Author: footballgambler

Sarri new favourite in the Sack Race

Maurizio Sarri ensured Marco Silva’s stay at the top of the sack race betting market was short lived, as the Chelsea manager became the new favourite.

Maurizio Sarri Sack Race Favourite

Previous Chelsea mangers have been sacked for far less than the 6-0 thrashing, Sarri’s team suffered at the Etihad earlier today. This result comes just 11 days after their humiliating 4-0 defeat away to Bournemouth. Suggesting it was a touch more than just catching City on one of those days.

Prior to Sarri’s horror show in Manchester earlier, it was Everton’s Marco Silva’s turn in the hot seat. Everton are in woeful form. This was compounded by his team’s 1-0 defeat away at Watford on Saturday, the very side Everton upset in their pursuit of Silva.

Chelsea boss Sarri new sack race favourite at even money

Sarri is Even money with Paddy Power and Betfair to be the next manager to leave his position. The same two firms make Silva 11/4, and Leicester’s Claude Puel 7/2. Almost remarkably, no manager to leave for the rest of the season is 4th in the betting, at 9/1.

Assuming Sarri survives Monday (yes, Chelsea could act that quick in my opinion), his team’s next match is away to Malmo in the Europa League (a competition Chelsea will probably still be in next season). Next is the FA Cup tie at home to Manchester United, and then the Malmo second leg.

They then face City again in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday 24th February. Their next Premier League match is a home fixture against Spurs on 27th February, seventeen days from now.

Curiously, this represents a good chance to change the manager before the next league match.

Seventeen days is a long break in football at this stage of the season. Yes, there are important cup matches during this period, but with the league taking precedent, anything might happen.

Everton also have more than two weeks to their next match. Their next outing is a visit to Wales to take on Cardiff on 26th February. This is another long period without football. The sort of which is plenty long enough to get a new manager’s feet well and truly under the table!

Football Predictions Huddersfield V Arsenal

Due to a combination of an FA Cup weekend, and taking a weeks off after a loss, we are back with our football betting predictions this weekend. The match we are focusing on is Huddersfield V Arsenal at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The Gunners haven’t been great away from home lately, they haven’t won away from the Emirates in the Premier League since 25th November. That said, surely they can’t fail beat Huddersfield Town!!

The Terriers are in a woeful run of form, and it looks set to end in relegation from the Premier League. They haven’t won a match in the league now since 25th November, ironically the same date Arsenal last won away.

I’m full expecting a comfortable Gunners win today, by at least a couple of goals. Huddersfield have conceded 46 goals from their 25 matches so far this season. Although this isn’t the worse in the Premier League, it still suggests Arsenal can score a couple or more.

Therefore I’m going for an Arsenal win with a couple of goals today. I’m tipping Arsenal to win and over 1.5 Goals to be scored in the Match Result and Over/Under 1.5 Goals market.

FOOTBALL BETTING PREDICTIONS HUDDERSFIELD V ARSENAL

Recommended Bet – 5 Points on Arsenal to beat Huddersfield and Over 1.5 goals to be scored in Match Result And Over/Under 1.5 Goals market, at 11/10 with Ladbrokes.

Surely if the Gunners can’t win this, they can forget about a top 4 finish, and Champions League football. Sides pushing for a Champions League place simply have to win fixtures like this.

Arsenal currently sit 3 points behind Chelsea in the race for a top 4 finish. They have a goal difference of +15, compared to Chelsea’s +22. Chelsea visit the Etihad on Sunday to face Premier League favourites, Man City. Surely this has to be a weekend where Arsenal look to close the points gap, and the goal difference.

Football Predictions Huddersfield Arsenal
Can Unai Emery’s team finally win another match away from home at Huddersfield this weekend?

A 2 goal defeat for Chelsea, and a 3 or 4 goal victory for Arsenal isn’t beyond the realms of possibility this weekend. That would see the Gunners almost neck and neck in the (what appears to be) three horse race for 4th place.

