College Football National Championship Pick 2026 (Monday 19th January)

It may not have been the game many would have predicted to round out the College Football season, but both the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers have proven their worth through the post-season.

The Big Ten Champions are the favourites, but the Hurricanes have played really well over the last several weeks and being the 'host' can certainly help.

Just like that, the College Football season is coming to a close on Monday as the National Championship Game determines who takes over from the Ohio State Buckeyes as the best team in College Football.

Indiana Hoosiers vs Miami Hurricanes Pick: This game is being played at the Hard Rock Stadium, which is the Miami Hurricanes (13-2) home, but you do have to feel that there is a significant gap for them to bridge against the Indiana Hoosiers (15-0). Has that fact that this is a 'home game' for the Hurricanes factored into the line set for the game? Possibly, but the Hoosiers have won everywhere this season and they are rightly down as strong favourites to win the National Championship.

There will be a lot of focus on the Miami Defense and whether they can do enough to keep the Hurricanes in this game and that is where a potential blowout will be determined in my opinion.

All eyes will be on the Miami pass rush, which has been critical in helping the team drive through the Playoff and into the National Championship Game- they will know they need to rattle Fernando Mendoza, who is set to be the first overall Pick in the next NFL Draft, and try and stall drives with the pressure that can be generated by a powerful Defensive Line.

It begins at the Line of Scrimmage where the Indiana Hoosiers have been decent at getting a push up front, but not expected to have a huge game running the ball. The Miami Defensive Line have continue to clamp down on the run and so the pressure is going to be on Fernando Mendoza to make plays with his arm.

However, for all of the successes the Hurricanes have had in bringing down the opposition Quarter Back, it shoudl be noted that Indiana have an Offensive Line capable of giving Mendoza the one or two extra seconds he will need to attack this Secondary.

And despite all that pressure generated at the Line of Scrimmage, it should be noted that there are gaps in the Miami Secondary that can be exposed by this efficient Indiana Offense.

All of this means that the Hoosers are going to be expected to get some points on the board and it will be up to Carson Beck and the Miami Offensive unit to try and make enough plays to keep up on the scoreboard.

Much like Indiana, the Miami Offensive Line is not expected to rip open consistent running lanes against a Hoosiers Defensive Line that have been stout up front all season. They will want to make sure they are forcing Carson Beck to beat them with his arm and like Indiana on the other side of the ball, Miami are expected to need to the Quarter Back to have a big game throwing in order to keep the chains moving.

He has shown he can do that, but Carson Beck is not going to have a clean pocket- the Miami pass rush has grabbed the headlines, but these Indiana pass rushers are no slouches and they have made multiple hits on the opposition Quarter Back during the last several games. Adding up is the number of Sacks they have also produced and Miami's Offensive Line may not offer the same sort of time as Indiana potentillay give to Fernando Mendoza.

Carson Beck has also not been nearly as confident as Mendoza, despite his own College experience being substantial, and that is where the spread may end up getting away from the Hurricanes. The Quarter Back has been avoiding critical turnovers, but Beck is likely going to be asked to make plenty of throws under pressure and the Miami passing game has not been as consistent as the one Indiana will be bringing onto the field.

The Hurricanes are plenty talented and so will have some successes, but the consistency could be lacking and even being at home may not be enough against a powerful Indiana team looking to win a first Football National Championship.

Miami have beaten Ohio State during this Playoff run, which has to be respected by the Hoosiers who play in the same Conference as the Buckeyes and know how good they are. On that day it was the Miami Defensive unit that made some big plays, but Head Coach Curt Cignetti should have prepared his Indiana team to avoid his team shooting themselves in the foot as Ohio State did.

Covering will not be easy, but the feeling is that the Indiana Hoosiers will pull into a double digit lead at the top of the Fourth Quarter and then make a couple of big Defensive plays to move into a position to win and cover.

MY PICK: Indiana Hoosiers - 7.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Semi Final: 1-1, - 0.09 Units (2 Units Staked, - 4.50% Yield)

Quarter Final: 2-2, - 0.26 Units (4 Units Staked, - 6.50% Yield)

First Round Playoff: 3-1, + 1.67 Units (4 Units Staked, + 41.75% Yield)

Week 15: 2-2, - 0.29 Units (4 Units Staked, - 7.25% Yield)

Week 14: 5-2-1, + 2.44 Units (8 Units Staked, + 30.50% Yield)

Week 13: 3-3, - 0.35 Units (6 Units Staked, - 5.83% Yield

Week 12: 4-2, + 1.64 Units (6 Units Staked, + 27.33% Yield)

Week 11: 1-5, - 4.09 Units (6 Units Staked, - 68.17% Yield)

Week 10: 3-3, - 0.33 Units (6 Units Staked, - 5.50% Yield)

Week 9: 3-3, - 0.19 Units (6 Units Staked, - 3.17% Yield)

Week 8: 2-3, - 1.18 Units (5 Units Staked, - 23.60% Yield)

Week 7: 4-1, + 2.62 Units (5 Units Staked, + 52.40% Yield)

Week 6: 2-4, - 2.22 Units (6 Units Staked, - 37% Yield)

Week 5: 1-5, - 4.20 Units (6 Units Staked, - 70% Yield)

Week 4: 2-4, - 2.14 Units (6 Units Staked, - 35.67% Yield)

Week 3: 4-4, - 0.36 (8 Units Staked, - 4.50% Yield)

Week 1: 1-4, - 3.14 Units (5 Units Staked, - 62.80% Yield)

Week 0: 2-1, + 0.75 Units (3 Units Staked, + 25% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 2 Picks 2026 (Monday 19th January)

The opening day of the Australian Open could not have gone much better for the Tennis Picks, but Day 2 looks a bit harder to negotiate.

There are plenty of matches scheduled to be played as the First Round continues, but some of the margins just look a bit too tight and so will 'only' be two selections made from the day's play.

Much as would be stated in previous years, a positive start is obviously better than a poor one, but it is only a start in what is a two week tournament and building on that early and often is the only way to secure a solid return to open the 2026 season.

Victoria Mboko - 5.5 games v Emerson Jones: Two teenagers meet in the First Round of the Australian Open, but the younger player representing the host nation is going to have to bridge a significant gap.

Emerson Jones is 17 years old and she has reached a career high World Ranking mark earlier this month when entering the top 150 for the first time.

However, it should be noted that Jones is still learning her trade on the professional Tour and the Australian also has limited experience when it comes to playing some of the stronger players on the Tour. This is going to be the eighth time Emerson Jones has faced a top 100 Ranked player on the hard courts and she has been beaten in five of the previous seven occasions, including twice this month.

Her opponent is not exactly blessed with a deep experience, but Victoria Mboko is 19 years old and has won a big 1000 event in Montreal.

Over the last twelve months, the Canadian has not only moved into the top 100 for the first time, but Victoria Mboko is inside the top 20 and is Seeded here in Melbourne.

In the warm up for the Australian Open, Victoria Mboko was able to reach a Final in Adelaide before coming up short against Mirra Andreeva, while she has dominated those opponents Ranked outside of the top 100 on this surface.

In the last twelve months, Victoria Mboko has a 19-1 record in that situation and twelve of those wins were in matches when she would have covered this line set for the First Round match. Doing so at a Grand Slam when the youngster is going to have to deal with a vocal crowd will be difficult, but Victoria Mboko has the talent to beat Emerson Jones at this current stage of their respective careers.

There is a significant edge in the service numbers being produced in favour of Victoria Mboko and she has also been the superior return player.

Emerson Jones looks to have a lot of potential and is growing into the pro game, but this tournament may be too early to expect her to earn the upset of a Seeded player who is looking to take the next step in her own development over the next eleven months.

Playing in this kind of environment will be challenging, but Victoria Mboko can find the quality of tennis needed to take command and eventually wear down Emerson Jones in what could be the first match of a potentially long professional rivalry.

Karolina Muchova - 5.5 games v Jaqueline Cristian: Early season form offers a small sample as to how players are feeling going into the Australian Open, but Jaqueline Cristian has to be feeling pretty confident.

She came through the Qualifiers and eventually reached the Quarter Final in Brisbane, which included beating a top 20 Ranked opponent and another in Daria Kasatkina who has been amongst the better players on the Tour.

Those victories back up what had been a solid enough year on the hard courts for the Romanian, while Jaqueline Cristian is also playing on a career high World Ranking mark of Number 37.

It is one that makes Cristian a danger to any player in the draw and even a Seeded opponent will be disappointed with what looks to be a tough First Round draw on paper.

However, Karolina Muchova has played her best tennis on the hard courts at Grand Slam level and she has reached the Semi Final twice in New York City and once in Melbourne. That Semi Final run was back in 2021 and Muchova has twice missed competing Down Under with a career that has been hit hard by injury meaning absences, while the other two main draw appearances have both ended in the Second Round.

That includes 2025, but Muchova ended a disappointing year of Grand Slam results by reaching the US Open Quarter Final and a Semi Final run in Brisbane at the start of this campaign can only keep the positive vibes flowing in her team. Karolina Muchova is still Ranked inside the top 20 and this is a player that gets plenty out of the serve, but will likely need a bit more from the return if she is going to challenge the very best players on the Tour.

