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European Football: Sevilla Head Best Continental Bets This Weekend

European football is back! With top domestic leagues in Germany, Spain, Italy and France already underway or starting up this weekend, I’ve compiled the first of many European accumulators this season. Have a browse down the page for my 11/1 four-fold on the latest round of matches...

VFL WOLFSBURG vs SCHALKE 04

Wolfsburg survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last season but Bruno Labbadia’s men will be expecting to finish much higher up the German table in 2018/19.

The Wolves drew 15 of their 34 Bundesliga fixtures during the previous campaign and turning a few of those draws into wins will be the difference in their pursuit of survival.

Schalke have scored in their previous 28 Bundesliga matches – an incredible feat to say the least. However, we could see a new-look Schalke take to the field for this clash.

The opening fixture is always difficult to predict and it may be wise to expect an underwhelming affair at Volkswagen Arena.

The selection has landed in four of the last five meetings between the two sides and another low-scoring encounter could be on the cards. Take the 7/10 for less than three goals in this fixture.

TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 7/10

PREDICTED SCORE: Wolfsburg 1-1 Schalke (Priced at 11/2 with 888sport)

JUVENTUS vs LAZIO

The stage is set for Cristiano Ronaldo to fire Juventus to victory. The home crowd will expect big things from the Portugal legend this season and he can lead Massimiliano Allegri’s men to an eighth successive Serie A crown.

This one could get ugly for the visitors if Juventus get off to a fast start on Saturday night. It was all change for Lazio this summer – a number of key personalities decided to move on ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

Simone Inzaghi’s side gave a decent account of themselves against Napoli on the opening weekend but ultimately fell short and another defeat beckons here. You won’t find too many punters backing Lazio to win in Turin…

Ronaldo could make an immediate impact on his home debut and 19/20 for the Portuguese to score in a Juventus victory should be snapped up. Watch this space, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could light up Serie A this weekend.

TIP: Ronaldo to score and Juventus to win @ 19/20

PREDICTED SCORE: Juventus 2-0 Lazio (Priced at 6/1 with 888sport)

LILLE vs GUINGAMP

Lille are primed for a positive 2018/19 season after their struggles during the previous year.

The Europa League and Frederic Antonetti’s departure had an adverse effect on Lille last campaign and all signs point towards a better performance this time around. A goalless draw at Monaco last time out is an indication of that improvement.

Meanwhile, Guingamp are yet to pick up a point this season after defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and St Etienne.

Siding with the visitors would be brave – they have came out on top just once in their last five trips to Lille and EVS represents solid value for a home triumph this weekend.

Taking everything into account, it may prove prudent to side with Lille. The hosts lost just three Ligue 1 games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in 2017/18 and three of those came against Monaco, Marseille and PSG.

TIP: Lille to win @ EVENS

PREDICTED SCORE: Lille 2-1 Guingamp (Priced at 15/2 with 888sport)

SEVILLA vs VILLARREAL

This will be Sevilla’s seventh competitive match of the 2018/19 campaign and we are still in August. Despite their hectic schedule, I’m expecting Sevilla to emerge victorious on home soil in this clash – 3/4 is an excellent price.

The hosts were ruthless against Rayo Vallecano in their last La Liga encounter and another win looks likely. Villarreal have won just two of their previous eight away league games and that is a major factor in my pick.

Javier Calleja’s side took a 16^th minute lead against Real Sociedad but that wasn’t enough – Sociedad scored either side of half-time to secure the perfect result on the opening weekend. This one could get away from Villarreal if Sevilla are on top form…

Two teams with bags of potential but two contrasting starts to the new season. Going with the form book is the best bet here; Sevilla should have enough quality to put Villarreal to the sword.

TIP: Sevilla to win @ 3/4

PREDICTED SCORE: Sevilla 2-0 Villarreal (Priced at 8/1 with 888sport)

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

August 23, 2018

Football

By Alex McMahon

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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.

Alex McMahon

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Leicester City Top Premier League Tips This Weekend

Premier League teams are preparing for their third matches of the season.

We are beginning to get a sense, albeit a vague one, of how teams will perform and which managers could be under pressure. Here are a few thoughts on this Saturday’s 3pm Premier League kick-offs…

ARSENAL vs WEST HAM UNITED

It’s been a rough start for these two London clubs. Arsenal had a nightmare with the fixture computer, which gave them Manchester City and Chelsea to start the season.