If you fancy a bet on Arsenal on the Handicap, I wouldn’t try and talk you out of it either. They are currently 7/4 at -1, which was almost my tip.

The only reason I went for the over 1.5 goals instead, is due to Arsenal’s leaky defence. If Huddersfield do manage to find the net in this bet, Arsenal would need 3. Whereas with our tip, a 2-1 win would be enough for Emery’s team.

The match kicks’s off at 3pm. It is being played at Huddersfield Town’s John Smith’s Stadium.

FOOTBALL BETTING PREDICTIONS HUDDERSFIELD V ARSENAL

Recommended Bet – 5 Points on Arsenal to beat Huddersfield and Over 1.5 goals to be scored in Match Result And Over/Under 1.5 Goals market, at 11/10 with Ladbrokes.

Guide to Gambling Bankroll Management

Playing casino games, no matter whether online or in land-based establishments, should be considered a form of entertainment above all. While some players do come there for the profits as well, it is important to know how to accumulate, maintain and increase it over a given period of time.

Successful online gambling depends on several factors, such as appropriate choice of games and a recommended site. Even the right payment processing services that would suit players’ speed, security and fee preferences the most can play a part in this matter, but there is no denying that the players’ actual money fund – their casino bankroll – still holds the pivotal spot.

What is Player Bankroll?

The online casino player’s bankroll is the amount of money players set aside for their gambling endeavours. This amount of cash should not have any detrimental effect on the player’s overall budget, nor cause any cutbacks in terms of their other expenses.

Hence, one crucial consideration in players’ attempts to practice successful online casino gambling is to set up and manage a proper bankroll. While some players handle this matter in the same way as planning their budget, it is advisable to use proper bankroll management strategies for optimal results.

Guidelines to Casino Bankroll Management

Bankroll management should help facilitate your online gambling experience and make it more entertaining, and ultimately rewarding. For this purpose, most experienced casino players and experts focus bankroll management around simple, yet effective moves and strategies.

1. Separate your bankroll from your budget

No matter how disciplined you believe you are, separating the bankroll money from the rest of your budget takes a firm character. Namely, players are advised to keep these separate funds on separate accounts, or even set up a deposit amount limit on their online casino player profile to prevent them from going through more deposits than they can afford.

2. Keep records of your bankroll transactions

No matter whether you lost or cashed out from your winnings, keeping a record of your bankroll changes is rather advisable. This helps players get better preview of the good and bad sides of their current bankroll strategies, as well as their gameplay action. Noticing a pattern of cashouts related to one game, and a record of losses regarding a different game is bound to be crucial to your overall online casino player experience.

3. Make use of player benefits

Most online casino platforms, and probably your chosen operator, offer players a range of benefits to attract and retain them at their website. These range from bonuses, promo offers, loyalty programs and a number of actual rewards for increasing the platform’s player traffic. Hence, make sure to account for such bonuses and promotions when managing your bankroll.

In this regard, players need to consider the contribution that this offer will make to their overall bankroll, and compare it with the offer’s terms and conditions for optimal use. Nevertheless, increasing your bankroll without depositing your hard earned cash is generally a good strategy.

Football Predictions Man Utd V Brighton

For this weekend’s football predictions, I’m looking at in form Manchester United who are at home to Chris Hughton’s Brighton side.

Happily, our free football tips returned to winning ways last Monday with Man City winning on the Handicap (-2) at home to Wolves, bringing up a nice 6/4 winner for us.

Football Betting Predictions Man Utd V Brighton
United will be looking to keep their excellent run going at the Theatre of Dreams against Brighton

I’m not straying too far from the usual formula for this one. So I’m looking at the Handicap market again, and United at -1 start looks good value at better than Even money.

FOOTBALL BETTING PREDICTIONS MAN UTD V BRIGHTON

Recommended Bet – 5 Points on Man United to beat Brighton at -1 Handicap, at 21/20 with Ladbrokes.

Of the top teams in form at the moment the Man Utd Handicap looks good value. Liverpool at home to Crystal Palace at -1 is 8/13, which is too short. Especially when you think that Palace won at the Etihad just a few weeks ago.

