Soccer – Women’s World Cup – England vs Scotland
The first of my big betting events comes from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and this enticing Group D encounter is my pick. England, who are ranked third in the world arrive in France with plenty of expectation, and Phil Neville will be desperate for his side to make a decent start to the tournament.
Unfortunately for the former Manchester United man, his side lost their final warm up match against New Zealand, although he insisted that pundits should not read too much into their unexpected defeat.
He admitted it was a frustrating way to enter the tournament, but it won’t alter his preparations, and they will be expected to collect three points against their near-neighbours at the Allianz Riviera.
Despite their loss at the AMEX, England have proven themselves in tournament football, and were victorious in the She Believes Cup earlier in the year. They also finished third at the previous World Cup under Mark Sampson, being eliminated in very unfortunate circumstances.
England are odds-on to collect all three points here, and it should be relatively straightforward. They have a number of key players including Lucy Bronze, who has flourished at Lyon, and is a Ballon D’or nominee.
It was a frustrating performance against New Zealand, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Phil Neville’s side bounce back in style here. Their opponents are playing in this tournament for the first time, and are 17 places below England in the world rankings.
They are managed by Shelly Kerr, and they’ve actually set up to be relatively tough to beat in recent weeks. They haven’t lost any of their warm-up matches, and don’t be surprise to see them keep it tight during the first half.
England are very short in the betting, and they will be very popular with bettors who are having a weekend accumulator, but Scotland could frustrate the Lionesses during this game, and they may be worth looking at on the handicap markets.
Phil Neville needs to galvanise his side ahead of this tie, but they have the star quality to prevail and get off to a winning start.
Every single Women’s World Cup match will be shown across the BBC this summer in the UK.
Soccer – Euro 2020 Qualifiers – Scotland vs Cyprus
We’re sticking with Scotland for our second big betting event of the weekend, but we’re focusing on the men’s team this around. A Euro 2020 qualifier against Cyprus wouldn’t normally get the pulse racing, however there is added interest due to the fact that its Steve Clarke’s first match in charge of the Tartan Army.
Clarke has been handed a very winnable game for this opening fixture, as Scotland welcome Cyprus to Hampden Park on Saturday. The visitors have had mixed fortunes in their first couple of European Qualifiers, losing 2-0 to Belgium, but sticking five past San Marino. This will be significantly tougher than the latter, but they will be full of confidence coming into this one.
The Scotland camp seems to be significantly more upbeat since the removal of Alex McLeish, and that could certainly translate onto the pitch here. Steve Clarke was excellent at Kilmarnock, and he’s had the chance to watch many up-and-coming young players in the Scottish Premiership this season. There have been some first-time call-ups, and many of them will be hoping to get a few minutes under their belt here.
Cyprus have lost seven of their last eight games in all competitions, but did pick up a point against Slovenia, and have become a difficult team to play against. They have some useful players, who may provide a few problems for Scotland, but the hosts should have enough to justify their odds-on price.
Clarke’s Killie side were very hard to break down, particularly at home, and he may set up in a similar manner. It may not produce immediate exciting football, but it should result in points being picked up, and potentially qualification for Euro 2020.
Champions League-winning left-back Andrew Robertson is likely to feature, and he will add a bit of class going forward. James Forrest is the third most capped player in the squad, and comes off the back of a productive campaign for Celtic.
This may not be the most eye-catching game on paper, and the odds point heavily towards a home win, but Scotland may have to be patient here. However, all eyes will be on Steve Clarke, and there will be plenty of discussion around his first-ever XI this weekend.
Sky Sports are showing a large number of Euro 2020 Qualifiers this Summer, including Scotland vs Cyprus
Soccer – Euro 2020 Qualifier – Turkey vs France
The third of our big betting event also comes from the Euro 2020 Qualifiers with Turkey taking on France this weekend.
World Champions France are back in action this weekend, and the market is heavily favouring Didier Deschamps’ men when they take on Turkey. Les Bleus warmed up with a comfortable victory over Bolivia, and they have an array of talent to call upon once more.
However, Turkey are on a bit of roll under new boss Senol Gunes. They beat Uzbekistan in Antalya, and he will be desperate to keep his 100% record going here. It was a slightly more experimental XI from the new boss, but he will field his strongest possible side to take on the World Cup winners.
This is going to be much tougher than their two previous Euro 2020 Qualifier outings with Albania and Moldova not exactly heavyweights in the world of International Football, but you can only beat what is put in front of you!
Despite winning their first two qualifiers, France haven’t been flawless, and were defeated by the Netherlands in their latest Nations League clash. They should have enough depth to mix things up if its not quite working out, but Turkey should make things difficult for them.
France haven’t played in Turkey since 2000, and they were victorious that day. A low-scoring victory would suit Deschamps perfectly here, but Turkey are flying under Gunes, and that momentum could lead to them making a fast start. I can’t wait to see how Les Blues cope against the lively Turks.
Sky Sports will be showing a number of live Euro 2020 Qualifiers over the course of the weekend, and they will also have highlights from each group.
Aussie Rules – AFL – Adelaide Crows vs Greater Western Sydney
My final big betting event of the weekend comes from the AFL, as high-flying GWS take on the Adelaide Crows.
The Crows got back to winning ways last weekend with a narrow victory against the Melbourne Demons. It was a thrilling two-point comeback which reaffirmed their status as genuine top-eight contenders, and they come into this game occupying that final play-off position.
This is the tough game, and they have been defeated in their last two matches against higher-ranked sides. After losing to the Lions and the Eagles, they desperately needed to bouce back, and last weeks victory was much needed. Co-captain Rory Sloane picked up a hamstring injury last weekend, and is unlikely to feature here, which is a significant blow for their top-eight hopes, but they managed without him during the latter stages of the contest last week.
Kicking eight of the last nine goals, they showed tremendous spirit to rally, and that bodes well for the remainder of the campaign.
The Giants come off the back of three consecutive wins, and they’re rolling along nicely at the moment. With an 8-3 record, they will be hard to dislodge, but every now and again, they throw in an underwhelming performance. Their 71-38 defeat to the Hawks displayed their vulnerabilities, and the Crows will be hoping to exploit them.
The Crows do have a good record in this fixture, although GSW have won each of the last two meetings between the pair, and they’ll be aiming to make it a hat-trick here.
This should be a fascinating match-up between two sides who may meet again in the finals. It would be quite a statement from the Crows to beat opposition of this calibre, and they will be desperate to cement their top eight spot.
BT Sport have coverage of the AFL in the UK throughout 2019
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