All articles by: Elliott Jackson

Real Madrid vs Liverpool – Match Preview

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Real Madrid vs Liverpool
Saturday 26th May 2018
UEFA Champions League 2018 Final, Olympic Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine

Live on BT Sports 1 – Kick-Off: 19:45

Real Madrid vs Liverpool – Real Madrid will be looking for a third consecutive Champions League title when they face Liverpool in Kiev on Saturday night.

After becoming the first team to ever retain the Champions League last year, Zinedine Zidane has his eyes firmly set on another trophy. With Real finishing third in La Liga speculation over the Frenchman’s future is mounting. Many have suggested Saturday’s match could make or break his career, due to their poor domestic performance. The future of Gareth Bale also remains unclear with the Welshman continuously missing out on a starting spot for the biggest games. With Real rumoured to be looking at bringing in a new ‘galactico’ this summer, Bale could find himself on his way out of the Bernabeu. I expect Karim Benzema to partner Cristiano Ronaldo up top, with Zidane then faced with picked one from Bale, Isco, Lucas Vasquez or Marco Asensio.

Liverpool have no fresh injury concerns coming into this game. Mohamad Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are all expected to start. The real interesting battle within this game will be in midfield. Will Liverpool’s trio of James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum be able to outfox Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro? Madrid’s superstars are all far better technically, but given the lack of dynamism in that three, Liverpool could overrun (quite literally) Madrid in the centre of the park. When Liverpool have the ball, they must keep it. If they give the ball away cheaply their biggest weapon (their front three) will have no service and will be unable to affect the game.

Milorad Mažić will be the referee on Saturday. The Serbian has taken charge of four UEFA Champions League matches, as well as two UEFA Europa League encounters this season. He also refereed last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup final between Chile and Germany, as well as the 2016 UEFA Super Cup involving Real Madrid and Sevilla.

With the two teams on display here, you would expect goals. The two teams’ semi-final games contained a combined 20 goals in just four games. I think Madrid will have too much for the Reds, with Ronaldo likely to step up to the plate once again. My bet would be Madrid to win and BTTS to score with Ronaldo to score anytime, or first at longer odds.

Real Madrid vs Liverpool will be televised live in the UK on BT Sport but is also available on YouTube with kick off at 19:45 GMT.

Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool.

Suggested Tips – Real Madrid vs Liverpool – (BET365): 

  • Correct score: Madrid 3-1 – (link no longer available).

Suggested tips – Real Madrid vs Liverpool – (SKYBET):

  • Ronaldo to score and win – 13/8.
  • Salah and Ronaldo to both score – 2/1.
  • BTTS and Madrid to win – 9/4.
  • Benzema to score first – 7/1.

Odds and markets last updated on 26 May 2018 @12:40 GMT. Markets will be updated prior to kick off so keep checking back – we will update the time for when the tips were last updated when doing so.

Keep visiting the tips and preview area for further updates and betting previews around this week-ends play-off finals.

Aston Villa vs Fulham – Match Preview

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Aston Villa vs Fulham
Saturday 26th May 2018
The Championship Play-Off Final,  Wembley Stadium

Live on Sky Sports Football – Kick-Off: 17:00

Aston Villa vs Fulham – The pair meet at Wembley with both sides desperate to secure their place in next season’s Premier League.

One of these two sides will return to England’s top flight, come Saturday evening. Branded the ‘£170 million’ game, this is bound to be a tense and nervy affair. The money riding on this game is huge, whilst there could be catastrophic financial implications for the loser – especially if it’s Aston Villa. Having spent the best part of £100M since their relegation from the Premier League two years ago, Villa are on the cusp of breaking financial fair play. Another season in the Championship would force a massive clear out as they would need to balance their extremely high wage budget.

