RB Leipzig (11/4) will face Bayern Munich (7/25) in the 2018/19 DFB-Pokal final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Saturday night. On paper, Bayern are deserving favourites but cup finals can be deceiving – it would be foolish to write Leipzig off ahead of this one.
Let’s start with Bayern. The powerhouses of German football for the last 20 years, Bayern have been there and done it on the biggest stage of all. With seven successive Bundesliga titles, there is no doubting that Bayern are still the strongest team in Germany.
With that in mind, punters may be tempted by the 11/20 for Bayern to win in 90 minutes. Bayern have lost just one of their last four matches against Leipzig and the Bavarians will be quietly confident ahead of Saturday’s clash in Berlin.
Furthermore, Leipzig have scored in just one of the previous four meetings between the two sides. Bayern snatched a narrow one-nil win over their opponents back in December before a goalless draw in March. 41/20 for Bayern to win to nil looks a solid bet here.
The Bavarians have lost just one domestic contest since a 3-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in February and momentum is well and truly with Niko Kovac’s side. Securing another domestic double is an absolute must after crashing out of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Leipzig have nothing to lose. All of the expectation is on Bayern and that could play into their hands. They are inexperienced at this level but Leipzig will fancy their chances after a run of just one defeat in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Leipzig are out at 9/2 to win inside 90 minutes and plenty of punters will be tempted by that football betting price given their form. Yes, they have struggled against Bayern in recent times but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Leipzig raise their game for this one.
21/50 for Leipzig to score a goal isn’t the worst price in the world. This is a final and Leipzig will push until the very end. Bayern will almost certainly dominate possession but Ralf Rangnick’s side have enough quality to create chances of their own in the final third.
Bayern Munich have dominated the DFB-Pokal since the competition was formed in 1935 with 18 tournament triumphs. Meanwhile, RB Leipzig are yet to lift Germany’s domestic cup and this is their first appearance in the DFB-Pokal final.
That big game experience could prove decisive in the outcome of this contest. Bayern will almost expect to win but they won’t be taking anything for granted. The Evens for Kovac’s side to lead at half-time is one of the bets of the weekend.
The heart may say an emotional triumph for Leipzig but the head says Bayern will emerge victorious. Back against the Bundesliga champions at your peril; this is their stage and a 19thDFB-Pokal success could be on the cards.
TIP: Bayern to be leading at half-time (Evens with 888sport)
LONGSHOT: Robert Lewandowski to score first and Bayern to win (7/2 with 888sport)
PREDICTED SCORE: RB Leipzig 0-2 Bayern Munich (15/2 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.
He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.
As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible.
The clay court season all leads to one place: Paris. The French Open is the second Grand Slam of the calendar year as the schedule ramps up, leading us into Wimbledon later in the summer.
Roland Garros welcomes Rafael Nadal, who is looking to win his 12th French Open title after defeating Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open last Sunday. Without further ado, let's look at both the Men’s tournament and the Women’s tournament...
French Open 2019: Men's Draw
Nadal is unsurprisingly the French Open favourite in 888’s sports betting odds, sitting at 11/10 to make it 12.
It was vintage Nadal in Rome, defeating Djokovic 6-0 in the first set and battling his way to a three-set victory against his Serbian nemesis. He’s looking to make it three in a row at Roland Garros, an accomplishment he has achieved twice before.
The clay court season hasn’t been without fault for the 11-time champion, however.
Semi-final losses to Fabio Fognini, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monaco, Barcelona and Madrid are a concern, and suggest a weakness we have seldom seen from Nadal at this time of year.
The victory over Djokovic erased those slip ups from the memory, though, and the emphatic 6-3, 6-4 win against Tsitsipas in Rome was significant in Nadal’s final tournament before heading to Paris.
Djokovic, the 2016 French Open champion, bounced back after the first set embarrassment against Nadal. He boasts the most clay court wins against the dominant Spaniard but has still lost 17 of their 24 meetings on the surface.
Ranked number one in the world, and having won the last two Grand Slams, there is no reason for Djokovic to fear anyone in the draw, including Nadal.
He showed great form in Madrid, not dropping a set and beating Tsitsipas and Thiem along the way. Three-set victories over Juan Martin del Potro and Diego Schwartzman were good preparation for the marathon of a Grand Slam fortnight.
The Serbian is back to his very best. If anyone can go toe-to-toe with peak Nadal at Roland Garros, it’s Djokovic. His 5/2 price is one of the leading French Open tips.
Thiem lost the final to Nadal last season, and is yet to deliver on his obvious Grand Slam winning potential.
There’s plenty of time for the 25-year-old, though, and he’s already placed himself as the best outside the big two.
Priced at 6/1 to win his first Grand Slam, Thiem will be a popular option in the French Open betting markets. Clay is his favoured service, and his game is well-suited.
A round of 32 loss to Fernando Verdasco in Rome was a setback, but we saw exactly what the Austrian is capable of in Barcelona, as he won the tournament without dropping a set, emphatically winning the clincher 6-0 against Daniil Medvedev.
