BRENDAN’S BHOYS CAN HOLD FIRM CELTIC’S BEST EFFORT CAN SEE OFF RANGERS
TOMORROW should be a cracking day - Rangersceltic and Manchester United-liverpool. Spicy stuff.
Of course for those that like it (including me), the Paris-roubaix cycling race is on – six hours of the Hell of the North to dip in and out of in between the football.
I have a wedding on which will require a bit of clever thinking and subterfuge.
We might just have a bit of car trouble on the way...right about the time the Old Firm are kicking off.
You wouldn’t say that either Rangers or Celtic are good at the moment, but they are close and those flaws are making this title race a close and fascinating one.
It also makes their match at Ibrox tomorrow lunchtime a hard one to call, but I have seen better stuff from Celtic throughout the season and I will favour them again in this one.
Rangers exited Europe recently but they also lost at home to Motherwell, a sign that they are not flourishing under Philippe Clement, although they have improved.
Celtic did lose at Hearts, but that was not exactly a shock with the Edinburgh side a solid third in the table.
The Gers just don’t have the matchwinners to trouble them, really they are relying on Celtic to have a collective off day.
Effort
That won’t happen. Celtic know their best effort will yield a win and victory will give them the edge again in the title race. At 2-1 they are a great bet.
Plenty will think that Manchester United are a great bet at 19-5 to win at home to Liverpool, something they did in the FA Cup recently, albeit in extra time.
That’s 19-5 in case you thought you read it wrongly, with Liverpool a 4-6 shot to win at their great rivals. Even the stingiest firms are going 7-2.
It is a quite remarkable price really given that United are not a million miles from a Champions League spot, but when the title race is really on, as it is now, it takes a lot to stop the contenders winning.
Sheffield United gave Liverpool plenty to think about on Thursday but they got through it. It was about the same time that United somehow fought back from 2-0 down at Chelsea to lead, only to throw it away again as the clock ticked past 100 minutes.
I’m afraid I have to agree with the bookies on this one, I think it will be a Liverpool win at Old Trafford.
As the prices are a bit slim, let’s have a fun punt for interest. Conor Bradley scored an own goal on Thursday night, but he is having a fine season and can bounce back with a goal at the right
end.
He is 19-2 to get on the scoresheet at any time in the game and if he does so he will become the most despised Bradley in Manchester since Alan.
In fact the top three all have tricky away tests this weekend. Leaders Arsenal run the Brighton gauntlet this evening.
Rivals
Arsenal are still the team most people think are least likely to claim the Premier League crown, but they have scored more and conceded fewer than their title rivals.
There will be slip-ups in the title run in, though and one might just come here. A draw in this one is worth a go at 10-3.
Crystal Palace have become something of a bogey team for Manchester City in recent times but this lunchtime encounter really ought to be a win for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Palace just seem to be bumping along in the division and they probably have enough points to be safe already.
That should make them easy to swat aside, so I’ll have a little bit on City at -1 on the handicap, which is a 10-11 shot.
Luton are my tip in the 3pm games and they are 14-5 shots to beat Bournemouth.
How the Cherries are comfortably mid-table I will never know.
Zipping ahead to the Champions League now and while I will be in the Aviva for
Ireland-england in the Euro qualifiers, two massive games are taking place in the biggest club tournament in the world.
Arsenal against Bayern Munich seems a pretty fair fight given how Munich have ‘struggled’ this season.
Something tells me that they will be able to match the Gunners so an away win in London is my call at 16-5.
Manchester City are in Madrid to play Real (the presence of the three Premier League contenders in Europe is another intriguing strand to the title battle).
Real are set to win La Liga with a healthy cushion over Barcelona so all efforts can be given to their favourite competition.
City might just meet their match, in the first leg at least and might leave Madrid with their tails between their legs. Incredibly there is 9-5 and even 19-10 about Real to win at the time of writing and I will snap up what I can.
Zip
A quick zip through other sports now and Leinster host Leicester this evening in rugby and they will win, but it might not be a cruise so the English side at +16 at 10-11 is a sensible play.
Finally back to the Parisroubaix and here’s three each-way shots at massive prices – backing with firms that go five places – Christophe Laporte (40-1), Jordi Meeus (100-1) and Ben Turner (50-1).