.As many say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so that is exactly what we are going to do. At betcha, we are going to continue to dive into all the sporting action, break it down and try to find some of the best value over the next couple of days.
Now, with that said, why not start the new year right and dive into the first weekends best bets article now.
The Super Smash is in full swing, and one of the upcoming games over the weekend is set to be between the Wellington Firebirds and Auckland Aces at the infamous Eden Park Outer Oval. This ground is particularly famous in New Zealand’s T20 circuit due to the miniature size of the boundaries.
Because of that, it is a batting paradise and what many would describe as a bowler’s nightmare, as anything under 10 runs per over is considered decent at the ground. For this one, I am certainly leaning into the batting side of the ledger.
In doing so, I like the look of the Firebird’ order, which no doubt has some serious power and skill waiting to be unleashed at the top of the innings. One name that has been spoken about in recent memory is middle-order bat Muhammad Abbas, who has finally returned from a side injury that caused him some issues earlier in the season.
Abbas has so far managed one decent innings in the Super Smash, scoring 30+ in his first dig, but with the opportunity to use his power on these small boundaries, seeing him fire on Friday afternoon would be a great watch.
If you had told me the Panthers would not only have a shot to win the NFC South, but be in prime position to do so after Tampa Bay looked set to cruise into the playoffs once again, I would not have believed you.
However, with a Week 18 matchup between the two sides, everything remains on the table, with the Bucs needing a win to keep their hopes alive, while the Panthers could lock up the division with a win or draw come Sunday morning.
When looking at the game, the biggest saving grace for the Buccaneers is that they will host it at Raymond James Stadium, which should have a playoff type intensity. For Carolina, their biggest positive is the style of game likely to be played, with two run-first teams that try to limit the number of possessions on the day.
With that said, I am not sold on either team in the result market, but what I do like the look of is the under on the total line, based on the pressure and potential game script of the occasion.
England have been laughed at and made fun of for their Ashes endeavours this series, having already allowed Australia to retain the urn, which was a rather disappointing state of affairs. Regardless of that, they have continued to fight and even showed serious mettle to collect that all-important first win on Australian soil for this group of players.
Heading into the final Test, if they were to secure a win but still lose the series 3-2, in a vacuum that wouldn’t be a terrible result, as long as you can excuse the fashion. And if you can’t, that’s fine, but just remember that even if they were to secure a couple of wins after the series had been decided, there is so much more to these games nowadays that there is no such thing as a dead rubber.
To tie up this series, personally I am going for a big swing, as I think England, against an Australian attack missing two of their frontline seamers and with an inexperienced spin bowling attack at the SCG, might finally be able to string together a couple of good innings at the crease. Throw in the fact that I think Jacob Bethell or Harry Brook are primed to go big at some stage, and seeing Brendon McCullum and his touring side leave Sydney with a series record of two wins and three losses wouldn’t be a huge surprise to me.
In a shocking turn of events for multiple reasons, Chelsea’s season has been turned upside down, and unfortunately for them, next up on their schedule is Manchester City. This is rather ironic, as one of the reasons they are reportedly moving on from Enzo Maresca as manager, alongside multiple other issues, is that he was potentially in discussions with City to take over from Pep Guardiola when he steps away.
Regardless, in this one Chelsea will be without their manager and have been in terrible form over the past month, with only one win in their last seven league attempts. City, on the other hand, are heating up and becoming the side many expected them to be, given the calibre of their squad.
With this game at the Etihad, against a Chelsea team that is right now rudderless, I would think any decent value on City to win this one would be a solid play come Monday morning.
A side that has taken a huge leap this year and, whatever happens from here on out, could no doubt be described as a success is the Chicago Bears. Their franchise, I feel, has turned a corner with head coach Ben Johnson, who is truly one of the cream of the crop in the league right now. The biggest positive of his addition has been the play of former first overall pick Caleb Williams, who is starting to look like the hero-type quarterback he was described as during the draft process.
On the other side of the ledger, the Detroit Lions have begun to live up to the prophecy set by their head coach, Dan Campbell, after a playoff loss in which he stated their Super Bowl window may have passed. This season has looked like that could be the case, with them capitulating down the stretch and now sitting fourth in their division.
For the Lions, the season is gone. When looking at the Bears, they could still be in play for the two seed if they can win this one and have results go their way. With that extra motivation, being at home and simply being the better team this year, them covering the spread makes sense to me in this one.