In a similar situation to Thiem, Alexander Zverev has been touted as a Grand Slam winner for several years, and is at his best on clay, but faces the unenviable task of finding a way past Nadal and/or Djokovic.
Zverev is a powerful player from the baseline, capable of chasing down balls that someone at 6’6” should not be able to. His big serve plays even on the slower clay.
Way out at 40/1, the towering German seems like good value for a few pennies – he certainly has the talent, even if his Grand Slam performances have been disappointing so far.
Entertainer and Australian Open semi-finalist Tsitsipas is a shorter price than Zverev at 20/1. Having defeated Nadal and Thiem in the build-up, he will be full of confidence as ever, but unforced errors remain a concern.
Minimising the ambitious groundstrokes is key for the 20-year-old. His price is good value but getting the better of Nadal and/or Djokovic might be a step too far. Tsitsipas has the talent, though, and we know how much he loves the big stage.
Last, and most certainly not least, is the great Roger Federer. Returning to the clay courts, Federer is as much of an outsider as he will ever be for a tournament, priced at 33/1.
Keeping up with the physical demands of clay, and finding his best game again on the surface, is a huge ask, but if anyone can do it…
Reigning champion Simona Halep tops the Women’s French Open betting at 9/2 to make it back-to-back titles. Halep has thrived on the Roland Garros clay, making the final in 2014 and 2017 before going all the way in 2018.
The Romanian suffered a disappointing defeat to Marketa Vondrousova in Rome, however. The clay court season hasn’t been brilliant for Halep, though she defeated Belinda Bencic and Ashleigh Barty in Madrid before losing to Kiki Bertens in the final.
Bertens has an underwhelming 11-7 record at the French Open, but she is capable of much more.
She followed victory in Madrid with a trip to the last four in Rome, falling to Johanna Konta in a three-set battle. Perhaps the form pick of the draw, Bertens is worth considering at 9/1.
Naomi Osaka lost to Bertens in Madrid and has not had the best time on clay. It’s her least favourite surface, but it’s impossible to overlook the 21-year-old considering her record in Grand Slams.
You have to go back to Wimbledon last year for her last Grand Slam defeat – her 14/1 price will attract plenty of bettors.
Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova follow Osaka at 15/1. Kvitova’s comeback has been one of sports great tales, but a calf injury in the Madrid Open might force her to miss Roland Garros.
The 15/1 price is obviously a big risk considering the injury, but if healthy, there’s no doubt Kvitova could lift the trophy and she could be a lucrative tennis betting option.
Pliskova has not had the best of times at the French Open, owning a 9-7 career record.
The 2017 semi-finalist is developing as a clay court player, however, and her victory against Konta in the final in Rome has shortened her price. The 15/1 odds aren’t great despite her recent success.
Last year’s runner-up Sloane Stephens is currently 16/1 to win her second Grand Slam. Stephens showed in the first set of last year’s final that she can unplayable on the clay.
Consistency is always a concern for the 26-year-old American, but after failing to make it past the last 16 previously, last season was a real breakthrough. Her preparation has been sub-par, though, including a round of 32 defeat to Konta in Madrid.
Serena Williams has only played two clay court matches this season, winning one and losing the other to her sister Venus. The three-time champion is lurking at 20/1. Would anyone bet against her?
The women’s draw, compared to the Nadal and Djokovic dominance of the men’s, is wide open. Halep will get a lot of backing to defend her title, but there’s a case to be made for at least 10 different people.
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
The Temple Stakes is a Group Two Flat race run at Haydock over five furlongs every May. The race, established in 1965, was previously run at Sandown Park until transferring to its current home of Haydock in 2008.
Notable winners of the race over the years have included: Never So Bold (1985), Dayjur (1990), Lochsong (1994), Kingsgate Native (2010/13), Sole Power (2011) and Battaash last year.
Here is a look at the trends and statistics of the race over the last ten years.
Age:
There has been just one six-year-old winner in the last ten years and that was in 2015 when Pearl Secret won at 10/1. If you were to take this bad record for six-year-olds at face value then you will end up scratching Kachy from your deliberations.
Similarly just one horse aged eight or above has won in the same time period, that being Kingsgate Native (14/1) in 2013. That may make punters think twice about backing Alpha Delphini and Caspian Prince.
Four-year-olds appear to be the most favoured age group, accounting for five of last ten winners. This year there are no four-year-olds in the field.
Previous Form:
Three out of ten winners were on their seasonable debut.
Six out of seven winners that had run already in that season finished in the first four last time out.
Nine out of ten winners had previously won a Listed or Group sprint in their career.
Seven out of ten winners had finished in the first three in a Group One race.
Other Significant Races:
King George Stakes winners, Beverley Bullet winners, Scarborough Stakes winners, World Trophy winners.
Price:
Eight of the last ten winners have been priced 10/1 or less.
Favourites have won three of the last ten races and show a tiny loss to a one pound level stake.
