Winmau World Masters Darts Day 2 Picks 2026 (Friday 30th January)

Day 1 proved to be pretty difficult for the Darts selections, but that was partly down to a slight bit of misfortune.

I mean it is virtually impossible for someone to throw only five scores of 140 or more and four of those were the maximum, but that is what happened with Ryan Joyce to prevent the Double from coming in.

Jermaine Wattimena was not at the races, while Michael van Gerwen also looked out of sorts as he missed the maximum count by a single score.

Not to worry, it is a long season and you have to go through these peaks and troughs and Day 2 is an opportunity to bounce back.

The First Round looks competitive and the short format in the opening Round means it is very dangerous for all of the players with the matches capable of running away from someone very quickly.

Double- Danny Noppert-Daryl Gurner over 4.5 180s & Luke Littler most 180s: Both of the higher Seeded players are amongst the biggest maximum hitters on the Tour and are favoured to move through to the Second Round.

Danny Noppert was disappointing in his performances at the invitational tournaments earlier this month, and Daryl Gurney is more than capable of upsetting him having beaten him twice last year.

The Northern Irishman has perhaps struggled to reach his consistent best level for a while, but he is more than capable of contributing to this maximum hitting total.

And with likely four sets needed, which means at least eight Legs, you do have to feel that both can put enough big scores together to surpass this number.

Luke Littler is Luke Littler and has had plenty of success against Mike de Dekker over the last couple of years- he has tended to win the maximum count in those matches too and can follow suit as he moves through to the Second Round.

Jeffrey de Graaf v Stephen Bunting: Anyone who has been following the Tour ove the last month should be well aware of the standard that Jeffrey de Graaf has been producing.

He Qualified impressively, which will give him confidence, and the World Number 51 is putting some very good averages on the board.

Two years ago Stephen Bunting won the Masters, but that was in the old format and he has not been playing at a consistent level over the last three months.

In the two invitational events earlier this month, Bunting was able to beat those he should, but failed to make it beyond the Quarter Final with both events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia ending in defeats to Michael van Gerwen.

He averaged just 81 in the second of those losses, while Jeffrey de Graaf beat Stephen Bunting in a Players Championship Final in the sole meeting in 2025. That ended 8-7 in favour of the underdog, but this is likely to be close and de Graaf is being underestimated.

Both Josh Rock & Connor Scutt over 2.5 180s and 1+ 100 checkout: These two players had a drama filled match at the Grand Slam which was narrowly won by Josh Rock and the Northern Irishman won two floor matches against Connor Scutt too in 2025.

Those two floor events were of very high quality and Scutt has come through the Qualifiers here with real confidence.

His maximum hitting was on point in the last three Rounds of Qualifying and Connor Scutt is a confident player.

Josh Rock will be making his Premier League debut next week, but this is the first competitive action since a disappointing ending to the World Championship. Last year was a big one for him all the same and he is still one of the top maximum hitters on the Tour.

This match could go pretty long with the capabilities of both and finishing off a ton plus checkout is likely going to provide some of the turning points- both are capable and there should be one between them.

MY PICKS: Danny Noppert-Daryl Gurney Over 4.5 180s & Luke Littler Most 180s @ 2.69 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Jeffrey de Graaf @ 3.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Josh Rock & Connor Scutt Over 2.5 180s Each and 1+ 100 Checkouts @ 2.70 Bet365 (1 Unit)

World Masters Update: 0-3, - 3 Units (3 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Australian Open Tennis Day 13 Picks 2026 (Friday 30th January)

We may have gotten down to the Australian Open Semi Final with the top four men's Seeds all still in action, but most fans will believe the World Number 1 and 2 are going to have too much for experienced opponents.

The last three Grand Slam Finals have been a match up between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and they are clear favourites to meet in the Sunday showpiece.

However, out of the two opponents, it does feel like Alexander Zverev can offer some resistance against Carlos Alcaraz as long as he can put together a decent serving day.

Novak Djokovic fans may believe destiny is driving his run to the Semi Final having had some fortune in Melbourne, but his level has dipped significantly from his peak days dominating the Tour. It was really good to hear Djokovic giving a journalist some pushback having received a pretty disrespectful line of questioning, but the 38 year old has to be significantly better than Wednesday if he is going to find a way to upset Jannik Sinner in the other Semi Final.

Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev over 35.5 games: You could easily come to the conclusion that Carlos Alcaraz is a multiple time Champion at Melbourne Park after watching him ease past Alex De Minaur in the Quarter Final.

Instead, the World Number 1 was winning a Quarter Final at the Australian Open for the first time and in doing so was also ending the hopes of the home fans in seeing a men's winner at the event for the first time in fifty years.

Carlos Alcaraz is now two wins away from becoming the youngest men's player to complete the career Grand Slam, but he will have a lot of respect for the opponent in front of him.

Despite both being in the top three of the World Rankings, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev only met once in 2025 and that ended in a routine win for the Spaniard on the fast courts of Cincinnati back in August. That levelled up the career head to head between the players, but also means Alcaraz has won four of the seven matches since joining the elite on the Tour with a couple of the early losses at a time when the Spaniard was making his way up the World Rankings.

The three losses in that time underline the danger that Alexander Zverev does pose with a big serve backed up by enough on the ground to believe he can cause the upset.

It is the serve that has been a crucial weapon for Alexander Zverev in this tournament and the World Number 3 has long been comfortable playing in Melbourne. Last year he came up short in the Final, but Zverev continues to insist he is at his best health-wise right now and the German holds a win over Carlos Alcaraz on this court in the Quarter Final played two years ago.

Taking Alexander Zverev at face value with his assessment on his own health makes it understandable that the hard court numbers dipped as much as they did in 2025 and he will be well aware that he needs to serve very well to win this match.

This was the main reason he was able to hold off Learner Tien in the Quarter Final, while it was a big reason why Alexander Zverev was able to beat Carlos Alcaraz here a couple of years ago.

Of course the challenge for every player chasing the top two in the World Rankings is whether they can play at a high level for long enough to remain competitive.

Carlos Alcaraz looks to be getting stronger as this tournament progresses and he has not dropped a set in the last two Rounds against Tommy Paul and Alex De Minaur. He has admitted working on the serve and that has seen him dominate behind that shot, while Alcaraz has won two of the last three hard court matches against this opponent.

The layers are expecting a straight-forward win for Carlos Alcaraz with the favoured scoreline being 3-0 in sets, while he has been asked to cover the same line that was in place for his Quarter Final match.

However, that does all feel a little disrespectful to Alexander Zverev who can make use of the conditions to get the maximum out of his serve.

He will have to begin this match with some confidence just to make sure he does not allow a frontrunner like Carlos Alcaraz to move through the gears.

As long as Alexander Zverev can continue to serve at the clip he has been in Melbourne, he has every chance of making this a competitive Semi Final and the two players may put enough games on the board to surpass this total.

