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Following the clash between Chelsea and Manchester United on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, the schedule has thrown up another fascinating fixture between top six sides on Saturday as the reigning champions Manchester City take on the Champions League runners-up and perennial challengers Tottenham Hotspur.

City kicked off their title defence in fine style in week one, thrashing West Ham 5-0, and there was a familiar look to the score sheet, which included a hat-trick for Raheem Sterling and goals from fellow strikers Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero. But Tottenham also started well, beating big spending promoted side Aston Villa 3-1, though they left it late, having trailed for most of the game, before a goal from Tanguy Ndombele and a brace from Harry Kane secured the points.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino had the better of his first Premier League battle with City boss Pep Guardiola, when Spurs ran out as 2-0 winners in October 2016, but since then, City have dominated their London rivals in domestic competition. Following a 2-2 draw in January 2017, City have won their last four Premier League encounters, by an aggregate score of 9-2.

But perhaps their most famous meeting in recent seasons came in last year’s Champions League quarter-final, when Tottenham pulled off a memorable two-leg victory, thanks to a dramatic 4-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, that took them through on the away-goals rule.

That exit from the Champions League; a competition that City are desperate to win, was the one negative in their 2018-19 campaign, and Guardiola will be plotting revenge ahead of what is sure to be another keenly fought encounter in Manchester.

With home advantage, City are obvious favourites. In fact, BetCris make them the -285 favourites to beat Spurs, with the visitors priced at +696 and the draw available at +483.

But although Tottenham have not been able to turn their consistent top-four challenges under Pochettino into silverware, they have a solid claim to be the ‘best of the rest’ when it comes to the eighteen Premier League sides chasing City and Liverpool, and as they have shown on numerous occasions, they have the determination and quality to match the top two in one-off games.

And Tottenham fans making the trip to Manchester will be heading north with good reason to be optimistic. This season’s Spurs squad looks like the strongest that Pochettino has yet assembled, and Christian Eriksen, fresh from a summer without international commitments, looked particularly sharp and dangerous in their opener against Villa, as did Harry Kane.

City may also miss German star Leroy Sane. The winger faces a lengthy absence as he undergoes knee surgery, and while the City squad is one of the strongest in the world, Guardiola has often looked to Sane to provide the necessary spark and width when the team are struggling to break down their opponents. As ever, Tottenham will be disciplined, strong defensively and well-prepared and they will go to the Etihad with realistic expectations of getting something out of the game.

Australia made up for their World Cup disappointment, when they were beaten by England at the semi-final stage, by handing the host nation a surprise defeat in the opening Test of the 2019 Ashes series and they are narrow favourites with sports betting companies to win again this week.

The Second Test at Lord’s, the prestigious home of cricket, starts on Wednesday August 14 and will be a hugely significant encounter that could well determine the fate of the Ashes, and Betcris make Australia the -120 favourites, with England available to back at odds of -110.

The main man for Australia has been former captain Steve Smith, who twice rescued his team in the opening Test at Edgbaston, scoring two gutsy centuries, and his outstanding contributions proved inspirational to the rest of the side. Matthew Wade scored a second innings century, while Usman Khawaja and Travis Head both contributed half-centuries. The Aussie tail wagged, too, with Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Pat Cummins all making contributions, while experienced spinner Nathan Lyon took nine wickets in the match and six in the second innings.

There is a lot of work for England to do if they are to match the tourists in the Second Test and they will have to do it without James Anderson. The veteran swing bowler was passed fit for Edgbaston but suffered a recurrence of a calf muscle injury and hardly bowled all match. That gives the rising talent Joffra Archer a chance to show what he can do at Lord’s, but it will be asking a lot for him to fill Anderson’s shoes, so Stuart Broad will once again have to raise his game.

Finding a way to get Steve Smith out will naturally occupy a lot of England’s planning time ahead of Lord’s, and Moen Ali’s failure to take advantage of a helpful Edgbaston surface, as well as his general lack of form with the bat, has led to his being replaced by slow left-armer Jack Leach at Lord’s, although England may be tempted to go in with four front-line seamers.