Meanwhile, West Ham were thrashed by Liverpool to start the campaign and crumbled at home to Bournemouth last time out.

Jack Wilshere sends clear message to Unai Emery ahead of Arsenal vs West Ham https://t.co/wDwuP7fSMI pic.twitter.com/C5dVrfivSd
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) August 22, 2018

There have been good signs for Unai Emery so far. It’s been less positive for Manuel Pellegrini, who has his work cut out to sort out a painfully unbalanced midfield.

The Hammers’ summer recruitment could be undermined by their failure to reinforce the midfield sufficiently. Unless Jack Wilshere produces a special display on his return to north London, the Gunners should win this easily.

TIP: Over 3.5 goals @ 59/50

PREDICTED SCORE: Arsenal 3-1 West Ham (Priced at 9/1 with 888sport)

AFC BOURNEMOUTH vs EVERTON

This should a good one to watch. Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth are going to play their brand of expansive football and Marco Silva’s Everton will be much the same.

The Cherries are off to a flyer with two wins from two and were very impressive in their comeback win against West Ham last time out.

The Toffees have started in a similar manner, picking up four points from their first two matches including a 2-2 draw at Wolves despite going down to 10 early on.

Goals are the way to go here. These two teams are going to be involved in a few thrillers this season. Let’s hope this is one of them.

TIP: Over 2.5 goals @ 8/11

PREDICTED SCORE: Bournemouth 2-2 Everton (Priced at 11/1 with 888sport)

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN vs CARDIFF CITY

These two were fancied to go down before the season started and neither have shown anything to suggest otherwise so far. Huddersfield’s fixtures have been difficult at least, but Cardiff have just looked desperately short of quality.

Neil Warnock’s side were unable to create much even after Newcastle went down to 10 last weekend.

When @CardiffCityFC meet Huddersfield this weekend, Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock will have managed in this fixture in England's top three leagues ? pic.twitter.com/jH1OFzVctm
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 22, 2018

Defensively they might be solid enough, but it’s hard to see them scoring enough goals. David Wagner’s side really have to win matches like this if they are to stay up.

Home advantage just tips the scales in Huddersfield’s favour. It’s unlikely to be first on Match of the Day, though.

TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 1/2

PREDICTED SCORE: Huddersfield 1-0 Cardiff (Priced at 5/1 with 888sport)

SOUTHAMPTON vs LEICESTER CITY

Mark Hughes’ Southampton were poor at Everton last weekend. The Saints were vulnerable at the back and have been short of ideas in the final third in their two matches so far.

Leicester present a significant test for Hughes, who could soon beunder pressure despite scraping Southampton to safety last season.

The Foxes looked good at Old Trafford in the season opener and built on that with a home victory against Wolves, but head to the south coast without Jamie Vardy, who is suspended. As we saw against Manchester United, the Foxes are short of cutting edge when Vardy is missing.

The visitors look like the value option for this one. Southampton at 7/5 is still on the short side given their performances against Burnley and Everton.

TIP: Leicester to win or draw @ 3/5

PREDICTED SCORE: Southampton 0-2 Leicester (Priced at 13/1 with 888sport)

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

August 22, 2018

Premier League

By Sam Cox

https://twitter.com/SamRCox_">

https://www.tiktok.com/@srcsport?_r=1&_t=ZN-91fAo7Hr7CA">

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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.

Sam Cox

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur: 7/4 For Away Triumph?

Our third top six clash of the season sees Manchester United host Tottenham on Monday evening. The previous, both involving Unai Emery’s Arsenal, have been brilliant to watch. This one is unlikely to be the same thriller for the neutrals.

Manchester United are the centre of attention right now and not in a good way. Their defeat to Brighton at the weekend was not just a concern because of the result, but the performance was abysmal at both ends of the field.

Mino Raiola’s outburst at Paul Scholes’ post-match comments added another few barrels of petrol to the fire. Jose Mourinho’s preseason frustration at transfers has grown into something more difficult. It feels like they are a club in turmoil yet again.

Tottenham, in stark contrast, have started well despite the chaos with their new stadium. The furore over a quiet transfer window has almost been forgotten after beginning the season with two wins and the return of Toby Alderweireld to the side is significant.

Pochettino built bridges with the Belgian – who looked destined to depart this summer – which has given him another defensive option compared to the end of last season.

