Tennis Picks 2026 (Wednesday 15th July)

Everyone in England is going to be going to be thinking about the World Cup Semi Final that will be kicking off at 8pm local time, but the Tennis Tour will continue behind the scenes in the five main Tour events being played this week.

Those will 'only' be moving into the Second Round and will barely make a mark on the UK sporting radar, but those competing in Athens, Bastad, Gstaad, Isai and Umag will be looking to move into the business end of those tournaments and earn the chance to pick up vital Ranking Points.

Most of these selections should be completed way before the second of the World Cup Semi Final ties begin, but the reality is that the Football will take over all attention whether that is the case or not and most will likely be settling in to watch what is likely going to be a dramatic game to decide whether England or Argentina make it through to the World Cup Final scheduled for Sunday.

The opening Tennis selection of the week was not quite able to get over the line, but the next two both returned winners to make it a positive start to the week.

Keeping that going is the challenge in what is going to feel like a much quieter three weeks between Wimbledon concluding and the Canadian Masters beginning, but there are opportunities to exploit and that is the ambition ahead of the two big Masters hard court tournaments in August.

Maria Sakkari - 5.5 games v Harriet Dart: The WTA returned to Athens for the first time in thirty-five years this week and it is no surprise that Maria Sakkari has chosen to use the event as one of the preparation spots ahead of the US Open.

She reached the Third Round at Wimbledon and Maria Sakkari enters this week as the World Number 37, but there are some significant Ranking Points to protect over the coming weeks and earning a Seeding spot at the US Open will help. The Greek player is going to be given so much support here and she has to be highly motivated to want to put a strong week on the board and Maria Sakkari is rightly favoured to reach the Quarter Final.

It has not been the best year on the Tour for Maria Sakkari as she returns to hard court action, but she was a dominant winner in the First Round and has been playing at a more challenging level than Harriet Dart.

The British player had a disappointing grass court campaign and has failed to use the opportunities given to her to improve the World Number 152 spot.

Harriet Dart is turning 30 years old later this month and you do have to wonder if there is enough strong tennis left in her to push back into the top 100 of the World Rankings. There is only so many times players are going to want to go through multiple Qualifying Rounds to earn main draw spots in the biggest tournaments and Dart has almost exclusively been playing below the WTA 250 level over the last couple of years.

With that said, the hard court numbers are not that encouraging and this is a considerable step up in level of the usual opponents that Harriet Dart will face.

Three sets were needed to beat a Qualifier who is Ranked outside the top 300 in the First Round and Maria Sakkari can use the home crowd to get the better of Harriet Dart with some level of comfort on the scoreboard. These two met all the way back in 2017 on the grass courts when both were still pushing up the World Rankings and it was Sakkari who won comfortably on that day and she can record the breaks of serve needed to cover this handicap mark.

Alycia Parks - 2.5 games v Mai Hontama: You may expect most American players to leave Wimbledon behind and head back to North America to take in events ahead of the US Open.

Last year Alycia Parks decided to play in Prague in July before taking part in the big Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati and this year the World Number 70 has decided to play in Athens. This is in addition to entering the Prague hard court tournament next week and it does offer Parks an opportunity to pick up those vital World Ranking points to move back towards a career best mark set in August 2023.

She has not really kicked on as would have hoped with Number 40 being the best career mark so far, but that is much higher than Mai Hontama has been able to produce.

These days Hontama is operating outside the top 200 in the World Rankings, but she upset Magda Linette in the First Round and that will have given the 26 year old a huge boost in confidence. Mai Hontama returned really well in that First Round win and is going to have to do the same if she is going to reverse the result from when she was beaten by Alycia Parks last year in Prague.

It is a big step up for Mai Hontama who had lost all four hard court matches against top 100 Ranked opponents over the last twelve months before the First Round upset. Three of those defeats were to players Ranked between 84 and 99 and Alycia Parks should have the serving power to keep the scoreboard pressure on this opponent, much like she did in the 2025 match.

Alycia Parks is not an easy player to back to win matches having compiled a losing record on the hard courts over the last twelve months, but she is 11-9 when facing players Ranked outside the top 100 compared with 9-15 against those inside those positions. As long as she serves as she can, Parks should have the opportunities to break serve and that can see her win this Second Round match and cover the handicap.

Raphael Collignon - 2.5 games v Lorenzo Sonego: The 24 year old Belgian is playing on a career best World Ranking mark, but there will be disappointment that a bigger impact was not had on the grass courts after a strong showing in Halle.

Raphael Collignon moves back onto the clay here in Gstaad and he enjoyed significant success at Challenger level on the surface before reaching the French Open Third Round.

It will give him some confidence after coming through a tight three setter in the First Round and Raphael Collignon will certainly believe he is playing superior clay court tennis than opponent Lorenzo Sonego.