Jannik Sinner - 7.5 games v Novak Djokovic: The top four Seeds in the men's tournament have made it through to the Semi Final, but the two players competing in this one will feel they have had a bit of fortune on their side to make it through to the final four of the opening Grand Slam event of the season.

In the Third Round, Jannik Sinner looked to be cramping up and not being able to physically deal with the challenging conditions as he trailed by a break in the third set. Fortunately the heat rule was applied by the tournament organisers right at that point, which meant playing under a roof with controlled conditions and, most importantly, allowing the World Number 2 to just take in the liquid needed to get back somewhere close to full health.

He was fortunate at Wimbledon last year as well and Sinner took full advantage by winning his first title at that Grand Slam and the Italian has breezed past his last two opponents to take his place in the Semi Final here again.

So the defending Champion will be thankful, but there is so much more for Novak Djokovic to be thankful about as he looks to win a record twenty-fifth Grand Slam title.

Over the last eighteen months, Novak Djokovic has come to terms with the fact that beating both Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is going to be incredibly tough for him at this stage of his career- he has admitted he needs to get through the early Rounds of a Grand Slam as easily as possible to have enough in reserve to beat either of the top two players in the world, never mind knowing that he likely would have to beat both.

After coming through three opening wins easily, Novak Djokovic benefited from a walkover in the Fourth Round, which most have seen as a positive for him.

Even more luck was needed in the Quarter Final as Novak Djokovic admitted himself in the post-match interviews.

He was down 2-0 in sets against Lorenzo Musetti in that Quarter Final and looking unable to turn the tide with the Italian dominating, but an injury early in the third set meant the match came to an abrupt stop just four games into that set. Novak Djokovic was gracious enough to admit he felt he was 'going home', but he has made it through and some will think he is 'destined' to win at an event he has previously won ten times.

Novak Djokovic cannot keep hoping for some 'divine intervention', but he remains active at the Australian Open and that makes him a danger.

However, it is hard to imagine the last time Novak Djokovic would have been 8-1 to win a tennis match and that just underlines the gap that has developed between the long time dominant Champion and the two leading the ATP these days.

Last year, Novak Djokovic did upset Carlos Alcaraz here in Melbourne so his chances cannot be dismissed, but he has lost five matches in a row against Jannik Sinner, including at both the French Open and Wimbledon last year. Not only did Djokovic lose those matches, but he did not win a set, while even playing at his favourite Grand Slam might not make much of a difference when noting that he was crushed in four sets by Jannik Sinner here just two years ago.

The Novak Djokovic serve is declining from the level he once produced and he is no longer the best return player on the Tour, although his place in history is firmly secure for now.

These are things that Jannik Sinner just does better than Novak Djokovic in January 2026 and the World Number 2 has not dropped his serve in the last couple of Rounds. The feeling is that he is going to keep Djokovic under some pressure, while also being able to get his teeth into the return games more effectively than the Old King, and Jannik Sinner may end up producing a routine win like the one he did against the Serb in the Wimbledon Semi Final last July.

He broke the Novak Djokovic serve five times in that match and the way Lorenzo Musetti was able to break down that part of the Djokovic game will certainly offer Jannik Sinner plenty of encouragement.

It feels really wrong to be asking Jannik Sinner to cover this spread line against an opponent who has won the Australian Open ten times, but it does feel that time has gotten the better of Novak Djokovic and one of the top two players in the world can underline the difference at this stage of their careers.

MY PICKS: Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev Over 35.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (2 Units)

Jannik Sinner - 7.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 35-22, + 12.48 Units (118 Units Staked, + 10.92% Yield)

NFL PlayOffs Championship Games 2022 (January 30th)

The NFL Championship Games in the PlayOffs are going to be played on Sunday and I am looking to round off what has been a difficult season with some positive momentum to take into the 2022 season.

With just three games left until September, I am hoping the Championship Games are even half as fun as the last two weekends have proven to be.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs Pick: In the regular season, it was the Cincinnati Bengals win over the Kansas City Chiefs which cost the latter home field advantage in the PlayOffs. However, the same Bengals have been to the Number 1 Seeded Tennessee Titans in the post-season and knocked them off, which has allowed the Chiefs to host another AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead.

The Chiefs were a little fortunate to come away with a win over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, but they blew out the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. Their opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals, have been involved in two close wins over the Titans and previously the Las Vegas Raiders, but the win over Kansas City in Week 17 will not be far from the minds of either set of players.

It does make me wonder if this line is a touch too high considering what the Bengals did against the Chiefs in that win at home, and especially when you think of how Josh Allen carved up this Kansas City Secondary last week. A coin toss and some poor game management cost Buffalo as much as anything else, but I do think the Kansas City Chiefs will feel destiny is on their side after that victory.

In saying that, Cincinnati have nothing to lose as a big underdog and they will feel they have learnt plenty from the Chiefs in the win over them. Joe Burrow is a Quarter Back that has been very successful in the post-season both as a College player and a pro, and I do think the Bengals have full belief in their Quarter Back.

However, the Offensive Line has got to play a lot better than what we have seen in the post-season when Joe Burrow has been under siege at times. He was battered by the Tennessee Titans to the point where the win over the Number 1 Seed has been even more unexpected, and Joe Burrow is going to need a lot more support from the Offensive Line if he is going to avoid a defeat in this one.

Joe Mixon will be important as the Bengals will look to establish the run against a Kansas City Defensive Line which has been inconsistent up front. As good as Mixon has been at Running Back, the Bengals Offensive Line has not really been as strong as Cincinnati fans would have liked and they have struggled to open holes up front as much as they have struggled in protecting Joe Burrow.

Kansas City do not have the same kind of pass rush as the Titans, but they are good enough to at least get in Joe Burrow's face and that could lead to some mistakes for someone who will be playing the biggest game of his life. Winning a National Championship should give Joe Burrow plenty of confidence, but reaching a Super Bowl is a different level and beating Kansas City on the road is going to be a monster challenge for the Quarter Back.

I think Joe Burrow will score points with the Bengals much as Josh Allen did in the Divisional Round, but I also think he is not playing to the same level as the Buffalo Bills Quarter Back. If the Cincinnati Offensive Line is not able to set up the run, I do think it could be tough to throw the ball with the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium compared with how Joe Burrow played at home.

Joe Burrow will get his points, but Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are very likely to get theirs and I think they will have enough to move into another Super Bowl after beating arguably the best team in the AFC. The narrow win over the Buffalo Bills will have given the Chiefs every bit of confidence and I do think they are still going to play with an attitude of being overlooked with many believing the Cincinnati Bengals may be able to find an upset.

Running the ball may not be high on the agenda when it comes to the play-calling, but the Chiefs should be able to establish the ground game whenever they have the ball. The Bengals Defensive Line has struggled and putting Patrick Mahomes in a position to get the play-action and quick passes going is a position that no Defensive unit really wants to be in.

