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Shergar Cup History and Rules

Shergar’s name is infamous in horse racing folklore as much for his headline-grabbing abduction as for his exceptional performances on the racecourse.

Kidnapped by the IRA following his retirement to stud, the Aga Khan’s handsome colt was one of the most impressive Derby winners of the late 20th century and the cream of his generation. But the striking chestnut was never seen again after the 8th February 1983, when hooded gunmen seized the stallion. A £2million ransom was demanded and refused and the luckless Shergar was almost certainly dead within days, either through neglect or more sinister reasons.

At stake for the winning team at Ascot in the annual Shergar Cup, a magnificent trophy which depicts the mighty 1981 Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner, graciously donated by His Highness The Aga Khan.

Points are awarded to the first five horses to finish in each of the six Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup races, all handicaps with at least 10 runners. The winner receives 15 points, the second 10 points, the third seven points, the fourth five points and the fifth three points. If there is a non-runner which cannot be replaced by a reserve, 4 points will be awarded both to the team and jockey missing out on his scheduled ride. The team with the most points after the six races have been run will win the Shergar Cup.

If a dead-heat occurs in a race, the points for the two places are added together, divided by two and shared between the two jockeys/teams.

If there is a tie for the Team or Silver Saddle competitions, there will be a countback on the number of winners and the team/jockey with the most winners will be adjudged the winner overall. If they are still level, then second places will be counted and so on

The jockey amassing the most individual points will take home £3,000 plus the Allistair Haggis Silver Saddle trophy.

As with most sports viewed as individualistic, horse racing is very much a team effort. Not only does a jockey need a good horse underneath him or her, there is the trainer and stable staff striving to make sure all bases have been covered on the day. However, like golf, team events like the Ryder Cup and the Shergar Cup do seem to capture the public’s imagination and Ascot’s enclosures will be full this Saturday with punters cheering on riders from across the world.

Great Britain and Ireland won the event last year and are represented this time around by Pat Cosgrave, Adam Kirby and Fran Berry, last year’s Silver Saddle winner. France’s Gerald Mosse is joined by German jockey Andrasch Starke and Swedish rider Per-Anders Graberg in Team Europe. The Rest of the World team is made up of Yutaka Take, Corey Brown and Joao Moreira while Hayley Turner, Hollie Doyle and Josephine Gordon comprise the Girls Team.

Yutaka Take led the Rest Of The World to victory in 2012 and Gerald Mosse steered Europe to success a year later. The Rest Of The World have won the competitions six times since its inception in 2000 with Europe winning four times. Great Britan and Ireland have won three times but Ireland won in three times in a row between 2009 and 2011 when fielding a team of their own. The Girls team is a recent innovation but were successful in 2015 with Sammy Jo Bell winning the Silver Saddle in the same year.

888sport have priced up the 2018 Shergar Cup and make Great Britain and Ireland their 7/4 favourites. The Girls are 2/1 with Europe at 11/4 and the Rest Of The World at 5/1.

The draw has been kind to the Girls and they look a decent bet to add to their sole victory in the competition so far but you’ll get better value in betting for the Silver Saddle. Josephine Gordon looks overpriced at 12/1 with 888sport with Fran Berry the 4/1 favourite.

Shergar Cup 2018 Silver Saddle Current Best Odds

Fran Berry 4/1
Per-Anders Graberg 6/1
Hollie Doyle 7/1
Andrasch Starke 8/1
Adam Kirby 9/1
Hayley Turner 9/1
Corey Brown 12/1
Josephine Gordon 12/1
Pat Cosgrave 12/1
Joao Moreira 14/1
Yutaka Take 16/1
Gerald Mosse 25/1

As far the racing itself, FIRE BRIGADE looks worth an interest in the Mile at 6/1 with William Hill. Michael Bell’s runner had to be withdrawn before the start of last week’s Golden Mile at Goodwood but will be more at home on the Straight Mile here and recent rain is very much in his favour.

The heavens have also opened in time for CORELLI (3/1 with William Hill), who could outclass his rivals in the Classic. John Gosden’s colt hasn’t raced since finishing third in the Lingfield Dreby Trial in May but the second in that race, Kew Gardens, won a Group 1 in France recently and

Bournemouth v Cardiff

Premier League. Kick-Off: 3:00pm Saturday August 11th.

AFTER a four season hiatus, the Bluebirds make a relatively unexpected return to English football’s top flight this Saturday at 3pm.

It was a well fought promotion campaign that few would begrudge Cardiff. It was however, one that even the most optimistic of the ‘blue-army’ contingent would not have foreseen at the start of the season. The welsh-capital club posted enough points to generate the prize however, which is a chance to battle it out against some of the best players in the world on a weekly basis for the 2018/19 season.

The first challenge for Cardiff comes with a visit to AFC Bournemouth, who are now attempting to consolidate a fourth campaign in the top division. A 12th placed finish last season was seen as a fantastic finish for the Cherries, and Eddie Howe will be hoping to post some points on the board at the Vitality Stadium come Saturday tea-time.

Bournemouth have had the more challenging pre-season schedule, with hints of promise being suggested through wins against Marseille, Amiens and Levante, amongst other draws or defeats against solid opposition. Neil Warnock’s men favoured a more leisurely tour of Devon and Cornwall against less high profile opposition, as well as Rotherham United, Burton Albion and then culminating in a narrow defeat at the hands of a fairly full-strengthed Real Betis.

Despite Cardiff’s pre-season results not instantly demonstrating any momentum-building, it has been widely reported that the solidarity and togetherness that undoubtedly assisted with Cardiff’s promotion push last term has continued throughout these past weeks. Warnock has been quoted as hoping to ‘ruffle a few feathers’ in this premier-league campaign, although will it be the Bluebirds themselves that end up getting their feathers ruffled here against Bournemouth?

The squads

From a betting perspective, it can be a tough call at the start of any season and this match is no different. Low stakes here would be recommended. Bournemouth are most certainly an established Premier league outfit, and have strengthened well in the Summer, with Diego Rico being signed from Leganes, which firms up their back-four options, as well as the brimming talent of midfielder David Brookes from Sheffield United, whose precautious attacking firepower from the outsides of the park, along with the experience of Jermaine Defoe and last season’s top-scorer Callum Wilson, will put many sides under pressure this season.