However, the Italian is very comfortable on the surface and has a win under his belt here, which deserves respect, even if Sonego struggled on the clay after missing two months of the Tour through injury.

Lorenzo Sonego won just two clay court matches through to the end of the French Open, but he played well enough at Wimbledon and has had a couple of decent runs in Paris that do deserve respect.

If he serves like he can, Lorenzo Sonego can put some real pressure on Raphael Collignon, although his numbers in 2026 have been disappointing. Again, some of that has to be put down to finding his rhythm back on the Tour, but Collignon may feel he is able to make some inroads on the return.

More impressive is the way in which Raphael Collignon has been serving on this surface and that may help build up the scoreboard pressure that eventually sees him crack through the World Number 83 in this Second Round contest.

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 games v Jerome Kym: If this match had been played twelve months ago, Stefanos Tsitsipas would have been a huge favourite, but he has been sinking in the World Rankings week to week.

Usually we would not see someone like Tsitsipas playing between Wimbledon and the Masters events on the hard courts leading into the US Open, but the Greek star has been struggling massively with his consistency.

Backing up that statement is Stefanos Tsitsipas being the World Number 85 heading into this tournament in Gstaad, but his win in the First Round is a reminder of how good this player can be when he is focused and finding his best tennis. It is a victory over a player that is significantly stronger than Jerome Kym, who has been given a Wild Card into this tournament, but who also had to battle to make it into this Second Round against the World Number 618.

Jerome Kym has spent the majority of his career away from the main ATP Tour and he has a 2-2 record against top 100 Ranked opponents on the clay courts.

He serves well, which makes him dangerous, but Jerome Kym has struggled on the return at a much weaker level than the opponent he is going to be facing in the Second Round.

This potentially makes Stefanos Tsitsipas a touch underrated in this match and the former World Number 3 can do enough to win and cover this handicap mark.

MY PICKS: Maria Sakkari - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alycia Parks - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Raphael Collignon - 2.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 2.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Weekly Update: 2-1, + 0.74 Units (3 Units Staked, + 24.67% Yield)

2026 World Cup- Semi Final Picks (Tuesday 14th July-Wednesday 15th July)

There was some controversy around the FIFA decision to Seed the top four World Ranked teams when the draw was made, although they made it clear that it would only be the case if France, Spain, Argentina and England all won the Groups in which they had been placed.

All four did and have made it through to the final four, albeit with some bumps to negotiate along the way.

France are the favourites having cruised through the tournament behind a fearsome front four, but Spain stand in the way in a third Semi Final meeting in a third different competition from 2024 to 2026. Both previous matches have been won by Spain, but they have needed very late goals to beat Portugal and Belgium and the only real positive is avoiding having to go through Extra Time.

In real terms, both France and Spain have made pretty comfortable passage, but Argentina and England have been forced to dig deep.

The defending World Champions have twice needed to win games in Extra Time and came from 0-2 behind to beat Egypt with an injury time winner to avoid all three matches needing the additional thirty minutes. This accumulation can wear teams down and Argentina have looked fragile and heavily reliant on Lionel Messi, which is a disappointment considering the bid to develop since winning in Qatar.

Where Argentina have one superstar stepping up, England have had both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham provide big moments and stopping both is the challenge.

However, nothing has come easy for England after battling from behind to beat both DR Congo and Norway, the latter in Extra Time, while they also came through an epic battle in Mexico City to beat one of the co-hosts 2-3 in a memorable World Cup fixture.

All four teams at this stage of the competition will be confident, but you have to believe the winner of the France-Spain Semi Final will be going on to lift the trophy on Sunday, regardless of who they face in the Final.

Things could look very different at the end of the Semi Final Round, but it would be a surprise from here as the 2026 World Cup Finals wind down.

World Cup Semi Final Picks

Tuesday 14th July

France vs Spain Pick: The Euro 2024 Semi Final and the 2025 Nations League Semi Final matches were both won by Spain, but there has been a feeling in this tournament that the French team are playing at a superior level.

Strong attacking play will always make the headlines more than strong defensive work and Spain will still be feeling confident about their chances.

They will certainly believe they have come through a tougher pathway in the Knock Out Rounds and that can mean being more battle-tested. Wins over Austria, Portugal and Belgium means Spain are used to that rhythm and tempo provided by European opponents and those opponents make for better reading than France seeing off Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco.

It is not the fault of the French that they have not had to play Germany or a full strength Morocco, but Spain may take something from the fact that France did struggle to break down the last two of those opponents. We have certainly not seen a full performance from France in the tournament, which does make them dangerous, but Spain may feel they can contain the attacks to some extent, whilst also giving France so much more to think about on the defensive side of the field compared with the last three Knock Out opponents.