Crucially, the England batting line-up has questions to answer after a disappointing performance in the First Test. Only Joe Root, Rory Burns and Ben Stokes scored significant runs, and all three failed in the crucial second innings. Jason Roy and Joe Denly are under the most pressure, while more will also be expected of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.

And the task facing them is only likely to get harder. Both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who were absent in Birmingham, have been among the wickets in Australia’s recent tour match and both could be in contention at Lord’s, where Hazlewood’s nagging accuracy and Starc’s awkward left-arm swing could be particularly dangerous. Just as in the 1990s, when Australian sides dominated the Ashes, the Aussies are on the up and England will have to improve dramatically to level the series.

The English Premier League is the first of the major European leagues to kick off their 2019-20 campaigns and there was plenty of action and drama in Week One for fans who tuned in to watch the first round of competitive Premier League fixtures on Sky Sports.

Title Contenders Still Strong

Last season’s Premier League produced one of the competition’s most gripping conclusions, as Liverpool and Manchester City wrestled for supremacy. Both were faultless under pressure. City won their last fourteen, while Liverpool won their last nine. In fact, the Reds only lost once all season, but were ultimately pipped to the title by a point.

Significantly, Liverpool in second place finished an incredible 25 points ahead of Chelsea in third, and there is no sign of that gap closing after one game of the new season. Against Norwich on Friday, Liverpool were far from their best and looked a little shaky at the back at times, but still ran out as 4-1 winners. A day later, City went one better, putting five past West Ham. The reigning champions are currently rated as 4/5 Premier League favourites, with Liverpool at 3/1 and the next nearest challenger, Tottenham Hotspur is as big as 16/1. Right now, it is hard to argue with those odds.

Positive Signs at Old Trafford?

The post Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United has brought a few highlights, but mostly disappointment and a steady decline. After a poor conclusion to last season, and a summer dogged by rumours about the future of Paul Pogba, expectations were low for this campaign. But some of that pessimistic gloom was lifted by a positive display at Old Trafford on Sunday, in which the pace and skill of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were complemented by the strength and composure of new signing Harry Maguire at the back in a 4-0 victory over Chelsea.

Work to do for Lampard

The appointment of Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager was warmly welcomed by Chelsea fans, but the inexperienced manager has inherited a squad in transition and a frustrating two-window transfer ban. There is talent among the Chelsea squad but there were alarming defensive failings on show in their Old Trafford humbling, along with a general lack of intensity and solidity without the ball. Lampard will be given more time than most, but there is much to do at Stamford Bridge.

Unpredictable Mid-Table Race

Week One also showed us how unpredictable the Premier League is outside the top six. Punters checking out the best odds on Bigbetbookmakers.com may have been tempted to back FA Cup finalists Watford or Marco Silva’s Everton to close the gap on the Big Six, but the Hornets were humbled at home by supposed relegation-contenders Brighton, while Everton were held to a draw at Crystal Palace, and newcomers Sheffield United earned a creditable point away to Bournemouth on their Premier League return. All the signs are that the tussle for mid-table safety could be even more competitive than usual this season.

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This week, news landed that the highly-anticipated rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. would arrive in Saudi Arabia on December 7…

Despite still awaiting confirmation from Team Ruiz regarding this rematch, it’s been all but confirmed that the WBA (Super), IBF and WBO world heavyweight marbles will be up for grabs in Diriyah this winter – a chance for ‘AJ’ to right the wrong of a famous upset on June 1 earlier this year.

With boxing’s “off-season” coming to an end over this week, next weekend’s schedule looks particularly bleak. This week seems a prime opportunity to jump on the ante-post markets for the biggest fight of 2019: “Clash on the Dunes” – Ruiz vs. Joshua II.

Andy Ruiz Jr. to win @ 5/2 (BetVictor)

Now, its fully understood how much of a shock the original outcome was inside the Madison Square Gardens, however, boxing history will tell you that taking the rematch straight away – especially in the heavyweight division – can prove an almighty risk. There were murmurs from pundits and ex pros alike that Joshua should take a warm up fight first in order to work on a few of his weaknesses, but despite this, Joshua and his promotor Eddie Hearn have decided to dive straight back in at the deep end.