Temple Stakes: Runners
Mabs Cross (Michael Dods)
The likeable mare races in the colours of David and Emma Armstrong, directors of Armstrong Aggregates, who also bred her and are actually sponsoring the contest.
The consistent five-year-old mare finished fourth behind Battaash 12 months’ ago before running decent races in the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot and just losing my the width of a cigarette paper in the Nunthorpe at York.
She ended 2018 with her biggest success when landing the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp last October, with Battaash back in fourth.
Mabs Cross got this season off to a flyer when winning the G3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket for the second year in succession on her seasonal reappearance at the start of this month.
Alpha Delphini (Bryan Smart)
The eight-year-old sprang a 40/1 surprise when getting the better of Mabs Cross by a nose in last year’s Nunthorpe but trailed home 11th behind that same rival in the l’Abbaye.
The Graham Lee-ridden Alpha Delphini contested the 2017 Armstrong Aggregates Temple Stakes, when he was beaten under a length by Priceless.
Trainer Bryan Smart was quoted as saying “The Temple leads nicely into Ascot and the King’s Stand, and then of course the main aim this season will be to try to win a second Nunthorpe – that’s what it’s all about.”
Battaash (Charlie Hills)
Last year’s winner Battaash heads the betting for the £100,000 Temple Stakes.
Owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum, five-year-old Battaash enjoyed a fantastic 2017 when his four victories included a four-length success in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Chantilly, France. The son of Dark Angel ended 2017 as the highest-rated five-furlong performer anywhere in the world in the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings.
Battaash started 2018 with success in this race when he defeated Washington DC by a head. His other win in 2018 came when he recorded a second successive King George Stakes victory at Glorious Goodwood. Battaash has won on seven of his 15 starts, all of which have come over the minimum distance of five furlongs.
Hills said: "Battaash was maybe not as his absolute best last year and I was never really 100% happy with him. However, he still won a couple of races and hopefully we have another good year with him.
"This year, he is gleaming and has been a lot easier to train."
Caspian Prince (Michael Appleby)
Veteran performer Caspian Prince was a G2 winner back in 2017 and has plenty of early speed but it would come as a major shock if he could hold off the rest of his five rivals here.
Kachy (Tom Dascombe)
Kachy has contested the last three runnings of the Temple Stakes, putting in his best performance last year when a close third to Battaash.
The six-year-old was in superb form on the All-Weather over the winter, when he was unbeaten in three starts at six furlongs and broke the six-furlong track records at both Wolverhampton and Lingfield Park.
He was last seen out when making all the running in the All-Weather Sprint Championship at Lingfield Park on Good Friday and is partnered again by Richard Kingscote.
Pocket Dynamo (Robert Cowell)
Pocket Dynamo is the only three-year-old in the race and put up his best performance last year when a nose runner-up in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Temple Stakes: Summary
If you are looking for horse racing betting tips for this race then look no further as here at 888sport we are napping up the excellent MABS CROSS to take the 2019 Temple Stakes.
Michael Dods’ runner looks even better than last year and she looks to have a great season ahead of her. You can find her current horse racing odds here.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.
He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.
Steven graduated from the University Of Lancaster in 1996 with a B.A (Hons) in Urban Policy & Race Relations (major) with Contemporary Religions & Belief Systems (minor) and still wonders if any of these help him find the winners?
He writes for a number of websites and online publications and you can sometimes hear him at the weekend discussing racing on a number of local radio stations.
League One has been home to some of England’s biggest clubs in recent years. Charlton and Sunderland, who averaged over 32,000 home attendance in 2018/19, are another pair on that list.
It is a division of mismatch more than any other, with teams recently in the Conference meeting sides not far removed from the riches and fame of the top flight.
Sunderland were the preseason favourites for automatic promotion. The Black Cats have been in turmoil over the last few seasons, but their sheer stature was expected to be enough to get them over the line.
Instead, they slumped as the campaign ended, finishing down in fifth. Sunderland are now priced at 17/20 to get promoted in 888sport’s football betting odds ahead of Sunday's encounter.
Luton Town and Barnsley occupied the top two spots. Sunderland took two points from their final four league matches to drop like a stone out of the automatic race, making the season a disappointment.
The pressure as they make the long journey south to Wembley is immense. Victory for the Jack Ross’ side is a necessity.
Sunderland were involved in an ugly two-legged tie with Portsmouth to get this far. A first leg home victory put the northeast club in the box seat, but the second leg down on the south coast was a difficult watch.
There was more interest in off-the-ball confrontations than creating goal scoring chances.
Sunderland and Portsmouth had faced each other on four previous occasions this term, which obviously contributed to the atmosphere, but we could expect a similarly feisty performance at Wembley. The cards market could be of interest.
Charlton, in stark contrast, finished the season on a high. Climbing up to third, the London club won five of their last six, and played out a thrilling playoff semi-final against Doncaster Rovers.
If the Addicks adopt a similar approach here, both teams to score at 3/4 might be the best of the League One betting tips.