Bournemouth have also had good squad retention from last season and with their regulars being on show yet again here, this will be a tough nut for Cardiff to crack. Cardiff have also retained the vast majority of their squad from last season, although despite the likes of Sol Bamba, Aaron Gunnarson, Calumn Patterson and Kenneth Zohore being evidently excellent Championship players, they have not yet established their worth in the Premier league just yet.

New singing Bobby Reid, who scored 19 goals last season for Bristol City in the Championship, adds some further attacking impetus for the Bluebirds and he will most certainly be given a decent role in this fixture. The 11th-hour transfer deadline-day loan signing of Harry Arter is an excellent acquisition for Cardiff, however he will be ineligible to play here against his parent club.

Predictions

So where does the value lie here? Well, since Bournemouth had one of the worst clean-sheet records last season in the Premier League, with only 6 clean sheets throughout their campaign, it is evident that Bournemouth can be got at. There is a small difference in class between these two sides, although it is certainly not a gulf in class, in my opinion.

Cardiff like to play with a real positivity and have some serious pace in the side courtesy of forward Nathaniel Mendez-Liang and the previously mentioned Bobby Reid. On paper, Warnock may think that this is a game that they could potentially get something from and I can see this game being an open one, since Bournemouth are also famed for free-flowing football.

My first tip here is for both teams to score, which tempts at 10/11 (Ladbrokes). Cardiff’s defense was neither airtight throughout pre-season, nor when facing top-level Championship teams last term. Cardiff’s defense is fairly unchanged from those games, and it is highly conceivable that the Cherries will net at the Vitality on Saturday.

There were also brief flashes of defensive disorganisation in the City defense these last few weeks during pre-season and I can see Bournemouth breaching the visiting goal more than just the once. Cardiff opened up their 2017/18 season with a narrow win against Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium, however I cannot see a Cardiff win in this, their 2018/19 season opener.

I will however, put my neck out and predict that Cardiff will also be capable of sneaking a goal at some point during the 90 minutes, and depending on how luck falls on the day, possibly more than one goal. There are a few outlets where these goals may come from for Cardiff, and the potential for at least one of these coming from a set-piece is a distinct possibility to my mind. A scrappy goal from a corner or a free kick would have Warnock fist-pumping from the sidelines, and I can see just that happening.

For all the openness of this game, I can ultimately see the points being shared, with both side’s early season sharpness, or a lack thereof, being put into question through several chances being squandered, in addition to those being taken. The 2-2 correct score, at a tasty 16/1 (Ladbrokes) could be a possible long shot, which landed 6 times for Bournemouth last season. Cardiff are also no strangers to an away-draw (5 landing last season in the Championship) and at the final whistle I can see there being very little to separate these two sides. Despite both sides contributing to what is expected to be a thrilling season-opener, with both nets bulging throughout the afternoon, I predict that the end result will eventually be a draw.

Given that I anticipate both sides scoring, with both sides also capable of netting twice, then I think that there may be some value in the 16/5 (Ladbrokes) about ‘Both Teams to Score and Over 3.5 goals’. As previously advised, this may be a match for low stakes, although these three punts could provide some profit come the final whistle:-

Recommended Bets

• Both Teams to Score 10/11 (Ladbrokes) (3 pts)
• BTTS and Over 3.5 Goals 16/5 (Ladbrokes) (1pt)
• 2-2 Correct Score (0.5pts)

Good luck for your Saturday’s bets!

Charlton v Shrewsbury

Skybet League 1. Kick-Off: 3pm, Saturday August 11th.

CHARLTON and Shrewsbury are no strangers to one another, having met 6 times in the past 2 seasons. The 16/17 season saw goal-fests in which the home teams prevailed, with scores of 3-0 Charlton and 4-3 Shrewsbury respectively.

Victories in the league were once again shared one a piece last season, however both teams won away from home, with a scoreline of 2-0 in both games.

It was their match-ups in the Playoffs, however, that set the two teams apart. Charlton could not handle the physicality of the Shrews and lost both home and away legs 1-0.

The Teams

Wholesale changes have come at both clubs, with Charlton having sold or released 16 players. However, recruitment at the Valley has been almost non-existent as the takeover saga drags on. The additions of clinical striker Lyle Taylor and midfielder Darren Pratley will play a big part, however the injury stricken Addicks have a thin bare squad – shown by the fact they only fielded 5 substitutes of a possible 7, 3 of whom were 20 years old or younger.

The season long injury picked up by Forster-Caskey just days before the season started will be a huge loss to Charlton, who may soon have more players injured than fit!

In the Shrews camp, similar changes were seen with over 14 departures. Recruitment, though, has been slightly more successful having picked up 6 free transfers and a couple of loan deals. The loss of Morris, Henderson and Ogogo are similar to the key losses Charlton faced. With more depth in their squad, though, things certainly look brighter than in Charlton.

Predictions

Both teams started the season with defeats, though Charlton come out of a tough away tie at league favourites Sunderland having given a good show of themselves only to concede a 96th minute goal. Shrewsbury, however, have less to be optimistic about as first games go, losing at home to a Bradford side that fell off rapidly last season.

With points to prove in both camps, I think goals is the way to go, as the WDW line may be too risky to call. Charlton’s squad is already light, and with doubts still surrounding the future of key CB Bauer as well as knocks picked up by left back and right back Page and Solly in the first game, Charlton look likely to concede.

Lyle Taylor scored from the spot on his league debut for the Addicks and will look to continue the form.

Recommended Bets

• Lyle Taylor 1st goalscorer – 4/1
• BTTS and Over 2.5 goals – 7/4
• Goal in both halves – 1/1

With the season still yet to fully unfold, small stakes are recommended.

Middlesbrough v Birmingham

Skybet Championship. Kick-Off 3pm, Saturday August 11th

I understand its the first week of the season but Middlesbrough sit proudly at the top of the Championship (OK I know 20 teams have a game in hand) but 4 points from the opening two games is a good start.

On Saturday they welcome Birmingham to the Riverside and their former Manager Garry Monk.