The feeling is that Patrick Mahomes can have a very big game with the team capable of moving the ball on the ground and he should be under very little pass rush pressure too. This is important for the Kansas City Chiefs and I do think they will be well aware that many feel the Bengals could potentially upset them here.

Kansas City were fortunate to cover last week, but they are now 6-0 against the spread in their last six as the home favourite. This is a game in which many are tipping up the Bengals to perhaps upset the Chiefs and I do think that is down to the Week 17 game, but this time the Chiefs are unlikely to be overlooking their opponent and it should show up in the AFC Championship Game.

Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are here to stay, but this may be a lesson for them that helps them grow and I will back the Kansas City Chiefs to find the Offensive balance to pull clear and cover.

The public look to be behind the Cincinnati Bengals too and I think that only hardens my belief that the Kansas City Chiefs are the right side.

San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams Pick: The long-term thinking for most casual fans is that it is very difficult to beat a team three times in the NFL season, but the actual facts play out somewhat differently.

Last season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did avoid the sweep to the New Orleans Saints, but ten of the last fourteen teams looking to beat a Divisional rival for a third time in the same season have managed to do just that. The San Francisco 49ers have beaten the Los Angeles Rams twice already in 2021 and they are a team with momentum as they look for a third road win in a row in the NFL PlayOffs to reach the Super Bowl.

Knocking off the Number 1 Seeded Green Bay Packers on the road days after doing the same to the Dallas Cowboys has given the 49ers confidence. The fans are happy to pay the prices to make this feel like a home game too, although the fact is that teams looking for a sweep of three games in one season have struggled a little more on the road than they have at home.

Now the 49ers have to also face a Los Angeles Rams team that have looked pretty strong in beating the Arizona Cardinals and reigning Super Bowl Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You could argue that Matthew Stafford is playing the best Football of the season at Quarter Back and the Los Angeles Rams know that two home wins will secure a Super Bowl title.

It puts pressure on the Rams and I think the Offensive unit is going to be tested by the San Francisco Defense which has been playing at a high level in the post-season. They have limited the Cowboys and Packers to a combined 27 points on the road and beating the Rams twice will mean the Defensive unit go into the Championship Game with full belief they can do the same here.

The 49ers held the Rams to 34 combined points in the two games in the regular season and they will feel being able to keep them at the average will give their team every chance of progressing to the Super Bowl. They do look to match up pretty well with the Rams on this side of the ball and that is very much down to the fact that the Defensive Line has been able to control the line of scrimmage.

Cam Akers is back for the Los Angeles Rams, but I am not sure they are going to find much room from conventional running plays. The game plan may be for Matthew Stafford to get the ball out into the flat in his playmaker's arms as quickly as possible and look for some yards after the catch in place of a running game.

However, failing to be able to run the ball allows the San Francisco pass rushers to pin back their ears and put Matthew Stafford under pressure at Quarter Back. With a banged up Offensive Line, the Rams may struggle to contain the 49ers in third and long and that has helped a Secondary make some big plays.

Stopping the Rams and all of their weapons completely is not going to be easy, but the 49ers have shown they match up well with them on this side of the ball. Los Angeles have also been so reliant on the pass that it has bred some inconsistencies in their Offensive drives and I certainly believe the 49ers have the Defense which can keep them in this game.

It sounds like Jimmy Garoppolo will be leaving the San Francisco 49ers in the off-season even if he helps the team win the Super Bowl and that is largely down to the fact that most believe the Quarter Back is fortunate to play in the system. He made some poor decisions in the first two games of the PlayOffs and that is a concern for the team, although he may benefit from not having to throw the ball too often.

Jimmy Garoppolo had a good game in the win over the Los Angeles Rams in this Stadium last month, but the 49ers are going to want to give the ball to their Running Backs and Deebo Samuel for as much as possible. The Quarter Back will have to keep the Rams honest, but the 49ers do match up well with the Rams who have struggled to stop the run and I expect to see long, extended drives from the 49ers in this one.

There has been some improvements with the level of performance of the Rams Defensive Line, but someone like Samuel is a huge match up problem depending on where he lines up and that should mean San Francisco are able to establish the run. Getting in front of the chains will just slow a Rams pass rush, which is very dangerous, and the key for the 49ers is looking to get Trent Williams on the field.

Injuries in the Los Angeles Secondary should give Jimmy Garoppolo a chance to have another decent showing in this Stadium, but turnovers are going to be a huge factor in this game. He has to be more careful with the accuracy of his passes, but I do think the Quarter Back can do enough to keep up with the Rams and potentially win this one outright.

The underdog has now covered in six straight between these Divisional rivals and San Francisco are 5-1 against the spread in their last six on the road against the Rams. Under Kyle Shanahan they have had the better of Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams and the 49ers have covered the last four times these teams have met.

San Francisco are 5-1 against the spread in their last six as the road underdog, including going 2-0 in the NFL PlayOffs, and I think they are getting just enough points to cover here.

MY PICKS: Kansas City Chiefs - 7 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

San Francisco 49ers + 3.5 Points @ 1.91 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Australian Open Tennis Day 14 Pick- Men's Final 2022 (January 30th)

It was a nervy performance from Ashleigh Barty, but she proved her resiliency in playing the big points as well as she did in winning the Australian Open on Saturday.

Not many will be lining up to oppose her at the next three Grand Slam tournaments either, although I think she will go into those events plenty short in the market. The restrictions in Australian could see Ashleigh Barty not compete on the Tour as frequently as would usually be the case, but I am hoping she takes to the court in the Middle East next month and is able to prepare for the big events coming through the first half of the season.

Now the last day at the Australian Open features the Men's Final and it could be a good one. I think Daniil Medvedev can get it done, but ruling out Rafael Nadal is never easy.

Daniil Medvedev - 1.5 sets v Rafael Nadal: If things were different, you may have expected a repeat of the Australian Open Final of 2021, but it was not to be for Novak Djokovic who didn't take part in the tournament. Instead, another former 20 time Grand Slam Champion will be looking to take the lead in the Men's game by moving onto 21 titles when Rafael Nadal takes to the court.

He has not won the Australian Open since 2009, but Rafael Nadal has managed to battle his way through the draw, although he may be the first to admit that the challenger in front of him is the toughest he would have played at Melbourne Park.

There is plenty on the line for Daniil Medvedev on Sunday as he bids to win back to back Grand Slam titles, beat another of the Big Three to win a Slam and also become the new World Number 1. All of that will put some pressure on the Russian player, but I do think his performances have generally been stronger than Rafael Nadal's and I also think Daniil Medvedev would have learned plenty from the defeat to the Spaniard in the Final of the US Open in 2019.

He is a much improved player now and I do think Daniil Medvedev is going to cause Rafael Nadal a lot more problems than Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini managed to do in the last two Rounds. Both of those players have obvious weaknesses that can be exploited, but they still managed to push Rafael Nadal at his worst Grand Slam and I think Daniil Medvedev doesn't have any obvious weaknesses on the court.