Spain should take heart from the chances Senegal and Sweden created before they fell behind and France have yet to had to battle back from adversity.

The same can be said for Spain, who have also not been behind in the tournament, but they have had to dig in to beat Portugal and Belgium and that will give the team confidence. Having Nico Williams back is also a big confidence builder for Spain, even if he cannot start, and the European Champions have shown they can hurt a vulnerable France defence over the last couple of years.

France have tended to be the superior World Cup team compared with Spain, who have been much stronger in the continental tournaments, but this has the makings of a classic World Cup Semi Final.

Whoever scores first will be confident, but it should be noted that recent games between these European neighbours have tended to be very competitive and with the attacking players usually coming out on top.

So while World Cup Semi Final matches can become tight and tense, this may be one where both teams feel they can hurt the other and it may be another fixture between France and Spain that ends with at least three goals shared out.

Wednesday 15th July

England vs Argentina Pick: There is little love lost between these nations and they are meeting in the biggest game between the rivals in the history of this sport.

Making a World Cup Final is obviously the motivation, but there will be a huge amount of pain for the loser to absorb if going down to the other in this Semi Final.

Both England and Argentina will know that they need to improve to beat the other and the squad that has dealt best with the Extra Time needed to win Quarter Final matches will have the edge.

Superstar names have stepped up for both nations during what have been inconsistent performances in the Knock Out Rounds and the defences have really had problems. That could be the case in this Semi Final with both England and Argentina going to be feeling like the attacking players can hurt the other and it may be a game in which one of the teams will make one too many errors to hand the game to other.

Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will receive the attention, but it could be a player at the back taking an unnecessary risk that proves costly.

Both teams will have their moments, but both are likely going to be relying on Emiliano Martinez and Jordan Pickford to step up when they are asked questions.

Out of the two, Martinez may just give Argentina the edge, but England have to know the defending World Champions are not looking nearly as good as they did in Qatar.

This has all of the makings of a tense night in both nations in a fixture that neither England nor Argentina dare to lose, but it could be one where the goalkeepers are forced into action more than some of the layers may think.

Extra Time and Penalties would not surprise anyone, but big saves are likely going to be needed before that and the defensive numbers have shown two teams that will give up shots on goal during this Knock Out run.

MY PICKS: France-Spain Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.95 William Hill (1 Unit)

England-Argentina Over 7.5 Match Shots on Target @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Semi Final: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)

Quarter Final: 2-2, - 0.12 Units (4 Units Staked, - 3% Yield)

Last 16: 6-2, + 2.52 Units (8 Units Staked, + 31.5o% Yield)

Last 32: 10-6, + 4.38 Units (16 Units Staked, + 27.38% Yield)

Group Stage MD 3: 11-11-1, - 1.29 Units (23 Units Staked, - 5.61% Yield)

Group Stage MD 2: 16-8, + 7.44 Units (24 Units Staked, + 31% Yield)

Group Stage MD 1: 12-12, - 0.30 Units (24 Units Staked, - 1.25% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 13 Pick 2023- Ladies Final (July 15th)

It is the Final that everyone would have hoped we would see at Wimbledon and on Friday both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic were able to win in straight sets to earn their place on Centre Court on Sunday.

The World Number 1 will also be on the line when Alcaraz and Djokovic face off, but the biggest prize is going to be the Wimbledon title as the young Spaniard tries to knock off a dominant SW19 Champion.

Before that we have the Ladies Final on Saturday and the horrible conditions in London could potentially make things very difficult.

However, I am assuming the rain in the area will mean the Final is played under the roof on Centre Court and that will only be good news for Marketa Vondrousova and Ons Jabeur. Neither player will want to be playing through the extremely gusty winds that have been forecasted through the day, which would just add to the pressures that they will be feeling as both look to win a maiden Grand Slam title.

Marketa Vondrousova-Ons Jabeur over 5.5 match breaks: Making three Grand Slam Finals in the last five events played will have placed Ons Jabeur amongst the best players on the WTA Tour. For herself, losing the first two of those Slam Finals will have stung and Jabeur may not really believe she belongs alongside the very best players on the Tour if she is not able to become a Grand Slam Champion.

She would have entered the Wimbledon Final as a narrow favourite twelve months ago, but was the underdog at the US Open a couple of months later when going down to Iga Swiatek. This time Ons Jabeur is going to be a significant favourite in the Final on Saturday as she prepares to take on Marketa Vondrousova.

Like her opponent, Marketa Vondrousova is a former Grand Slam Finalist and ended up being well beaten by Ashleigh Barty at the 2021 French Open. This is only the third time since that Final that Vondrousova has made it through to the second week at a Slam, but the Czech player has been in strong form in the tournament and will have to use that previous experience to help her in this first Wimbledon Final.