However, Villa come into this game as favourites, in my eyes. Steve Bruce has been here and seen it all before. He has three Championship promotions to his name and was promoted through the play-offs with Hull City in 2016. On that day, his Hull side bested a relatively inexperienced Sheffield Wednesday side. It’s for that reason I make Villa favourites. They’ve got the experience of players such as John Terry, Glenn Whelan, Mile Jedinak and Robert Snodgrass. These players have played hundreds of game in the Premier League; they know how to handle a big occasion. 

Fulham have gone one step closer to promotion this year, having reached the play-off final. On their day, they play the best football in the division and can beat anybody. They do, however, have a soft centre, that can be exposed. The big Wembley pitch should suit the likes of Tom Cairney, Stefan Johansen and Ryan Sessegnon. Their possession-based game can sometimes lead to keeping the ball for the sake of it, rather than passing with any purpose to their play. The real test for Fulham is to play with the same pace and intensity as they did in their second-leg win against Derby. 

Anthony Taylor is the referee for this match. The Englishman has only officiated one Championship games this season, having predominantly refereed in the Premier League this season. In 27 games Taylor has an average booking points total of 35, which is around mid-table in respect to his colleagues. I don’t think this will be a great game for booking points, so I would advise a maximum of 50+. 

My gut feeling says that Aston Villa will win. They have been my tip since the play-offs began, so I’m going to stick with them. Fulham could freeze on the big day, with less experienced players. Equally, they could play Villa off the park. It’s going to be a tight game, that much is for sure.

Aston Villa vs Fulham will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Football with kick-off at 17:00 GMT.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Fulham

Suggested tips – Aston Villa vs Fulham:

  • Correct score, Villa 2-1 – 12/1.
  • Grabban and Mitrovic to both score – 10/1.
  • Snodgrass to score from outside the area – 22/1.
  • Greenish to score and win – 12/1.
  • Villa to win and BTTS – 6/1.
  • @FootyAccums RequestABets – Grabbon & Mitrovic to both score and Snodgrass & Johansen to be carded – 125/1.
  • RequestABet Specials – Over 1.5 goals, 3+ corners each team and 30+ match booking pts – 5/4. (NAP).

Odds and markets last updated on 26 May 2018 @12:40 GMT. Markets will be updated prior to kick off so keep checking back – we will update the time for when the tips were last updated when doing so.

Keep visiting the tips and preview area for further updates and betting previews around this week-ends play-off finals.

Chelsea vs Manchester United – Match Preview

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Chelsea vs Manchester United
Saturday 19th May 2018
FA Cup Final,  Wembley Stadium

Live on BBC 1 – Kick-Off: 17:15

Chelsea vs Manchester United – Chelsea and Manchester United meet in this year’s FA Cup final, with both sides looking to pick up their first piece of silverware this season.

Many are predicting that this could be Antonio Conte’s last game in charge of Chelsea. After failing to qualify for the Champions League, the Italian looks set to move on this summer. They finished their league campaign with a whimper; losing 3-0 to Newcastle on the final of the season. After selling the spine of his title-winning team, Chelsea have never recovered and now risk losing more key players. Their hold on stars such as Eden Hazard has undoubtedly weakened, with no Champions League football to offer their Belgian star.

It will take yet another rebuilding process at Stamford Bridge, with a lack of much-needed firepower the main cause for concern. Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud are good strikers but have yet to show they are capable of leading a team to a Premier League title.  Morata has again been linked with a return to Juventus, after a disappointing debut campaign.

Manchester United said farewell to Michael Carrick as he retired on Sunday. The Englishman will join their coaching staff next season. Despite finishing second, few in Old Trafford will be pleased with their season’s work. Watching City stroll to their third league title in seven years – breaking every record in the process – will not have been pleasant viewing. An FA Cup trophy would improve thing but not cover up an underwhelming campaign. United still lack someone who can dictate the tempo of games, in the same fashion the retiring Carrick has in years gone by. They also lack world class defenders, with a new left and centre back high on Joe Mourinho’s shopping list. United are expected to welcome back Romelu Lukaku to face his former side. The Belgian striker has missed their last three matches through injury.