Sunderland only failed to score once this season, and the Charlton attack will cause the Black Cats plenty of problems if they can replicate their attacking football from the semi-final.
Over 2.5 total goals at Evens is decent value, and there could be some interest in over 3.5 at 11/4 from those fancying a Charlton victory.
Lyle Taylor put in an epic performance in the second leg against Doncaster, earning himself man of the match honours. Having found the net 21 times this season, Taylor will get a lot of backing to score on Sunday.
He’s 33/20 to score anytime, which is a solid price. Considering nine of his goals came in the first half an hour of matches, though, the 17/4 to open the scoring is probably better value.
There’s no doubt that Charlton head to Wembley with the much-discussed, unknown quantity of momentum.
Lee Bowyer’s side will have been on cloud nine after knocking out Doncaster, and the form book points in their favour. At 19/10 to win in 90 minutes, Charlton are a good price.
Charlton to win and Taylor to open the scoring is 15/2, possibly the best option for this match.
It’s hard to know which Sunderland we will see. They led League One in both teams to score percentage (72%), but the two legs with Portsmouth were the other end of the footballing spectrum.
If you’re backing a Sunderland win, the 29/20 in 90 minutes might seem a little short considering their recent form. The 4/1 on Sunderland to win and both teams to score is the way to go.
TIP: Charlton to win and Lyle Taylor to score (15/2 with 888sport)
PREDICTED SCORE: Charlton 3-1 Sunderland (20/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
Vincent Kompany leaves Manchester City as a club icon. The face of their glorious 2010s, the captain, the leader.
He departs on the highest of highs, winning his fourth Premier League, second FA Cup and fourth League Cup to complete a domestic treble for the first time in English football history.
It was not just as captain he was significant this season, though. His strike against Leicester will go down in Premier League history as one of the great what-if moments.
A goal so out of the blue, so jaw-droppingly magnificent, it will live long in the memory of many a football fan, and was the perfect ending to Kompany’s silverware-heavy Manchester City career.
Kompany, along with Sergio Aguero and David Silva, has been the ever-present through Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola’s successes.
Signed just before the influx of Sheikh Mansour’s riches, the Belgian central defender has been the heart of the modern Manchester City.
Named Premier League Player of the Year in 2011/12 and in the PFA Team of the Year in 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2013/14, Kompany was not short of personal honours to go with his array of team-earned medals.
At his best, the Belgian was arguably the best central defender in world football.
Despite making the Team of the Year in 2014, it was after that first, dramatic title that injuries derailed Kompany’s journey.
Captain fantastic and brickwall defender, he was on course for an all-time great career in 2012, but an array of physical issues kept his minutes down. He started just 139 Premier League matches across the following seven campaigns.
Had it not been for injuries (and how many careers can we say that about?), Kompany might be up with the greatest ever centre-backs. Instead, he must settle for a place among the Premier League’s best, but even that is up for debate.
Longevity and leading several successful teams takes Kompany to a certain level.
His peak performances were as good as any we have seen in the Premier League era, yet his 265 Premier League appearances is far short of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and is fewer even than Tony Adams, who played half his career in the First Division.
Debating any athlete’s greatness can be done by different criteria. Longevity will play a part for anyone creating an all-time Premier League XI, and peak ability, influence and legacy will matter to varying degrees for different people.
Kompany’s longevity, or his absences, may harm his case. His peak was immense, as was his influence on the transition from big-spending noisy neighbours to dominant force. His Premier League legacy will be one of leadership, and that goal against Leicester.
His position in the hypothetical Premier League Hall of Fame is undoubted. He’s a first-ballot inductee.
Whether he belongs in the all-time Premier League team, making him a top two central defender, is the point of debate.
And that, perhaps, is where there’s (and this sounds strange after such a spectacular time in Manchester) slight frustration. Like his goal against Brendan Rodgers’ side a few weeks ago, Kompany’s career has its fair share of what-ifs.
City’s record with and without him for many years was testament to his quality as a defender and leader. What if he had played 30 or more league matches every season? How many titles would City have won?
Kompany’s availability changed City. Had he remained fit, only dealing with the niggling injuries of age in his latter years, there’s little doubt he would belong in the Premier League’s greatest team. He would, most probably, be up with the modern iconic defenders.
It might seem a strangely negative spin for a player of his reputation and who had such a brilliant time in England, but it’s not intended to be. It’s a reminder of who Kompany at his very best was; a colossus defensively, as important to his team as any player in the world.
Manchester City do not need Kompany in the same way any more, reflected in their 4/6 price to win next season’s Premier League title in 888sport’s football betting.
It will, however, be peculiar to see the back-to-back champions without their talisman, who – even at 33 – was a constant presence in the closing weeks, in the biggest matches of all.
City are currently the best Premier League team there has been. Kompany’s role in their ascension is as significant as any other player; as a defender, as a club representative and as a man.
Amid all the spending, FFP talk and managerial changes, it was a Belgian central defender signed for £7 million from Hamburg in August 2008 who was the centre of Manchester City’s transformation.