Marketa Vondrousova has struggled in Finals in her relatively young career having lost four of the five she has played, including losing the Olympic Games Gold Medal match. It has now been six years since an 18 year old Vondrousova won her only Singles title, but being the underdog could help her in this match up.

The lefty can also look back at this calendar year and note that she holds two wins over Ons Jabeur- one of those was at Indian Wells, but perhaps more importantly is the fact that Marketa Vondrousova was able to beat Jabeur at the Australian Open so has shown she can win under Grand Slam pressure.

Both of those wins were in strong performances from Marketa Vondrousova, but the grass is definitely the domain of Ons Jabeur, who has beaten this opponent on this surface in 2021.

After wins over Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur has to make sure she does not feel like she has one hand on the title and focus on the match. It is going to be much different compared with her last three matches against some of the big hitting players on the WTA Tour and a crafty, clever player like Bianca Andreescu almost beat Jabeur earlier in the tournament.

She is facing another one of those in Vondrousova who can use slices and is willing to get to the net, while also possessing some decent pop off the ground. The tactics will have to be different from Ons Jabeur and it is unlikely that she will benefit from as many unforced errors from Marketa Vondrousova as the likes of Petra Kvitova and Sabalenka were donating.

The mental side of the match is harder to call and you have to believe there will be nerves on both sides of the net, while I think both Vondrousova and Jabeur are happier returning than serving. With the nerves, this does feel like a match that will see plenty of breaks of serve and certainly more than anticipated by the layers.

In the two matches played between these players this year, there have been a total of twenty-one breaks of serve in the forty-eight service games played. Both of those have been on the hard courts and the feeling is that the grass should play a bit faster to aid the servers, but there have been at least nine breaks of serve in each of the last three matches played by Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon.

The Semi Final involving Ons Jabeur only had four breaks of serve, but the previous two matches saw seven breaks of serve each time and the returning numbers of Marketa Vondrousova have been every effective.

The underdog should be able to make this a competitive Final, even through the nerves, and the last two Wimbledon Finals have seen at least three sets needed. Despite the extra experience, Ons Jabeur is under plenty of pressure too considering the expectation that will be on her shoulders and the Tunisian making no secret of wanting to win major titles.

Another long match for Ons Jabeur may not be a big surprise either and there may be a few swings in momentum within the Final as long as Marketa Vondrousova can stay on top of the obvious nerves she will be dealing with on the day.

MY PICK: Marketa Vondrousova-Ons Jabeur Over 5.5 Match Breaks @ 1.66 Bet365 (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 57-55, - 9.94 Units (224 Units Staked, - 4.44% Yield)

Midweek Football Picks and Fantasy Football 2020 (July 14-17)

We are down to the final three Premier League rounds of the 2019/20 season and the big news ahead of the midweek fixtures has to be that two of the four Champions League places have been decided.

Manchester City won their appeal against UEFA when the CAS announced they should not be banned from European competition and that means this club will be playing in the Champions League along with Liverpool.

They did sound very confident from the day the initial ban was handed out by UEFA that it would be overturned and it does feel like the latter rushed the punishment without getting all their ducks in a row.

Now they are unlikely to take things any further which will be music to the ears of everyone associated with Manchester City, but perhaps not so much to Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United fans.

Those three teams look certain to finish in the top five of the Premier League and there might have been some hope that a Manchester City ban would allow all of them to make the Champions League, but instead it will be three teams fighting for two places. That final day fixture between Leicester City and Manchester United could easily be a winner takes all contest, although I am firm in my own belief that Manchester United will finish in the top four if they can beat Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Ham United before the final day fixtures are completed.


Things may look a little clearer by the end of this week as Premier League matches are played from Tuesday through to Friday. I will get into the FPL GW below, but first you can read my thoughts on how the matches from the midweek round will go.


Chelsea v Norwich City Pick: The Leicester City defeat on Sunday has left Chelsea in control of one of the top four places with three Premier League games to play, but Frank Lampard will not see the silver lining after his own team were crushed 3-0 at Sheffield United.

Frank Lampard will be demanding a big reaction from his team who have two very difficult looking games to come to conclude the season. Dropping points against an already relegated opponent could be a fatal blow to Chelsea's Champions League ambitions, but a win would put pressure on the likes of Leicester City and Manchester United who will be playing later this week.

The CAS decision to overturn Manchester City's ban from European competition has just upped the pressure on Chelsea and failing to return to the Champions League would be a huge blow to the club.

Chelsea have won 4 in a row at home over the last several months and Chelsea have conceded a single goal in that time.

Now they are hosting a Norwich City team who have scored 4 goals in their last 10 away Premier League games and who looked short of confidence in their 0-4 home loss to West Ham United on Saturday. There may be a feeling of release in the squad now that Norwich City have nothing to lose over their last three games, but it is very difficult to imagine things being very different at a tough away ground.

