Top 5 bets for the weekend's football, F1 & cricket

Where is the biggest game of the Premier League weekend?

Steven Gerrard returns to his beloved Anfield determined to inflict defeat on the Reds now he’s manager of Aston Villa. There has been a upturn in Villa’s fortunes since the Liverpool legend left Rangers to take the reins, with three wins in four games following the five straight defeats that led to Dean Smith’s sacking. Liverpool won this fixture 2-1 last season thanks to a 90^th minute Trent Alexander-Arnold goal, gaining a small amount of revenge for the 7-2 defeat at Villa Park earlier in the campaign.

Ollie Watkins Anytime Goalscorer (boosted to 29/10)

While the Liverpool backline has looked back to its miserly best this season, Ollie Watkins enjoyed plenty of success last season and has been the focus of the Villa attack since Stevie G took over. The England striker scored Villa’s goal in that 2-1 defeat at Anfield and bagged a first half hattrick in the 7-2 game.

Who do the leaders face this weekend?

Manchester City took over atop the Premier League last weekend, and they have a decent run of fixtures around the festive period, starting with a home game against Wolves. City have won five straight Premier League games since their shock 2-0 home defeat against Crystal Palace, with Bernado Silva scoring five goals in those five games. Wolves though won’t roll over, and have really tightened up at the back since their own 2-0 Palace reverse. They were on track for a 4^th straight clean sheet until Divock Origi’s 94^th minute winner last week against Liverpool.

Bernado Silva Super Mega Minutes (27-32)

In the form of his life, Bernado was described by manager Pep Guardiola as the best player in the Premier League recently. While there may be some who disagree with that, particularly Liverpool or Egypt fans, there’s no doubting he’s playing well and also playing in a more advanced role, which is leading to more goals. We’ve seen some buying of Bernado’s Goal Minutes (17-20) and SMM, which doubles the minutes of a 2^nd goal and trebles those of a 3^rd, at 27-32.

What’s the biggest game outside of British football?

The Madrid derby is set for Sunday night as Real welcome Atletico to the Bernabeu. Atletico may be the reigning champions in Spain, but it’s Real who are dominating this season, 10 points clear of the city rivals and eight clear of second placed Sevilla after just one defeat in 16 La Liga games this season. In their past 12 games, Read have dropped only 2 points and have outscored their opponents 27-6. Another victory here could go a long way to seeing Real become champions of Spain once again.

Total Goal Minutes (129-139)

We’ve seen some selling in goals markets, including this one, as traditionally solid Atletico take on a Real side who have shown some defensive steel of their own this season. Real’s attacking numbers are also up this season though, with Karim Benzema still as good as ever and Vinicius Junior stepping up to weigh in with his fair share of goals too. Will this be a cagey encounter with few chances or will both teams look to attack the other?

Who will win the F1 World Title?

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen go into the last race of the season level on points, though Hamilton still needs to beat his Dutch rival because Max has won one race more over the season. The championship race looked over three Grands Prix ago but Lewis has won the last three races to get right back into it and challenge for his record eighth title. This is the 1^st time since 1974 that two drivers have gone into the final race tied at the top on points.

Lewis Hamilton Race Index (71-76)

While there’s always a danger that Verstappen will cause a crash that takes both out of the race and leaves him top of the standings, it’s difficult to back against the man in form. Lewis Hamilton has driven as well as ever to win the last three races and get back into contention, and he knows if he can do it a 4^th time in a row he will be crowned world champion once again. The Race Index awards points depending on finishing position, with 100 for 1^st, 80 for 2^nd, 60 for 3^rd, 40 for 4^th, 30 for 5^th, 25 for 6^th, 20 for 7^th, 15 for 8^th , 10 for 9^th and 5 for 10^th.

Is there any chance England will win the 1^st Ashes Test late Saturday/early Sunday?

While Australia are still heavy favourites to win the 1^st Test (4/11 with Spreadex Sport going into day 4) Joe Root and Dawid Malan have given a glimmer of hope, plus set down England’s stall that even if they lose at the Gabba, this is a series England can still make an impression in. With a 1^st innings deficit of 278, it was an uphill battle to say the least, all the more with both openers gone, but the two middle order men took to their task bravely and how far they can take their unbeaten 159 run partnership is crucial to the way this Test, and the whole series, goes.

England 3^rd Wicket (270-275)

Both Root and Malan need to push on and get centuries, and one of them needs to make it a big century, if England are to stand a chance in this Test. England are currently 220/2, so the spreads expect England to score around 50 before a wicket falls. The Aussies are due a new ball in 11 overs, and how the England men deal with that will be key. We’ve seen some patriotic punters buying the fall of 3^rd wicket spread, desperate to see England push on. But a fresh Australian bowling attack with a new cherry to work with is enough to send shivers down the spine.