The Boro despite losing key players from last season have shown excellent team spirit and energy and followed good draw on the opening day (2-2 at Millwall) by beating Sheffield United on Tuesday.

Middlesbrough new loan signing Jordan Hugill from West Ham will not be involved due to a slight knock along with Daniel Ayala(calf) Rudy Gestede (ankle) and Paddy McNair(knee).

Birmingham have long term injuries for Davies and Vassels and also missing will be Brock-Madson who’s a thigh strain.garry
Monk and Birmingham have had a rough summer with transfer embargo on the club and only allowed two loan signings which arrived just last week. Last Saturday Birmingham blew a 2-1 led at Norwich in stoppage time.

Middlesbrough are unbeaten in the last 8 Championship clashes with Birmingham and they will have to be wary of Middlesbrough at set pieces as the average height of the Middlesbrough defence in 6ft 2 ins. This danger was well illustrated at the Riverside against Sheffield United when Aden Flint powered in ahead for his sides second goal.

Middlesbrough will complete three consecutive wins for the first time since 2007 if they win and have only lost once since 2002 to Birmingham.

Birmingham have not scored at the Riverside since April 2014.

All the history and stats point to a Middlesbrough winch have martin Braithwaite who had a good World Cup with Denmark scoring in both the opening games. he will be out to make it three in a row on Saturday to prove last seasons doubters wrong.

Recommended Bets

• Middlesbrough to be leading at half time 6/4 Ladbrokes
• Middlesbrough to win 8/11 Betvictor

Arsenal v Manchester City Betting Tips – Premier League, 12th August 4.00pm

The first big clash of the new Premier League season arrives on Sunday. Reigning champions Manchester City head to the capital to take on Arsenal. City won there in the league last season and will be looking to get their Premier League title defence off to a strong start. What will Arsenal be able to come up with as they have new manager Unai Emery in place? It would be a pretty bold statement made by them if they could come up with maximum points in this one.

Arsenal News and Form

Arsenal gets a fresh makeover for the start of this season with new manager Unai Emery looking to shake up their fortunes. Arsenal had a great home record in the Premier League last season, going W15 D2 L2 so there wasn’t any complaints there. It was their away form which was so shocking. The two home defeats that they did suffer came against the top two finishers, Man City and Man Utd. Aside from that, they were strong on home soil, taking a clean sheet in 47% of their home games. It’s unlikely that they are going to keep Man City at arm’s length for 90 minutes on Sunday though. Both teams to score at bet365 is an obvious-looking Arsenal v Man City betting tip at 1/2 odds* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.). Can new boss Unai Emery make a huge impact out of the gate?

Going back to how strong Arsenal are at home, they have lost just two of their last 26 Premier League home games, a fantastic record. Not only that, but they came up with at least three goals in each of their last five home games of last season. The addition in January of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang could pay dividends this season and he is at even money in the anytime goalscorer market* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.). We can take a look at over 3.5 goals comfortably for this fixture as the potential for goals is high. The Gunners saw over 2.5 goals in all but one of their last nine games against the Citizens in all competitions. Last season Arsenal were nowhere near matching up to City. Will it be different this time around?

Manchester City News and Form

There are no real issues for Pep Guardiola to be fretting about them, other really than the fitness of those players arriving back late in the summer for training after the World Cup. Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne for example only got back to training this week. Last weekend City went to Wembley and took a comfortable win over Chelsea in the Community Shield. The thing about City is that they have so much talent in depth that even if they aren’t putting their strongest starting eleven out, they are still likely to be so difficult to handle. The Citizens have won 31 of their last 35 Premier League matches and they have scored at least three goals in their last three games against the Gunners across all competitions. In the bet365 correct score market a Manchester City 3-1 result is at 14/1 odds* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.) and appeals for Arsenal v Man City predictions.

Sergio Aguero was the star of their Community Shield win last weekend and he got both of their goals against the Blues. Aguero is the 4/1 favourite in the bet365 first goalscorer market* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.). Another betting tip to consider for Arsenal v Manchester City is backing the Citizens in a half-time/full-time option. Manchester City have been winning at both half time and full time in their last three matches against Arsenal. Last season the Citizens posted a W16 D2 L1 away record in the top flight and won each of their last six. They got Riyad Mahrez in over the summer from Leicester to bolster their creativity, but other than that, they really haven’t needed to do much more. Will the reigning Premier League champions get themselves off to a flyer?

Arsenal v Manchester City Betting Odds*

Man City 19/20
Draw 14/5
Arsenal 3/1
* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.)

Arsenal v Manchester City Predictions

Man City to win: Arsenal have done some decent bits of work over the summer in the transfer market to try and shore up their defence but it still may not be enough to hold back City. City enjoyed themselves against the Gunners last season and there is every chance that with them being the more settled of the two sides, they are going to get the win. Man City to win & both teams to score appeals in our Arsenal v Man City predictions.

Liverpool v West Ham Betting Tips – Premier League, 12th August 1.30pm

This should be a fantastic match because here you have two of the biggest spending clubs over the transfer market in the summer. Liverpool have added more pieces to their puzzle as they try and figure out a way to catch up to the reigning champions Manchester City. As for West Ham, they have a new manager in Manuel Pellegrini and after a clutch of signings over the summer, they will be hoping for much better things to come. They get a very tough opener at Anfield, but they basically will at least have nothing to lose in the match as they are heavy underdogs. Can they pull off an upset?

Liverpool News and Form

There is going to be a lot of pressure on Liverpool to deliver some success this season on the domestic front. They finished fourth last season as their attention turned to the Champions League but in order to add depth, they have been shopping big in the summer. They are likely to give Premier League debuts to goalkeeper Alisson along with other new summer signings Fabinho and Naby Keita. The Reds will be taking on a side who invested heavily in the summer as well, but still, the Reds are favourites at Anfield to complete the job. They are unbeaten in their last 21 home matches in the Premier League after all. They boast so much attacking flair and power and it is only natural to assume a high-scoring game in this one and so for our Liverpool v West Ham predictions we are going over 3.5 goals at 11/10 odds* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.).