Michael Oliver is the referee for Saturday’s season finale. The Englishman has officiated the most game in the Premier League this season (30), accumulating an average booking points total of 36.5. Despite being regarded as England’s best referee, Oliver will be disappointed to not be attending this summer’s World Cup.

Chelsea looked woeful against Newcastle. A side without any fight, hunger or spirit; the exact opposite to Conte’s side that won the league last year. Manchester United haven’t been free-flowing in recent weeks either, but I still think they will win on Saturday.

Some statistic for this years Chelsea vs Manchester United final courtesy of Opta:

  • Jose Mourinho – winner with Chelsea in 2007 – could become only the third manager to win the FA Cup with two different clubs, after Herbert Chapman (Huddersfield and Arsenal) and Billy Walker (Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest).
  • Mourinho has won 12 of his 14 previous major European and domestic finals as manager (excluding Super Cup games), winning all six with English clubs (4 x League Cup, 1 x FA Cup, 1x Europa League).
  • Antonio Conte could become the first manager to lose consecutive FA Cup finals since Howard Kendall in 1985 and 1986.
  • Conte has lost both of his previous domestic cup finals as manager, with Juventus vs Napoli in the 2012 Coppa Italia, and the 2017 FA Cup with Chelsea against Arsenal.
  • Alexis Sanchez scored in last season’s final with Arsenal, and could become the first player to score in consecutive cup finals with different clubs.
  • The last player to play in consecutive FA Cup finals but for different clubs was Brian Talbot (Ipswich 1978,Arsenal 1979). Both Sanchez and Giroud could do so in this game.
  • Sanchez has scored eight goals in his eight games at Wembley Stadium for club and country, including six in five FA Cup appearances at the ground.
  • Giroud has been directly involved in 22 goals in his 26 FA Cup appearances (15 goals, 7 assists), more than any other player in the competition since his debut.
  • The Frenchman has either scored or assisted a goal in all three of his FA Cup final appearances – he assisted the winning goals in both the 2014 and 2017 finals, and scored as a late substitute in 2015.
  • Romelu Lukaku has scored 12 goals in his last 12 FA Cup appearances, including five in five for Manchester United.

Chelsea vs Manchester United will be televised live in the UK on BBC 1 and BT Sport with kick off at 17:15 GMT.

You can also watch the match live via your mobile or PC on BET365. They will be streaming the game via their app and website which can be watched pretty much anywhere in the world, except for the USA and Singapore. Click here to sign up for an account if you don’t already have one.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Manchester United.

Suggested Tips – Chelsea vs Manchester United (SKYBET)

  • Correct score, Manchester United to win 2-1 – (link no longer available).
  • BTTS and over 2.5 goals – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Chelsea vs Manchester United (SKYBET)

  • Lukaku to score and win – 7/2.
  • Giroud and Sanchez to both score – 9/1.
  • United to win by exactly one goal – 3/1.
  • RequestABet upto 10/1 – Giroud 2+ shots on target & Lingard 1+ shots on target, 3+ corners each team and 30+ match booking points – 8/1. 
  • Goalscorer Treble – Oliver Giroud, Romelu Lukaku & Alexis Sanchez All to Score – 33/1.
  • RequestABet Specials upto 10/1 – Over 1.5 Goals, 3+ Corners each team, 30+ Match Booking points – 11/8. (NAP).
  • RequestABet Specials 11/1 to 28/1 – Sanchez & Lingard to score, Manchester United to win and BTTS – 22/1.

Odds and markets last updated on 19 May 2018 @15:25 GMT. Markets will be updated prior to kick off so keep checking back – we will update the time for when the tips were last updated when doing so.

Keep visiting the tips and preview area for further updates and betting previews around next weeks Champions League final preview between Real Madrid and Liverpool.