Kompany may no longer be irreplaceable as a defender, but it will not be easy, even with City’s money, to find someone capable of filling his boots at the club.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
Newport County and Tranmere Rovers finished seventh and sixth respectively in the League Two table this season – Mansfield Town and Forest Green Rovers will feel aggrieved to have missed out on the chance at promotion.
Unfortunately for them, that is how the playoffs go. You get one chance in the postseason and it is up to you to take full advantage.
888sport are currently going 15/8 for Newport to win in 90 minutes with Tranmere slightly shorter at 29/20. The draw, and therefore extra-time, is available at 15/8 and that price may interest punters.
Three of the last four meetings between these two teams have ended level and that record might be enough to tempt bettors ahead of Saturday’s clash.
Playoff finals are quite often cagey but an early goal looks likely here – given the attacking nature of both teams.
The 12/25 for a first half goal is appealing but punters may prefer to take the EVS available with 888sport for both teams to score in 90 minutes. With so much at stake, Newport and Tranmere will be desperate to emerge victorious.
Newport are on a 12-match unbeaten run and the Welsh outfit will be quietly confident of getting the job done at Wembley.
Mike Flynn’s side head into this contest with momentum and punters may fancy the 9/4 for over 1.5 Newport goals this weekend. On paper, this is an open affair and it could be one of the best playoff finals of 2018/19.
Padraig Amond has been simply sublime for Newport this season, notching an impressive 22 goals in all competitions.
He bagged Newport’s late equaliser in their playoff semi-final first leg with Mansfield Town and the stage is set for another big performance. Punters can back Amond at 21/10 to get his name on the scoresheet on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tranmere had the sixth best defensive record in League Two during the regular season and Rovers will be hoping to keep this feisty Newport attack at bay.
At the time of writing, 888sport are going 4/5 for Tranmere to win at least one half – a tasty price for any bet calculator if you fancy Micky Mellon’s side to put on a show. The travelling fans will expect a big effort.
Tranmere have the x-factor in James Norwood though and the League Two Player of the Year could make the difference on Saturday afternoon.
With 30 league goals already this campaign, Norwood is a real threat in the final third and the Rovers star is a gift of a price at 13/8 to score in 90 minutes. Watch this space, keeping Norwood quiet will be very difficult indeed.
Neutrals may be tempted by the 21/20 for a goal in both halves. An early goal should open the game up a bit and we could see both teams go hell for leather if it develops into a goal-fest.
With players like Norwood and Amond on show, the Wembley crowd could be in for a real treat.
Looking at the latest football betting with 888sport, over 2.5 goals at 29/20 represents solid value. The selection has landed in each of the previous two League Two playoff finals and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see another high-scoring contest.
Expect both teams to see chances fall their way and Newport might just about edge an absolute thriller.
TIP: Over 2.5 goals @ 29/20
LONGSHOT: Newport to win and both teams to score (6/1 with 888sport)
PREDICTED SCORE: Newport 3-2 Tranmere (35/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.
He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.
As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible.
Rafael Nadal dominating on clay barely warrants a headline now. His tennis betting excellence is the status quo, his victories are far from a surprise.
Nadal sealed his ninth Italian Open title on Sunday, yet another astonishing clay-court accomplishment in a career of them. His old rival Novak Djokovic suffered a 6-0 defeat in the first set, the first in 141 previous sets between the pair.
The combination of a well-directed serve, immense stamina and errorless groundstrokes makes Nadal a monster on the clay courts.
He’s had his fair share on success on other surfaces, but nothing, and perhaps no one, comes close to him on the clay. The records are endless.
You have to go all the way back to 2001 for the last person to win more than one French Open, when Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten made it two in two years.
The Spaniard won four straight from 2005 to 2008, five straight from 2010 to 2014 and won in 2017 and 2018. It is, then, of no surprise that he’s the overwhelming favourite to win Roland Garros yet again in the latest sports betting odds.
While his status as the greatest clay court player of all-time was cemented before 2017, it is that comeback from what seemed career-ending injuries that takes Nadal to a podium above the rest.
No player in the Open Era has won more than six French Open titles. Bjorn Borg is the man with six and fellow Swede Mats Wilander is the next most successful with three.
If Nadal’s career started in 2010 and ended in 2014, he would have been the second-most successful in history.
The lows of 2014 and 2015, the wrist injury, the appendicitis and the end of his 39-match Roland Garros winning streak were a mere twist in this fairytale clay-court career.
The 2016 season was just as challenging, as further wrist issues forced him to withdraw from the French Open and not attend Wimbledon, however.
As he turned 30, Nadal’s time at the elite of the game was coming to a sad end.
He had already equalled Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam tally (14) and become the eighth player in men’s history to win 200 Grand Slam matches. He had a 10-year streak of winning at least one Major.
It was the 2017 campaign that marked the turnaround for Nadal.
He played his first Grand Slam final since 2014 in Melbourne, losing an epic match to Roger Federer. His game had returned to what we expected, a blend of granite mentality and superhuman fitness.
