A few too many people in life are either cat people or dog people. It is possible to be both. The same applies within the rugby and football worlds. True, the two sets of fans are seen as being wildly different, but many of us enjoy both sports.
This weekend while the Premier League continues, the Six Nations gets going and we’ve put a bet together which crosses both events and encompasses the whole weekend.
Six Nations Gets Underway
Friday sees the start of the Six Nations in Paris and we’re going straight in with our first bet.
The game kicks off on ITV1 at 8.15 and it’s expected that the home side will rout the Welsh. The handicap is -27.5 points in France’s favour, and they are 1/166 to win the match.
Our recommendation is to back over 55.5 points (total) at around 5/6. If Wales do go well, that could even help us in this regard, but we reckon that France will put up a big show.
Triple Chance in Premier League 3pm’s
Bournemouth take on Liverpool and what a run the home side are on. True, Newcastle took their foot off the gas in Bournemouth’s 4-1 win there, but they’ve since beaten third-placed Nottingham Forest 5-0 to sit seventh themselves. More to the point, they are only seven points off Arsenal in second place.
They are a genuinely good side, but this is Liverpool. Arne Slot’s team has racked up 54 goals in 22 Premier League games, while Bournemouth have two players who have scored hat-tricks in their last few two fixtures. Both teams to score looks the safe play.
Newcastle responded well to their home defeat by Bournemouth, cruising to a 3-1 win at Southampton having been 1-0 down early. Their midfield three is the best in the league and in Alex Isak they have the best striker too, perhaps in the world.
Knowing Eddie Howe, there will be no thoughts of their Carabao Cup semi-final allowed with full focus on this game. They should have too much for Fulham as they march towards a top three or four place and 4/6 looks more than fair for them to win.
Ipswich at 10/11 looks normal as they have only won three games and their game against Southampton will be annoyingly called a “relegation six-pointer”. In truth, 16 points for Ipswich versus 6 for Southampton shows the difference between the two.
The home side are more than capable here, and the price is fair. Southampton are too easily ripped apart and, while Ipswich have been vulnerable against the top teams lately, they are good going forward and should have too much for the Saints.
Ireland to Sharpen Up Against England
It’s a 4.45 kick-off in Dublin for Ireland v England in the Six Nations, with the away side looking vulnerable. Ireland are favourites for the game, but that 7.5-point handicap (no tie) looks a little tight and we think Ireland can beat it.
It was said that Ireland were a little disjointed in the Autumn Internationals, but how does that compare to England’s recent form? Ireland have been a level above England in recent times and no doubt they would have ironed out any creases before this clash.
Ireland to beat England by more than 7.5 points looks very realistic, yet 10/11 is the general price which is too good to miss.
Man City to Offer Super Sunday Value
Arsenal versus Manchester City would have been the title decider not so long ago. The away side went on a terrible run a few weeks back and remain inconsistent. That said, it doesn’t look all that bad close up.
Arsenal are second and Man City fourth after plenty of high profile problems. That’s led to the home side being favourites for this, leaving Man City as the value.
Despite everything, Pep Guardiola’s side are only six points behind Arsenal who themselves remain unconvincing on the big occasions. They are seriously lacking a proper striker.
Put bluntly and basically, Man City just keep scoring. Though few results went their way, they scored two at Palace, one at Villa, two at Leicester, two at Brentford, six at Ipswich and two more at PSG.
You feel they can find the net again at least once and will gradually get back to true form. With that, the 8/11 about them winning or drawing in the double chance market looks pretty generous.
The Bet
You can pick and choose a few of these selections for a smaller bet if you wish, perhaps even creating a Lucky 15 or 31 for example. For us, it’s all about going for the throat with the accumulator:
- Over 55.5 points in France v Wales (Friday).
- Newcastle to beat Fulham (Saturday).
- Both teams to score in Bournemouth v Liverpool (Saturday).
- Ipswich to beat Southampton (Saturday).
- Ireland to beat England on the handicap (-7.5pts) (Saturday).
- Man City or draw versus Arsenal (Sunday).
The accumulator, depending on who you bet with, comes to around 28/1.