Unrest at Newcastle makes them relegation value

Posted by Martin Williamson 9 hours, 44 minutes ago

The start of the new Premier League season is still almost two months away but you can still bet on who will relegated come May 2014. Unsurprisingly, the boys are the three favourites to go down, with Crystal Palace (4/9) and Hull (4/6) odds on for an immediate return to the Championship.

Of the rest, Newcastle at 10/1 seem worth a flutter given they are already back to their self-destructive best in recent days, and that allied to a lack of clarity over Alan Pardew’s role in the new set-up plus the poor form they showed in the second half of last season makes those odds seem appealing.

North-East neighbours Sunderland rallied just in time under new manager Paulo Di Canio but his tenure is unlikely to be an easy one and they are 9/2 for the drop. Fulham (13/2) and Southampton (7/1) are of interest as well.

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Captain Cook 3/1 to lead by example

Posted by Alex Livie 10 hours, 58 minutes ago

When it comes to limited overs cricket, England do not make life easy for themselves. After scraping through to the ICC Champions Trophy last four, Alastair Cook and co must now find their way past South Africa for a place in the final.

A super innings of 64 from Cook helped the hosts over the line against New Zealand, while England’s attack impressed once again in the rain-stricken match.

The home support at the Oval will be crucial and, with that in mind, England look the better option with both teams priced at 10/11 to win with bet365.

And with Cook fresh from taking the initiative in Cardiff, the opening batsman whets the appetite at 3/1 to finish as England’s highest run scorer on Wednesday - as long as the rain stays away.

Rose 20/1 for Open glory

Posted by Alex Livie 1 day, 6 hours ago

Justin Rose became the first English major winner since Nick Faldo in 1996 when he lifted the US Open on Sunday – but how long will we have to wait for another?

It could be as short as one month with the Open Championship at Muirfield being contested from July 18 and 21, and bet365 have three Englishman in the top five favourites to lift the Claret Jug.

Rose is 20/1 to win back-to-back majors, while Luke Donald is slightly shorter at 16/1. The pair sandwich Lee Westwood at 18/1.

Ian Poulter is 40/1 to finally make his major breakthrough – and if you’re feeling brave you can get Paul Casey at 66/1 and Ross Fisher at 70/1. But we might have a little each way bet on Simon Dyson at 150/1; the Yorkshireman has finished in ninth and 23rd in the last two Opens.

Elsewhere, despite dismal scores of +13 and +14 at Merion, World No. 1 and No. 2 Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will head to Scotland as favourites at 11/2 and 10/1 respectively, while defending champion Ernie Els is 33/1.

England out to 6/1 after Sri Lanka loss

Posted by Alex Livie 4 days, 13 hours ago

England’s defeat to Sri Lanka at the Oval on Thursday, when Alastair Cook’s bowlers were totally exposed by some brilliant batting from Kumar Sangakkara has seen the team drift out to 6/1 for Champions Trophy glory.

A win over Australia in the opening game had England down as low as 3/1 but they now must beat New Zealand in their final game on Sunday to guarantee their qualification – and there is no guarantee of any play due to a rather mixed weather forecast.

India, who have won their opening two games on the back of centuries from Shikhar Dhawan, are the market leaders at 7/4 with bet365.

South Africa are struggling for bowlers on account of injury, but they are still second best in the betting at 7/2.

McIlroy 3/1 for Merion misery

Posted by Alex Livie 1 week ago

The rain has been pouring down in Ardmore ahead of the US Open, as players from far and wide gather in Pennsylvania for the season’s second major championship.

Course workers have it all to do in removing the extra water hazards from Merion, as yet more thunderstorms are forecast before the tournament gets underway on Thursday.

One player that does not appear to like the rain is Rory McIlroy. The world No. 2 recently suffered on a wet Wentworth course, missing the cut at the BMW PGA Championship; McIlroy is 3/1 with bet365to suffer the same fate and miss out on the weekend action.

We really like the look of 20/1 being offered for Phil Mickelson to win the tournament; ‘Lefty’ has finished second (or tied for) on five occasions at the US Open, and with his recent revival in form at the St Jude Classic, the American looks a tempting bet to go one better.

Majors always offer an array of great prices for those each-way punts - and this one is no different. Bet365 are offering quarter odds for a place finish, covering the first six in the final standings.

So who will you fancy? Billy Horschel claimed his first title with victory at the Zurich Classic and is a good each way shout at 80/1, as is the ever-solid 2003 champion Jim Furyk at 40/1.

Masters Champion Adam Scott lies at 22/1 to make successive major wins, while runner-up Angel Cabrera is a 100/1 to repeat his 2007 triumph come Sunday night.

Tigers 5/2 to be top new boy

Posted by Alex Livie 1 week ago

The three news boys feature prominently in the betting to be relegated from the Premier League, which is understandable given the financial gulf between the Championship and the top flight.