There is a stat to back that up really as the Reds have scored at least two goals in nine of their last 10 home games in the top flight. Also, they may not be at their strongest defensively with Joel Matip reportedly not ready and neither Dejan Lovren not fit enough. For our Liverpool v West Ham predictions we are also going to have a look at a Liverpool/Liverpool half-time/full-time option at 8/11 odds* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.) simply because Liverpool were winning at both half time and time in five of their final six Premier League matches of last season. We have seen plenty of what to expect from Liverpool again through their pre-season matches and one of their key performers up front has been Daniel Sturridge. Will he get rewarded with a starting spot?

West Ham News and Form

It has been all change for West Ham in the summer as they now have former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini coming back to the Premier League. They were one of the busiest Premier League clubs over the summer in terms of transfers and they have some great options, notably across the front line and in the full back positions. There should be a lot more organisation and strength at the back, but still, keeping Liverpool quiet at Anfield is not going to be an easy thing. Both teams to score is at 4/5 odds* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.) for the fixture as West Ham look to try and improve upon their bottom half of the table finish from last season.

They got themselves in a terrible defensive mess last season and along with the relegated Stoke, the Irons had the joint-worst defensive record of all. So they had to do something and the board has been bold enough to back the new manager and splash the cash around, bringing in the likes of Ryan Fredericks to help out. They also splashed out big in improving their front line which now looks pretty impressive and points to the Hammers having a good season. They have Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko to help out with their scoring power and they added a bit of creativity in bringing in Jack Wilshere as well. There was only three away wins last season for West Ham and it’s going to be hard to get one in this one, but it will be a good test of their credentials after a busy summer.

Liverpool v West Ham Head to Head

It was all too easy for Liverpool against West Ham last season as they recorded back to back 4-1 wins over the Londoners. Liverpool have scored exactly four goals in each of their last three games against West Ham. Each of the last five meetings between them in all competitions have gone over 2.5 goals. Liverpool though are only W1 D1 L1 in their last three Premier League home games against the Irons. The overall head to head is in Liverpool’s favour at 71-28 with 37 drawn games.

Liverpool v West Ham Betting Odds*

Liverpool 1/4
Draw 11/2
West Ham 13/1
* (Betting Odds were taken on March 20th, 2018 at 00:22 p.m.)

Liverpool v West Ham Predictions

Liverpool to win: As much good work that West Ham have done over the summer, you can’t look past Liverpool delivering the goods in this one. They have spent a lot over the summer, but it has been good signings to enhance them. They are likely to come out with a barnstormer and Liverpool to win & over 2.5 goals tops our Liverpool v West Ham predictions.

The Pittsburgh Pirates travel out west where the San Francisco Giants will be waiting for them. They got their series started last night, with the Pirates jumping out early to a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning. The Pirates have been playing good baseball recently, but is too late for them to make a push to a wildcard? It’s not dead yet, they’re within reach of the Braves who currently hold the final spot. There are a few more teams bunched in there as well.

It’s going to be a heated race to the finish in September, and the Pirates hope they can improve their cause before we reach the final stretch. It took them a minute to figure out how to operate without Andrew McCutchen in the lineup, but now that they have it, things are looking up in Pittsburgh. They did not have the hottest of starts over the first two months of the regular season.

Pittsburgh have gone 17-7 in their last 24 games with Thursday night currently pending. They are up big on the Giants by a score of 8-2 as I write this article. The Giants were coming off two losses in a row to the Astros. Like has been the case often this season, the Giants’ offense went silent and could only score a run in each outing. August 3rd is the last time the Giants have scored more than 3 runs in a game.

The Pirates have received timely pitching from their starting unit, and recently added Chris Archer to the equation. Acquiring Archer tells us that the Pirates are going for it instead of folding their hand and giving up on 2018. Trevor Williams will get the starting job for the Pirates tonight. He’s been good recently and will look to keep it rolling in the Bay Area. The Giants are scheduled to give ex-Ranger, Derek Holland, the starting nod.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants Pick

Trevor Williams (9-8, 3.88 ERA) vs. Derek Holland (5-8, 3.88 ERA)

Trevor Williams has been ringing the quality starts up recently. He enters with a decent ERA of 3.88, but it’s what he has been doing in clutch situations for the Pirates lately that has turned heads. Williams has allowed just 2 runs in his previous for starts, both coming against the Cardinals. He held the Mets, Indians, and Nationals all to three runs. Doing that against the Mets isn’t too impressive, but the Indians and Nats have some mashers in their lineup. Williams holds an impressive 1.06 ERA in his previous three starts. The Giants have hit .219 with no long balls against Williams in 32 at-bats. The best they’ve done is 2 doubles off Williams.

Fortunately for the Giants, Derek Holland has had success against this lineup. The Pirates are hitting just .184 off Holland with a deep ball in 49 at-bats. Holland has reinvented himself in San Francisco, as he’s having his best season since 2013 with the Rangers. Holland posted a 3.42 ERA in 2013 and then it was downhill for him after that due to injuries. He lasted just five starts with a 1.46 ERA in 2014, signalling the beginning of a rough road back to being a productive member of a rotation. Holland hasn’t allowed more than 2 runs since July 5th. We have to go back to May 30th to find when he gave up more than 3 runs in a start. Holland enters Friday with an ERA of 2.76 and 0.92 WHIP in his previous three outings. You can make a good case for a low-scoring contest on Friday at AT&T Park.

The Bet: UNDER 8 (-110)

Place Your Bet

We haven’t seen it often from the Red Sox, but they didn’t look like themselves last night against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays got to Rick Porcello for 7 in just 4 innings of work. Porcello has been adequate this season, but he hasn’t showcased his Cy Young effort from 2016. He finished with a staggering record of 21-4, and if you recall, was virtually unbeatable at Fenway. Porcello got mauled last night, though.

The Red Sox offense is good, but it wasn’t enough to save him on Thursday. The offense had scored 10 runs in each of their last two games against the Blue Jays before being held to 5 runs last night. You can’t expect the bats to put up double digits every night, which is close to what they would have needed to overcome the Blue Jays 8 runs.