Dealing with the Jaqueline Cristian serve will be a test, but Karolina Muchova beat her twice on the hard courts around fifteen months ago and that will give the higher Ranked player a mental edge.

Neither of those matches were particularly competitive with Karolina Muchova dominating behind her serve and Jaqueline Cristian struggling to impose that shot on her opponent.

You do have to note that Cristian has improved markedly since those matches with the Ranking much higher than when they last faced each other, but Karolina Muchova is still the better player and can make that show on the final scoreboard.

For all of the improvements made, Jaqueline Cristian has a 1-6 record against top 20 Ranked opponents on the hard courts over the last twelve months. In those contests, the serve has not been nearly as effective as her overall numbers and Cristian has won just 37% of return points played, which suggests Karolina Muchova will eventually exert her qualities on this tough looking First Round match.

MY PICKS: Victoria Mboko - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 William Hill (2 Units)

Karolina Muchova - 5.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 5-1, + 6 Units (12 Units Staked, + 50% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 8 Picks 2025 (Sunday 19th January)

Four winners from five selections have to be welcomed to conclude the first week at the Australian Open and it has been a much stronger start to the event than twelve months ago.

There is still plenty of work to do with the Fourth Round beginning on Day 8 in Melbourne and the matches are getting tougher to call.

However, there are five selections below from the Singles matches scheduled to be played and hopefully the second week picks up from where the first left off.

Novak Djokovic - 4.5 games v Jiri Leheckha: There looks to be an absolute plan for Novak Djokovic to not overexert himself early at the Australian Open and especially not with some the way the draw has lined up in front of him.

Arguably the greatest player of all time, Novak Djokovic is fallen to World Number 7 over the last twelve months and that is because the player is focusing almost completely on finding his best form at Grand Slam events. Last year there was also plenty of stock placed into winning an Olympic Gold Medal, which Novak Djokovic did earn in Paris, but it cannot be ignored that he only reached one Grand Slam Final and failed to win another big title to move past all that have come before him in terms of Singles Grand Slam titles won.

Melbourne and London might be the best opportunities that Novak Djokovic will have to add to the 24 Grand Slam titles won, but this year he is likely going to have to beat the top three Ranked players in the World to secure yet another trophy at the Australian Open.

With that in mind, Novak Djokovic is doing what he needs to in order to win matches, but we are now entering the second week of the tournament. This should sharpen focus and it should not be overlooked that Novak Djokovic has been playing at a decent level.

Next up is Jiri Lehecka who has quietly moved through the draw with very little pushback.

The Czechia World Number 29 is moving ever closer to cracking the top 20 of the World Rankings for the first time and an upset over Djokovic will likely push Jiri Lehecka into the elite company.

The serve is a big weapon for Jiri Lehecka, but he will be well aware that is facing perhaps the greatest return player of all time in this Fourth Round match and at a venue where Novak Djokovic has had considerable success. Failing to be able to serve as effectively as he had previously would put a lot of pressure on the Lehecka return and that has not really been up to the standard needed to really expect deep runs in these big Grand Slam events.

Eight straight wins will give Jiri Lehecka all of the confidence he needs to take on a legend of the sport, but this is a big step up compared with those previous opponents. He has beaten World Number 13 Holger Rune and World Number 10 Grigor Dimitrov this season, but Lehecka will have to be a lot better than when he was beaten in the United Cup by Novak Djokovic in January 2024 and the expectation is that the ten time former Australian Open Champion will be able to find the tennis needed to cover this spread set.

Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 games v Jack Draper: Neither of these players took in an official warm up event in preparation for the Australian Open, but both have backed up their Seeding to earn this spot in the Fourth Round.

The manner of reaching this Round could not have been much different though and it is fitting that Carlos Alcaraz is such a big favourite to beat Jack Draper.

If this match was played next week, you would actually give Jack Draper an opportunity to challenge the World Number 3, but it has already been a very long week for the British player. The three wins will have helped Jack Draper just cement his place in the top 20 of the World Rankings, but it is far from ideal preparation for a match like this one that he has needed to play all fifteen possible sets at Melbourne Park to earn passage into the Fourth Round.

You could make a bit more of a case for Draper if he had not spent well over 12 hours on the court already and there has to be some real concerns about fatigue issues.

In reality this would have been a tough match no matter when it was played and Carlos Alcaraz has made serene progress through the draw and been on the court for half the time that Jack Draper has had.

The Spaniard has made his intentions very clear this week as he looks to complete the career Grand Slam before he turns 22 years old and the level produced by Carlos Alcaraz makes it very difficult to oppose him.

And it is not as if Carlos Alcaraz has benefited from an easy draw having faced the highest Rank opponent that either himself or Jack Draper have overcome.

The serve has been a big weapon for Carlos Alcaraz on the hard courts and he has maintained that level in the three wins this week. Jack Draper will believe in his own serving ability, but that potential fatigue factor could see the British player weaken behind that shot, while Carlos Alcaraz will feel he is the superior return player and that should put him in a position to win, and win well.

Jack Draper did reach the US Open Semi Final in September, and he gave Jannik Sinner plenty to think about even in a straight sets defeat. However, Draper made much easier progress into that Semi Final and would have had a lot more to give, but that looks unlikely on Day 8 at the Australian Open after the amount of tennis he has already played.

This is a monster spread for a Fourth Round match, but Carlos Alcaraz is capable of wearing down his opponent and eventually pulling clear for the cover.

Coco Gauff - 5.5 games v Belinda Bencic: This is not a surprising Fourth Round match at a Grand Slam in terms of names, but you have to give Belinda Bencic a lot of credit for earning her spot in the second week of the Australian Open.

She has only recently returned from maternity leave and Belinda Bencic has already made it clear that it was something of a late decision for her to even travel to Australia.

After coming through Qualifying in Adelaide and playing a couple of matches at the United Cup, Belinda Bencic may have entered the draw believing one or two wins could be earned. An upset of Seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the First Round will have given the former World Number 4 a real boost in confidence, but Belinda Bencic has not played this much tennis in a short space of time and you do have to wonder if a build of fatigue is going to be a factor.

It is also a Fourth Round match against one of the favourites to win the title in Melbourne and Coco Gauff was a very confident winner in the Third Round. The American looks like she is building up her intensity and levels as Gauff looks to peak next Saturday and there is no doubting the strength of her tennis on a hard court.

There have been one or two frustrations with her serving, but Coco Gauff's numbers have been impressive and she is really getting her teeth into the return.

Belinda Bencic is a very effective hard court player in her own right, but the long absence of playing at this level and the three matches already played this week might end up working against her. She can be tough to beat, but Jasmine Paolini was a very comfortable winner over Belinda Bencic at the United Cup and this is the toughest test the Swiss player will have had since returning to the Tour.

It will also not be lost on Belinda Bencic that the last time she faced Coco Gauff, she was able to win just three games on the hard courts of Washington and it may be tough to contain the favourite in this one.

The spread is a big line considering the ability of Belinda Bencic, but Coco Gauff can use her serve to build scoreboard pressure that eventually wears down an opponent making a return to the Tour.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 4.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz - 7.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Coco Gauff - 5.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Tommy Paul - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 17-7, + 11.60 Units (45 Units Staked, + 25.78% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 6 Picks 2024 (Friday 19th January)

Let's face facts.

This is a page where the idea is to find winning selections for the season, but it has been an incredibly difficult week to digest.

Simply put I have never been on such a poor run at a Grand Slam event and the Australian Open has really been a tournament filled with surprises.

For some reason the top players have not really produced to the level expected, while those who have offered little in warm up events have seemingly kept their best form for Melbourne.

There are no excuses- some bad luck is clear, but there have been a some horrifically poor outcomes to the research and it has to be expected that this is going to be a losing tournament.

The question now is how to prevent it being a truly historically bad start to a season, one from which we will be playing catch up the rest of the way.

Little moments within matches have been all going the other way as would have been imagined- the 'weaker' players are finding a way to win the big points more often than not, which is really not sustainable as the twelve month numbers would indicate. However, the Australian Open has been a tournament that produces plenty of surprises due to its placement in the calendar and so that sprinkling of luck is needed, especially as it has been missing so much this past few days.

It is clearly not ideal that throwing darts at a board to determine selections would likely have produced a much stronger result than we have had so far this week, but will players continue to underperform the numbers?

Andrey Rublev - 1.5 sets v Sebastian Korda: High expectations have always been placed on the shoulders of Sebastian Korda who comes from an extremely sporting family. His sisters continue to lead from the very top of the LPGA Tour, but Sebastian Korda's progress has been held back by injury and he is once again edging towards cracking the top 20 of the Tennis World Rankings.

His father, Petr, is a former World Number 2 on the Tennis Tour and actually won the Australian Open twenty-six years ago so there are some big shoes for Sebastian Korda to fill. Twelve months ago Sebastian Korda reached the Quarter Final at a Grand Slam for the first time right here in Melbourne, and he upset two top 10 Ranked players before being forced to retire within that Quarter Final defeat.

Another top 10 player stands in front of Sebastian Korda and the second week at the 2024 Australian Open and this is going to be a significant challenge for the American.

