Top 5 Bets of a Huge Sporting Weekend

Friday

Newcastle v Leeds

Headed Goal Minutes (spread 27-30)

Both of these teams have shown a propensity to concede goals so far this season, and that doesn’t look likely to change here with both desperate to kickstart their season with a first win. Leeds are short of centre halves thanks to Pascal Struijk’s suspension on top of the injuries to Diego Llorente and Robin Koch. Could tonight be the night Joelinton finally plays like a 6ft1 £40million centre forward? Probably not, but Newcastle’s own central defenders could be dangerous at corners, where Leeds have conceded 13 goals since their promotion, more than any other team in that time. At the other end England newboy Patrick Bamford will fancy his chances in the air and on the ground against the leakiest defence in the division.

Saturday

Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace Performance (14-18)

Liverpool have been in imperious form so far this season, but anyone who saw Palace play then-leaders Tottenham off the park last week will be shocked to see they’re 14/1 best price at win this week. Patrick Vieira has come in and really shaken up the Eagles squad he inherited from Roy Hodgson and seems to have the players really putting a shift in for him. The Palace Performance spread awards 25 for a win, 15 for a goal, 10 each for a clean sheet or a draw and 3 for a corner, with -5 and -15 for yellow and red cards.

Sunday

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku Goal Minutes (27-30)

Since his return to Chelsea, Lukaku has fitted into the side perfectly, and seemingly scored in every game he’s played. Given the problems Spurs are facing in the centre of their defence, how will the hosts cope with his threat? Nuno Espirito Santo lost Eric Dier to injury and Japhet Tanganga to suspension in that heavy Palace defeat, while Davison Sanchez and Cristian Romero are still yet to return from quarantine after their South American trips to play for their national teams. Given that no proper centre-half has looked able to stop Lukaku, can we expect a couple of stop gaps to be able to?

IPL

Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians

IPL Index Mumbai Indians (36-40)

The IPL resumes with a game that can have massive implications on who will be crowned champions at the end of the season. Mumbai are the two-time defending champs but are currently third in the standings. Chennai (47-51), who should feature England allrounder Moeen Ali, are in second place in the standings, with both chasing leaders Delhi Capitals. The IPL Index awards 100 points to the champions, 50 to the runners-up, 30 to the loser of Qualifier 2 and 20 to the loser of the Eliminator.

NFL

Green Bay Packers v Detroit Lions

Detroit Mini (21.5-24.5)

Both of these sides lost their opening games and need a win to get their season started properly. The Packers offence was horrible last week, and while Aaron Rodgers has a great record of bouncing back from heavy defeats, could this be the perfect time for Detroit to pull off a shock? This market awards 1 point for every point scored, with a 25-point bonus for winning the game. If the Packers don’t get to grips with running backs D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, beating the Lions may not be easy.