Despite the loss, the Red Sox are still 6-1 in their last seven games. They are 10-1 in their previous eleven contests. The Yankees were able to edge closer just a bit with their 7-3 win over the Rangers. It’s still going to be a difficult mountain to climb to catch up to the Red Sox. While the Yanks may have been the better team Thursday, the Red Sox have been the vastly better team overall.

8 games back of the Red Sox, they will have to chip away at it in August, and then make a strong push in the final month of the regular season. The more realistic scenario is ensuring that they get a home game in the Wild Card Round. If the postseason was to begin today, the Yankees would be playing the Athletics at Yankee Stadium as a wildcard. The Mariners seemingly woke up last night with an impressive effort against Verlander and the Astros.

JV got rocked for 6 runs in quick order. He didn’t make it out of the 2nd inning, as it was a definite off night for the ace. The Astros have to hope that it was just an off night and not an underlying injury that affected him. For the Red Sox, they will turn to newcomer Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi has been perfect in Boston thus far, as he hasn’t allowed a run in both of his starts with the Red Sox. The bigger stage hasn’t had an impact on him at all. We’ll see if it translates to the road as well. Head below for our free Red Sox vs. Orioles pick.

Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles Pick

Nathan Eovaldi (5-4, 2.68 ERA) vs. Dylan Bundy (7-10, 4.38 ERA)

This season has been a tale of two different stories for Eovaldi. Give him home field and watch him dazzle. However, as soon as he hits the road, things get plenty dicey for him. Eovaldi holds an ERA of 1.12 at home this season. That includes his time in Tampa with the Rays as well. However, his numbers on the road suggest something completely different. Eovaldi goes to Baltimore with an ERA of 5.18 on the road. He has allowed 4 or more runs in more than half of those starts. The Orioles have battered Eovaldi with .392 batting average and .404 OBP in 51 at-bats. The O’s have scored an average of 6.1 runs per game over their previous ten games.

The Red Sox didn’t get the win last night, but Mookie put on a show by hitting for the cycle against the Jays. He is the first player to hit for the cycle in 2018. It’s unfortunate that the Red Sox weren’t able to parlay that into a win, but the offense was decent regardless. The Red Sox offense is 1st in the major leagues, with an average of 5.39 runs scored per game. Boston has had the deep ball working against Dylan Bundy. They’ve hit a whopping 10 long balls against Bundy in 214 at-bats. Mookie owns 3 of those home runs. The Sox are also hitting .276 with an OBP of .335 against Bundy. I don’t oppose a play on the OVER in this matchup Friday. Best of luck this weekend with your picks.

The Bet: OVER 9 (-115)

Place Your Bet

The Arizona Diamondbacks embark on another important series this weekend. They go to Cincinnati where it’s another critical matchup for the D-Backs. Every series at this point is going to go under microscope. They’re in a tight battle with the Dodgers for 1st in the NL West. As it stands now, the Diamondbacks have a slim 0.5 lead in the division. While the Diamondbacks are in Cincinnati, the Dodgers are in Denver for a crucial series there as well. Trailing the D-Backs and Dodgers are the Rockies, who are 3 games behind 1st right now. They didn’t help themselves at home recently, as they had to take two losses in a row against the Pirates. German Marquez pitched a pretty good game Wednesday, but that wasn’t enough. The offense has to be better than that. 3 runs often isn’t going to get the job done at Coors Field.

The Diamondbacks recently split a four-game series against the Giants, and then won two of three vs the Phillies. They spent nine games at home, but now they’ll hit the road for nine games. It begins in Cincinnati, and then Texas, finally concluding in San Diego before going home to welcome the Angels. Those are three winnable series for the Diamondbacks, with every one becoming more and more important as we get deeper into the regular season. The D-Backs have the talent that they should be able to get out of this road trip with some wins. However, we’ve seen teams play down to their competition on some of these trips. Clay Buchholz who has been a godsend for the Diamondbacks, will get the road trip started Friday. The Reds will counter with Anthony DeSclafani. Head below for our free Diamondbacks vs. Reds pick.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds Pick

Clay Buchholz (5-1, 2.68 ERA) vs. Anthony DeSclafani (5-3, 4.98 ERA)

Patrick Corbin put on a display Wednesday, pitching 7.1 scoreless innings to lead the Diamondbacks to a 6-0 victory. This came a day after Zack Greinke had to take a loss in a 5-2 final. The Diamondbacks are 6-4 in their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Reds have lost four of their last five games. They are coming off a 8-0 loss against the Jacob deGrom’s. Sorry, I mean, the New York Mets and Jacob deGrom.

deGrom was flawless across 6 innings of work and the offense finally helped him out as well, a rarity to see during deGrom starts this year. The Reds will depend on Anthony DeSclafani to clean up the mess. It’s certainly been a disappointing year for him. After pitching a 3.28 ERA in this third-year a season ago, DeSclafani has regressed with a 4.98 ERA in 2018.

He’s been off at home in Cincinnati as well, with an ERA of 5.65 and 1.47 WHIP. The Diamondbacks have made easy work of DeSclafani in the past. As a team they are hitting .361 against him in 36 at-bats. Paul Goldschmidt has sliced through DeSclafani with a .750 batting average in 8 at-bats. That includes 2 doubles and a long ball.

Buchholz is pitching his best since 2015 when he finished with an ERA of 3.26 with the Red Sox. The wheels fell off for him until he was able to put them back on in Arizona this season. Buchholz heads into Cincinnati with a strong ERA of 2.68 and 5-1 record. He’s also been better on the road with a 2.10 ERA and 0.93 WHIP compared to 3.57 ERA and 1.37 WHIP at home. Note that Buchholz hasn’t allowed more than 3 runs in any start on the road. He allowed 3 against the Padres, which accounts for his worst outing away. The Reds are hitting .267 with no homers against Buchholz in 30 at-bats. I’d take a piece of the Diamondbacks here at a reasonable price.

The Bet: DIAMONDBACKS (-125)

Place Your Bet

The Atlanta Falcons travel to New York for a meaningless preseason game against the Jets. It may be meaningless in the standings, but this is not a meaningless game for some quarterbacks featured in this contest. All of them are concentrated on the Jets’ side, with Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater, and Sam Darnold all vying for the starting job. There are a couple of interesting angles here with Jets’ quarterbacks. First, we get to see Bridgewater get some reps after getting his first offseason since 2015 to prepare for a season. Bridgewater wasn’t activated to practice until October of 2017. He had a long road back to the field.