Spurs have no Harry Kane or Son Heung-Min, but I did think about them as they are 8/11 outright with most firms. I still might tip that up tomorrow. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility to see Spurs winning 1-0 at Craven Cottage.

Man City are away at Huddersfield, and the markets are expecting a landslide victory. Short of tipping City to score 5, or only win 1-0, there is no real value in that fixture.

Red Hot Red Devils

Last Sunday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham at Wembley was United’s fifth league win in a row under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. They are currently in red hot form, and it’s hard to see Brighton halting that run.

With form like this it’s hard to ignore United, even though they’ve failed me before this season. That was under Jose Mourinho though, and things have no changed at Old Trafford.

Yes, the run will end some day soon, the law of averages tells us that. Let’s just hope for the sake of our free tip, it’s not today.

For their part, Brighton lost their last match 1-0 to Liverpool at the Amex. Despite losing, that wasn’t a bad result against the Premier League leaders.

Their previous results before that were a 2-2 draw away at West Ham, a 1-0 win over Everton at home, and a credible 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal.

The Seagulls are in decent form, and won’t be a push over for the Red Devils. Going to Old Trafford and facing a rampant Man Utd is a totally different proposition though, and lets hope for the sake of our free betting prediction, they are not up to it.

Enhanced Odds on Arsenal and Man City this weekend

The Premier League continues this weekend, and Betfair have two new customer enhanced odds offers available to choose from.

Their offers are on Arsenal to beat Chelsea in the battle for a top 4 finish, and on Man City in the race for the Premier League title.

Enhanced Odds New Customer Offers

50/1 Arsenal to beat Chelsea – New Betfair Customers – Offer Ends Saturday, 5.30pm
New Customers can get Arsenal at an enhanced 50/1 to beat Chelsea. Max Stake £1. Winnings paid in free bets. Full T&Cs Apply. 18+|Gamble Aware.

arsenal enhanced odds this weekend

25/1 Man City to beat Huddersfield – New Betfair Customers – Offer Ends Sunday, 1.30pm
New Customers can get Man City at an enhanced 25/1 to beat Huddersfield. Max Stake £1. Winnings paid in free bets. Full T&Cs Apply. 18+|Gamble Aware

man city enhanced odds this weekend

Looking at the two offers, and although the odds on Arsenal are double that of City’s, I believe the 25/1 on Pep’s men to be the best value. It doesn’t take a football genius to make that prediction.

Poor Arsenal Form

There is no guarantee that Arsenal will beat Chelsea. Both of these London side’s form has been patchy of late, but it’s Arsenal who are really looking like the fall guys at the moment.

In their last six Premier League matches, they have won two, drew one, and lost three. Of the three loses, one was to West Ham away (1-0) last weekend. They also got hammered 5-1 by Liverpool over the Christmas break, and they also went down 3-2 to Southampton last month.

With the exception of Liverpool, they aren’t the hardest of away fixtures at West Ham and Southampton. They also drew away at Brighton (1-1) during this time. The two wins both came at home, one to Burnley (3-1), and they beat Fulham 4-1 on New Year’s Day.

For all of Chelsea’s woes, they did manage to grind out a 2-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday. Although they were far from convincing. Their previous Premier League fixture was a 0-0 draw at home to Southampton.

No Case For Huddersfield

Neither of those two teams are the most predictable at the moment, which is why I would ignore the 50/1 on offer, and focus on Manchester City.

Pep’s team are playing Huddersfield for goodness sake. Betfair have them at 2/13 in their regular odds. The draw is at 8/1, and Huddersfield are 22/1 – and they are at home.

There is simply no case for the Terriers. They have 2 wins and 5 draws from their 22 league matches this season, and are 8 points from safety.

There is absolutely no contest when it comes to choosing one of these offers. The Man City one looks as certain as you can get, and I would have no hesitation in recommending that.