Daniil Medvedev is not returning as well as he would like, and that is a potential problem for him in the Final. He is breaking at less than 20% in the return games being played, and that is someway behind Rafael Nadal who is at 27% in this tournament, while both players have been serving well. However, I do think Daniil Medvedev has room for improvement and he has played Rafael Nadal better in each passing meeting with the Spaniard.

That culminated in Daniil Medvedev beating Rafael Nadal for the first time when they last met on a hard court in the ATP Finals in 2020 and ending a three match losing run to this opponent. The numbers do favour Rafael Nadal overall, but Daniil Medvedev has been getting better and better at competing with this opponent and I think that shows up at Melbourne Park on Sunday, even though it has not been the best tournament he has played overall.

In the last couple of Rounds Rafael Nadal has struggled for his form at times and I think those dips will be punished by someone as good as Daniil Medvedev can be.

This should be a fun Final and there should be some strong tennis that will be played, but I think Daniil Medvedev is going to prove himself rightfully taking over as the World Number 1 by winning a second Grand Slam in three or four sets against a multiple time Champion.

MY PICK: Daniil Medvedev - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 41-32, + 7.64 Units (146 Units Staked, + 5.23% Yield)

Weekend Football Picks and Fantasy Football 2021 (January 30-31)

The next six weeks are incredibly busy not only for Premier League teams, but also for those of us playing the Fantasy Football game with deadlines coming around very quickly, perhaps even while the previous GameWeek is not fully completed.

That is not the case this week, but there isn't much time between the end of GW20 and the beginning of GW21 with the deadline coming up on Saturday morning at 11am, an hour and a half before Everton and Newcastle United get the next round of fixtures going.

Fantasy thoughts will be below, but for us Manchester United fans GW20 proved to be something of a reality check after the 1-2 home defeat to Sheffield United.

It is a hugely disappointing result and one that has handed the title initiative back to Manchester City, but this could be the kind of setback that sparks another positive run.

There are two ways for this to go- either Manchester United will show there is a genuine belief they can go on and win some big prizes this year, and that means winning at Arsenal on Saturday and riding the momentum through Southampton and Everton, but the other is that United suffer another couple of poor results and slip away from Manchester City before their rivals face a tough portion of their schedule.

At this stage it is hard to know the direction United will go, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have noted that he can't rely on the squad and it may mean having to play stronger teams than he would like every few days during this busy part of the season.

For me United really missed Luke Shaw on Wednesday, while the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have run out of chances- I expect one to play every week, but both can't be selected while Mason Greenwood offers a better balance on the right side of the attack and Edinson Cavani is clearly the best Number 9 at the club.

I don't doubt it is hard for players to go without rest, but that is where Manchester United have to prioritise the Premier League over the Cup competitions which are scheduled to be played in February.

Going forward I would like to see a team like this one in most games: David De Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba, Fred, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani.

You can rotate Victor Lindelof with Bailly, Scott McTominay with Fred, and Anthony Martial with Rashford to bring in some fresh legs, but that would be my starting eleven for most Premier League games.

In the FA Cup and the Europa League you can make more changes with Dean Henderson, Alex Telles, Axel Tuanzebe, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Daniel James and Amad Diallo being given more chances. I would certainly look for the squad to work their way past West Ham United and Real Sociedad while making sure Manchester United remain strong in the Premier League, although the change in priority could occur if a poor run does extend through the next couple of weeks in light of the defeat to Sheffield United.

Saturday is a big test for Manchester United from the manager down to the players and will tell us a lot about where they currently stand in their belief and confidence.

Everton v Newcastle United Pick: The opening game of the Premier League weekend sees Everton and Newcastle United both looking to return to winning ways after setbacks during the week. Both teams may feel they should have gotten more from their latest fixtures, but confidence is clearly with the home team ahead of kick off.

Everton have been playing well under Carlo Ancelotti which has seen them pushing up the Premier League standings as well as progressing in the FA Cup. They could have easily stolen three points against in-form Leicester City during the week, but the draw is not the worst result in the world and Everton have tended to beat those teams they should, especially at home.

This season there have been defeats to teams like West Ham United, Manchester United and Leeds United at Goodison Park, but only one of those are currently below Everton in the table. Everton have managed to beat the other four clubs they have faced who are below them in the Premier League table including wins over two of the current bottom five.

Now they host a Newcastle United team who have lost 5 Premier League games in a row overall as well as their last 5 away League games. Steve Bruce is under pressure from the fans, but the empty stands means there have not been a massive visible movement to have the manager removed and so far he retains the support of Mike Ashley.

The manager was encouraged by what he saw in the 1-2 defeat to Leeds United during the week and Newcastle United look to be getting healthier. They created some really good moments in the loss to Leeds United, but Everton are unlikely to be as open and I think this is a team who will be able to create chances against Newcastle United.

The Newcastle United defensive numbers are not very encouraging and they have been conceding a lot of goals. I expect James Rodriguez, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to expose those defensive problems and I think Everton will most likely win a fixture which features at least two total goals shared out.

Crystal Palace v Wolves Pick: I didn't think there would be a lot of goals when Crystal Palace and West Ham United met here during the week, but an early one for the home team really changed the complexion of the fixture.

Roy Hodgson's men scored twice in the eventual 2-3 defeat to their London rivals, but Crystal Palace did not create a lot of chances and that remains a big problem for them. In recent weeks that has blighted Crystal Palace who have been reliant on special moments from some of their more creative attacking players to break through and I think that is something that can't be sustained.

The expected goals have underlined the struggles in the final third and they may find it difficult to break down Wolves if the visitors are as strong as they were at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. While still looking toothless for the most part going the other way, Wolves restricted Chelsea to very few chances despite the huge possession in favour of the hosts.

That result makes it back to back away clean sheets for Wolves who have been struggling in the Premier League ever since Raul Jimenez suffered a terrible injury.

It does have to be said that Wolves have looked a little more dangerous than Crystal Palace, but they could have a difficult day in the final third. While Crystal Palace have not been as consistent at the back as Roy Hodgson would have liked, in recent games they have had some big defensive performances around some of the weaker ones demonstrated.

You can't really tell which Crystal Palace team will turn up, but they have failed to score in both previous games against Wolves this season. Those results mean 5 of the 6 fixtures between these clubs have ended with one of the teams failing to score since Wolves returned to the top flight.

The exception was the 1-1 draw here last season, but Wolves needed an injury time goal to salvage that point and I am looking for this fixture to be much tighter than the Crystal Palace game played here during the week.

An early goal could open up the fixture again, but I think one of these teams will fail to find the net when two sides struggling for attacking consistency go up against relatively decent defences.

Manchester City v Sheffield United Pick: The layers look to have finally understood how well Manchester City have been performing defensively which means that the market for the home team to win with a clean sheet has been priced up significantly shorter than in other games in recent weeks.

Some of that may be down to the struggles of Sheffield United, but Pep Guardiola will be reminding his players to not take this opponent for granted.