Bridgewater had been on the sidelines since blowing his knee out before the 2016 season started. Bridgewater came in off the bench in Week 15 against the Bengals last year. He threw a couple of passes with one of them resulting in an interception. Can’t really expect much from a guy who came off the bench cold and didn’t get to practice in two years. Now with a full offseason and training camp, we’ll see if he has made any strides.

Note that the Jets have made it clear that they are open to trades for Bridgewater. If the price is right, they’d likely go ahead and get something for him. The goal is to eventually have the 3rd overall pick in the draft starting. He is supposed to be the future of the franchise, so that much is clear. The starting job for this season is still wide open, though. While unlikely, that also includes Bridgewater. This could also be a nice time for the Jets to put Bridgewater on display for other teams. He hasn’t shown any signs of the 2016 injury thus far.

However, whether he can parlay that into a starting or backup job remains to be seen. The evaluation period in camp and in preseason games is going to be pretty extensive for him. It goes without saying that Darnold is closely getting examined as well.

Recent USC quarterbacks don’t have the best history in the NFL, especially one in particular that came through the Jets. Mark Sanchez made a career out of playing behind a stout defense in the Rex Ryan era. They had success, but it wasn’t because of Sanchez. When he played without such a good defense, the holes in his game were evident. I wasn’t particularly high on Darnold in college. But with that said, he has the arm to be a quarterback in the NFL. It’s reading professional defenses that will be his main test. Then there’s the veteran Josh McCown. We’re all aware that McCown is a borderline starter to a good backup in the NFL. The depth chart is a little clearer for the Falcons, with Matt Ryan leading the way and Matt Schaub making his return in Atlanta to take on backup duties. Head below for our free Falcons vs. Jets pick on Friday in the NFL Preseason.

Atlanta Falcons vs. N.Y. Jets NFL Preseason Betting Odds:

Spread:
Falcons +3.5(-110)
vs. Jets -3.5(-110)

Total:
Over 35(-105)
Under 35(-115)

Betting odds provided by Sportsbetting.ag

Falcons vs. Jets Pick:

Reports out of Jets’ camp indicates that Darnold is getting plenty of reps with the first team. That’s expected for a guy drafted as high as Darnold was. Barring setbacks in the preseason, I would expect him to be the Week 1 starter against the Detroit Lions. He’ll get to show off to a primetime crowd right out of the gate on Monday Night Football. It will be tough to give him the nod if he struggles extensively in the preseason, though.

McCown isn’t the worst fallback plan. He was competent as a starter with the Jets in 2017. The veteran passed for 2,926 yards with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. It was his best season since coming into the league in 2002. There isn’t much of a point to give McCown too much play in this game. He’s been around the block just about more than anyone else in the NFL.

The same goes for the Falcons’ Matt Schaub. He’s a 37-year-old that that has bene in the league since 2004. Back in that day, he was backing up Michael Vick in Atlanta. He ultimately teamed up with Andre Johnson in Houston to have some decent numbers as a Texan.

Schaub is back to where it all began to wrap up his career. Following Schaub is rookie Kurt Benkert out of Virginia. I think Benkert may have been surprised that he went undrafted, but he gets a chance to prove himself and get taught by one of the best in the business, Matt Ryan. Benkert is an experimental project. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. He edges out 27-year-old Garrett Grayson in the first depth chart released by the team. Grayson has spent his career in New Orleans as a practice squad filler since being drafted in 2015. Selected in the third-round, Grayson was expected to at least blossom into a backup.

With Matt Ryan a lock to start for the Falcons, and Matt Schaub a 37-year-old veteran, I don’t expect to see much of them. Ryan will get a series and Schaub likely plays into the 2nd quarter. Look for this game to come down to Benkert and Grayson vs Darnold and Bridgewater. Give me the 3rd overall pick in the draft and a guy who has excelled as a starting quarterback in the past. I believe Bridgewater is going to be fine against backups in this one. The Jets should cover this one with a 6 or 7-point win at home.

The Bet: JETS -3.5 (-110)

Place Your Bet

Bala Town v Carmarthen Town

JD Welsh Premier League. Kick off 19.45 Friday 10th August. Live on SC4 Facebook.

BALA Town enter the new season in high spirits following a summer of excellent recruitment.

Unfortunately for Bala, Andy Mangan has moved to Accrington but they should still have the quality to see off Carmarthen Town.

Mangan was playing as high as League One in 2016 with Shrewsbury before a mixed spell with Tranmere in the National League ended with his release. Still just 31, his signing represents a move back up the pyramid and Mangan should do well with Stanley.

Also returning to this level is midfielder Henry Jones, after a one-season stint at AFC Fylde in the National League. The former Wales Under-21 international and Swansea City trainee was named young player of the year in his last spell in Wales with Bangor City, netting an impressive 14 goals and 10 assists in 32 appearances.

Carmarthen Town finished just outside the relegation places last season and have only triumphed over Bala once in the last 10 meetings between the two.

A handful of players have come and gone, nothing anywhere near as impressive as Bala’s signings however, and Bala should be much sharper after playing competitively much more recently than their opponents, a 3-1 aggregate defeat in the Europa League wualifying round against Ttre Fiori of San Marino. For these reasons I’m tipping them to win on Friday and to win well.

Recommended Bets

• Bala win and over 1.5 goals (5-6, betfair)
• Half-time/Full-time Bala/Bala (7-5, betfair)
• Bala 2, Carmarthen 0 (6-1, betfair)

THERE were some strange results in the Europa League but I avoided most of the pitfalls by landing a 16-5 Top Treble.

Two points on gave me a nice profit after a 2pts loss on overs at Hibs and unders at Rangers. Surely I meant this to be the other way round.

Hibs clearly missed Aston Villa signing John McGinn and remember they don’t do 0-0s. They do now and face an uphill task against a decent Molde outfit.