Petr Cech’s best Premier League moments

Cech's Best Moments

Ever since making his Premier League debut for Chelsea in 2004, Petr Cech has cemented his place as one of the best goalies the Premier League has ever seen. He was one of Jose Mourinho’s first signings and quickly became a fan’s favourite, with his variety of top-class saves and his commanding presence between the sticks.

Now in his fifteenth season in England’s elite, the former Czech Republic goalie has announced his retirement from the game. Cech is currently second-choice at Arsenal and after such an illustrious career, will call it a day at the end of the season.

Here, we take a look back at some of Cech’s finest moments in between the sticks but before we do, you can check out Premier League betting options on Betfair right now.

Debut vs Manchester United

Cech made his debut in English football on the very first game of the 2004/05 season, keeping his first clean sheet as the Blues ran out 1-0 winners over Manchester United. Although Cech didn’t have a great deal to do throughout the game, he was reliable when called into action and looked assured throughout.

2012 Champions League final

Okay, so this isn’t exactly the Premier League but it’s only fair to include Cech’s heroics that brought about Chelsea’s first ever Champions League trophy. For 120 minutes, Cech faced a barrage of Bayern Munich attacks and even saved a penalty from former teammate Arjen Robben. The game went to penalties and Cech made the difference once again, saving spot-kicks from Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger before Didier Drogba sealed glory.

2013 FA Cup vs Manchester United

Again, not another Premier League moment but still memorable none the less. One of Cech’s finest individual moments came six years ago, when he denied Javier Hernandez’s header from point-blank range to keep Chelsea’s FA Cup dream alive. The shot-stopper acrobatically tipped the header over the bar in what was a truly remarkable save, leaving Demba Ba to score the winner to take Chelsea through.

Cech in action for Arsenal

Save from Robbie Keane 2004

Chelsea’s first ever Premier League title in 2005 is often remembered for the stylish and attacking prowess they displayed game after game. Manager Jose Mourinho was revolutionary and with a spine of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Drogba, the Chelsea squad was the envy of the Premier League. However, much of that first title win owes to Cech who kept a record-breaking 24 clean sheets that season. Spurs’ Robbie Keane will be wondering how it wasn’t 23, after Cech denied him with an unbelievable save in a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge. From that moment, Blues fans knew they had a long-term replacement for Carlo Cudicini.

Save v Benteke for Arsenal v Liverpool 2015

Cech signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2015 after serving Chelsea brilliantly for 11 seasons. However, Cech’s debut was one to forget when the Gunners lost 2-0 at home to West Ham United with many supporters questioning Cech’s ability. His next game at the Emirates came against Liverpool, where new signing Christian Benteke reminded the football world that Cech wasn’t past it. The Belgian hitman made his way into the box to meet Philippe Coutinho’s low cross and after side footing it goal-wards, Cech leapt from nowhere to claw the ball around the post. Truly inspiring stuff.

Winning run continues for Solskjaer with victory over Spurs

Manchester United’s remarkable winning run under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continued as they beat Spurs 1-0 at Wembley on Sunday.

This was their biggest test since Ole took over, and they passed, thanks mainly to the form of keeper David De Gea.

The previous four Premier League wins were against inferior opposition that United would be expected to beat.

Solskjaer Winning Run

Even while stuttering under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, United fans would still expect their team to beat Cardiff, Huddersfield, Bournemouth, and Newcastle.

Spurs were a different proposition. The Londoners are a team United could really be judged against. To beat them away from home was a massive statement from the Red Devils.

Solskjaer’s Winning Run

Under Solskjaer’s leadership United won their previous four matches matches in style. They played attacking, attractive football, scoring goals aplenty.

Fourteen goals in fact, five against Cardiff, three Huddersfield, they put four past Bournemouth, and two past a stubborn Newcastle.

In three of those four games, United brought in the Over 2.5 goals bet. Finding out what does over/under goals mean is important in football betting, as it can be a very profitable betting market.

Compared to the performances under Mourinho, this sort of football must seem like watching Brazil in the 70’s.

Would it be too simplistic to say that simply releasing the shackles off Paul Pogba has been the difference in the team and has led to the winning run under Solskjaer? The Frenchman has played a key role in the recent revival.