Spurs have not had it all their own way so far, however. Newcastle made it difficult, and Fulham equalised through Aleksandar Mitrovic in the second half.

However, Pochettino’s side have managed to create chances regularly, even with Harry Kane clearly still struggling for fitness. Christian Eriksen is a big part of that, and he will play a key role in their build-up play at Old Trafford. The Dane is 13/4 to give an assist.

Manchester United’s midfield has been dysfunctional. Yes, that has been the case for years, but the arrival of Fred was meant to help matters. The former Shakhtar man has not played well in his two matches so far. Pogba was okay against Leicester but is still a shadow of his World Cup self.

Tottenham will flood the middle third and could really control the game. Fred has been rash so far, making his 2/1 to get booked a solid price.

Mourinho is likely to make changes to his defence for Monday night. Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof had a torrid time last weekend, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see both left out.

The United boss might have demanded to buy more players, but the performance – and his usage – of the players he has bought doesn’t suggest that would have helped.

Mourinho’s teams are usually solid defensively if nothing else. It’s hard to see such a stark turnaround on this occasion. Tottenham to score over 1.5 goals at 17/10 is good value.

Although the service may well be minimal, Romelu Lukaku to score anytime at 39/20 is a decent price. Spurs have not been rock solid at the back so far, and Lukaku could take advantage on the counter during spells of prolonged Spurs possession.

It would be textbook Mourinho to pull a result from nowhere here. Everything we have seen from United suggests otherwise, however. Their defence will be ripped apart if it’s anything like it was at Brighton and Spurs have the players to completely control the middle of the pitch.

Mourinho’s future will be in serious doubt with defeat here. Spurs are the better team right now, and should get the win, but Kane’s struggles give United a chance, albeit a small one.

TIP: Tottenham to win @ 37/20

PREDICTED SCORE: Man United 1-2 Spurs (Priced at 9/1 with 888sport)

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

August 22, 2018

Premier League

By Sam Cox

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Sam Cox

Spotlight On The 2018 Great St. Wilfrid Handicap

The Great St. Wilfrid Handicap is a flat race handicap run over a distance of six furlongs at Ripon racecourse.

The race derives its name from the patron saint of Ripon, St. Wilfrid. In fact the winning owner receives a trophy which depicts St. Wilfrid on horseback.

Ripon has hosted some of the most exciting, prestigious and enjoyable racing in the country for more than 300 years and this is the most valuable race on their calendar.

Here are some trends and statistics from the last ten runnings of the race.

Age (win-place-runners)

3-y-o: 1-1-8

4-y-o: 2-8-52

5-y-o: 4-7-47

6-y-o: 1-6-40

7-y-o: 2-5-24

8-y-o+: 0-3-25

The five-year-olds have been successful in the last six years.

Only one three-year-old has won since 1999 (Don’t Touch 2015). However no three-year-olds are left in the final declarations this year.

Weight

Carrying 9st 7lb+: 0-3-17

Carrying 9st-9st 6lb: 5-11-67

It may pay to concentrate on the racecard numbers 4-12 this year.

Form

Ten out of ten winners had run at least three times in the current season. All the runners still entered pass on that criterion except Glen Moss.
Eight out of the past ten winners had run in the past twenty one days. That may lead you scratch out Aeolus, Teruntum Star, Al Qahwa, Glen Moss and Dakota Gold, due to a lack of a recent run.
Nine out of the last ten winners either ran at Newmarket, Goodwood, Haydock or Ripon last time out. The following horses DID NOT do so: Ice Age, Kimberella, Aeolus, Flying Pursuit, Teruntum Star, Golden Apollo, Brian The Snail, Al Qahwa, Foolaad, Glen Moss, Dakota Gold, Henley and Dark Power.
The seven horses that DO qualify on the last run statistic are: Spring Loaded, Growl, Pipers Note, Shangai Glory, Gunmetal, Marie Of Lyon and Reputation.
Five out of the last ten winners had previously won over course and distance. Qualifiers under that statistic are: Pipers Note, Kimberella, Teruntum Star, Flying Pursuit and Reputation.

Trainer Form

David O’Meara has trained the winner three times in recent years. He saddles just one horse on this occasion, Al Qahwa.

Richard Fahey has trained the winner once in the last ten years. He is represented by Kimberella, Growl, Brian The Snail and Marie Of Lyon.