You can't always trust Chelsea considering their recent defensive performances, but they should largely manage this game as they did when beating Watford 3-0 here in their last fixture at Stamford Bridge. There is enough time to prepare for a big Cup game to come this weekend to believe Frank Lampard will play a strong team and I think they will be too good for Norwich City and likely win this game with a clean sheet.


Burnley v Wolves Pick: This might not be the fixture that neutral fans will be wanting to tune into in the early Wednesday slot, but it is an important one for both Burnley and Wolves.

Both of these teams have real ambitions of earning European spots next season, but the draw is not going to do anything for either and so you would expect attacking line ups to be selected.

However, neither Burnley nor Wolves have shown a lot of consistency in the final third since the season resumed and both have been better defensively. Well they have both been better defensively as far as the results would state, but Burnley have not been keeping teams from creating some very good chances against them and they have been thankful to Nick Pope for keeping them in games like he did in their 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday.

Even in the last 2 games at Turf Moor, Burnley have not exactly been watertight against Watford and Sheffield United and this has to give Wolves some confidence off an impressive 3-0 win over Everton.

In saying that Wolves did not create a lot until given a penalty late in the first half and then scored another less than a minute after half time in that game. There is some quality in the Wolves team, but they are a functional team that can struggle to break down opponents and I honestly could see this game flying in a number of different directions.

Burnley are unbeaten in 6 at home, but Wolves had won 3 away games in succession before conceding very late on at Sheffield United. My feeling is that Wolves may sneak the win, but they are plenty short to do that and I will just be looking out for Willy Boly and Raul Jimenez to be amongst the Fantasy points.


Manchester City v Bournemouth Pick: Watford, West Ham United and Aston Villa all won games before Bournemouth kicked off and the players had to be feeling the pressure with their Premier League futures looking under threat when they took to the Vitality Stadium turf.

They were 0-1 down to Leicester City and Bournemouth looked a little lost before they received a huge slice of luck to get back into the game. Two goals in quick succession followed by a Leicester City sending off gave Bournemouth all the momentum they needed as they saw off the Champions League chasing visitors 4-1 and Bournemouth have a sniff of avoiding the drop now.

In all honesty this is likely the last game they would have wanted off the back of a morale boosting win and Eddie Howe is likely going to want his team to sit in and try and stay in the game as long as possible.

That is much easier to say than do and especially with more defensive injuries to deal with as Nathan Ake limped off on Sunday.

It would be difficult enough visiting the Etihad Stadium with a fully fit squad, but this looks a very big ask of Bournemouth. Manchester City have won 5 in a row at home in the Premier League and they have out-scored opponents 17-0 in the 4 games played here since the restart of English Football.

Pep Guardiola will likely rotate his squad knowing they have a big Cup Semi Final to come this weekend, but this is a deep squad and there will still be a lot of quality in the Manchester City starting eleven. That quality should tell against a Bournemouth team they have beaten 4 times in a row at home in the Premier League and by a 16-2 aggregate.

Goal difference could be the difference between the Premier League and Championship next season, but Bournemouth will do well to leave here even with a narrow defeat. Manchester City are flying at the moment and creating chances for fun and they should be able to get through Bournemouth fairly comfortably.

Manchester United beat Bournemouth 5-2 at Old Trafford ten days ago, and I think Manchester City will match that margin even with the changes the manager is likely to make.

The team should be looking to make a statement of their own after the club were given a reprieve from their European ban and I would expect a relatively straight-forward day for Manchester City.


Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: Both teams are looking for a strong end to the Premier League season, although it is only Tottenham Hotspur who now have a realistic ambition of playing in Europe next season.

The come from behind win over Arsenal on Sunday will have been a real shot in the arm for the players, but Tottenham Hotspur have struggled away from home all season. The layers are clearly pricing them up at odds on to win here because Tottenham Hotspur 'need' the game more than their hosts, but defensively they have looked vulnerable on their travels and that is something Newcastle United can exploit.

Steve Bruce has set his Newcastle United team to be fairly attacking in recent weeks with survival secured and looking to progress the squad forward. They are playing with pace in the final third and Newcastle United have created chances in games, although the new look and mentality has left them very open at the back.

Watford and West Ham United have both exposed the vulnerabilities of Newcastle United as they have begun to play with more attacking intent and that is what Tottenham Hotspur have to do.

It does have to be said that Tottenham Hotspur have not exactly impressed over the last month and they are a team who can struggle for consistency in the final third. Some of that is down to understanding what Jose Mourinho wants, but it is also partly down to the manager who tends to be more cautious in his style.

He can't afford to see Tottenham Hotspur drop points here though despite Mourinho's personal poor record at St James' Park. He has never managed a Premier League win here and I do think Newcastle United are playing well enough to create chances and score goals here.