So what does ‘AJ’ have to improve on in order to gain revenge in the Middle East? Ruiz’s fast hands and rapid combinations caused the Briton multiple issues when fighting on the inside; Joshua’s attempt to finish the fight too quickly inevitably allowed Ruiz to counter his easily-telegraphed right hands, with a temple shot that scrambled the senses of the, then, champion.

Making this fight dirty, scrappy – and at times – unwatchable is the best chance Joshua has in cruising to a victory. Throwing with ‘The Destroyer’ proved his undoing in New York, with the Mexican-American proving his hand speed in beating ‘AJ’ to the punch. Working at a distance and covering up when Ruiz attacks on the inside is a recipe for success for the challenger, however, it’s a lot to put into practice in just 6 months.

At 5/2, Ruiz is sensational value as we sit four months out from the fight. It’s an assumption that the bookies are protecting their liability on a Joshua win, with a huge wage expected to back Joshua in the UK closer to the fight. In reality, Ruiz shouldn’t be much bigger than a 6/4 shot for a fight he has already won – convincingly.

Anthony Joshua to win by Decision or Technical Decision @ 7/2 (BetVictor)

As mentioned, If ‘AJ’ wants to, he could drag this heavyweight championship bout out to the distance. Ruiz’s engine, just like his power, shouldn’t be underestimated. The unified world champion went twelve rounds with Joseph Parker losing a tight decision in 2016, with the New Zealander also holding the record of being the only fighter to take Joshua the distance. If ‘AJ’ wants to control this fight at a distance, covering up on the inside and working Ruiz off the end of a jab, it could turn into a precession towards the back end of the fight. In reality, Ruiz Jr. got his success after Joshua jumped in after a knockdown. A cooler head could show 7/2 to be of significant value against the rugged champion.

The under and overs currently sit at 7.5 rounds for this rematch. The first bout ended in the 7th so the thought-process is obvious, but the overs show the best value here priced at  11/10 (BetVictor).

If there is one thing ‘AJ’ won’t do in this rematch it is rushing. If he smells blood early in the fight, the Briton will be wary of going in for the kill too quickly and leaving himself open to an inevitable counter. If he hurts Ruiz Jr. early, expect him to stick behind the jab and see out the round, until an obvious opportunity to attack comes back around.

Both fighters will take a couple of rounds to feel each other out and become acclimatized to the ring in a part of the world which neither have fought in as a professional. It may not turn into the spectacle that unfolded inside Madison Square Gardens, but there is too much on the line this time around for Joshua to take any risks.

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UEFA Super Cup
Wednesday 14th August – 8.00 pm
BT Sport

Last season, UEFA’s two big club competitions were dominated by English sides. It was Liverpool v Tottenham in the final of the UEFA Champions League. In the UEFA Europa League final it was Chelsea v Arsenal. It was an astonishing achievement by the Premier League sides to occupy all of the spaces in both finals.

Fast forward a few months and it means that we get another all-English affair for another piece of UEFA silverware. On Wednesday night in Istanbul, Champions league winners Liverpool will take on Europa League winners Chelsea for the UEFA Super Cup.

This will be the first time in the history of the fixture that it will feature two English sides. It will be the eighth time that the Super Cup has been contested by teams from the same country. In fact just twelve months ago it was an all-Spanish affair, Atletico Madrid getting the better of rivals Real Madrid 4-2.

Opening 2019/20 fortunes

It is Liverpool who goes into the Istanbul fixture as the strong favourites. They are 4/7 odds-on with leading bookmakers to win the match in 90 minutes. Given the positive start that they had to the Premier League on Friday night, it’s easy to see why. Liverpool opened the new league season with a 4-1 thrashing of the newly promoted Norwich.

That was after playing out a 1-1 draw with Manchester City a week earlier in the Community Shield. So it has been a positive start for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds after a somewhat disjointed pre-season. Their start has gone a lot better than that of Chelsea’s. New manager Frank Lampard saw his team suffer a second-half collapse at Old Trafford on Sunday. Chelsea lost 4-0 against Manchester United in their EPL opener.