One of the crazy scorelines was Zenit St Petersburg losing at Dinamo Minsk so if Hibs win they’ll be heading to Belarus instead of Russia.

Rangers have one foot in the play-off round – as do Burnley – after beating Maribor 3-1. A revenge mission to Luxembourg is still possible after Progres Niederkorn lost just 2-1 at Russians Ufa.

Anyway that’s enough of Europe for a few days. It’s back to domestic action and the Premier League returns with Man United v Leicester and it could be a tasty encounter.

Leicester won’t fear the Reds who are no bigger than and after a summer of turmoil I wonder what response Jose Mourinho will get from the faithful.

It will be half decent if they win but both to score could be a better bet at 23-20 with Marathonbet. This has landed in three of the last four meetings at old Trafford and is my Super Single.

This goes against the thoughts of new contributor Nathan O’Neill who has posted a match preview so check out his reasoning.

The Foxes have lost Riyad Mahrez but their two best bits if business were keeping hold of Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire. I backed Maguire a couple of times to score during the World Cup and he’s got an outside chance if deliveries from corners are good. He is 22-1 at Unibet to net at any time but he may not start if Claude Puel decides to give him another week’s rest.

Elsewhere French Ligue 1 returns with Marseille expected to beat Toulouse and Greg will have his usual French Ligue 2 tips.

I’ll have a look at other games in the afternoon when I’ve finished my Saturday columns to see if anything else stands out for a double or treble.

Well done to all the Thursday winners and good luck on Friday.

2pts Super Single

This month’s football partner at MrFixitsTips is BetBright. They’ve a great welcome offer where you can claim up to £50 to play with when you deposit £10 upon opening a new acount. 18+. T&Cs apply. New customers only.

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FOOTBALL LEAGUE analyst Mark O’Haire (@MarkOHaire) returns with his best bets from Saturday’s 3pm kick-offs.

Blackburn v Millwall | Saturday 11th August 2018, 15:00

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray admitted the Rovers dressing room was very disappointed and frustrated after seeing Ipswich net an injury-time equaliser on their return to the Championship last weekend.

The League One runners-up scored twice in nine first-half minutes to overturn a one-goal deficit at Portman Road and were seemingly set for picking up maximum points from a confident and composed performance. Mowbray’s men were rarely threatened in the second period before an unfortunate late leveller.

Blackburn were left rueing Kasey Palmer’s missed opportunity that could have given Rovers a 3-1 advantage in the latter stages and having dusted themselves down, are looking forward to their first Ewood Park encounter of the new campaign on Saturday.

Palmer could be handed a first start in place of Dominic Samuel, while Jacob Davenport could also be in the squad having missed out through injury last weekend. Either way, Blackburn are expected to be able competitors having lost just twice on home soil in 2017/18.

Visitors Millwall were also licking their wounds a week ago having blown a two-goal lead at home to Middlesbrough. The Lions dominated proceedings for the majority of the match before uncharacteristically imploding in the final three minutes to leave manager Neil Harris deflated.

However, Harris heaped praise upon his troops for their positive performance, suggesting: “For 88 minutes, I doubt we’ll play as well as that again his season. I’ll stop short of saying it was men against boys for 88 minutes but what we did and how we dominated Boro was phenomenal”.

The capital club are unlikely to make major changes to their starting XI and the Lions are an interesting pre-match price along the Asian Handicap lines having lost just three away games against sides in 10th or below last term. Indeed, Millwall managed W7-D2-L3 when travelling to bottom-half teams and deserve our respect having made a late charge towards the play-off positions.

Nevertheless, my preferred play is to punt Both Teams To Score at kind 10/11 (Ladbrokes) quotes. Lee Gregory and Steve Morison are a handful for any defence at this level and it’s worth noting the guests fired a solitary blank in 13 trips to sides that finished in 12th or below, notching at least twice on eight occasions.

Blackburn netted in all bar six of their League One encounters during their promotion campaign and showcased their attacking ability in a lively showing in Suffolk seven days ago. And the arrival of Adam Armstrong this week gives Mowbray another option in the final-third when called upon.

Gillingham v Burton | Saturday 11th August 2018, 15:00

Gillingham tabled only two wins from their opening 15 fixtures last term so the Kent club were thrilled to start this season with a fine 2-0 victory away at newly-promoted Accrington last weekend.

Manager Steve Lovell was delighted with his team’s performance as goals from debutant Brandon Hanlan and Josh Parker put the Gills two goals up before half-time. Lovell suggested his only disappointment was that his team didn’t win by a wider margin having missed several other opportunities in an impressive effort.

“We dominated and I don’t think anybody would disagree with me when I say we could have been four or five up in the first half. There was some excellent stuff being played, it was great to watch”, said Lovell.

Accrington did come close on a couple of occasions, with goal-line clearances in each half, but Gills keeper Tomas Holy wasn’t overly troubled and in the end two goals were more than enough. Lovell went on to claim his side will get better as the season progresses and it’s well worth supporting the Kent giants on Saturday.

The hosts are available to back at 19/20 (Ladbrokes) in the Draw No Bet market when they welcome Burton to the Priestfield Stadium. Gillingham returned W4-D9-L4 on home soil under Lovell’s leadership in 2017/18 but should have Tom Eaves back in the starting XI to bolster what’s already appearing to be an underrated squad.

The recently relegated visitors have seen the majority of their major injury concerns clear up over the past week. Will Miller is now the only player unlikely to be in contention although boss Nigel Clough admitted, “everybody is not quite fully fit, but they are getting there”.

Skipper Jake Buxton, Jamie Allen and David Templeton will all require late checks as Albion bid to get their campaign off and running following a disappointing home defeat to Rochdale in their curtain-raiser. Burton were two goals down inside the opening half hour and struggled to bite back.

Clough’s men did register 17 shots and the Brewers boss has asked his team to show the same attacking intent in Kent on Saturday. The attacking endeavour and dominance shown after half-time against Rochdale is a blueprint for the approach they want to take this season but whether they’re ready to play to their full potential following such a disrupted pre-season remains to be seen.

I fully expect Burton to climb the table and compete towards the upper echelons of League One, although I’m happy to oppose the away side this weekend at the odds on offer.