Andrey Rublev needed five sets to come through his opening match, but has won a title already this year and was much stronger in the Second Round as he dismissed Christopher Eubanks in straight sets. Consistency has been key for the World Number 5 and he has reached the Quarter Final in five of the last six Grand Slams in which Rublev has competed.

There will be a really healthy respect for Sebastian Korda who has an 11-15 record against top 20 Ranked players on the hard courts in his career. That is impressive enough considering Korda is still progressing on the Tour, although he will know he needs to improve on the return in those top matches to really get himself moving up the World Rankings.

You may not want to read too much into the Andrey Rublev 2-0 head to head advantage over Sebastian Korda considering they have not faced each other since October 2022. Both have improved though and Andrey Rublev has tended to beat those players that he is expected to on the hard courts, which is backed up by a 25-5 record against players Ranked outside the top 20 on this surface.

That record remains strong over the last twelve months when looking at results against players Ranked outside the top 10 (30-8). Very strong serving numbers have been backed up by the aggressive return of serve and it should give Andrey Rublev the opportunities to win this one in either three or four sets.

My lean is that Sebastian Korda is more likely to win at least a set, but Andrey Rublev should be able to build on a strong Second Round win and likely cover the set handicap in this Third Round match.

Alex De Minaur - 7.5 games v Flavio Cobolli: Any time you are able to earn a win over Novak Djokovic will give you massive confidence, but it will also have raised expectations around Alex De Minaur at his home Grand Slam. With Nick Kyrgios injured and Ashleigh Barty very much enjoying her retirement, Alex De Minaur is the big Australian hope at the Open in 2024.

He has played well in the first couple of matches in Melbourne and Alex De Minaur will go into this Third Round match as a strong favourite too.

After beating an Italian in the last Round, Alex De Minaur faces another player from that nation, although Flavio Cobolli is a Qualifier who is Ranked way below Matteo Arnaldi.

He is only 21 years old though and Flavio Cobolli will be very confident having won three Qualifiers to enter the main draw and then seeing off two opponents Ranked much higher than himself. One of those wins came against a top 20 Ranked player in Nicolas Jarry, but facing Alex De Minaur and the home crowd will be a much different challenge for Flavio Cobolli.

It has to be said that the run has come out of left field considering his previous hard court experience- the majority of his tennis on this surface was either played on the Challenger Tour or in Qualifiers last year and Flavio Cobolli was beaten in the opening Qualifying Rounds at both the Australian Open and US Open.

Flavio Cobolli has to be respected though- he has a decent serve and gets plenty out of his return game so this is going to be a tough match for Alex De Minaur, even in his current form.

However, Alex De Minaur has proven that he can handle the expectations on his shoulders and looked really good in the Second Round. Matching that margin of victory will be almost impossible to achieve, but his numbers have been very strong in hard court matches played against players outside the top 50 and then top 100 over the last twelve months.

The Australian is not going to overpower you with his tennis, but he will look to wear down Flavio Cobolli with his know-how around the hard court. His numbers against those players lower down the Rankings have shown that Alex De Minaur has the qualities to back up his serve, but also will find a way to get his teeth into return games and that may give him the edge to win and cover this mark.

With the home crowd behind him, Alex De Minaur can reach the Fourth Round at the Australian Open for a third year in a row.

Taylor Fritz - 4.5 games v Fabian Marozsan: There was a high hope in the United States that Taylor Fritz could be the player that ended the long wait for a men's Grand Slam Champion from the nation. He has managed to reach as high as World Number 5, but Taylor Fritz has perhaps struggled to deal with the weight of expectation at the biggest tournaments and his record is pretty abysmal.

Despite his career high World Ranking, Taylor Fritz has yet to reach a Grand Slam Semi Final, while he has only managed to make it through to two Quarter Finals.

In fact, Fritz has only made it into the second week of a Grand Slam on three occasions previously and that is clearly a massive concern when backing him to do that this week at the Australian Open.

Beating Fabian Marozsan will give Taylor Fritz a place in the second week of this Grand Slam, but he cannot take anything for granted having needed five sets in the First Round against an opponent Fritz should have beaten much more comfortably. The Second Round win was more impressive, but Fabian Marozsan has beaten a former Grand Slam Champion and one Seed to make it through to the Third Round and that will have given him plenty of confidence.

The draw might have helped considering Marin Cilic is only recently back from an injury and Francisco Cerundolo is struggling for form, but Fabian Marozsan had to win those matches and has done so very efficiently.

Warm up losses to Roberto Bautista Agut and Ben Shelton are a little concerning and there is little doubt that this is another step up for the Hungarian.

However, he did beat veteran Richard Gasquet at the US Open before losing in four sets to Adrian Mannarino and Fabian Marozsan may need some help from Taylor Fritz if he is going to secure an upset.

A strong run to the Quarter Final at the Shanghai Masters might have just given Fabian Marozsan the belief to compete with the top names on the Tour, but he is just 8-8 against top 100 Ranked players on the hard courts over the last twelve months. It is the return which has made Marozsan competitive, but a strong serving day from Taylor Fritz should give the American the edge.

Taylor Fritz has shown that over the last year by holding 92% of service games played on the hard courts against opponents Ranked outside the top 50. The record is 20-4 after a poor end to the season, but Fritz should have plenty of belief of his own that he can impose his tennis on this inexperienced opponent.

Last year at the US Open, Taylor Fritz beat four players Ranked outside of the top 50 in his run to his second Grand Slam Quarter Final and the feeling is that he will have a bit too much all around for Fabian Marozsan in this Third Round match.

MY PICKS: Andrey Rublev - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Alex De Minaur - 7.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Taylor Fritz - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Novak Djokovic - 7.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Ben Shelton - 1.5 Sets @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Beatriz Haddad Maia - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Magdalena Frech - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Barbora Krejcikova - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 8-27, - 40.48 Units (70 Units Staked, - 57.83% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 4 Picks 2023 (January 19th)

The disruption of Day 2 and a busy day in general for me has meant this is going to be a shorter thread than the others this week.

With the Australian Open well underway, the remaining Second Round matches will be completed on Day 4 as some players are forced to play on back to back days at a Grand Slam event. That is far from ideal, although the big names have made their way through as scheduled thanks to the privilege of being scheduled to play on one of the show courts, which means the roof will allow matches to be played on time even when conditions for others make that impossible.

Caroline Garcia - 3.5 games v Leylah Fernandez: For a long time we have been waiting to see Caroline Garcia really fulfil the obvious potential she had and a brave decision was made by the Frenchwoman to tell of struggles off the court that had perhaps held her back. She looks to be in a much better place physically and emotionally right now and winning the WTA Finals should propel Caroline Garcia forward.

After playing some solid tennis in preparation for the opening Grand Slam of the 2023 season, Caroline Garcia was a comfortable winner over a young Canadian in the First Round. In the Second Round she faces a younger Canadian than Katherine Sebov, but one who demands even greater respect considering Leylah Fernandez is a former US Open Finalist.

Matching that incredible two weeks and finding the consistency on the Tour has been the challenge for Leylah Fernandez over the last sixteen months, but it has been tough. She did reach a career high World Ranking last August, but Leylah Fernandez has now dipped back down to World Number 40 and both young Finalists from the US Open in 2021 have struggled to back up that impressive tournament showing.

Much like her opponent, Leylah Fernandez was able to beat a compatriot of Caroline Garcia in the First Round and the manner of the victory over Alize Cornet is impressive. However, you cannot ignore the numbers that say Leylah Fernandez is still a fairly average hard court player and one that has a 5-7 record against top 50 Ranked players over the last twelve months on this surface.

You have to accept that Fernandez is someone who can get very hot within a tournament and that will see her string the wins together, but Caroline Garcia has to feel her serve can keep the younger player under control.

Leylah Fernandez has not had a top 20 win on the hard courts since Indian Wells in October 2021 and over the last twelve months she is 0-4 in those matches and largely been well beaten. In fact the Canadian has won a single set out of the nine played.

Caroline Garcia looks like a player that could challenge for a maiden Grand Slam in 2023, but I have to accept that her numbers have not been as impressive as they perhaps should have been. One of the areas of clear improvement has to be on the return of serve and Garcia has won fewer than 40% of return points played on the hard courts over the last twelve months, and that is a mark that is not overcome even when accounting for opponents outside of the top 20 in the World Rankings.

It also makes it hard to really trust her when it comes to covering spreads like this one, but I do think Carolina Garcia is playing at a superior level to Leylah Fernandez and has been for a number of months now.

The higher Ranked player should be helped by the pressure she can exert through her serving as Leylah Fernandez has won just 33% of return points played against top 20 Ranked players on the hard courts over the last twelve months. With the Garcia serve operating as it is right now, I think the World Number 4 can win and cover here.

MY PICKS: Caroline Garcia - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Karolina Pliskova - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Ekaterina Alexandrova - 3.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Linda Fruhvirtova - 2.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Ons Jabeur - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Nicolas Jarry @ 2.20 Bet365 (2 Units)

Tommy Paul - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Thanasi Kokkinakis - 1.5 Sets @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Andrey Rublev - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Coral (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 13-7, + 6.98 Units (40 Units Staked, + 17.45% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 3 Picks 2022 (January 19th)

A couple of early setbacks on Day 2 at the Australian Open proved to be just that, setbacks, and a recovery from the remaining Tennis Picks on the day has meant a solid opening First Round is in the books.