Ole Has Brought His Share Of Good Luck

Sometimes it is said that it’s better to be a lucky manager, and Ole certainly seems to have brought some good fortune with him.

He had the four not too difficult matches to start with, and he had his fair share of luck at Wembley beating Spurs.

It could be said that Spurs let them off the hook. Despite De Gea’s heroics, the London side were wasteful in front of goal. Had Spurs come back and got the draw (or even won), there could have been little argument they deserved it.

If United had lost to Spurs it would have just looked like Solskjaer’s team could hammer the also ran’s, but not the big boys. The win over Spurs at Wembley puts that theory to bed.

United Still Rely Too Much On David De Gea

There was something of the United of old in the second half against Spurs though – the over reliance of keeper David De Gea.

Like in so many of the previous seasons, De Gea was outstanding, taking the Man of the Match award. The statistics showed that De Gea made more saves in the second half than any keeper has made in a whole 90 minutes of a Premier League match all this season.

Can United Make It Into The Top 4?

They have certainly given themselves a good chance. They are now level on points with Arsenal, and they are 6 points off the Champions League places. Given that Spurs and Chelsea haven’t been overly convincing, if United could keep this run going, then why not!

They have a stronger looking squad than Spurs (if not first XI). Just looking at the bench yesterday, United had the services of Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata to call on. Spurs only really had Erik Lamela as a game changing option.

The players are there for United, and a top 4 finish is back within their grasp. It just remains to be seen if they are the real deal under Solskjaer, or if this is just a mini revival that will turn out to be a flash-in-the-pan.

Free Football Tips – Man City V Wolves

Wolves have tucked us up a few times already this season with our free premier league tips, but I’m opposing them again. Sure they’ve done well against the big boys this season, but they haven’t faced Man City at the Etihad in the Premier League!

Man City V Wolves Free Tips
The Etihad Stadium has been a daunting place for opposing teams this season.

Going to the home of the champions, and playing against them in front of their home crowd will be a different proposition. As well as Wolves have done, this could be the night they come undone.

Obviously a bet on Man City will be too short, they are currently just 2/11. So with 90 minute betting odds that short, we will look to the Handicap markets instead.

Man City V Wolves free tips

It’s not beyond reason to see City winning 3-0, or 4-1, so we are looking at City starting at -1 or -2. City at -1 are only 4/9, which is a bit too short for our tips, so we move onto -2 at a healthy looking 6/4 with Betfair.

FREE PREMIER LEAGUE TIPS

Recommended Bet – 5 Points on Man City to beat Wolves at -2 Handicap, at 6/4 with Betfair.

Unpredictable Wolves

Wolves have tripped us up on more than one occasion this season. In the matches away at Old Trafford, and the Emirates Stadium, they got two 1-1 draws. They also blew our last tip when they won away at Spurs in December.

Their form is impossible to predict, probably a good reason for not going near them with our tips. After the 3-1 away to Spurs, they lost 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace. They then followed that up with a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup last Monday. Just how can you legislate for that?

City Finally On A Charge

City on the other hand look like they are hitting their straps. They now know that they can’t afford any more slip ups in the Premier League, as Liverpool will punish them.

The Reds win away to Brighton on Saturday restored their 7 point gap that at the top of the table. Yes, City have a game in hand, but they obviously have to win it.

Beating Brighton 1-0 at The Amex Stadium is one of those results that teams looking to win the Premier League have to grind out, and Liverpool are doing just that.

City’s last three matches have seen them win 9-0 against Burton Albion, 7-0 against Rotherham, and 2-1 over Liverpool. Yes, the two thrashings were against lower league teams (in Carabao and FA Cups), but they’re not the performances of a struggling team.

Before that, City won 3-1 away at Southampton. The two proceeding matches to that win were the 2-1 defeat away at Leicester, and 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace .There were the two results that enabled Liverpool to open up the gap at the top of the Premier League.