It is pretty significant that Kevin Ryan has been knocking on the door in recent years, with six of his runners placing. Ryan is represented this time by Teruntum Star.

Tim Easterby won this last year with Mattmu and this time he saddles Golden Apollo and Flying Pursuit.

Effect Of The Draw

Drawn 1-10: 8-18-100

Drawn 11+: 2-12-96

Horses drawn in a favourable stall this year are: Spring Loaded, Ice Age, Growl, Golden Apollo, Pipers Note, Shangai Glory, Al Qahwa, Reputation, Dakota Gold and Henley.

Price

Eight of the last ten winners of the race have been 11/1 or shorter. Horses that have come from the first five in the betting have had a significant prominence.

The first five in the horse racing betting odds for information purposes on the evening of Thursday 16th August were: Growl, Pipers Note, Golden Apollo, Flying Pursuit, Kimberella.

*Please check out the first five in the betting on the actual race day itself.

Notable Runners

Pipers Note

The Ruth Carr-trained Pipers Note was narrowly defeated by Mattmu in last year’s renewal and comes into this race at the top of his game.

The eight-year-old chestnut gelding is an eight time winner at Ripon and has won over course and distance.

His trainer Ruth Carr told ATR’s Simom Mapletoft: "Pipers Note is in flying form. He absolutely loves the place and goes into the race on a hat-trick so we’re really looking forward to it.

"He finished second to Mattmu in the race last year, who was a Group-class performer having his first run in a handicap, so that was a really good effort. It would be great if he could go one better on Saturday and I’m very hopeful."

He looks sure to put in another bold show.

Growl

The Richard Fahey-trained Growl, who was last seen finishing an excellent third in the Stewards' Cup at Glorious Goodwood, looks the pick of the Malton-based trainer’s runners.

The six-year-old could only manage ninth in the Ripon feature last year after a slow start meant he was never in the hunt for glory.

Fahey's assistant, Robin O'Ryan, said: "He just hasn't had things drop right for him yet but he has shown more in his last two runs.

"At York he was drawn on the wrong side and then in the Stewards' Cup he got messed around a bit, but that happens in these races.

"He'd be our main hope if he runs, I imagine, but you need luck in these races, you could run it five times and get five different winners.

"A few more showers wouldn't hurt him, either, but he looks to be coming back to form."

Flying Pursuit and Golden Apollo

Stable companions Flying Pursuit and Golden Apollo, who dominated the finish of the Dash at York recently, are understandably prominent in the betting market.

The Tim Easterby-trained pair pulled clear of the field at York, with Flying Pursuit winning by a neck, but he is 1lb worse off on Saturday.

Gunmetal

Since leaving Charlie Hills, Gunmetal has scored a couple of times for his new trainer, David Barron.

He ran in the Stewards Cup at Goodwood last time and this race should be more his level. He appears to click with in form jockey Ben Curtis and they could easily go well at a nice each-way price.

888sport suggests: Pipers Note and Gunmetal (e.w)

August 16, 2018

Horse Racing

By Steve Mullington

https://twitter.com/mulldog">

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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.

Steve Mullington

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VFL WOLFSBURG vs SCHALKE 04

JUVENTUS vs LAZIO

LILLE vs GUINGAMP

SEVILLA vs VILLARREAL

ARSENAL vs WEST HAM UNITED

AFC BOURNEMOUTH vs EVERTON

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN vs CARDIFF CITY

SOUTHAMPTON vs LEICESTER CITY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

The Title Is Manchester City's To Lose

West Ham United Need Time

Harry Kane's August Run Is Over

Burnley Struggling, Watford Soaring

Pressure Cranking Up On Jose Mourinho

Age (win-place-runners)

Weight

Form

Trainer Form

Effect Of The Draw

Price

Notable Runners

Pipers Note

Growl

Flying Pursuit and Golden Apollo

Gunmetal

EVERTON vs SOUTHAMPTON

LEICESTER CITY vs WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs FULHAM

WEST HAM UNITED vs AFC BOURNEMOUTH

CS U CRAIOVA vs RB LEIPZIG

FC BASEL vs VITESSE

MARIBOR vs RANGERS

BURNLEY vs ISTANBUL BASAKSEHIR

Naby Keita Is As Good As Expected

Sarri-Ball Is An Instant Hit

No Need To Worry About Dele

Chasm In Class Already An Issue For Cardiff

Palace Can Be About More Than Zaha This Year