Carlisle v Northampton | Saturday 11th August 2018, 15:00

Having highlighted Carlisle at 14/1 for relegation in the WLB Season Preview, I’m already feeling a little smug with the Cumbrians now as skinny as 8/1 in places (12/1 is still available) following a wretched fortnight at the Brunton Park club.

The Blues saw their squad decimated in the summer by a series of big-name departures, including Clint Hill, Mark Ellis, Nicky Adams and Luke Joyce. With manager Keith Curle also upping sticks, the club took an age to appoint John Sheridan and therefore recruitment was late and ponderous.

Off the field, the plight of the club has upset and angered supporters, so much so that there’ll be protests towards the ownership before and during the match on Saturday. Organisers say they want to make United’s owners aware of the strength of feelings and call for regime change after “10 years of misery”.

To learn more about the situation, I’d advise you to read this piece on the carnage threatening to destabilise the club.

Carlisle chairman Andrew Jenkins has offered to meet the supporters who are planning the protest to quell the mood of discontent although things could easily turn sour if the Cumbrians struggle to match their opponents Northampton.

Sheridan surprisingly started Mike Jones and Jamie Devitt on the bench during Blues 3-1 reverse at Exeter on the opening day and freely admitted he might have got his team selection wrong. However, the stout Lancastrian bemoaned his team’s basic errors despite an improved second-half performance.

Even so, Carlisle appeared disjointed and muddled and a repeat here is unlikely to go unpunished. With that in mind, I’m happy to take on Northampton at odds-against quotes of 30/29 (BetVictor) off a scratch 0 start on the Asian Handicap line. Just like the Draw No Bet market, a stalemate would see our stake returned.

The Cobblers went down 1-0 away at well-fancied Lincoln last weekend but Dean Austin’s outfit dominated for long spells until they were hit with a Matt Green sucker punch early in the second half. Town’s profligate finishing cost the club as they out-shot the Imps 17-5 and 8-2 in on-target attempts.

The Northampton boss is now contemplating shuffling his forward pack, especially so as the Cobblers beat a youthful Watford side 3-1 in a behind-closed-doors match in midweek. Attacking players Junior Morias, Billy Waters and Kevin van Veen all made a big impact and are pushing for inclusion.

Young midfielder Shaun McWilliams will miss out with a hamstring injury and Jack Bridge or Sam Foley is expected to take his place alongside Matt Crooks in, what on paper at least, looks a strong side for League Two.

Best Bets

Blackburn v Millwall – Both Teams To Score (10/11 Ladbrokes)

Gillingham v Burton – Gillingham draw no bet (19/20 Ladbrokes)

Carlisle v Northampton – Northampton 0 Asian Handicap (30/29 BetVictor)

Inverness v Ayr United

Scottish Championship. Kick-off: 3pm Saturday August 11th.

THEY’VE been the punters’ pal with five wins from five, but newly-promoted Ayr United face another stern test of their early credentials this Saturday.

Ian McCall’s free-flowing outfit were a money machine during last season’s record-breaking run to the League One title.

All told the Honest Men racked up an incredible 124 goals and 80 per cent of their games breached the over 2.5 goals barrier with ease in what was a memorable campaign at Somerset Park.

And they’ve shown no sign of slowing this term with 14 goals in their first five outings, including two impressive wins over relegated Partick Thistle.

Central to that success has been the form of Scotland’s form striker, Lawrence Shankland, who hit 29 goals last term and has already struck the net nine times this season.

Shrewd backers have been lumping on the former Aberdeen hitman at some pretty fanciful prices in the anytime scorer markets but it’s doubtful how long the layers will allow themselves to be caught on the hop.

Ayr go into this as undoubted underdogs but anyone who watched them outplay Thistle in both the Betfred Cup and league opener will be keen to back them at a tasty 18-5 (McBookie).

Ayr haven’t ventured to the Highlands on league business since 2010 – a demonstration of the wilderness in which United have found themselves – but there is a lot of belief around Somerset Park this term.

The acid test of their early-season exploits will be coming up against a well-drilled Inverness side who look good bets to go close in the Championship title race.

John Robertson’s men flirted with the wrong end of the table last season before embarking on a thrilling end to the campaign which almost resulted in the play-offs.

And had they reached that stage, there is every chance they could have gone up, such was the momentum they had built up in the final quarter of the season.

While Highland neighbours Ross County and troubled Dundee United head the title market, it may be Inverness are the far more settled option, and in Robertson they have by far the most steady pair of hands in the dugout.

An opening-day win at Falkirk was solid if unspectacular and it is those kind of results that make all the difference come the end of the season for those with Championship aspirations.

However, in Ayr they will face a team playing without any fear and one which has not only stayed true to its attacking intent from last season, but boasts the country’s hottest striker.

Ayr have slapped a £250,000 price tag on Shankland’s head and he is no longer the best kept secret that ran riot in League One.

But United are no one-man team and other rising stars such as midfielder Robbie Crawford are among those with a list of suitors.

The evens about Ayr +1 on the handicap looks fair enough value and a speculative punt about plenty of goals in the Highland capital should give us a run for our money with the visitors likely to favour an open game.

Recommended Bets

AN interesting game in the Paraguayan top flight and the bookies don’t fancy goals and in this instance I tend to agree.

Where I do suspect the value may lie is with the time of team goals for the home side and first-half goals for both.

SOL DE AMÉRICA v INDEPENDIENTE FBC (11pm)

SDA have scored in 15 of their last 20 home fixtures and despite their standing their form has been fairly cute with just one loss in their last seven and that to a Cerro Porteno side who are looking great.

During that seven-game spell they have scored 13 goals of which seven have come at home and that includes tough fixtures against the likes of Capiata, Santani and Luqueno.

Independiente’s preponderence for first-half goals buck the average trend – where usually you are looking at somewhere between 25 and 45 per cent, the last 26 games offer up 51 per cent of team goals scored within the first 45.

Coupled with SDA’s average goal time sitting around 60 per cent before the hour mark there are two bets I think may be worth looking at.

Recommended Bets

• SDA goal before 50mins
• (5-6, b)
• Both to score first half
• (7-2, b)