All three could go down but it’s not a market that is overly attractive. A market that does catch the eye, though, is the match bet for who will finish highest among the new boys Cardiff, Hull and Crystal Palace.

Palace are the outsiders of the three at 10/3 and given they have lost their star man in Wilfried Zaha and there is doubt as to how much Ian Holloway will have to spend, it is no surprise.

Cardiff were the outstanding side in the Championship last term and in light of that and their potential to bridge the gap, they are 8/11. Hull split the pair at 5/2 and could be the value. Steve Bruce knows what it takes to build a side capable of flourishing in the Premier League and if he can get a few new faces in in key positions, the Tigers may well surprise.

Nadal to triumph in four at 5/2

Posted by Alex Livie 1 week, 3 days ago

The odds are heavily stacked against David Ferrer as he prepares to face Rafael Nadal in the final of the French Open on Sunday. And the statistics do not read well for the 31-year-old either, as in 23 career meetings against Nadal he has lost a staggering 19, including 15 of the last 16.

Nadal on the other hand is one victory away from an eighth triumph on the red dirt at Roland Garros in nine appearances, and will break the record of most wins at the event (58) should he find a way past Ferrer.

Nadal found the strength to superbly topple world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals on Friday, winning 9-7 in the deciding set, while Ferrer clinically disposed of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

As the greatest clay court player of all-time, it is difficult to oppose Nadal as Djokovic threw everything at him, yet he still emerged unscathed. However, Nadal has started five of his six matches slowly, and this is where Ferrer may have a chance of making an impact. Daniel Brands and Martin Klizan took the first set off Nadal, while Fabio Fognini and Kei Nishikori pushed the seven-time champion all the way in their first set battles, as did Djokovic.

Ferrer is entering uncharted territory as he plays in his first grand slam final, and with his opponent on the other side of the net chasing a 12th major, he will have his work cut out to contain the undisputed ‘King of Clay’.

The opening set is vital for Ferrer. If it goes his way, then he will force Nadal to dig deep. If it falls in Nadal’s favour, then Ferrer will struggle to peg the champion back.

Either way, Nadal to be crowned Roland Garros champion by three sets to one at 5/2 with bet365 would be the decent bet.

Rosberg is well priced at 13/2 in Montreal

Posted by Martin Williamson 1 week, 4 days ago

Despite a Mercedes success in Monaco it's Sebastian Vettel who is the bookies' favourite for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix at 13/5, with Fernando Alonso not far behind at 3/1.

Fresh from his victory Nico Rosberg is well priced at 13/2, but the angry (with Sergio Perez at least) Kimi Raikkonen should be more competitive than in Monaco and is definitely worth a look at 5/1.

Romain Grosjean - an impressive second here last year - is 14/1 to reach the podium once again, while the two Force India's are tempting outside bets with Adrian Sutil 20/1 and Paul di Resta 25/1 to finish in the top three.

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May hay at Wimbledon as Federer suffers

Posted by Martin Williamson 1 week, 5 days ago

Roger Federer’s straight sets loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals of the French Open caused his odds on him winning an eighth Wimbledon crown slip out to 9/2. That ranks him behind Novak Djokovic (15/8), Andy Murray (9/4) and Rafael Nadal (4/1) while Tsonga is a distant 14/1.

Federer is clearly not the power he once was but his defeat on clay should not overshadow the fact that on grass in SW19 he is still a major force, all the more so as he seeks one more Grand Slam title before he heads into retirement.

He has reached an amazing 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals and it should also be noted that all those ahead of him have issues. Nadal and Murray are dogged by injuries while Djokovic is distracted by off-court issues, making the consistent Federer worth a punt.

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Gayle force just Champion at 8/1

Posted by Alex Livie 2 weeks ago

While the attention of English cricket fans will be firmly on the Ashes series in July, focus first shifts to the shorter format of the game as the ICC Champions Trophy kicks off throughout the UK on June 6.

West Indies power-hitter Chris Gayle is prominent in the leading runs scorer list, and is priced as a tasty 8/1 second favourite with bet365 to finish the 2013 tournament as the top scoring batsman.

Gayle has tipped Australia to struggle in the upcoming Ashes Tests, but they cannot be dismissed in the hunt for a third successive Trophy win. The Aussies sit 5/1 to pick up a hat-trick title.

However the batsman, who is well known for his style of lumping the ball out of grounds far and wide, believes England are extremely difficult to beat on their own turf. Agree with his thoughts? England remain at 9/2 to win outright.

Finally, Graeme Swann has enjoyed a solid comeback from his recent injury setback. The spinner is a 4/1 shot to finish England’s top bowler and looks the pick to be the home nation’s leading wicket taker.