Then, as Nadal returned to Paris, searching for a 10th French Open, he put on one of the greatest Grand Slam runs of all-time. The Spaniard won the tournament without dropping a set, losing just 35 games (the second-fewest by a male player).
By the end of the year, Nadal was back as world number one.
That bring us back to his old foe Djokovic. In October 2018, Nadal handed number one back to his great rival despite winning an 11th French Open that year.
He followed that with a perfect run to the Australian Open in January 2019 before losing to Djokovic in the final.
Nadal’s win over Djokovic in Rome on Sunday was his first title in months and it came just days before he attempts to threepeat (again) at Roland Garros.
The rivalry has meandered as the pair have dealt with injuries and their form has fluctuated. Djokovic boasts some streaks against Nadal, but the Spaniard still holds the edge on his beloved clay, winning 17 of their 24 meetings.
They have had to overcome challenges in recent years. Djokovic, like Nadal, has faced adversity, and it has appeared that both were losing their place at the top.
The way they have returned to not just compete for trophies, but to the same level of superiority, is remarkable.
With Roland Garros coming up, expect Djokovic and Nadal to feature heavily in 888sport’s top tennis tips.
While it might not be much fun for the rest of the men’s game, the return of Nadal to the pinnacle of the sport is a brilliant tale of perseverance and, simply put, greatness.
His victory on Sunday – particularly winning a set to love – reminded us of the level he is still at. Just a few days before his 33rd birthday, after all of those injuries, and Nadal is playing clay-court tennis at a level few, if anyone, can live with.
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
James Maddison has had an incredible debut season in the Premier League. The 22-year-old moved to Leicester City from Championship side Norwich City for an estimated £20 million and the Foxes have had an instant return on their investment.
Maddison featured 36 times for Leicester this campaign, scoring seven goals while notching seven assists. His impact and influence at the King Power Stadium has been clear for all to see…
Well, clear for everyone except England manager Gareth Southgate it seems. His impressive run of form wasn’t enough to earn a place in the latest England squad ahead of the UEFA Nations League this summer – much to the dismay of Premier League fans across the country.
The Three Lions, currently 2/1 with 888sport to win the Nations League, have gone with a similar squad to the one that reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
Southgate promised to pick players purely on form rather than the prestige of their club but Maddison has been hard done by. The Leicester star’s frustration will only be enhanced by the inclusion of Manchester City’s Fabian Delph and Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard.
Delph’s last Premier League outing was in a 3-0 win away at Huddersfield Town in January and he finished the 2018/19 campaign with just 11 appearances to his name.
Delph himself must have been surprised to receive the good news – the former Aston Villa midfielder has made just three appearances in all competitions since mid-January.
One of those performances was an 18-minute cameo off the substitute’s bench with City five goals to the good and he was hauled off after 57 minutes with the Blues two-nil down at Swansea City in another. Delph’s inclusion is perhaps the most baffling of all.
The Red Devils midfielder can line up in a number of positions but he has been directly involved in just 10 goals in 43 appearances for club and country in 2018/19.
Versatility is an excellent trait but does it warrant a place in what is now a competitive England midfield? Most would argue that it does not.
England under-21s are well fancied to challenge at the U21 Euro Finals this summer and the Leicester man, along with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, will be looking to help Aidy Boothroyd’s side win the competition.
Valued at 3/1 in 888sport’s football betting odds, England have one of the strongest youth squads in world football and perhaps Southgate believes that Maddison needs to gain more international experience at U21 level before making the step up.
That claim doesn’t sit well with me though. Maddison has proven himself at Premier League level this season, holding his own on the biggest domestic stage in the sport.
The phrase ‘if they’re good enough, they’re old enough’ is thrown around a lot in football but it is certainly applicable here. Gaining experience with the under-21s isn’t going to do his career any harm but he is talented enough to ply his trade for the full national team.
If nothing else, Maddison gives you a creative spark. The Leicester star was the ONLY player to create over 100 goal-scoring opportunities in the Premier League last season and he is the kind of player who can make an impact off the bench.
It is simple, situational football – who do you want to bring on if you’re chasing a goal with 25 minutes to go, James Maddison or Fabian Delph? It isn’t even a question.
Maddison is the first English player to create 100 chances in a single Premier League season since Leighton Baines in 2012/13 but Southgate has blatantly ignored that fact.
The likes of Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho obviously pull rank but you could argue that Maddison is just as influential as Ross Barkley and/or Nathan Redmond. Players involved in the Europa League and Champions League may be tired heading into this summer’s competition…
England have a real opportunity to build on last year’s success at the 2018 World Cup with a triumphant trip to Portugal. The UEFA Nations League is there for the taking and England tick all the right boxes to lift the trophy in Porto.
Maddison’s exclusion has got England fans talking about Southgate’s priorities – let’s just hope he doesn’t come to regret putting the under-21s first come the end of the summer.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Alex is a sports betting tipster, specialising in Premier League football, the Champions League and horse racing.
