KEV HAS IT IN THE BAG

Mo not catching De Bruyne

FOUR weeks ago Kevin De Bruyne looked an absolute certainty to be named PFA Player of the Year.

Now the Manchester City midfielder is 8-13 with BetVictor, having been 1-4 at the end of February.

The reason behind this drift has been the continued excellence of Mo Salah, who is 6-5 to win the coveted prize having been 6-1 before his four goals against Watford last Saturday.

However I’m not convinced scoring four against a poor Watford side constitutes such a swing and it is only a fortnight ago many were heralding Ashley Young for keeping the Egyptian quiet at Old Trafford. No, Mo would be a worthy winner of the Golden Boot (1-10) but De Bruyne would be my Player of the Year and 8-13 looks a very fair price in what looks a match between two world-class players who have been a joy to watch this season.

Turning to the Champions League and favourites Barcelona are 11-4 to regain the crown, with City 10-3, Bayern 7-2, Real Madrid 9-2 and Liverpool 9s. I wasn’t overly impressed with Barcelona against Chelsea in the last round and would be keen to take them on, although they should have too much for Roma in the last eight.

Shrewsbury will go back top of the League One table if they beat AFC Wimbledon today but they are without suspended skipper Abu Ogogo, while fellow midfielder Ben Godfrey has joined Dean Henderson and James Bolton on the injury list.

Shrewsbury need to cope without some of their stars but Paul Hurst wants his squad to stand up and be counted – the Shrews are 9-10, the Dons 18-5 and 12-5 the draw.

Bury have lost their last two and I expect to see Paul Cook’s Wigan maintain their title challenge at Gigg Lane. The Latics could have been out of sight against Southampton in the FA Cup last Sunday before the Saints scored, but they bounced back at Walsall in midweek and can land the odds (7-10) against the Shakers.

I’ve been disappointed by Tranmere Rovers of late but expect them to have too much for Eastleigh in the National League early kick-off. Rovers are 23-20 to lead at half-time and fulltime and that’s the bet of the weekend.

Inverness (20-23) take on Dumbarton (10-3) in the Scottish Challenge Cup Final (live on BBC Alba 4.15). The draw is 5-2 and I think this could go all the way to penalties. Tranmere to lead Eastleigh half-time/full-time .... 23-20 Go to BetVictor.com