AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN
How much does our love of Ash Barty blind us when betting on the Australian Open?
She’s the world No.1, a Grand Slam winner and arguably the most likeable sportsperson in the country, but do we believe she can break the Aussie curse at the home Slam enough to part with hard-earnt cash?
The looming threat, as always, is American Serena Williams. The greatest female tennis player in history returned to form with victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland a week ago. It was not a field laden with talent, however the confidence Williams will take from that and the even nature of women’s tennis, suggest she is ready to reclaim her throne and, at $5 with Ladbrokes, looks the most solid wager in the field.
Or you can take the patriotic option and wager on Barty at $9 and double with Kyrgios and get yourself $261.
NFL
The last time San Francisco and
Green Bay faced off, the 49ers came away with a 37-8 victory over the Packers at the same venue where they meet for Monday’s NFC championship. The Packers have not lost since that match to finish on the same 13-3 regular season record as the Niners, but they have also not played a team as talented across the board as
San Francisco.
Green Bay might be able to pressure on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo enough to limit his downfield weapons.
But the 49ers should be able to exploit Green Bay with their run and, with perhaps the league’s most dominant defence.
So they will make things tough for Aaron Rodgers to flourish. They might not win with the ease they did in week 12 but San Francisco should still cover the 7.5 -point line.
The line is identical in the AFC Championship between Kansas City and Tennessee, but this game has the potential to be a lot closer.
Expect a high scoring game, so the option of the Titans +7.5/
Over 52.5 total match points at $3.30, could be the best bet for the game.
EPL
ONLY one team has taken points off Liverpool this season and Manchester United will be looking to hand the championselect their first loss when they face off at Anfield.
It will be a tough task, with the Red Devils backing up from a midweek English FA Cup third round replay against Wolves. Six of the last eight matches between these sides have been drawn, however the English Premier League match at Anfield last season saw Liverpool finish strongly to come away with a 3-1 win and end Jose Mourinho’s tenure. Elsewhere in the English Premier League, teams are beginning to count the cost of the festive period as sides such as Tottenham Hotspur limp through January trying to avoid dropping too many points.
They take on the resurgent Watford who have managed to pick up 13 out of a possible 15 points to climb out of the relegation zone.
UFC
CONOR McGregor has not stepped inside the octagon since 2018 and the biggest name in MMA returns with a must-see match-up against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Cowboy has UFC records for most wins, most finishes, most knockdowns and most bonuses. He is 36-13 over the course of a career which has largely been fought at lightweight like McGregor. McGregor became the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold two belts when he won both the featherweight and lightweight titles but he has been beaten in two of his last four bouts.
McGregor is well-backed and short with Ladbrokes.
Having McGregor anchor multis for Sunday is a good move but, if you are chasing something at big odds, the Irishman to win by KO/TKO in the third round at $8 looks the best of the available speculative bets.