I would not be surprised if Newcastle United earn a positive result here despite their own recent poor run. They have created chances though and I think Newcastle United can score, but the bigger feeling is that this is going to be a fixture that produces goals with both teams likely wanting to get forward.

6 of the last 7 at St James' Park between these clubs have featured at least three goals shared out and I do think there will be chances for both teams. The draw is not really worth anything to either team so this should be a game where risks are taken to earn the maximum points and a 2-1 scoreline either way would not be a surprise.


Arsenal v Liverpool Pick: In most top flight seasons Arsenal versus Liverpool is one of the stand out fixtures, but both clubs don't have as much to play for when they meet with just three League games to negotiate.

Liverpool have achieved all they wanted by winning the Premier League title and they have been struggling for some consistency in recent matches. The 1-1 home draw with Burnley are the first points Liverpool have dropped at Anfield since January 2019 and they have won just half of the 6 Premier League games played over the last month.

There is more on the line for Arsenal, but the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday will have knocked confidence of the players. They previously drew 1-1 with Leicester City and might now be focused on trying to win the FA Cup as arguably their best route back into the Europa League.

Mikel Arteta does have his side playing pretty well defensively, but there are still mistakes in the team which was evident in the loss in the North London derby. They still look vulnerable to set pieces too and Liverpool have fine deliverers of the ball and a big team that can cause massive problems for the home team.

However there has yet to be the a lot of consistency in their play and I do think this could be a tight game on a ground where Arsenal and Liverpool have drawn 3 of their last 4 games against each other.

In general this has been a fixture which has produced a lot of goals so the layers are not taking any chances with it, but I think Arteta has looked to make Arsenal a little tougher all around. The last two managers have perhaps looked to go toe to toe with Liverpool, but I don't believe Arteta will approach this the same way and it could be a tight game.

It took a special goal from Alexandre Lacazette and a huge mistake from the Arsenal defence to produce two early goals on Sunday, but chances were not coming frequently outside of that. Liverpool won't want to be as open as they have been in their last couple of games as they chase three wins to break Manchester City's 100 point record, and I can see a relatively tight game to come out.

An early goal will change the entire feel of the fixture, but I think both teams might look to work their way into this one and it might be surprisingly low-scoring.


Everton v Aston Villa Pick: Anyone watching the Everton performance in their 3-0 loss at Wolves on Sunday may be worried about how much the players want to put into the remainder of the season. While it is true to say there is little left for Everton to play for, the players will also know Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed to take the club to the next level and so they have to prove they deserve to be kept on board.

The manager will be expecting a huge reaction from his team after the last performance and Everton have been stronger at home. They are unbeaten in 11 at Goodison Park in all competitions, although Everton have been given some problems by both Leicester City and Southampton in their last couple of games here.

Aston Villa have simply not looked like a team with the same attacking threat as those two clubs though and that has to be taken on board.

They have produced a big win on Sunday, but Aston Villa's confidence looks to be balanced finely and you do wonder how much belief they have to turn things around if they fall behind. They have still looked vulnerable at the back and could be missing a couple of defenders in this one, while Aston Villa are not producing a lot of consistency in the final third which adds to the pressure on those defenders looking to keep the backdoor shut.

As poor as Everton were on Sunday, I do think they are better than what they showed and they should have more spaces to try and exploit in this one. I do think they will have a reaction to the performance and Aston Villa might not have enough goals to stay with their hosts who look more threatening going forward than their relegation threatened visitors.

Aston Villa have more to play for, and they may feel that Everton are there for the taking after Sunday, but that might make the home team underestimated. Just because Aston Villa 'need' to win more than Everton, I am not sure the home team will be ready to roll over for them and there is enough of an attacking threat to give the home team a narrow win.


Leicester City v Sheffield United Pick: Over the last several months Leicester City have looked far short of the team they were earlier in the season when there was some suggestion they could be Liverpool's closest challengers for the Premier League title. Instead the team are fighting to even earn a top four position as Manchester United have closed in on them and this is far from an easy game for them.

Brendan Rodgers will feel his team dropped key points in their 4-1 defeat at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday- on the day Leicester City looked dominant at 0-1 up, but mistakes at the back turned the game on its head and the heavy defeat will have knocked the confidence of the players.

The hope is that Ben Chilwell and James Maddison can return to the squad sooner rather than later, but Leicester City have to go without in this one in all likelihood and the pressure is on. Anything less than a win could be curtains for Leicester City in their bid to return to the Champions League with games against Spurs and Manchester United to finish the season and especially so if there is a wide gap to bridge by the end of Thursday night which could be the case.

They might be desperate for the win, but Chris Wilder's Sheffield United don't roll over for any opponent. The heavy defeats of both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea underline the point and the players look to be in much better shape than when they returned to action last month.