This is not the time to be celebrating anything truth be told, but it does lay the foundation for a potentially strong tournament after the upheaval of the last two seasons.

The Second Round begins at Melbourne Park on Wednesday as Day 3 gets underway and you can see my Tennis Picks below.

So far the tournament has largely avoided any shocks, but there have been a couple of epic matches which bodes well for the remainder of the Australian Open. Like so many other tennis fans, on court events are what we are hoping to be reading about and not the continued issues facing Novak Djokovic after the French Open looks to become the latest Grand Slam that will insist on vaccination for all competitors.

Rafael Nadal - 8.5 games v Yannick Hanfmann: The early Rounds of the Grand Slam will not be a major factor in determining who will be around at the business end of the tournament, but the top names are simply trying to move through the draw without too much energy being wasted. In something of a surprise, Rafael Nadal will not be involved in the Night Session in either of his first two matches and that may be more of a problem for the former Champion here as we get further into the draw.

Conditions are different enough from the day to night in Melbourne that you would want to become accustomed to playing in both and preferably before you have to take on an opponent that may cause plenty of problems anyway. That is not likely to be the case for Rafael Nadal on Day 3 at the Australian Open and so he may be a touch frustrated that he has not been scheduled to play much later in the day.

Ultimately you have to put those frustrations aside and Rafael Nadal could potentially face a top opponent in the Third Round so he may soon get his chance in the Night Session. For now the focus has to be on making this Second Round match as comfortable as his First Round match ended up being and I do think Rafael Nadal has every chance of doing that.

He is facing a Qualifier in Yannick Hanfmann who beat a fatigued home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis in the First Round without dropping a set. It was an impressive win for the German, but Yannick Hanfmann is going to have to up his level a couple of gears at the very least if he is going to be competitive in this match.

Yannick Hanfmann has really been serving well in his four match winning run in Melbourne, but those are numbers he is unlikely to be able to sustain and especially not against someone like Rafael Nadal. This is the first time Hanfmann will be playing a top 100 Ranked opponent in the draw and in 2021 his numbers against those opponents on the hard courts were not that impressive.

The one that stands out is that Yannick Hanfmann has held just 68% of service games played and that has put a huge amount of pressure on the return of serve. I expect Rafael Nadal to exert that pressure throughout the time they spend together on court, although the match is likely to be tighter than the win Rafael Nadal had over this opponent on his favourite surface at the French Open in 2019.

On that occasion Yannick Hanfmann won just six games, but you can add a couple more to that total and still believe Rafael Nadal will be able to pull clear and cover this mark.

Denis Shapovalov - 5.5 games v Soonwoo Kwon: Both of these players spent over three hours on court to win their opening matches at the Australian Open, but you don't anticipate that being a big problem for Denis Shapovalov and Soonwoo Kwon at this stage of the season. You have to believe that both will be confident in themselves having to battle through matches, but I also think the higher Ranked Denis Shapovalov has enough of an edge in this one to be deserving of being backed for a cover.

I tend to believe that Denis Shapovalov is a little over-rated by the layers- as good as a player as he clearly is, the return game continues to be a work in progress and that puts a lot of pressure on his serve. It also makes it hard to believe in him when it comes to very high spreads at the Grand Slam tournaments, although this one looks just short enough.

The Canadian helped his nation win the ATP Cup earlier this month and so he has to be confident, while he did have a strong run at Wimbledon last year in between disappointing Third Round exits at both the Australian and US Opens. Denis Shapovalov is still young enough to believe more is to come, but his hard court numbers are far from impressive and even this season his 4-1 record has been built on tight margins.

However, I do think the match up presents a good chance for Denis Shapovalov to earn a relatively comfortable passage through to the Third Round. He is facing Soonwoo Kwon who needed five back and forth sets to move through to the Second Round, but who has struggled to really fulfil some of the potential he has shown.

Soonwoo Kwon has only made the Third Round of one previous Grand Slam and his performances before the Australian Open have been a little inconsistent. The South Korean does not have the same service potential as Denis Shapovalov, but he is the superior returner in this match and he will have to try and put his opponent under pressure with that shot.

It is a huge challenge for him though and the numbers dip significantly when Soonwoo Kwon has played top 100 Ranked opponents on the hard courts. That has been the case on serve and return and he was also beaten pretty easily by Denis Shapovalov eighteen months ago at the US Open in four sets.

Much is going to depend on Denis Shapovalov and his return game, but I think he will see enough balls to get back in play to work his way into a position to win this Second Round match. The cover may be a little touch and go at times, but I think the Canadian will have the opportunities to find the breaks to get into a position to do that.

Hubert Hurkacz - 6.5 games v Adrian Mannarino: The middle couple of sets were a little more difficult for Hubert Hurkacz than they perhaps should have been, but the Seeded player will be glad to have gotten through to the Second Round. The extra energy wasted could be a concern later in the tournament if Hubert Hurkacz is not able to make up for that time by coasting through a couple of other matches before the business end of the Australian Open.

He is going to be playing a veteran in the Second Round after Adrian Mannarino beat a home player in the First Round and he spent a very similar time on the court as Hubert Hurkacz. The five sets will have sapped a bit more emotional energy, but Adrian Mannarino is going to have to step up his level to be competitive in this one.

Before the Australian Open began, Adrian Mannarino suffered two pretty comfortable losses to players Ranked outside the top 50 and his numbers from 2021 showed a decline from a player that may be thinking about calling time on his career. The Frenchman has always had a relatively vulnerable serve, despite the lefty stance it is coming out of, and Adrian Mannarino's return game suffered which puts him under double the pressure on his own serve.

In the small sample of matches played this month, Adrian Mannarino has only won 59% of the service points played and I think that is something that Hubert Hurkacz can exploit. No one is going to confuse Hurkacz with one of the top return players on the Tour, but he is solid at this side of his game and over the last twelve months the Pole has broken in 20% of return games played.

That is a decent number and I think Hubert Hurkacz may have a touch more success in this match.

When these players met on an indoor hard court in 2021, Hurkacz created nine break points against the Adrian Mannarino serve in two sets, although he will have to serve a little better than he did that day. I think it is possible for Hubert Hurkacz who has some solid service numbers over the last twelve months and I think that will lay the foundation for him to come through with a good win.

He should have the break point opportunities to cover what is a considerable line, but Hubert Hurkacz managed to edge past it in the First Round and I think he will be able to do the same in the Second Round as the veteran Adrian Mannarino's serve will likely let him down.

Carlos Alcaraz - 6.5 games v Dusan Lajovic: There have been a number of players that have come out of Spain over the last couple of decades that have not only been operating at a high level on the Tour, but who have gone on and won Grand Slam titles. The most famous is obviously Rafael Nadal, but the next big star from the nation will be looking to continue his development in the positive direction it has been heading.

Carlos Alcaraz win the Next Gen Finals at the end of 2021 and that was after he reached the Quarter Final at the US Open playing some stunning tennis. The 18 year old has produced some big numbers on the hard courts over the last twelve months and his big win in the First Round will have given the youngster plenty of confidence.

That win did come against an overmatched opponent, but Carlos Alcaraz is going to be facing a veteran in Dusan Lajovic in the Second Round and that is going to present a different kind of challenge. Dusan Lajovic needed all five sets and almost three and a half hours to beat Marton Fucsovics in the First Round, but he is a player that has not really produced his best form on the hard courts.

He is a solid player and the Serb will feel he can out-think a younger opponent, but his serve is vulnerable and Carlos Alcaraz is a player with a very effective return that is going to put Dusan Lajovic under real pressure.

At 18 years old, Alcaraz is likely going to develop the serve in the years ahead, but it is still an effective enough weapon to believe he can contain the threat that Dusan Lajovic is going to pose in the Second Round. The latter has broken in 21% of return games played on the hard courts over the last twelve months and I am not sure that is going to be good enough to beat a progressing player like Carlos Alcaraz.

The early sets will likely see Dusan Lajovic pushing Carlos Alcaraz, but I expect the latter to show better fitness the longer it goes and his tennis should be more telling at that stage too. With the return performances at the level they have been, I think the Spaniard will find the breaks of serve to pull clear of this wide spread and earn another good win on the hard courts as Carlos Alcaraz looks for another run to the second week of a Grand Slam tournament.

Barbora Krejcikova - 5.5 games v Xiyu Wang: The top of the WTA Tour has had something of a vacuum to fill for a couple of years and it has seen players really improve their positioning in the World Rankings. Some have really come out of left field and French Open Champion Barbora Krejcikova is one of those and enters the Australian Open as the World Number 4.

This player is a genuine threat to win the tournament and she never lost faith in her ability to be a very good Singles player, despite mainly having success as a Doubles player earlier in her career. Barbora Krejcikova has reached the second week of three straight Grand Slam tournaments and she has not allowed her French Open win to prevent her from competing at a high level.

All credit has to be given to Barbora Krejcikova for that as many first time Slam Champions have struggled to back up the new expectations that are placed on their shoulders. That has not been the case for the Czech player who reached a career best World Ranking in November 2021 and reaching the Final in Sydney before the Australian Open began will only have increased the confidence of a steady player.

