American Football – NFL – Baltimore Ravens Pittsburgh Steelers
I love following the NFL throughout the season and I must admit that I have soft spot for the Steelers. It was good to see them get back to winning ways on week eight with a straightforward success over the Cleveland Browns. It gets much tougher for them this week and their game against the Ravens is set to be an intriguing battle.
They’ve already faced one another this season and the Steelers will be out for revenge after being defeated at Heinz Field. Despite a dominant second quarter, the Steelers couldn’t deal with the Ravens and Randy Fichtner was largely culpable for that loss. He should have learnt plenty of lessons from that disappointing defeat and they will be looking to continue their superb recent form.
The Ravens have failed to build upon that success, losing three of their subsequent four NFL matches. Their narrow defeat to the Saints was particularly hard to take. The reason why I love this fixture is that it often throws the form-book out of the window and games between the pair are always tight. Each side has won three of the last six meetings and this could go either way. The Steelers are in excellent form coming into this clash but they are outsiders for this game in Baltimore and I cannot for this match to kick off. It is my number 1 big betting event this Weekend and it should be a cracker!
This match can be viewed on Sky Sports Action on Sunday night in the UK.
Soccer – Premier League – Arsenal vs Liverpool
The 2nd of my big betting events comes from the Premier League and it is starting to hot up and as we head into the frantic festive fixture list. There are a number of fascinating games which could determine who finishes in the top four. Arsenal have been a breath of fresh air under Unai Emery and they are playing some wonderful football under the former Sevilla coach. The Gunners dropped points last weekend against Crystal Palace and they’ll be determined to bounce back here.
They couldn’t have asked for a tougher fixture. The North London side will host in-form Liverpool at the Emirates and this game always throws up plenty of goals. There were 10 goals between the pair in two meetings last season and this is always a thriller. August 2015 was the last time that there were fewer than four goals in this fixture and with both managers taking an attack-minded approach to games, this could be game of the season!
Liverpool are a joy to watch and they are sumptuous going forward at the moment. Mo Salah is back to his best and Sadio Mane is full of confidence. The betting is interestingly poised and both sides will be keen to avoid dropping points at this crucial stage of the season. The Reds haven’t lost any of their last three visits to this ground and they’ve understandably been very popular in the betting.
If you only watch one Premier League match this season, this should be it!
UK viewers can enjoy the spectacle from the Emirates on BT Sport 1.
Boxing – Ryan Burnett vs Nonito Donaire
As you know, I love watching and betting on the boxing each weekend and there is another bout that I’m very much looking forward to. It’s the WBA Super World Bantamweight clash between Ryan Burnett and Nonito Donaire and there is plenty on the line for both fighters. It’s taking place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow and there should be a decent crowd in situe to enjoy this quarter-final of the World Boxing Series.
It’s Burnett’s second defence of the belt and he is currently the tournament’s number one seed. The Northern Irishman is understandably the favourite but he may not have it all his own way. Before he can think about the prospect of facing Zolani Tete, he must overcome this stiff challenge from the impressive Nonito Donaire. He is probably best remembered for his unanimous decision loss to Carl Frampton but he appears to have the bit between his teeth and should give a good account of himself.
From following them both on social media, I know that the pair are good mates but don’t expect a friendly encounter here. Burnett is expected to progress but this is far from straightforward for him and it is a fascinating match-up.
TV coverage in the UK hasn’t been announced yet but it will be streamed via the WBSS YouTube channel
Soccer – Premier League – Bournemouth vs Manchester United
What to make of Jose Mourinho? The Portuguese is a tremendous character and I love seeing his post-match antics but he’s surely up against it at Manchester United. His side face Bournemouth and it’s going to be an intriguing 90 minutes at the Vitality.
I love watching Bournemouth and I’ve made plenty of money from betting on them this season. The Cherries are a young, energetic side who embody their manager Eddie Howe. They should be able to give Manchester United plenty to think about here. The Red Devils squeezed past Everton at the weekend but they are hardly convincing and it’ll be interesting to see how they set up here. Romelu Lukaku was left out at the weekend and is seemingly short on confidence at the moment. Will Anthony Martial continue his stint in the side?
I can’t wait to see Bournemouth attack Manchester United from the off. The home crowd will be right behind them and this should be an excellent spectacle for the neutral. Jose Mourinho’ side will need to be at their best here and they will start as favourites but it could be close and both sides stand a good chance of picking up a precious three points from this lunchtime kick-off.
UK viewers can watch this game on BT Sport 1 on Saturday.
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