It was an action-packed weekend of football, Six Nations rugby, one-day cricket and golf, with quite a few surprises along the way. Betting punters were given some big clues as to potential future bets and here’s what we found out over the last 72 hours…
1 – City can still win the Premier League title
Manchester City were the only team in the top four to gain a victory this weekend and Roberto Mancini’s side have renewed title hope…mainly due to their rivals form. United were beaten at Wolves and their away form will still be a big concern to Sir Alex Ferguson, while Arsenal and Chelsea look all over the place at the back.
Hat-trick hero Carlos Tevez is currently the best striker in the league and can lead City (12/1 Premier League Outright) to top spot, but he has prove his worth in next weekend’s Manchester derby.
2 – The letter ‘W’ is cursed!
All of the bottom four teams in the Premier League begin with the letter ‘W’ and three of West Ham (8/13 to be relegated), Wigan (4/7), Wolves (8/11) and West Brom (6/4) look set to go down. Wigan and Wolves gave themselves hope with massive home wins, but the inconsistent Hammers lost again at home and the managerless Baggies need some inspiration from somewhere after 13 defeats in 18 games.
If you are not convinced about this season’s curse check out the League One table, where Walsall also sit in the drop zone! Wycombe fans may disagree, as they are currently second in League Two.
3 – Six Nations is a two-horse race
England (11/10 Outright Winners) and France (13/8) showed they are the two teams to beat in the Six Nations this year, while Italy may not be propping up the rest come mid-March. Martin Johnson’s men should have beaten a confidence-shot Wales by more, while France didn’t need to be at their best to rack up four tries against Scotland.
Ireland’s last-gasp win in Rome highlighted how Declan Kidney’s side have gone backwards, with their title hopes looking slim despite a first-game victory. A much improved Scotland could have a say on where the title goes, which must be either Twickenham or the Stade de France.
4 – England can’t win the World Cup
After a brilliant Ashes success Down Under, confidence in England’s one-day squad looks shot after a 6-1 series defeat to Australia. Injuries have also plagued Andrew Strauss’ squad and with two weeks until the tournament starts, the selectors have no idea who will be in the squad as they await medical reports.
Arguably their two most important 50-over stars, Graeme Swann and Eoin Morgan, are among those rated doubtful and without them, the best England (6/1 Outright Winner) can hope for is qualification from Group B.
5 – Veteran star can win the Masters
This weekend’s golf has shown that the veterans can still pose a threat in the Majors, after a timely return to form for two stars. Thomas Bjorn was in inspired form to take the Qatar Masters title by four shots, with the Dane proving the doubters, who thought his Tour career was finished at 39 years of age, wrong.
Meanwhile, Vijay Singh (80/1 to win 2011 Masters) has enjoyed a renaissance on the US Tour with the 47-year-old carding four sub-70 rounds at the Phoenix Open. The Fijian is a former winner at Augusta and a three-time Major Champion.
Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.