Barbora Krejcikova has been impressing with her return game this month and it was key to crushing Andrea Petkovic in the First Round, while the serve continues to be a strong weapon for her. That should give her the real edge in this Second Round match against Xiyu Wang as Barbora Krejcikova looks to make up for the defeat suffered to this opponent in their sole professional meeting.

That was back in 2018 and while Barbora Krejcikova has pushed on, Xiyu Wang has yet to crack the top 100 of the World Rankings. A good, solid First Round win will give Wang some belief, but she was well beaten by Rebecca Peterson in a warm up event leading to the Australian Open, and a poor record against top 100 Ranked opponents on the hard courts throughout her career will not see Xiyu Wang given much support in the market.

Xiyu Wang has lost six straight matches to top 100 Ranked opponents on this surface, but she is a competitive player and I do think Barbora Krejcikova is going to have to be focused to win this match with room to spare. I do believe the higher Ranked player is going to have the edge on the serve and I expect Krejcikova to attack the Wang second serve, which could see her pull clear the longer this match goes on.

It is a wide mark in a best of three set match, but I think Barbora Krejcikova can exert her extra quality and produce another comfortable win in the tournament.

Naomi Osaka - 5.5 games v Madison Brengle: You can never really tell how far away Naomi Osaka is from losing her focus on her tennis, especially with the way the last eighteen months have gone for the multiple time Grand Slam Champion. Being back on the hard courts is where Naomi Osaka feels at her best though and the former World Number 1 has won both the Australian Open and the US Open twice already.

Not many could rule a line through Naomi Osaka from winning another hard court Grand Slam title, but she is in a tough portion of the draw and has to make it out of the first week without exerting too much energy. She was a pretty comfortable winner in the First Round, but Naomi Osaka lost control of the match a couple of times and that may be an issue for her when she reaches the second week.

I do fully expect Naomi Osaka to work her way past Madison Brengle in the Second Round, especially as the veteran American player has struggled when it comes to competing with the better players on the Tour. At 31 years old, Madison Brengle is unlikely to surpass her career best Number 35 World Ranking, while she has a 3-11 record against top 100 Ranked opponents on the hard courts over the last twelve months.

Her defensive style of tennis makes it tough to be an effective returner against the better players on the Tour and I do think Madison Brengle has lost a slight step around the court. The American has a really poor serve too, which can be exploited by some of the huge hitters at the top of the WTA Tour and I would be very surprised if Naomi Osaka is not able to get on top of Madison Brengle here.

There are one or two issues that prevent Naomi Osaka from really cruising past opponents and that is a relatively average return game she possesses. The serve keeps her in a strong position on the hard courts, but Osaka wins less than 44% of return points on the hard courts, although the small sample of 2022 has shown the Japanese player to have been more productive on this side of her game.

Even when you just consider Naomi Osaka's return numbers against players Ranked outside the top 50, winning less than 43% of return points in those matches over the last couple of years. However, this is a match in which Naomi Osaka should be able to get a hold of the return against the Madison Brengle serve and especially the second serve.

It is a big spread for a player with a return game that needs to be improved, but I think Naomi Osaka is going to be too strong for the veteran Madison Brengle and it will see her pull clear in the second set for serene progress to the next Round.

MY PICKS: Rafael Nadal - 8.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Denis Shapovalov - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Hubert Hurkacz - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Carlos Alcarez - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Barbora Krejcikova - 5.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Naomi Osaka - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Cristian Garin @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Sebastian Korda - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Alexander Zverev - 7.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet365 (2 Units)

Dominik Koepfer + 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Paula Badosa - 5.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet365 (2 Units)

Madison Keys - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Belinda Bencic - 2.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)

Jelena Ostapenko - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 9-3, + 9.58 Units (24 Units Staked, + 39.92% Yield)

Weekend Football Picks and Fantasy Football 2021 (January 16-23)

This thread is going to cover the entire Fantasy Premier League GameWeek and that means it will cover the Premier League games being played from Saturday through to next Thursday.

With Covid-19 cases ramping up throughout the United Kingdom, there is always a chance that there will be more postponements in the Premier League and there are already seven games that will definitely need to be re-arranged.

I will have some thoughts on how I believe the Premier League can try and put some of those games in the calendar over the next month and that is largely down to the fact that kicking these fixtures down the road could be really dangerous if there are more postponements and that feels inevitable at this moment.

You can read those thoughts below as we enter GameWeek 19 of the Fantasy Football season.

Wolves v West Brom Pick: There will be plenty of Wolves fans who will remember the last Black Country derby when they were embarrassed by West Brom in a 1-5 defeat at Molineux.

Much has changed for Wolves in the years since that defeat in February 2012 and the club is trending in a positive direction even if the results in the 2020/21 season have been largely disappointing.

Nuno Espirito Santo knows there is a transition period Wolves are moving through and the loss of Raul Jimenez to injury has been a major blow for the club. The players are not giving up, but losing their talisman up front has left them short of goals and Wolves are not defending as well as they have been in the previous two seasons.

That will be encouragement for struggling West Brom, but their own form has been disappointing. The Baggies have failed to spark under the guidance of Sam Allardyce and there are some suggestions that the expert in avoiding relegation from the Premier League may not even see out the month in charge at The Hawthorns.

He needs a result as much as the home manager does and I think West Brom will have benefited from having a few more days to prepare for this fixture than Wolves have been able to have. They should be organised and West Brom have to be respected for the fact they have earned draws at Manchester City and Liverpool in their last 2 away Premier League games, remarkable results considering the overall form of the team.

Since the draw at Anfield, West Brom have conceded nine goals in losing back to back home games against Leeds United and Arsenal. That is a major worry, but I think West Brom will look to make life much more difficult for a Wolves team that have looked toothless without Raul Jimenez leading the line.

Any derby game is going to see the form book thrown out of the window, but I do think the absence of fans takes a major piece out of these fixtures when it comes to the intensity of the match. The expectation is that this should be a low-scoring fixture as neither team have really been able to put things together in the final third as they would have liked.

Wolves could also be without key performers like Adama Traore and Daniel Podence and I do wonder if there is enough here for them to be such a short favourite.

Make no mistake, it is very hard to trust a West Brom team who have been hammered and looking completely out of their depth in home defeats to Leeds United and Arsenal. They were also beaten 0-3 by Aston Villa under Sam Allardyce, but the one away League game was that draw at Liverpool and I would be very surprised if The Baggies take another beating when Allardyce has had a week to work with the players on being defensively organised against a relatively weak attack that they will face.

Leeds United v Brighton Pick: This fixture has all of the makings of a very good game of football with both Leeds United and Brighton capable of playing an attacking game which will appeal to the neutrals.

I can't imagine either manager will change tact in this game with a vital three points on offer and the only surprise would be if we don't see goals.

However there is a disclaimer to that belief- both Leeds United and Brighton have been a little wasteful in the final third despite the football they have been able to produce and it may mean they are not taking advantage of the positions they are likely to get into.

Neither has really defended very well throughout the course of the season and even in games where they have managed to find clean sheets it has been down to wastefulness of the opposition.

The good news for those tuning is that both Leeds United and Brighton will likely be searching for more than a single goal and that should see an open game being produced on the day. The layers are well aware of that and I think goals will generally be offered at a short price when Leeds United are involved, but this looks like one of those fixtures when that price should be taken on.

Brighton did have a difficult game at Manchester City during the week and were 'only' beaten 1-0, but the home team had many chances to add to the single strike they managed. On the other hand Leeds United have had a week to prepare following the surprise defeat to Crawley Town in the FA Cup Third Round, and they also have another ten days before the next Premier League game which may mean they are able to outlast Brighton in this one.

I do lean towards the home win, but both teams can play their part in this one and I think there will be at least three goals shared out when two bottom half clubs meet on Saturday.

West Ham United v Burnley Pick: We might not be a the halfway mark of the Premier League season, but both Burnley and West Ham United have to be happy with what they have seen to this point. Both are on the right course when it comes to what they would have hoped to achieve in the 2020/21 season, but David Moyes and Sean Dyche will also be well aware that more work has to be done.

Despite Burnley's defeat to Manchester United during the week, both teams have been in decent form in recent weeks and I think it will be a fixture that both Burnley and West Ham United will believe they can earn a result from.

Burnley did the League double over West Ham United last season and kept clean sheets in both, but they have not been travelling as well as they have been playing at Turf Moor. A lack of goals is a major concern for the visitors and Burnley have not scored in 5 of their last 6 away games in the Premier League.

With that stat in mind you can see why West Ham United are favoured to win this fixture, but The Hammers have drawn their last 2 at home and those have come against Crystal Palace and Brighton. Both clubs are below West Ham United in the League table and West Ham United would have gone into both games as favourites, but failed to deliver.

Since bringing Craig Dawson into the line up, West Ham United have kept 3 clean sheets in succession and that includes 0-1 wins at Everton and Stockport County. David Moyes will be pleased to see those clean sheets and it may be important to this fixture and finding a way to the three points in this fixture.

Picking a winner won't be easy, but West Ham United and Burnley may both lean on their defensive capabilities to try and earn the points in this one. Burnley may not score a lot of goals away from home, but they have kept clean sheets in 4 of their last 6 away Premier League fixtures and I do think this is a game which will not produce a lot of goals.

