In this week’s four-timer, our four selections from American football, Heineken Cup rugby, the Premier League and PDC Darts could net you a 32/1 winner come Sunday night. We say “could”.
Denver (+7 points) v New England Patriots @ 10/11
We have joined the Tim Tebow freight train. Right, it’s bandwagon betting at its worst, but we think there’s value to be had in the coin-toss handicap market from the ridiculously named Sports Authority Field At Mile High Stadium on Sunday. The Patriots are brilliant. Going forward. They’re also crap on defence, while the Broncos have one of the best defences in the league.
Given those stats, there has to be a decent chance that the Broncos will go very close to winning, so we’re going to back them on the handicap.
Stephen Ferris to score a try at any time (Aironi v Ulster) @ 13/5
For much of this year Stephen Ferris was recuperating from a serious injury picked up against Aironi in Italy last January. But 2011 is finishing with the animal from Antrim in the form of his life. This try against Scarlets in the RaboDirect PRO 12 two weeks ago is just one of three he’s scored in the last two games, so against paltry Aironi, at odds of 13/5, he’s definitely going into the four-timer.
Man City v Arsenal (four goals or more) @ 6/4
At the risk of daubing myself in humiliation, this one’s a no-brainer. Since a completely uncharacteristic 0-0 against Newcastle on the opening weekend, Arsenal’s games have seen an average of 3.8 goals. Matches involving Man City in the Premier League have seen an average of almost 4.3. Arsenal’s four games against the other teams in the “Big Six” – Man Utd, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea – have yielded 23 goals. Okay, that stat’s skewed a bit by that 8-2 game at Old Trafford, but they also beat Chelsea 5-3. On top of that, they scored four against Wigan and conceded four against Blackburn. And they’re playing City.
It’s a no-brainer. Cue a boring 0-0, eh?
Brendan Dolan to beat Kim Huybrechts @ 4/5
Ireland’s number one darter goes into the PDC World Championships in great form, having reached the final of the Grand Prix in Dublin in October (when he smashed that incredible nine-darter from a double start) and then followed it up by defeating former world champions Mark Webster and John Part in a players’ championship event at Crawley last month.
Now number 25 in the world, Dolan faces 70th-ranked Kim Huybrechts on Sunday. And while the possibilities of egg-on-the-face is high in trying to pick winners in the early rounds of this tournament – just ask anyone who took the skimpy odds on Webster, who crashed out on Thursday night, and defending champion Adrian Lewis, who survived an almighty scare – we think Dolan is great value at a shade under Even money.
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