The Sheffield United win at Old Trafford on Wednesday will really aid Manchester City here and prevent complacency setting in as they look to take control of the Premier League. There is a big League game coming up at Anfield, but Pep Guardiola will be demanding Manchester City go into it with two more Premier League wins and they should have far too much for Sheffield United on recent form.

Chris Wilder has to be given credit for picking strong teams in the Sheffield United FA Cup ties as he believed that would help turn the Premier League form. Since the Third Round win at Bristol Rovers, The Blades have won 2 of their 3 Premier League games played and Sheffield United might have given themselves a real chance of avoiding the drop.

The form in the first half of the season has left Sheffield United behind the black ball as they look to avoid relegation, but the win at Old Trafford will have given them a huge sense of belief. It also means they can't really afford to overlook any fixture in favour of another, but Sheffield United put in a huge effort to beat Manchester United and it wouldn't be a big surprise if they are already considering how to handle their next game.

On Tuesday Sheffield United host fellow relegation candidates West Brom and that is easily more important than this fixture. It is imperative that Sheffield United win that next game and so I can see the team being set up to make life difficult for Manchester City, but one that perhaps will be selected with the next League game in mind.

Manchester City are in ruthless form at the moment and they have won 11 games in a row so it is no surprise they are big favourites to tick that forward at least one more game. They have not always put teams to the sword, but Manchester City's win over West Brom on Tuesday shows what they can do when at their best and I think they are playing with real momentum.

Another clean sheet won't be a surprise, but this is still a difficult handicap to cover. Manchester City would only have covered this mark in 5 of their 15 home games in all competitions this season and the likes of Fulham, Newcastle United and Brighton have been beaten by two or fewer goals here.

It also has to be said that The Blades have rarely been beaten easily this season as the hard work keeps them competitive, and that is going to be key for them here. Once again the best approach may be backing Manchester City to win this one with a clean sheet even though the layers are getting on top of that market, but this may be the best avenue to go because Sheffield United might be looking to set up deep and just try to limit the damage on the day.

All 3 Manchester City wins over Sheffield United in the last eighteen months have come with clean sheets and I think that is the most likely outcome of this game too.

West Brom v Fulham Pick: Sam Allardyce may well feel his greatest achievement in his managerial career will be keeping West Brom in the Premier League, but another heavy home defeat will not have helped the confidence of the players.

The expert at keeping teams in the Premier League will be really disappointed by the results he has overseen at The Hawthorns as West Brom became the first team in over forty years who have conceded at least three times in five consecutive home top flight games.

Some of the defeats can be forgiven with Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City all winning here, but the heavy loss to Leeds United will have hurt. The other defeat to Crystal Palace will also be hard for the West Brom players to explain and Sam Allardyce has admitted there seems to be some worry about playing here even without the fans in attendance.

West Brom have had some decent results away from home, but Allardyce won't be looking for excuses on Saturday in what is a vital relegation six pointer against 18th placed Fulham.

Scott Parker's team battled to a goalless draw with Brighton during the week, but the manager will know Fulham need to start putting some wins on the board if they have serious ambitions of avoiding the drop. The point is not a bad one at Brighton, but Fulham were very fortunate and it makes it hard to see them as a favourite to win away from home.

Fulham have looked a little stronger over the last couple of months, but they have struggled for the balance between attack and defence. I think Scott Parker would likely take a point, but this is a tough game for his team considering their recent performances.

That isn't saying that West Brom are in very strong form, but I do think this is the kind of match that Allardyce would have targeted for a victory. I think he will be drilling that into his players and his history suggests he will get a reaction, while West Brom are unlikely to be punished in the same way Arsenal and Manchester City have done at The Hawthorns.

The first goal will be absolutely massive on Saturday, but West Brom do look capable of avoiding a defeat as the home underdog.

Arsenal v Manchester United Pick: There is little doubt that a lot of Manchester United fans will have been getting excited not only by the recent results earned by the club, but also the position in the Premier League table.

Being top for the first time after New Year's Day since May 2013 when Sir Alex Ferguson was still in charge is exciting, but we will see how genuine a title contender Manchester United are over the next week.

Losing to Sheffield United at Old Trafford is a huge blow, but Manchester United were going to have a setback at some point and the key is how they respond to that defeat. A loss to the bottom club will be hard to swallow, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will want to see his team dust themselves off ahead of what is a crucial part of the season.

Manchester United could spiral, especially with tough fixtures ahead of them, but playing at the Emirates Stadium may also inspire and motivate the players who have not suffered an away League defeat for over twelve months.

This has been a tough place for Manchester United to play in recent times and they have lost 4 of their last 5 at Arsenal in the Premier League. 3 of the last 4 have ended up in comfortable 2-0 wins for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta's team still believe they can challenge for a Champions League spot having picked up their own recent form.

Inconsistency hasn't been erased completely and Arsenal have struggled to always impose themselves on opponents at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have won 2 of their last 3 League games here against Chelsea and Newcastle United, but between that they could only draw with Crystal Palace and were perhaps fortunate to earn that point.

Arsenal have looked a little better defensively of late, but that will be tested by Manchester United who have looked good away from Old Trafford. There is naturally more space for Manchester United to exploit and I think they can be very dangerous, while defensively I expect a much better performance with Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof or Eric Bailly back to partner Harry Maguire.

My expectation is that Manchester United will pick a team that is not as open as the one that faced Sheffield United and it has been a selection that makes them harder to beat. Liverpool found that out in the goalless draw at Anfield against Manchester United earlier this month, but the visitors created some big chances in that fixture too which is why I believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will approach this game the same way.

The results have been improved, but Arsenal have still looked a little unsure of themselves when getting forward and Manchester United will erode the confidence of their hosts as long as they don't give anything away. Defensively there have been improvements, but Manchester United should be able to create something here and I think the first goal will be crucial.

Games between Arsenal and Manchester United have been tight and competitive in recent seasons, and the last 4 League games have ended with fewer than three goals shared out. I think that will be the case on Saturday with both managers likely to set their teams up to not give too much away early, but there may be one or two chances to win the game in the second half and I think the layers are underestimating the likelihood of goals being at a premium on Saturday afternoon in wet, and potentially windy, conditions in North London.

Southampton v Aston Villa Pick: Two of the 'trendier' teams for the neutrals to get behind meet in the late kick off on Saturday in the Premier League and I do think Southampton and Aston Villa can provide some real entertainment for the fans.

When they met earlier this season at Villa Park the fixture ended 3-4 in favour of Southampton, although Aston Villa will feel they deserved a bit more than they ended up getting.

Now they will be looking for revenge as Aston Villa continue to create chances and play with a very positive attitude and nothing is expected to change here. They will know their hosts are having a few issues at the back and Aston Villa have played a refreshing brand of football which has them chasing European Football.

