It’s about time we got back on track. A tenner on this mixture of association and American football, with a dollop of rugby thrown in, will net you well in excess of €200.
By Conor Heneghan and Sean Nolan
New Zealand v France (New Zealand (-16 points) to win @ evens)
Has there ever been a final of a major tournament that feels like it’s going to be such an anti-climax? Although the All-Black camp will deny it (their over-confident supporters certainly won’t), the build-up this week has felt like a delaying of the inevitable as everybody waits for New Zealand to claim their first Rugby World Cup in 24 years.
Numerous examples of sporting upsets in the past compel us to urge caution and emphasis that a French upset is in fact possible, but as much as we would love to witness a final for the ages, we just can’t see it. So confident are we of an All-Black victory, in fact, that we think they’ll beat the handicap with something to spare.
Manchester United v Manchester City (Sergio Aguero to score anytime @ 11/5)
While derbies between the two rival Manchester clubs at the Etihad Stadium aren’t always goal-laden affairs (five goals in the last three games in league and cup), the encounters at Old Trafford are an entirely different prospect altogether (14 in the last three games).
We expect goals from both sides on Sunday and if anyone from the blue half is going to hit the net, you’d have to fancy Sergio Aguero. The little Argentine hit the net on his return from injury against Villarreal and will be eager to make his mark at a ground where his friend and compatriot Carlos Tevez continues to be the subject of such vitriol. At more than 2/1, we reckon it’s an excellent bet.
Blackburn v Tottenham (Tottenham to win @10/11)
A few weeks back we alerted you to what we thought was a great price for Spurs to beat Wigan at the DW and similarly, we think the Spuds to beat Blackburn at just short of even money is a cracking bet. After a slow start, Spurs are on a roll with four wins in their last five, while Blackburn are, in short, a terrible, terrible team.
Rovers are rock bottom of the table with five points from eight games and it is a wonder that their chicken-loving owners haven’t smelt something fowl and got rid of Steve Kean, who is clearly out of his depth. ‘Arry was able to rest plenty of his diamond geezers in Europe during the week, so a fresh Spurs side should have little difficulty coming away from Ewood Park with the maximum return.
New Orleans Saints v Indianapolis Colts (New Orleans Saints (-14 points) to win @10/11)
The Colts without Peyton Manning at the controls are a sad sight. Never has one player’s absence so exposed how much work he was doing to keep that team afloat. As the great QB sits on the sidelines with a serious neck injury, his team have slipped to 0-6 and they will be 0-7 after a trip to New Orleans on Sunday.
The Saints have their own Payton problems, as their coach Sean Payton had his leg smashed on the sideline against Tampa Bay last week (see excruciating clip below).
The Saints missed his input in that game and lost. Payton will be up in a coaches box on Sunday and he will be pissed off and determined to put the hurt on the Colts. The margin here should be way beyond 14.
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