Liverpool’s attacking threat

It is probably Liverpool’s attacking threat which is going to be the big key in this one. They have Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane and the pace, power and clinical finishing that the deadly trio can put out is phenomenal. It is what fired them to the Champions League success last season. It is what has seen them close the gap so rapidly on Manchester City on the domestic front.

Will Chelsea’s defence, which was badly exposed by quick counter-attacking of Manchester United be able to handle the Reds? Time and time again at Old Trafford Chelsea just left their back door wide open and combined with rash decision making, allowed themselves to get torn to shreds. Just a few days after that rude awakening, they have to face the might of Liverpool’s accomplished, much-envied attack.

Can the Blues find an answer?

It was always going to be a tough start for Frank Lampard. A transfer ban. No Eden Hazard. Little managerial experience of his own. But there were positives from Chelsea’s display at Old Trafford. They had the better of play in the first half and were unlucky not to open the scoring with Tammy Abraham striking the post.

So there was something for Lampard to build on. The midfield looked fairly well balanced with N’golo Kante to come back into the starting line up as well. But it is their defence which will be their biggest worry. The centre half partnership of Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen looked flimsy and unassured. But was the collapse down to tactical naivety?

Lampard went out in a big away game and did nothing to cull the counter-attacking threat that United were always going to deliver. It looked as if he was more focused on how he wanted to portray himself as a progressive, attack-minded manager, than paying attention to what his opponents were doing.

There’s a steep learning curve to come for Lampard at the top level and the Londoners are 9/2 underdogs for Wednesday.

Last season’s meetings

Liverpool came out on top from the two Premier League meetings last season. They rescued a draw at Stamford Bridge at the end of September, the game ending in a 1-1 draw. Then when the two met in mid-April this year at Anfield, it was actually a comfortable 2-0 success that the Reds collected in front of the Kop.

Chelsea did earn a 2-1 EFL Cup success at Anfield last season. Last season’s home triumph over Chelsea is the only win that Liverpool have managed in the last six fixtures against the Blues, of which, three have ended in a draw (all 1-1 ties). Across all competitions, both teams have scored in all but two of the last ten meetings.

2018/19 European successes

It was an astonishing campaign in the Champions League from Liverpool. They didn’t have it easy at any point and had a tough group stage in going up against PSG, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade. The Reds only managed a W3 L3 record there but survived to make the round of sixteen.

They were drawn against Bayern Munich and looked to be struggling after only drawing the home leg 0-0. But the Reds produced a wonderful away performance to take a 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena. A comfortable 6-1 aggregate win over Porto in the quarter-finals pitted Liverpool against Barcelona in the semis.

The Reds were blown away in a 3-0 first-leg defeat at the Camp Nou. But then their astonishing home performance, winning 4-0 in the second leg against the Catalans came up, Divock Origi being the unlikely hero of the night for Liverpool. Liverpool then cruised to a 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Champions League Final.

For Chelsea, they eased through their group stage in the Europa League, dropping just two points. After seeing off Malmo, Dynamo Kyiv, and Slavia Prague in the subsequent knockout rounds, the Blues were up against a threatening Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final finals. The Blues were always going to be in for a challenge there.

After back to back 1-1 draws, it was a penalty shoot-out that Chelsea won to make the final. In the Europa League final, they were up against London rivals Arsenals. A virtuoso performance from Eden Hazard in his last game for the club helped the Blues to a thumping 4-1 success on the night, Hazard getting a brace.

UEFA Super Cup Summary

Liverpool are stronger all over the pitch than Chelsea are. It is not just the formidable attack that the Reds can unleash, it is the solidity of their defence, led by Virgil van Dijk. On the evidence of the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, Chelsea are nowhere near the Reds in that department either.

Chelsea have some plusses with their young players like Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic. Filling the void left behind by Hazard’s departure is a massive issue for them to try and deal with though. Liverpool are just the more settled of the two, have the extra touches of quality in all the right areas. Are the Reds about to add more European silverware to their trophy cabinet?

Don’t forget to take a look ahead to some of the forthcoming highlights with Bobby’s Big Weekend Bets.