Southampton are also looking to earn a spot back in Europe and they will feel they could have gotten more out of the 1-3 defeat to Arsenal during the week. They are short of the numbers they would have liked to go in with, but Southampton continue to try and play attacking football and they will believe they can challenge an Aston Villa team who have been conceding plenty of chances and goals away from home.

Another high-scoring game between these two could be the outcome if there is an early strike to get things going, although picking a winner is not easy at all.

Chelsea v Burnley Pick: A new manager might have been in the dugout, but Chelsea did not have the kind of response some may have expected in the goalless draw with Wolves at Stamford Bridge during the week. They dominated the possession, but Chelsea did not create as many chances as Thomas Tuchel may privately have liked, although outwardly he was pretty happy with what he had seen.

More training sessions may mean a different look to the team that takes to the field on Sunday, but Tuchel is a manager who will be demanding more from his players.

They will need more if they are going to be a Burnley team who have won 3 in a row in all competitions and in their last away Premier League game became the first team to win at Anfield since April 2017. Burnley defended really well that day, although they largely rode their luck and had Nick Pope to thank for the 3-2 win over Aston Villa at Turf Moor in their last League game.

Aston Villa created a lot of chances in that game, but I am not sure we can expect Chelsea to show any more composure in the final third as they rebuild their own confidence. It will mean they have to take risks and Burnley will believe they can cause some panic in the home ranks the longer they can stay in the game.

Much will depend if Burnley can show a bit more toughness in their defending- what I mean by that is that in recent games Burnley have struggled to keep teams from creating big chances and I do think it is a problem for Burnley even if they are once again finding big results.

The last couple of times they have faced Chelsea it has been one way traffic against Burnley as they have been punished by the quality that The Blues can call upon.

This will be important for Chelsea- they have to get off to a faster start than they did against Wolves who became comfortable defending, but I expect Thomas Tuchel to have worked on that. I expect the home team to dominate the ball, but they have players who should be able to create enough in the final third to expose Nick Pope as others have and I think Chelsea will find a way to win this game.

In recent times Chelsea have begun to get the better of Burnley and they can extend their run of wins by two goals or more against this opponent to 4 games.

Leicester City v Leeds United Pick: The second game in the Premier League on Sunday has all the makings of a really good watch for the neutrals and that is largely down to the fact that Leeds United will always come out to play their football.

Some will criticise Marcelo Bielsa for that as it leaves his team very open and susceptible to the counter attack and that may especially be the case in this fixture against one of the best at attacking in transition in the League.

The absence of Jamie Vardy is a blow for Leicester City, but they still have pace and quality in the final third and the performance at Everton was more encouraging than the result. Brendan Rodgers has stated that his team have been able to cope in previous Vardy absences and I do think this is a good match for Leicester City who will likely be able to exploit key spaces that Leeds United will leave behind.

For the main part Leicester City have defended really well and in recent weeks that has especially been the case. While it is not easy to defend against this Leeds United team who come forward in numbers, Leicester City won't be worried about bringing them towards the backline and then springing with attacking intent.

That tactical approach saw Leicester City crush Leeds United at Elland Road earlier this season.

And the Leeds United approach has seen them vulnerable when facing some of the better teams in the Premier League, especially away from home. While they have played their part in those fixtures, Leeds United have conceded at least three goals at Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this season, while Leicester City scored four times at Elland Road.

It would not be a major surprise if Leeds United scored here, but I think they are going to be very vulnerable to the Leicester City counter. Jamie Vardy is missing, but Leicester City have created a lot of chances in their last 2 home Premier League games and I do think they still have enough to win this game in what could be a relatively high-scoring one this weekend.

West Ham United v Liverpool Pick: Two of the top five meet on Sunday afternoon at the London Stadium when West Ham United host Liverpool and this is a very important game for both teams.

David Moyes has had a couple of days more than Jurgen Klopp to prepare his team and West Ham United have been in fine form. The team are creating chances, while they are defending really well too and Moyes has got the players believing and overachieving so far this season.

Finishing in the Champions League spots will be difficult, but any return to European Football would be a bonus for West Ham United. In a strange season where results have been a little wonky, David Moyes will feel there is an opportunity for West Ham United, although he will also know how important it is to take things game by game.

All credit has to be given to West Ham United for their 6 game winning run, but a couple of those wins came against lower League opposition in the FA Cup. Since the win over Everton, The Hammers have beaten three Premier League clubs who are sitting in 14th place or lower and they were beaten 1-3 by Manchester United at the London Stadium earlier this season.

If the match had been played a week ago West Ham United might have felt like Liverpool were there for the taking, but the Champions have not played badly in their last 2 away games. The defeat at Old Trafford would have hurt, but Liverpool dominated Tottenham Hotspur and fully deserved their win in North London, while they should have won at Newcastle United and Southampton on the strength of the chances created.

Liverpool have a very strong record at West Ham United in recent years and that also has to be respected, but they have yet to show the consistency away from home that the manager would have demanded. This team is missing key players in central defence which looks like leaving Liverpool vulnerable to this West Ham United team, although I do think the visitors will cause problems of their own.

The away record overall has to be a concern for Liverpool who look short here, especially if West Ham United defend as well as they have been in recent games. This will be a challenge for The Hammers and really give us a good idea of how far they can go this season, but I would be surprised if Liverpool were able to win comfortably considering the form of both clubs.

They may edge it, but I think West Ham United will push Liverpool all the way as they did at Anfield earlier this season and it should be a really competitive game.

Brighton v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: Both Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur will be disappointed with home results in the Premier League during the week.

Brighton drew with Fulham in a game they dominated, but it has been a trend for them this season. No one should doubt the amount of chances Brighton can create, but they are lacking composure in the final third to convert those which would have them operating much higher up the Premier League table.

Their visitors were beaten by Liverpool on Thursday and Tottenham Hotspur also look set to lose Harry Kane for a few matches. That is a real blow for Jose Mourinho's team who did not defend well and were punished for mistakes at the back, although Liverpool also created some very strong moments against them.

All in all Brighton have to be encouraged about their chances in this one and they did beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 here last season. Graham Potter won't change his style which does leave Brighton open against some of the best teams in the Premier League, but the manager believes it does give Brighton a chance to upset those teams if at their best.

We haven't seen that too often, but Brighton have rarely rolled over for the top teams in the Premier League. They will certainly believe they have nothing to lose if they can get after a Tottenham Hotspur team who have allowed teams to create some significant moments against them in recent weeks.

Defensively there are questions and some will believe there are problems in attack now that Harry Kane is set to miss some time. The striker has been a huge key to the way Tottenham Hotspur have approached games, but Tottenham Hotspur should be able to employ counter attacking tactics in this one with the knowledge that Brighton will look to get forward in numbers to hurt them.

I think there is a real chance Brighton could earn the upset if they are clinical in the final third and games against the top teams have been pretty high scoring over the last eighteen months. That is down to their own defensive shortcomings which tend to be exploited by the better teams in the Division and I do think the layers are underestimating the chance of seeing at least three goals here.