Sheffield United don't concede a lot of goals and their strong defensive shape will give them every chance of earning a positive result here. One goal may be enough to avoid a defeat at the King Power Stadium, and The Blades have found a cutting edge over the last ten days which has to be given a lot of respect.

It is a fixture that feels like it could be very close, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of value floating around this one. Leicester City are odds against to win, but backing them to win any game at the moment feels like a chore as they have struggled at both ends of the field.

However, I do think Sheffield United are a hard team to read because they do lack some goals and that is especially the case on their travels. This has the feeling of a single goal being enough to secure the points for either side and I can't say I am very confident on being able to select which of the two teams will do enough to do that.

Both teams will believe in their own abilities, but my lean might be towards Sheffield United to find a way to earn a positive result on the day and put another dagger into Leicester City's push for a Champions League finish.


Crystal Palace v Manchester United Pick: There are two ways of viewing some teams at this stage of the season in the position that Crystal Palace find themselves and that is either they are going to want to upset others who are playing for more than pride or they have already begun thinking about a short holiday between seasons.

A 5 game losing run in the Premier League may suggest that Crystal Palace are not so focused at the moment, but that would ignore the effort the players put in to their 2-3 defeat here to Chelsea last week.

Without a doubt it would be a different atmosphere if the fans were allowed into the Stadium as they would be urging their players to get forward and upset a 'big name club', but Crystal Palace found enough from within to challenge Chelsea. I would be surprised if things were much different when they host Manchester United on Thursday and this has been a high-scoring fixture in recent seasons as Crystal Palace have pushed Manchester United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be reminding his players that teams with 'nothing to play for' can be very dangerous as Southampton proved on Monday night. The injury time equaliser meant Manchester United were left outside the top four and no longer control their own destiny, while the pressure will certainly be on if both Chelsea and Leicester City win their Premier League games before United play on Thursday evening.

At least Manchester United have continued scoring plenty of goals and that should encourage them against an injury hit Crystal Palace team that have conceded 17 goals in 5 consecutive Premier League defeats. Chelsea managed to score three times in winning here, but Roy Hodgson will be looking to attack a Manchester United backline that has been anything but secure in their last couple of games.

I do think Crystal Palace will score, but I also think Manchester United can bounce back from their dropped points on Monday. They have a pacy front three who can take any game away from an opponent and Crystal Palace are offering some very good chances out to teams they are facing.

Manchester United have won 5 of their last 6 games on this ground and have scored at least twice in each of those wins. They have scored three times in their last 2 visits to Selhurst Park and also in their last 2 away Premier League games in general and I think Manchester United will come out on top of this high-scoring game on Thursday.


Southampton v Brighton Pick: One of the factors that can be most difficult to give a strength to is how teams are coping with the short turnaround between matches as the Premier League tries to complete the season before the end of the month.

Southampton have had two days fewer to prepare for this Premier League game than Brighton, and I do think that is an issue which could prove to be a difference on the day.

It is something that concerns me, but Southampton have been in very good form over the last couple of weeks and they have to believe they can become the latest club to exploit some of the Brighton defensive weaknesses.

Brighton did win at Norwich City in their last away game, but they have conceded 11 goals in 3 defeats to Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City. There is no doubt that Southampton are not quite as strong as those teams, but they have been creating plenty of chances when going forward at Everton and Old Trafford and I do think they may have the edge in the contest.

It should be a decent game with both managers liking their teams to get forward and create opportunities, and I would not be surprised if both teams have chances to hit the back of the net. Southampton have been getting the better of Brighton in the last two years, and they would have won 4 in a row if not blowing a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw here last season.

There has been a better shape in Brighton's defending in recent away games which has to be respected, but Southampton might just have too much in the final third in this one. Ralph Hasenhuttl is likely to pick another attacking line up that will look to press Brighton and force mistakes high up the pitch, while Danny Ings may still feel he can win the Golden Boot race with a strong end to the season.

I expect Ings to have some chances and I think Southampton may edge this one, although Brighton have to be respected with their battling away displays of late.


West Ham United v Watford Pick: This is not quite a 'loser is relegated' kind of match, but the winning team in this Friday night showdown will almost certainly be safe from the drop.

Both David Moyes and Nigel Pearson will know the importance of the three points, although there is a slight feeling that the draw might suit both if Bournemouth and Aston Villa have been beaten in games played on Wednesday and Thursday.

That situation does cloud this one, but on current form I do think the edge is with home team West Ham United. In their last four Premier League games West Ham United have dominated the chances compared with their opponents, although the defensive problems always leaves the team vulnerable to a defeat like they suffered against Burnley.

The wins over Chelsea and Norwich City were fully deserved and West Ham United should have beaten Newcastle United and Burnley too, but it is all about which of these teams takes their chances the best.