Enhanced Odds Offers – Spurs V Man Utd

Spurs take on Manchester United at Wembley this weekend, and 888Sport have a great new customers offer on this match. New customers can get enhanced odds of 10/1 on a Spurs victory, and 20/1 on United to win.

Enhanced Odds Offer on Spurs V Man Utd

10/1 Spurs OR 20/1 Man Utd to win – New 888Sport Customers – Offer Ends Sunday, 4.30pm
New customers only. £10 minimum deposit using promo code “888ODDS” required. Qualifying bet must be placed at the normal odds Min bet £5, max bet £5. Extra winnings paid in FREE BETS and added within 72 hrs of qualifying bet settlement. Free bet stakes not included in bet returns. Free bets expire 7 days after credit. This offer may not be combined with any other offer. Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full T&C’s apply

TOT v MUN Enhanced Odds Offer

Our enhanced odds offers for new customers page has even more offers on the weekend’s football.

Recent Form

Spurs’ have been in good form lately, with the 3-1 home defeat to Wolves their only defeat in their last 7 league matches. They won the other six.

United have also been red hot Jose Mourinho departed. They have won 4 from 4 in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, although the opponents haven’t been top of the table material.

This will be the real true test of Solskjaer’s short reign to date. A win here really would underpin their recent change in form, and would also do the Norwegian’s chances of landing the manager’s job full time, no harm.

No surprise to see Tottenham go into the match as the favourites. In 90 minutes betting, 888 have Spurs at 27/25 to win, with the draw at 5/2, and Man Utd at 13/5*.

*prices correct at time of writing 11/01/19

Harry Kane to score seven matches running?

Including Tottenham’s two recent cup matches, Harry Kane has now scored in his last 6 matches.

Despite his recent run and the fact he has been so prolific over the past few years, the Spurs and England striker has a modest record against United.

So far in his Spurs career, Kane only has 2 goals in 10 games against the men from Old Trafford.

United will be looking to avenge Spurs’ 3-0 win at Old Trafford, earlier in the season.

So that may be a stat worth bearing in mind if you are thinking of backing the world cup golden boot winner. That said, he did find the net in his most recent outing against United at Old Trafford back in August, so maybe he is starting to put that record straight.

30/1 Liverpool to beat Wolves – New Betfair Customers

New Customers can get enhanced odds of 30/1 on Liverpool to beat Wolves on Monday, with the Premier League leaders greatly enhanced for new Betfair customers.

30/1 Liverpool to beat Wolves

30/1 Liverpool to beat Wolves – New Betfair Customers – Offer Ends Monday, 7.45pm
New Customers can get Liverpool at an enhanced 30/1 to beat Wolves. Max Stake £1. Winnings paid in free bets, valid for 7 days, only deposits with cards/Paypal count. Exchange and multiple bets excluded. T&C’s Apply. 18+|Gamble Aware

30/1 Liverpool to beat Wolves

As stated above, this offer is for new Betfair customers only. All accounts need to be opened, and bets placed, before the match kicks off at 8pm, on Monday evening.

One word of caution with regard to this offer. Liverpool may make a lot of changes with this being the FA Cup. That said, so might Wolves,

So we could end up with Liverpool’s second string trying to beat Wolves second string, so it still might turn out to be a good offer, as the Liverpool back up players will surely be stronger.

With this in mind, you might want to wait and see what the teams are before you use this offer.

The teams should be available at around 7pm, giving you plenty of time to wait, and still get the offer.

You can then either wait for another week to see if there is a better offer, or you might just want to use the standard Betfair offer, which you can find here.

Betfair New Customers Offer

Betfair £100 Bet Bundle

New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. T&Cs apply. For full terms and conditions, please see the Betfair website for further details.

The match kicks off at 7.45pm, and is free-to-air on BBC1, live from Wolves’ Molineux Stadium.

Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from their first Premier League defeat, suffered at the hands of Manchester City last Thursday.

While Wolves’ results have been a bit up and down lately. They won 3-1 away at Spurs last Saturday, and they then followed that up with a 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, last Wednesday.