He loves placing a weekly accumulator on the football at the weekend and dreams of landing the big winner that will take him back to Las Vegas.
As well as writing sports betting tips for 888sport since 2015, Alex has produced content for several international media companies, such as Goal.com and The SPORTBible.
The Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes sees a field of fourteen go to post for the Group One contest at Newbury on Saturday afternoon.
Horses that have run in the previous season’s Prix du Moulin, QEII Stakes, St James Palace, Greenham Stakes and Prince Of Wales Stakes are certainly the ones to watch as they either win or place in this contest.
8/10 winners were aged four, the other two were aged 5.
That would be a negative against Stormy Atlantic, Mustashry and Lord Glitters chances.
Fillies & Mares:
Only four females have won since 2004. Rhododendron was the only filly in the field last year and she showed the boys how it’s done by landing the spoils.
Form:
Previous Course Form – 8/10 winners had at least one previous run at Newbury, 7/10 had at least one previous win at Newbury.
Previous Distance Form – 10/10 winners had at least four previous runs over a mile, 7/10 winners had at least two wins over a mile, 10/10 winners had at least one win over a mile.
Trainer Form:
Aidan O’Brien won this race in 2003 with Hawk Wing and last year with Rhododendron but in the years in between he has struggled to get one of his runners placed.
The Hannon yard has won this race five times in total with their last win coming in 2015.
Starting Price:
The starting price trends have been absolutely on the button over the last ten years. The winner has always been 9/1 or less and has come from the first four in the betting.
The four horses that are likely to head the market on Saturday are: Le Brivido, Laurens, Lord Glitters and Beat The Bank.
7 of the last 10 winners were favourites/joint favourites.
Lockinge Stakes: Runners
Accidental Agent
The five-year-old, bred and owned by Eve’s mother, Gaie Johnson Houghton, finished sixth behind Rhododendron in this contest last year. The surprise 25/1 Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes winner will have to be back to his best to figure here. A recent wind-op may help his cause.
Beat The Bank
The Paco Boy gelding made an impressive start to the season when winning the Group 2 bet365 Mile at Sandown Racecourse last month. It was the five-year-old’s fourth Group 2 success in his career and Balding is confident he can make his mark in a Group 1.
Le Brivido
A very useful sort as a three-year-old when trained by Andre Fabre in 2017 and took in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot. Looked in need of the run in the Gladness Stakes at Naas last month.
Lord Glitters
Lord Glitters ran a huge race when third in the Dubai Turf at Meydan and it is O’Meara’s intention to take in all the big mile races this season. His last win came in the Strensall Stakes at York, when just fending off Mustashry.
Mustashry
Very closely matched with Lord Glitters on their York meeting. Mustashry also ran a remarkable race under Jim Crowley at Doncaster last season when holding off both D'bai and Oh This Is Us which is top notch form.
Mythical Magic
Returns to Group 1 level on his first start in Britain since October 2017. He ran well in the Al Fahidi, then he went and won the Zabeel Mile and this will be his first run since those overseas exploits.
Ostlilo
Ostilio won four of his seven starts in 2018 including the Prix Daniel Wildenstein at Longchamp. Connections will be hoping he can put a lacklustre start to this season behind him here.
Romanised
Last year’s surprise Irish 2,000 Guineas winner would be an equally surprising winner of this after recently finishing just fifth in the Gladness Stakes at Naas. Admittedly he had to concede 5lbs that day but he does not look the most obvious choice in this.
Sharja Bridge
Beat The Bank and Sharja Bridge finished 1-2 at Sandown last time out and there is no obvious reason why the Roger Varian-trained horse shouldn’t put it up to the gelding again. Already a winner this season, Sharja Bridge will be match sharp for this.
Sir Dancealot
Enjoyed his most lucrative season to date last year, with Group 2 victories in the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood and in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury. Steps back up to a mile for the first time since contesting a Group 1at Doncaster in October 2016.
Without Parole
Since winning last year's St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot the four-year-old has found things difficult in this sort of company. He finished fifth in the Dubai Turf on his last run and will need the rub of green in a race of this nature.
Billesdon Brook
Richard Hannon's 2018 1000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook has never quite reached those heady heights again and will probably come up just short again here. She could however make the frame at a decent price in the horse racing odds.
I Can Fly
I Can Fly went down by just a necking to Roaring Lion in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot last season but her form since has been very patchy. She could easily bounce back but she is definitely a risky betting proposition.
Laurens
A five-time Group 1 winner already, Laurens is a top-class thoroughbred and her four-year-old season promises to be another cracker. Her defeat in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes came after a long season but she will be trained up to peak fitness for her seasonal debut here.
Lockinge Stakes: Conclusion
A competitive looking field but it is very difficult get away from the popular Jon Dance-owned filly Laurens. Her form looks solid and she will take all the beating.
888sport suggests: Laurens
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.
He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.