4 of the last 5 between Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur have ended that way and recent games at the Amex Stadium have seen some big chances being created at both ends of the field.

A 1-1 scoreline could scupper things, but I expect at least one more goal to be shared out when Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur meet in the final Premier League game of the weekend.

MY PICKS: Everton & Over 1.5 Goals

Crystal Palace-Wolves Both Teams to Score- NO

Manchester City Win to Nil

West Brom + 0.25 Asian Handicap

Arsenal-Manchester United Under 2.5 Goals

Southampton-Aston Villa Over 2.5 Goals

Chelsea - 1.25 Asian Handicap

Leicester City & Over 1.5 Goals

West Ham United + 0.75 Asian Handicap

Brighton-Tottenham Hotspur Over 2.5 Goals

Fantasy Football GameWeek 21

I made the decision to keep Marcus Rashford in GW20 and it turned out to be the right decision in terms of he wasn't going to be missing through injury- other than that the less said the better.

The transfer to bring in Ilkay Gundogan might have been one that many decided on, but everyone was rewarded when the Manchester City midfielder scored twice. He did miss out on a couple of extra points having been withdrawn before the 60th minute mark, but that almost certainly suggests Gundogan will start on Saturday in what looks like another potentially high-scoring return for Manchester City when they face Sheffield United at the Etihad Stadium.

63 points feels like a decent return, but I am writing this before the Tottenham Hotspur versus Liverpool game and that could be one that damages the overall ranking which is approaching the top 300k.

So where am I at this week? Sergio Reguilon has got to go and I do feel there are some options available to me.

I love the new positioning of Lucas Digne in the Everton team, while you can't ignore the obvious set piece potential he brings. Everton have some decent fixtures coming up and what I feel is going to be a DGW as their fixture is likely going to be played against Manchester City sooner rather than later.

He is appealing, but I am also keen on Antonio Rudiger with Chelsea's fixture list and the feeling he has already overtaken Kurt Zouma as the foremost partner for Thiago Silva. I do think that will be strengthened by the arrival of Rudiger's compatriot as manager of the club and Thomas Tuchel was previously considered keen to bring him to Paris Saint-Germain while in charge in the French capital.

Matt Targett is proving to be valuable for Aston Villa as another defender capable of bringing in attacking returns and they look to be the focus of my interest for that position.

I am a little irritated with the injury to Reguilon as he was likely going to play most weeks through to the end of February, but now I have to make a change. It has prevented me attacking the transfers in the manner I would have wished, as the Kevin De Bruyne injury also did, although I am considering a hit this week having avoided one last week.

Tomas Soucek and myself are not seeing eye to eye despite him largely being a feature in my squad from day one this season- after blanking in his DGW I decided to bench him in GW20 and was duly punished in the worst way meaning I have missed out on two of his hauls this season.

That is pointless from the cheap midfield option and I am looking at Leicester City assets to come in with Leeds United and Fulham next up for them. The injury to Jamie Vardy is a blow, but the fixtures look more appealing than West Ham United's and add to that the fact that Leicester City could soon be involved in a DGW and it makes a lot of sense.

It would mean bringing in Michail Antonio at some point because the West Ham fixtures do improve next week, but in a strange season I feel like I have had to take more hits than I would have liked and have not been able to roll transfers through as I would have liked.

The fixture list over the next month was updated on Friday and that included placing the FA Cup Fifth Round ties in their slots- I am surprised that there hasn't been more of an effort to actually re-arrange the seven games that have definitely needed to be moved from their original slots, especially as two of those involve Manchester City.

With full involvement in all four competitions they began the season with, Manchester City don't have a lot of room in the calendar to avoid having to play three times in six days and so I am surprised the Premier League have not made plans. Perhaps they are waiting for the FA Cup ties to be completed next week before GW24, but is the one where I think their game either at Everton or hosting Southampton should be played.

Both of those teams are playing on Sunday in GW24 so the fixture with Manchester City is most likely to be played around 5:30/6pm on Wednesday regardless of whether it is Everton or Southampton. For us Fantasy players it is irritating as we might not be able to prepare for the upcoming DGW as we normally would, but it is that kind of season after all.

I am also surprised the Premier League are willing to kick so many games down the road- you would think clubs would want to at least have played the same amount of fixtures as those around them as soon as possible. Add in the uncertainty about whether Covid-19 will impact on any more fixtures and I am a little unsure as to why the Premier League have not made firmer decisions right now.

UEFA have already given Leagues permission to schedule games on nights reserved for European Football (although kick off time would prevent a clash) with the belief that that will allow all fixtures to be completed in timely fashion, while the integrity of the League should mean teams will not want to hold onto 'games in hand' for too long.

Some of it may be down to the FA Cup Fifth Round coming up as the Premier League looks to see how many games will need to be re-arranged in GW29 when the Quarter Finals are set to be played, while teams not involved in European Football do have a bit more room for manoeuvre.

All the signs point to GW26 being the biggest double left in the calendar, but there are plenty of additional DGWs which can make the difference as long as we get to find out when those fixtures are going to be played.

I think some of those may be arranged at short notice, while fixtures could be moved around depending on how the FA Cup Quarter Final line up shapes up (for example a Tottenham Hotspur loss at Everton and a Sheffield United win over Bristol City could see the postponed Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur game moved to GW29 rather than offering a DGW later in the season).

This is just something we cannot account for this season, but keep an eye on fixtures and leave transfers as late as possible so you can perhaps take advantage of the situations as they come up.

Australian Open Tennis Day 11 Picks 2020 (January 30th)

The final four players in both the Women's and Men's draws at the Australian Open have been set and Novak Djokovic has to be considered a strong favourite to defend the title he won here last year. The Quarter Final defeat for Rafael Nadal also means Djokovic will move to World Number 1 if he can win the Australian Open for an eighth time on Sunday and I would not be backing against that happening.

The Women's tournament remains wide open with three of the four remaining players having a serious case to make to add to Grand Slams they have won before. The outsider might be Sofia Kenin, but she looks a player who has a huge self-belief although beating two Slam Champions in a row with the relative inexperience she has would be a huge surprise.


Both Women's Semi Finals are played on Thursday and we also have one Men's Semi Final scheduled for Day 11 at the Australian Open. I am still not convinced it is fair to have one Men's Finalist having an additional day between matches to recover compared with the second Finalist, but the Australian Open is the last of the Slams to still have that occurring. At least there is a day between the second Semi Final and the Final to be played on Sunday unlike the US Open of years gone by which had no rest days between their Semi Final and Final before making the change to try and get things on a level playing field for the Finalists.

My Tennis Picks from Day 11 can be read below and I am looking to round out this tournament with the kind of strong form we have seen over the last week. It has turned a negative start into a real positive and I am hoping to kick on with the three selections made for Day 11.


Ashleigh Barty - 4.5 games v Sofia Kenin: Dealing with the real sense of expectation might be the main reason we have not seen the best of Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open so far in 2020. Even then Barty has made her way through to the Semi Final of her home Grand Slam and is looking to end the long wait for an Australian Champion in Melbourne Park.