4 of the last 5 between these clubs have ended with at least one of the teams failing to hit the back of the net and I think that may be the case on Saturday too. Set pieces could be important to both, but the two managers have usually prepared their teams to be effective at defending those too and so this feels like a tight fixture that may need a moment of magic to separate the two on the day.

Fulham v Chelsea Pick: The Premier League have made it clear that all twenty clubs have to be prepared for short notice changes in the scheduling as they look to work around the Coronavirus pandemic which continues to cause havoc.

The first West London derby of the season was originally set for Friday Night Football, but Fulham had a 'make up' fixture against Tottenham Hotspur placed in the schedule on Wednesday which means this game against Chelsea will be played twenty-four hours later than planned.

It shouldn't be a big issue for Chelsea, but Fulham manager Scott Parker has been anything but impressed with his team being forced to play games in quick succession. Scott Parker insists his team are still recovering from the Covid-19 outbreak which forced two Fulham postponements last month and the lack of time between games will stretch the squad.

A tough point was earned at Tottenham Hotspur, but Fulham were grateful for some wastefulness from the home team. Now they have back to back games against sides that finished in the top four last season and so it is a difficult balancing act for the manager if he is trying to keep players fit and ready to compete.

Fulham have definitely been a tough nut to crack in recent weeks with 5 consecutive draws played out, but I do think there has been an element of riding their fortune. Jose Mourinho believes his Tottenham Hotspur team should have beaten them comfortably on Wednesday, while the likes of Newcastle United and Liverpool created good chances to beat Fulham too.

You do have to think Chelsea will be well prepared with players returning from injury and giving Frank Lampard some solid attacking options. Like Fulham, Chelsea play twice in the Premier League over the next few days, but the team have had a week to prepare and I think they are going to be too strong for Fulham.

It is a concern for Lampard that his team have lost 3 away Premier League games in a row, but there is also an underlying feeling that Chelsea are creating enough chances to have deserved better results than they have managed. Frank Lampard will hope to see better defensive shape from his team, but again they have had time to work on that with the week between fixtures and I expect to see a good performance from The Blues.

Chelsea have won on their last 3 visits to Craven Cottage and I think they are likely going to extend that here as long as they show a touch more clinical finishing that Spurs did on Wednesday. Fulham won't make life easy and Chelsea will likely need to score at least twice to win here, but I think they will manage that and start moving back up the League table.

Leicester City v Southampton Pick: Go back to the end of October 2019 and it would have been very difficult to imagine Southampton would be capable of recovering from the embarrassing 0-9 home defeat to Leicester City without some major changes being made.

All credit has to be given to the Southampton ownership and board for sticking by Ralph Hasenhuttl and they have been rewarded in ways they could not really have imagined.

Fast forward almost fifteen months from that defeat to Leicester City and Southampton are now dreaming about European adventures over the coming months. They are flying high in the Premier League and have shown they can compete with the very best teams in the Division having beaten Champions Liverpool 1-0 in the last Premier League game.

Southampton have also been very difficult to beat away from home having not lost on their travels since the opening weekend. Draws at Chelsea and Arsenal show they can compete and Southampton have a very good recent record at Leicester City that will give the team confidence.

However it does have to be said that Southampton have not really been creating as many chances as they would have liked in recent games and they had played out back to back goalless draws and failed to score in 3 before the win over Liverpool which came courtesy of an early goal.

Now they have to face a Leicester City team who are playing with confidence even if they have not been as good at home as they have been on their travels. Despite the record, Leicester City should be respected and they have quality players capable of making a difference on the day, but even then they look short enough to win.

Defensively Leicester City have been pretty good even if the numbers don't bear that out in terms of goals being conceded. They have not given up too much despite conceding at Crystal Palace and Newcastle United, although surprisingly they have been a bit more vulnerable at home, perhaps because the onus is on them to get forward even in the absence of fans.

Games between these clubs in recent times have leant towards the visiting team with 5 of the last 6 Premier League games ending in an away win including all 4 over the last two seasons.

That will have some ready to back a Southampton team who have been better away than Leicester City have been at home, but my feeling is that this could be a tight fixture. Both teams have performed pretty well from a defensive point of view in recent games and there has been something lacking in the final third for Southampton which does make it hard to believe in them here.

It leads me to think this game will be another in the Premier League this weekend which sees at least one of the teams fail to hit the back of the net. I could see a 1-0 victory either way in this fixture with my narrow lean being towards Leicester City, but my main feeling is that this will be a game where one of the sides earns a clean sheet.

Sheffield United v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: Frustration with another lost lead will have not only afflicted Jose Mourinho, but many of the Tottenham Hotspur fans watching who feel the team is not being decisive in finishing off matches in recent weeks. I can put the result in the Fulham game aside as Tottenham Hotspur created more than enough chances to win that one, but dropped points against Crystal Palace and Wolves have come in matches where Spurs have looked to protect a lead than actually trying to extend it.

There isn't much point in Mourinho bemoaning players not following his instructions or the lack of quality to see out results- his tactics have long been criticised for this approach to fixtures and ultimately it is beginning to cost Tottenham Hotspur who have lost ground on the League leaders.

They can't afford to drop more points here against bottom club Sheffield United even though Chris Wilder has seen his team win back to back games in the Cup and League. The win over Newcastle United will have given Sheffield United a huge boost, but the fortune was playing a team with ten men and even then it was hard work for the hosts.

For all the effort and grit being shown by Sheffield United, they are simply not creating enough chances and that has really hindered them this season. Last year they weren't exactly an attacking powerhouse, but Sheffield United have lost their defensive strength which means they need to score more goals to earn results than they did in the 2019/20 campaign.

Teams have perhaps also gotten to grips with the Chris Wilder tactics too and I think it has seen the hosts come up short.

However Sheffield United have been largely competitive and that has resulted in a number of defeats by narrow margins. They had lost 5 in a row at home in the Premier League before the win during the week, but all of those defeats came by single goal margins and Chris Wilder will believe his team will have a chance of an upset here if Tottenham Hotspur continue to struggle in the final third.

Only twice in the last 8 Premier League games played have Tottenham Hotspur scored more than one goal and both of those games were at home.

Remove the wins at Southampton and Manchester United and it is a baffling stat to see Tottenham Hotspur have scored 5 goals in their last 6 away Premier League games. So while they should have a little too much quality for Sheffield United, it is unlikely that Spurs will blow this team away.

That will encourage Sheffield United to earn a result here, but I think Tottenham Hotspur are looking dangerous enough going forward to expose what has been a vulnerable Blades defence. It is unlikely to be an easy win for Tottenham Hotspur, but I think they will be able to earn the points in what will be a relatively low-scoring fixture.

Where others have found a way against Tottenham Hotspur late on, Sheffield United still look a little short of options in the final third and I think that shows up here. This time Spurs may be able to hold onto their lead, although I doubt Jose Mourinho’s team will be looking to chase the third or fourth goals here.

Liverpool v Manchester United Pick: This will always be the glamour fixture in England regardless of the League positions of Liverpool and Manchester United, but fans and broadcasters can't ask for much more than they will receive this weekend.

A top of the table encounter between these old rivals and the two most successful clubs in English Football has not materialised in recent years. In that time Manchester United have not really reached the heights of their rivals across the city and a short journey down the M62, but this season there is a sense that something memorable is being put together by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men.

The 0-1 win at Turf Moor on Tuesday has maintained Manchester United's strong away record in the Premier League and this is a team who will feel they can create chances here. In fact the last time Manchester United were beaten away from home came here at Anfield twelve months ago, but that was a close game despite the eventual 2-0 win for Liverpool which was only secured after some key misses for Manchester United and with a Mohamed Salah goal deep into injury time.

Liverpool have to be respected with their very strong record at Anfield which stretches back a number of years. They have not been beaten here in the Premier League since April 2017, a run of 67 games, and Liverpool have won 49 of their last 56 League games here.

Those numbers are pretty incredible and this is a team who have found a way to win games even when not at their best, although West Brom did earn a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the last Premier League game here. That was played in front of 2000 fans, but Liverpool have since lost that advantage too and this is a team who have a defence that looks vulnerable.

Even if Joel Matip is back from injury, Manchester United should feel they can play their football here and cause problems for Liverpool. However they will challenged defensively too with Liverpool creating chances even if their finishing has let them down in their most recent Premier League games.

Like the layers I do think this is a fixture that will see both teams have chances to score, but I also think there is little to suggest either can keep a clean sheet. I genuinely believe Manchester United can earn some kind of result here with the way they have played away from home and they have scored plenty of goals on their travels.

It has been a long time since Manchester United won at Anfield, but this might be the most capable team of recent times. At the same time I do think Liverpool are more vulnerable than they have looked in three or four years and there looks to be a big opportunity in front of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team to open a gap on the current English Champions.

Any win may need at least two goals to be secured though and I think the best approach to this fixture may be backing a combined three or more goals to be shared out. I can't see Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane to continue misfiring in front of goal so this is a big test for Manchester United, but at the same time Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani will arrive playing with a lot of confidence and can use their pace and movement to find spaces.