Steven graduated from the University Of Lancaster in 1996 with a B.A (Hons) in Urban Policy & Race Relations (major) with Contemporary Religions & Belief Systems (minor) and still wonders if any of these help him find the winners?
He writes for a number of websites and online publications and you can sometimes hear him at the weekend discussing racing on a number of local radio stations.
Since then, Manchester United’s form reads: loss, loss, win, loss, loss, win, loss, loss, loss, draw, draw, loss.
The jubilation of the Parisian comeback was soon forgotten. FA Cup elimination to Wolves followed, and United were played off the park by Barcelona at the Camp Nou to end their Champions League journey in the following round.
Manchester United finished 32 points behind their local rivals and back-to-back champions Manchester City. They were 32 points ahead of relegated Cardiff.
Such was their last season demise, they as good as ruled themselves out of the top four running when they failed to beat Chelsea on 28th April.
A draw with Huddersfield and defeat Cardiff was a fitting end to a season that was close to worst-case scenario territory.
Not only did United have to sack Jose Mourinho, while watching City march towards a domestic treble, they also missed out on a huge amount of revenue by failing to qualify for the Champions League.
Then there’s the salt-in-the-wounds part – they are the only top six side not to have either won the league or appeared in a European final this season.
Mourinho’s barbs, Solskjaer’s occasional irritability and chronic underachievement have harmed United in ways that will impact them beyond this season.
Criticism from managers damages the market value for players. The inconsistency on the pitch doesn’t exactly put them in the shop window.
With Solskjaer clearly keen to rebuild the squad, Manchester United have a limited number of assets that will be able to attract a notable transfer fee. The club’s failings, and some misjudged comments from both Mourinho and Solskjaer, have backed them into a corner.
There’s no doubt that Ed Woodward will get the chequebook out again this summer, is there?
Solskjaer has made it clear he wants to overhaul the playing staff. The question Manchester United should be asking themselves (and who knows if they are) is: why are we doing this again?
Vast amounts of money have been spent in recent seasons. Good, some very good, players have been bought. On-field performances have not improved.
Unless United acknowledge their errors in summers past, this transfer window is destined for the same results. It is easy to blame some (or maybe all) of it on Mourinho, just as it was with Louis van Gaal and David Moyes.
All of that trio deserved varying degrees of blame for the situation, but there are deeper issues at the club.
Since Alex Ferguson retired, they have lacked direction, with transfer pursuits all too often public and signings not fitting together. The last part of that sentence is the key bit of the 2019 offseason.
Manchester United have bought players like they’re collecting trading cards. Buying ‘attackers’ without thinking how they actually work together on the pitch, and hoarding players without a blueprint of how they want to play.
Having flexibility in the squad is a good thing, of course, but United’s squad hasn’t felt flexible. It has been rigid, with a back three requiring square pegs in round holes and a back four often leaving a topsy-turvy midfield.
The decision-making at the club has been, to put it mildly, peculiar. That even extends to hiring Solskjaer, who other than playing for the club, had little reason to be considered for the job.
The pursuit of a Director of Football is heading a similar way, with Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher reportedly two leading candidates for the role.
Maybe they’ll be great at it, but it seems like a gamble for the world’s richest club at a time when they cannot afford slip ups.
This summer is decisive for United, though it’s not the first time that’s been said in recent years. Paul Pogba might be heading to Real Madrid, Solskjaer isn’t too keen on Anthony Martial and they are already at the top of the news agenda.
Links to Gareth Bale – who they are 7/4 to sign in 888sport’s football betting – and Aaron Wan-Bissaka seem inevitable. Chasing Bale when their attack is the least of their worries just about sums up United’s recruitment of late.
Instead of new signings, clearing space in the squad should be the priority.
The defence is clogged up with players who should have been moved on years ago, and that’s the area they should be looking to strengthen most of all. They are 5/2to sign Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.
It’s impossible to predict if anything will be different at Old Trafford. The Director of Football situation and Solskjaer’s comments don’t suggest a significant change, but they have enough financial power to make strides forward without getting everything right.
Blaming the players is easy, and they’ve not been faultless, but for a club that prides itself on its supposed identity, it is concerning that there has been no plan for several years.
While Spurs have been spending pennies, Chelsea have been in turmoil, and Arsenal in an almighty transition, the world’s richest club have been unable to make up ground.
That isn’t about desire, commitment or a player not tracking back in an end of season match.
Being a top four team should be relatively simple when they can vastly outspend their competitors. Solskjaer and Mourinho take a fair share of the blame, but plenty of this is about squad construction, and committing to a longer-term approach.
Are Manchester United in a better position than they were when they sacked David Moyes? How many of their transfers have been successes?
United went for short-term success with Mourinho and gambled with Solskjaer. Those two hires don’t ‘fit’. Signing Alexis Sanchez didn’t make much sense, nor did Fred or extending Ashley Young and Chris Smalling.
A Director of Football is desperately needed to increase the chances of a successful summer. Hiring the right person, though, remains a challenge in itself, and few would back United to pick the best person for the job.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