She had to ride out some difficult moments in her Quarter Final over Petra Kvitova having recovered from dropping her second set of the tournament in the Fourth Round. While the wins have come, Barty has perhaps been a touch fortunate in the last couple of Rounds and will definitely need to pick up her level if she is going to win a second Grand Slam title within the last eight months.

Overall the hard court numbers over the last twelve months have been impressive from Ashleigh Barty and it is no surprise she is a fairly strong favourite in this Semi Final. While not blessed with a huge amount of Grand Slam experience at this stage of a tournament, Ashleigh Barty's win at Roland Garros last June means she has a lot more experience than Sofia Kenin who has made the second week of a Grand Slam for the second time in her career and is in a week of firsts having played a maiden Quarter Final and now Semi Final at this level.

The American has benefited from the way the draw has opened up in her section having yet to face an opponent Ranked inside the top 34 in the World Rankings. You still can't take away the run from Kenin, but she has not been a dominant winner in any of her last three matches and the level goes up considerably if Barty can produce anything near her best.

The Sofia Kenin serve has been a big weapon for her throughout this tournament and she is doing enough to keep herself on top of opponents. That is going to be key for her in this Semi Final, although Ashleigh Barty is the best returner she would have faced in this tournament so far.

These players have met five times before and it is the Australian who leads 4-1 which includes a win at a Grand Slam (last year's French Open) and also a 2-1 lead on the hard courts. Those previous matches have been competitive, but Barty has had the edge when it comes to the return of serve and I think that is going to be an important factor in this one too.

While Kenin has been consistent with the kind of success she has had on the return in the three hard court matches, we have seen Ashleigh Barty really hurt her in the two matches she has won. In those Barty has won at least 48% of the points played on the Sofia Kenin serve and I do think the Australian's Grand Slam experience will stand her in good stead in this first Semi Final.

The line looks a tough one for the World Number 1 here, but I am going to look for Ashleigh Barty to just find the breaks of serve she needs to move through to the Final with a cover.


Garbine Muguruza + 2.5 games v Simona Halep: For someone who has reached World Number 1 and who has won two Grand Slam titles it is perhaps a surprise to read that Garbine Muguruza is only playing in her eighth Grand Slam Quarter Final at the Australian Open this year.

The Spaniard converted that into her fifth Semi Final with a good win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and the little time spent on court over the last three matches should put Muguruza in confident mood. In her previous four Grand Slam Semi Finals, Garbine Muguruza converted the first three into an appearance in the Final, although two years ago she was beaten at the French Open at this stage by upcoming opponent Simona Halep.

Simona Halep took less than an hour to rip through Anett Kontaveit in the Quarter Final and she has maintained her run of at least five breaks of serve in every match played at the Australian Open. The Finalist here in 2018 looks to be peaking at the right time with her best performances being saved for the latter stages of the tournament and it is going to be very difficult to knock her out of her stride now.

This might be a different challenge for her though as Muguruza has proven to be a very confident player the longer she can stick around in tournaments. Garbine Muguruza also has two top ten wins in the Australian Open already and has been serving very, very well in making use of the conditions at the event.

It has allowed Muguruza to free her arm when it comes to the return of serve and she clearly does enjoy playing in Melbourne having produced her second most Grand Slam wins here. Her 3-0 record against Simona Halep on the hard courts will give the Spaniard some confidence, although it does have to be noted that these two have not met on this surface since August 2017 when Muguruza dropped one game in crushing Halep in the Cincinnati Final.

The match goes to show what Garbine Muguruza is capable of at her best, but she does not have the best hard court numbers over the last twelve months. In fact during that time it is Halep who has looked the more accomplished on the surface and so she is rightly favoured to win this match.

However I do think Garbine Muguruza is playing well enough to at least keep things competitive and she may have a chance for the outright upset if serving like she has been in this tournament. I would expect the return of serve to have success against this Simona Halep serve, although the key for Muguruza is using the conditions and not push too much towards the lines against an opponent who can play some superb defensive tennis.

There haven't been too many epic Women's matches at the business end of the Australian Open, but this may be one of them and I am taking the games with the underdog.


Novak Djokovic - 6.5 games v Roger Federer: Thirteen Australian Opens have been won by Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer combined and there has only been one winner in the last ten years outside of these two players. This year Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer meet in the Semi Final and it is very difficult to see anything other than a win for the defending Champion and World Number 2 Djokovic.

There were one or two doubts about Roger Federer prior to the tournament having decided to skip the inaugural ATP Cup and make his 2020 debut on the Tour in Melbourne. Injury concerns or at least the fact that Federer was unlikely to be at full health was balanced out by what looked to be a very good draw through to the Semi Final.

Surprisingly it has been far from straight-forward for the former World Number 1 who needed to recover from 8-4 down in the Champions Tie-Breaker against John Millman in the fifth set in the Third Round. He followed that up with a four set win in the Fourth Round, but Federer was then in a life or death Quarter Final against Tennys Sandgren having saved seven Match Points and also overcoming what sounded like a groin issue.

Roger Federer himself admitted he was lucky to still be in the tournament and the numbers backed that up. The 38 year old has spent over nine and a half hours on the court in his last three matches which has to be a major concern knowing the physical test that Novak Djokovic is always going to offer and I am not sure there has been enough recovery time for Roger Federer here.

Novak Djokovic has won thirteen sets in a row at the Australian Open since dropping one in the First Round and he has only dropped serve once in the last four wins. At the same time Federer has been dragged into long matches, Novak Djokovic has spent just over ten hours on the court in total at the tournament and that freshness should give him a clear edge in the match.

You just can't ignore the fact that Federer has not been serving that well in the tournament and I do wonder if the injury he is dealing with is preventing from getting full extension on that shot. Now he has to deal with one of the best return players of all time and one who has been developing a stronger serve which has me favouring Novak Djokovic to not only win, but win well.

Unbelievably they are meeting in a Grand Slam match on the hard courts for the first time in four years when Novak Djokovic crushed Roger Federer at this tournament in the Semi Final. Novak Djokovic has won their last five Grand Slam matches overall and also the last five they have played in Slams on the hard courts so I don't think he will be short of confidence.

Roger Federer had snapped a four match losing run on the hard courts when beating Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals in London in November, but he looks fatigued and not at 100% for this Semi Final. You can't discount how competitive matches between these players have largely been, but Federer will need Djokovic to come off his level to have a chance in this one with the time spent on court and the healthier World Number 2 having the majority of edges.

Just looking at this tournament and you can't deny that Novak Djokovic has been a lot better than Roger Federer and it would be something of an upset if the latter can make this a really competitive Semi Final.

MY PICKS: Ashleigh Barty - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Garbine Muguruza + 2.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Novak Djokovic - 6.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Australian Open Update: 35-28, + 7.66 Units (128 Units Staked, + 5.98% Yield)