Both teams are likely going to hit the back of the net, although as a Manchester United fan I would very much take a 0-1 or a 0-2 win now.

However the feeling is that we are going to see plenty of chances created by both teams and it may result in one of the more high-scoring games between these rivals than has generally been the case in recent years.

Manchester City v Crystal Palace Pick: This is a congested season and so there are going to be times when there is very little recovery time between games and that is what Crystal Palace are dealing with on Sunday.

They had a tough away London derby at Arsenal on Thursday and now have to face an in-form Manchester City team. At least Crystal Palace will have nine days rest following this fixture so there is every chance they can put in another huge effort at the Etihad Stadium where they have won and drawn in their last 2 visits.

This Manchester City team look less likely to be exposed on the counter attack as they have looked in the last couple of years and that could be important in this fixture. John Stones and Ruben Dias are forming a very good partnership and the slight tinkering to the system has meant Manchester City have not really offered up a lot of chances for their opponents.

It does feel like people are beginning to notice how well Manchester City are playing from a defensive point of view, although the balance has been slightly lost as far as going forward is concerned. There have been some big wins for Manchester City, but they are not consistent in the final third without Sergio Aguero leading the line and that means Manchester City do have to work hard to ensure they are picking up the maximum points.

Manchester City have only scored 6 goals in their last 4 home Premier League games and those have been against Fulham, West Brom, Newcastle United and Brighton. None of those teams are particularly known for their strong defensive performances and underlines the point about Manchester City not being at their very best going forward.

Roy Hodgson will set his team up to be defensively well organised and so this has the feeling of being a tight game despite the amount of goals that have generally been produced when these teams have met at the Etihad Stadium.

There have been at least four goals shared out between the teams in the last 6 at the Etihad Stadium, but I think this fixture will be different. Crystal Palace have not scored in their last 3 away games in all competitions, while Manchester City have kept 4 clean sheets in their last 5 home Premier League fixtures.

On recent form it is hard to look past another Manchester City clean sheet here as they continue to restrict opponents to very little in the final third. The pace in the final third and the set pieces that Crystal Palace will look to exploit makes them dangerous, but I think Manchester City have found a solid base to their game and I will look for them to win another game without conceding.

Arsenal v Newcastle United Pick: The games in the Premier League are being spread out so they are all receiving full televised coverage and it is Arsenal and Newcastle United who will be competing on Monday Night Football this week.

Neither team is playing at the level that either set of fans would have been expecting and there is some pressure on both Mikel Arteta and Steve Bruce.

Both Arsenal and Newcastle United are underachieving and coming off disappointing Premier League results which leaves them both in the bottom half of the table. There is a real concern for the home team that they will miss out on European Football this time around, while Newcastle United's form is seeing them slip back towards the relegation zone.

For now Mikel Arteta and Steve Bruce retain the support of the key decision makers at Arsenal and Newcastle United respectively, but this is a very important game for both. They need to find a way to earn the three points and that does put some pressure on the two sets of players who are not creating as many chances as they would like to see.

I think this fixture is likely going to be the same and similar to the FA Cup Third Round tie earlier this month- Arsenal had the majority of the play but Newcastle United had their opportunities too, but both lacked a consistent threat going forward.

With that in mind I do think this has the feeling of a fixture which could be decided by a single goal.

Arsenal have not scored in normal time in either of their last 2 home games, but have kept clean sheets in both, while Newcastle United have not scored in their last 2 away games and rarely created a threat.

The last 4 games between these clubs have seen at least one of the teams fail to score and I would not be surprised if one of the two fail to score on Monday.

West Ham United v West Brom Pick: Both of these Premier League clubs were able to earn important three points on Saturday, but David Moyes and Sam Allardyce have a short turnaround with their teams back in action on Tuesday.

There will be confidence that comes out of victories and the West Brom win at Molineux will certainly have their players believing that they can escape relegation. It was a battle, but The Baggies scored three times and came from 2-1 down to win 2-3 and it can be the kind of result which can begin to turn a season.

Sam Allardyce will be very happy to see three points produced, but he will be looking for better defensively. That has been his foundation for avoiding the drop throughout his managerial career in the Premier League, but West Brom continue to offer up too many chances.

I imagine it is something he will be working on ahead of this fixture, but there isn't much time for Allardyce and he will be looking for his players to try and frustrate West Ham United.

As positive as the results have been, West Ham United are not creating a host of chances themselves and so there will be a chance for West Brom to earn more points. However you have to credit David Moyes who has set his team up well enough to earn 4 clean sheets in a row and produce 1-0 wins in 3 games in a row.

He will likely rotate some of the players having had the limited time to recover between games, but West Ham United are playing with more confidence than we have seen for a while. They may not score a lot of goals or create a lot of chances, but West Ham United have looked pretty secure defensively and will feel they can restrict West Brom as long as they deal with the crosses and direct style in front of them.

I expect David Moyes to have worked on that with his players and this could be a tight game with both managers capable of setting up their teams to be tough to beat. Goals have been scored at both ends of the field when West Brom have played in recent away games, but that run looks set to come to an end here with the way West Ham United have been approaching fixtures.

It is still hard to rule out the visitors defending well enough to earn a result, but I would not be surprised if one of these teams fails to score here. Both managers will be well aware of how the other will want their team to play and I think that should mean they give their players the knowledge to deal with what they see.

Set pieces are likely to be crucial to the outcome of the fixture, but the feeling remains that there won't be a huge amount of goals shared out.

Leicester City v Chelsea Pick: Two clubs who will believe there could be at least one opening in the top four for them will meet on Tuesday and it is an important three points on the line for Leicester City and Chelsea.

Last season Brendan Rodgers and Frank Lampard's teams competed for top four spots until the final day of the campaign, but Leicester City came up short as Chelsea and Manchester United edged them out.

That came at the end of a season in which Leicester City had overachieved for large portions, but that experience will also have aided this squad as they look for an even stronger 2020/21 season. Brendan Rodgers has big ambitions for himself and this club, but so far Leicester City continue to churn out the results they need to stay in touch with the leaders of the Premier League.

A win on Tuesday might have a few more people paying attention to how well Leicester City are playing, but Rodgers won't be out there looking to impress anyone. Instead his focus is improving the players day by day and making sure Leicester City extract every ounce of potential from his decent squad.

They dominated Southampton on Saturday and deserved their win and I do think Leicester City won't be worried about facing Chelsea in their current form. Even the late goal to win at Craven Cottage won't have covered up some of the lack of confidence we have seen from the players and Chelsea need to pick up their consistency if they are going to return to the Champions League.

That is the minimum aim for Frank Lampard with the amount of investment made at the club in the summer, but Chelsea have not really been at their best of late. Even then they are creating chances and Chelsea will have been boosted by the clean sheet earned at Fulham, even if it was partly down to facing a ten man team for the majority of the fixture.

It sounds like Jamie Vardy will be available for Leicester City and I do think that will be key for the hosts who should create chances. However I also think Chelsea will be able to do the same and there may be more goals in this fixture than has generally been the case when Leicester City and Chelsea have met in recent seasons.

6 of the last 7 between these clubs have ended with two or fewer goals shared out, but the Premier League fixture between them at the King Power Stadium last season did end 2-2. A tighter FA Cup Quarter Final was played out, but that was played in June shortly after the League resumed following the three month suspension.

I do think both teams have shown enough going forward to believe there will be chances created in this one and neither Leicester City nor Chelsea have looked that good defensively of late. Both Everton and Manchester United have scored two goals in recent League visits to the King Power Stadium, but Chelsea have also been conceding goals on their travels and I think at least three will be seen here.

Fulham v Manchester United Pick: This is an important game at the top and bottom of the Premier League table, but you do have to favour Manchester United to leave London with an important three points.

That does not take anything away from Fulham who have been hard to beat under Scott Parker over the last month and were only undone by Chelsea on Saturday largely because they had been reduced to ten men. Even then Fulham showed enough to believe they can get themselves out of trouble inside the bottom three of the Premier League and this is a team who will look to get forward and pose problems for the current League leaders.

In recent weeks Fulham have drawn with Liverpool here and also managed to pick up a point from a hastily arranged away game at Tottenham Hotspur. All credit has to be given to the team for those results, but Fulham have not scored in their last 3 games at Craven Cottage and now face a Manchester United team who have been strong away from home all season.

Manchester United have really gotten used to beating those teams they should in the 2020/21 season and it is the foundation for their current position in the Premier League table. This is a team who can score goals and I do think they will create chances against Fulham, although the final score will depend on how clinical they are in the final third.

On Sunday Manchester United may feel better finishing would have resulted in a win at Anfield, but they should feel less tense about winning at Craven Cottage. The club have won their last 4 visits to this part of West London and I do think it is hard to ignore the amount of chances that Fulham are still giving up even if they have largely avoided punishment for them.

There is a big FA Cup tie coming up for Manchester United this weekend, but this Premier League game is more important so I expect a very strong team to be selected. Players like Paul Pogba are driving the team forward at the moment, but I do think Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes are not that far away from finding some of their own better form.

I expect Manchester United to be too strong for Fulham who have invested a lot of energy in their last two games. Having an extra day of rest will help, but perhaps not enough for this fixture and I will back the visitors to find a way to cover the Asian Handicap on their way to another three points.

