Arsenal travel to Tottenham Hotspur for an expected fiery North London derby, while local football makes a long-awaited return.
IS F1 THE CAR OR THE DRIVER? DISCUSS (AGAIN)
Now, here’s something I didn’t expect to see in 2024. In fact, I’m still rubbing my eyes. Lando Norris is 12/10 favourite to win this weekend’s Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri at 5/1. Yes, Max Verstappen is in the field, and he’s 13/2 fourth favourite.
Verstappen remains odds-on to hang on to his world title, but the wheels seem to have fallen off the Red Bull. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez is 25/1 to win in Azerbaijan. If ever one needed further convincing that F1 is more about the machine than the man, then this is it. Right now the McLarens are dominating Red Bull, no matter who drives the car.
ARSENAL LOOKING TO SILENCE THE LOCALS
North London bragging rights are on the line again in the main English Premier League fixture of this round, although many will feel that it’s Arsenal who will be conducting a smash-and-grab when they visit Tottenham. It’s hard to disagree and Mikel Arteta signed a contract extension during the week, which means the Gunners dressing room will be a relaxed place to be.
That won’t be the case once they leave the tunnel given it’s one of the most bitter derbies in football. The programme looks dotted with the potential of draws, perhaps even a 0-0 or two. For those who like a bet, the under 2.5 match goals option for the majority of games might be the way to go.
NFL SEASON GETS INTO FULL GEAR
Confession: The NFL is into its second round of the season and while I don’t mind it as a spectacle, I have no idea as to the nuts and bolts of the different conferences, although do keep one eye on who’s favourites to reach the Super Bowl.
The favourite at this stage are the Kansas City Chiefs (isn’t that the franchise that has Taylor Swift showing up to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce). To keep a passing interest and for late-night viewing, I normally go for the four top teams in the betting representing the cities I’ve had the most fun in. So, this season it’s the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons.
HOME COMFORTS TO SWAY ISSUE
After nearly three months of round-robin Currie Cup rugby we’re down to the business end. It’s the semi-finals where table-toppers the Lions host the Cheetahs and the Bulls welcome the Sharks to Loftus. In the league format, the Lions beat the Free Staters 38-21, away, while the Bulls lost 24-18 to the Sharks, away last week.
The competition has lost its lustre over the years given the emergence of other franchise tournaments, although you won’t find anyone in either dressing room who won’t be pulling the jersey over their head and treating this as their own World Cup semi-final. At altitude, it’s hard to look past the two hosts.
O’MALLEY FACES STERN UFC CHALLENGE
UFC 306 features a bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili as the main event in Las Vegas this weekend. The champion has lost once in 20 contests and the challenger four times in 21. We have a striker (O’Malley) against a takedown specialist, which should make for a good fight.
The odds marginally favour the champion but this one is close. It’s also basically 9/10 both ways in terms of going the distance or not. For the neutral, have a look at the arena – the Las Vegas Sphere is hosting its first-ever sports event and tickets are going on sale at around $2300. And we complain about ticket prices to watch the Springboks and All Blacks?
ALSO WORTH A L0OK …
The Betway Premiership (PSL) also gets going this weekend. There are four games played, with champions Sundowns opening their season on Tuesday. Most attention will therefore turn to what Kaizer Chiefs turn up in their opener at Marumo Gallants.
Anything less than a win for the Amakhosi will already have their fans getting restless …
There are two mildly interesting T20 matches (mildly because it’s T20), where Australia’s men continue their tour of England. Cardiff on Friday and Manchester on Sunday are the venues.
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