, bookmakers have confirmed it’s very much a two-horse race as Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski are going head to head. Messi is currently attracting 47% of all bets, although Lewi isn’t far behind at 38% of bets; the numbers speak for themselves and the fact that there are only two players fighting for the gong.

    Earlier today, odds were slashed on PSG forward Lionel Messi scooping the gong, from 7/4 earlier this month to as short as 1/2,  which makes the Argentine the odds-on favourite to win yet another Ballon d’Or of his very impressive career ahead of the ceremony tonight.

    Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or awards of all time, with six to the Argentinian’s name, with Ronaldo close behind with five.

    However, for once, the Portuguese isn’t currently among the favourites for this year’s award but that is set to be temporary as most likely, Rolando being Ronaldo will be back at the top of the table next year.

    Meanwhile, the former market favourite Lewandowski has seen his odds lengthened slightly over the last few weeks, punters are still very much backing the Polish hitman as the Bayern Munich man finds himself at 5/2 with 888Sports, but as short as 5/4 with a number of other bookies.

    Behind Lewandowski is Liverpool’s Mo Salah with odds of 25/1 followed by Karim Benzema and Jorginho who are also tipped to get their hands on European football’s most famous golden orb at 33/1.

    Next up in the betting are players from Italy’s glorious Euro 2020 win feature prominently, with Gianluigi Donnarumma (80/1) and Giorgio Chiellini (100/1).

    A Manchester City duo of Ruben Dias (150/1) and Phil Foden (150/1) are next up followed by Simon Kjaer (150/1) and Cristiano Ronaldo (150/1). Ronaldo’s odds of 150/1 marks his longest ever Ballon do’r odds.

    • Lionel Messi – 1/2  
    • Robert Lewandowski – 5/2 
    • Mo Salah – 25/1 
    • Jorginho – 33/1 
    • Karim Benzema – 33/1 
    • Gianluigi Donnarumma – 80/1 
    • Giorgio Chiellini – 100/1