Manchester City v Aston Villa Pick: This is a fixture that was originally supposed to be played on the opening weekend of the 2020/21 season, but Manchester City's late participation in the Champions League meant a postponement was offered by the Premier League.

It has perhaps not come at an ideal time for Aston Villa who have been affected by a Covid-19 outbreak which has reportedly been the worst of any Premier League so far this season.

However it is unlikely that Aston Villa will be offered another postponement having played as many as three game fewer than the majority of the Division. The training ground was reopened on Sunday and Dean Smith has spoken about the staggered return of players which should mean Aston Villa have a much more recognisable team than the one that was beaten by Liverpool in the FA Cup Third Round.

Even then it is a very difficult test for the visitors despite the very strong away form in the Premier League. Aston Villa were beaten 2-1 at Manchester United in their last fixture in the League, and they are not likely to get a lot of joy from this Manchester City team who have won 8 in a row in all competitions and who have been limiting teams from creating any sort of chances against them.

Aston Villa did play well against Manchester United, but they created a lot less in their 1-1 draw at Chelsea and this is a club that have struggled when visiting the Etihad Stadium in recent years. Dean Smith's team have been playing with confidence this season, but you do have to wonder how much the Covid-19 outbreak will have affected them and Manchester City are on a roll right now.

They can keep the clean sheets going and I will look for Manchester City to win with another one as they look for a fifth straight win to nil at the Etihad Stadium.

Liverpool v Burnley Pick: You have to believe that Liverpool will rediscover their form sooner rather than later and so being 3 points off the leaders is not a bad position to be in.

However you can't help but be critical of Jurgen Klopp's reaction to the goalless draw with Manchester United. Like many managers he is trying to disguise the issues in the Liverpool camp by taking aim at tactics other managers are using, but if he was frustrated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United, Klopp has another difficult evening to come against Sean Dyche's Burnley.

At the end of the day Liverpool have not scored in their last 3 Premier League games and they were pushed much harder than they would have imagined by Aston Villa's youth team in the FA Cup Third Round earlier this month. Defensively Liverpool have been largely settled, but they are not taking the chances that are coming their way and there is a pressure to respond.

I do think eventually an opponent is going to take something of a hammering by Liverpool, but Burnley have drawn on 2 of their last 3 visits to Anfield. They will be looking to frustrate their opponents here, but Burnley have lost 3 of their last 4 Premier League games and all by the same 1-0 margin.

Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes will be looking to challenge the Liverpool centre halves more than they had been last Sunday, but Joel Matip could return to bolster the home team. With Alisson in goal Liverpool do feel confident in their ability to still keep teams out, but they have to rediscover their clinical edge in front of goal.

Chances are being created, but there does look to be a lack of confidence in the strikers which is a worry for the manager while Diogo Jota is on the sidelines. I still think Liverpool will end up being too strong for Burnley and they will take the opportunities when they are presented here, although they may need a bit of luck to just open the door and then push on.

The feeling is that a single goal may be enough to earn the three points and I think Liverpool will find a way to break through what is going to be another deep lying defence. Burnley may not have the same attacking threat as Manchester United though and Liverpool should find a way to the points as they look to keep in touch with those teams above them in the table.

Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pick:

MY PICKS: West Brom + 1 Asian Handicap

Leeds United-Brighton Over 2.5 Goals

West Ham United-Burnley Both Teams to Score NO

Chelsea & Over 1.5 Goals

Leicester City-Southampton Both Teams to Score NO

Tottenham Hotspur & Under 4.5 Goals

Liverpool-Manchester United Over 2.5 Goals

Manchester City Win to Nil

Arsenal-Newcastle United Both Teams to Score NO

West Ham United-West Brom Both Teams to Score NO

Leicester City-Chelsea Over 2.5 Goals

Manchester United - 1 Asian Handicap

Manchester City Win to Nil

Liverpool Win to Nil

Fantasy Football GameWeek 19

One moment ruined GW18 as far as I am concerned.

That might sound a little silly when coming up with 45 points despite knowing there was not a full eleven playing having kept hold of my Free Hit, but it could have been so much better.

The moment? Raheem Sterling blazing his Penalty over the bar which meant being down at least 11 points and possibly more as it would have also presented Kevin De Bruyne with his second assist as my Captain on the day.

It's frustrating when it could have been so much better, but I have seemed to be on the wrong end of these moments far too often in the first half of the season. However, things 'even out over the course of the season' so I am looking for a bit more luck to move up the Rankings like I would want to over the remainder of the season.

GW19 is a big one as it is a Double GameWeek for so many teams and again it would have been a possible Bench Boost week for my team until late postponements have changed my plans. The Leeds United-Southampton game has meant my team has moved from thirteen players on a Double down to nine players and now I feel it can be better used some time later this season.

I will likely still have eleven players who have two fixtures coming up and I will do that with a hit as I look to move Fabian Balbuena out... I will also replace Heung Min-Son as was going to be the decision I had hinted at when bringing in the South Korean earlier this month, and the minor hit should be balanced by having players that should get a minimum of three points over the next week.

I have been looking at bringing in a West Ham United defender (which would have been Balbuena before he suddenly lost his place in the team) and I think I am going to decide between a Chelsea or an Aston Villa asset for the midfield spot.

Both Chelsea and Villa have good looking fixtures, but there are question marks around both that are slightly concerning- I still don't believe Frank Lampard knows his best eleven and the Chelsea squad can be rotated, while the Covid-19 outbreak at Aston Villa has left us unsure as to which of the players have been most affected by the illness.

However it does feel like the best way to approach this week which will give me a solid bench to back up the team, although late postponements could leave my plans in tatters.

Those are some decisions to be made over the coming hours, but I have also been looking at the seven postponed games that are likely going to be fit into the schedule in the coming weeks as the Premier League look to avoid a backlog.

The teams that need to be most worried are Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur who have two games that need to be re-arranged, but who are also involved in the FA Cup with a good chance to make the Quarter Final and potentially needing a third game to be moved. Both managers know their teams are involved in Europe at the moment too which is really limiting the Premier League options, but UEFA have made it clear that they are not going to worry if matches have to be played on the same night as their main competitions.

It is a decision that makes the life of Pep Guardiola much easier than Jose Mourinho who has to navigate the extra Knock Out Round that comes in the Europa League and I do think it is very important for the League to try and help as much as possible.

What does that mean? I think Manchester City are likely going to play Everton in mid-February which will mean a double fixture in GW24, while I can see the League bringing the game against Southampton forward to GW26. That fixture against Southampton was scheduled for later in the season, but that is the same weekend as the League Cup Final and I do think Manchester City will be looking to complete as many games this side of the March international break as they can manage.

The Tottenham Hotspur fixtures are harder to arrange because one of those Manchester City games are likely to be played on the same night as the first half of the Champions League Last 16 ties in February. However that is a week in which Tottenham Hotspur will be playing in the Europa League Last 32 and so I can only see the Aston Villa vs Spurs game being played in GW26 to offer Spurs a double fixture.

Any early exit in the Europa League or FA Cup will give the Premier League more options when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur, but if not the Fulham vs Tottenham game set for League Cup Final weekend will be hard to place in the calendar. That is something I will look to address after the FA Cup Fourth Round ties are played and then again after the FA Cup Fifth Round.

Other games that need to be re-arranged are involving clubs that are not playing in Europe so it should be easier to manage- I can see the Leeds vs Southampton and Aston Villa vs Everton games being played on the same night as the Champions League/Europa League fixtures have been scheduled and that will at least open the door for the Premier League to arrange those Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur fixtures in GW26.

Over the next month I would not be surprised to see a schedule something like this:

DGW24: Everton vs Manchester City and Leeds United v Southampton

DGW25: Aston Villa vs Everton

DGW26: Manchester City vs Southampton, Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley vs Fulham.

Any of those teams exiting the FA Cup before the Fifth Round could open up potential for that midweek to also have a Premier League game or two played- both Leeds United and Aston Villa are already out of the FA Cup so there is a chance that there is another place for those postponed League games to go.

It is certainly something to consider with more postponements likely to come, but also to factor in a way to maximise your point grabbing capabilities from the Fantasy Premier League game.

Unfortunately it is one of those seasons where there are so many outside factors influencing things that you could make the best plans and yet there is nothing you can do if games are being forced to be postponed. It happens for the weather in most years, but Covid-19 is much more dangerous and hard to predict compared with the forecast and so teams may be forced into playing fixtures at relatively short notice, especially at a time when the fans are yet to return to the Stadiums.

I am going to keep those assets who should have had those Doubles for a few weeks at least in anticipation of games being scheduled before we get into GW27, but this is a season where it is more unpredictable than ever.

Even then I am glad to have all my Chips in my pocket because my hope is that the final few weeks will take a more familiar path and I will have an opportunity to take advantage of the blanks that are almost certain to come up. After the FA Cup Fourth Round we may have a better idea of the amount of games that will need to be postponed for the FA Cup Sixth Round, but that may also see some brought forward to DGW26 in a bid to reduce too many fixtures being left over for what is likely to be a very busy last two months of the season.

I will think more about that in the next thread which comes out a week on Tuesday.