Watford won't be short of confidence having rallied from 0-1 down to beat both Norwich City and Newcastle United over the last ten days. Both wins did come at home though and Watford have not scored in their last 4 away games in the Premier League and lost each one.

They should be able to pose some problems for West Ham United with their pace in the forward areas, but I do think Nigel Pearson will be concerned by some of the defending of late.

I expect the majority of chances to come for the home team and I do think that will give them the edge in this fixture. It might be close and tense if both Bournemouth and Aston Villa have won midweek games, but regardless of the situation I do think West Ham United are playing the better all around football over the last couple of weeks which can see them edge to the three points.

MY PICKS: Chelsea Win to Nil
Manchester City - 2.25 Asian Handicap
Newcastle United-Tottenham Hotspur Over 2.5 Goals
Arsenal-Liverpool Under 2.5 Goals
Everton - 0.25 Asian Handicap
Manchester United & Over Two Total Goals
Southampton - 0.25 Asian Handicap
West Ham United 0 Asian Handicap

Fantasy Football GameWeek 36+

It can be easy to perhaps panic and make rash decisions when playing the Fantasy Football game and especially when coming in off what is a disappointing week compared to those around you.

However I did say I wanted to keep the squad together so I would have two transfers to use in GameWeek 36+ and it has turned out to be the right decision.

Michail Antonio was brought in ahead of West Ham United's game against Burnley and it did not work out, but four goals in GW35+ has more than made up for it. The goal conceded by Liverpool was surprising, but Wolves returned a clean sheet and a goal for Raul Jimenez to at least boost the total for the week.

Captaining Anthony Martial proved to be a good move, although Manchester United's failure to earn a clean sheet was a blow. Even worse, as a fan it stung to see the team concede a second goal deep into injury time, but I do think the attacking threat of the side will give them a chance to end this Fantasy season in strong fashion.


I am still very much keeping the Free Hit Chip for the final GameWeek of the season as I am comfortable with the squad and have the two transfers to play this week.

For me the weakness of the team is clearly in the front line where Roberto Firmino and Raul Jimenez are taking the lion's share of the funds available.

With Jimenez scoring on Sunday I do feel I might be moving him on at the wrong time, but Firmino 100% has to be taken out this week. Liverpool have two difficult games coming up and Firmino seems to be the one that ties everything together for them, but is not often on the end of the chances being created.

Both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are chasing goal targets so they might be a little more 'greedy' with nothing left for Liverpool to play for.

I am really looking to bring in selections that may have an impact in each of the next two GameWeeks knowing the final weekend of the 2019/20 season will be a blank canvass from which I can paint my last team. It isn't easy ignoring the Chelsea and Manchester City fixtures this week, but with Chelsea going to Anfield next week I am happy keeping Christian Pulisic around even if he is a potential rotation candidate.

The one player I am most worried about avoiding is Phil Foden- I think he starts against a defensively weak Bournemouth team and he has been getting into very good positions for a Manchester City team who have scored ten goals in two games,

He could be a difference maker at this stage of the season, but I am not comfortable about dropping any of my midfield options and so the Manchester City player I am targeting is Gabriel Jesus.

The Cup Semi Final against Arsenal is the bigger game this week, but I do think Pep Guardiola is trying to build the confidence of a striker that may be key for Manchester City in the FA Cup and Champions League over the next several weeks. Gabriel Jesus was withdrawn with half an hour to go on Saturday and I would be disappointed if he doesn't lead the line.

Picking him and Danny Ings (chasing a Golden Boot and playing Brighton and Bournemouth in the next two GWs) in place of Firmino and Jimenez looks like a good enough move for me here. Wolves are playing two teams who have not defended very well in recent weeks in terms of the raw numbers, but they don't blow teams away so the risk in dropping Raul Jimenez looks like one I am ready to take.


Once again I am sticking with the Manchester United options in terms of a Captain and will go with Anthony Martial for the second GW in a row- the FA Cup Semi Final coming up on Sunday does cloud things as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tries to keep the squad as fresh as possible, but the top four is more important than a Cup success to the manager and I do expect Martial to get at least 70 minutes against a Crystal Palace team who have conceded goals for fun in 5 consecutive losses.

With the transfers made I do feel like my overall team in GW36+ looks pretty good and I don't want to take any hits to change it more than it needs to be. This squad should be good enough for both upcoming GWs although my plan for the last free transfer of the season is to add to the midfield options for GW37+ or cover for any injuries coming out of the next four days of football.


My GW36+ team is going to be as follows:

Alisson (Liverpool v Arsenal)

Willy Boly (Wolves v Burnley)
James Justin (Leicester City v Sheffield United)
Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool v Arsenal)

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City v Bournemouth)
Anthony Martial (Manchester United v Crystal Palace)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United v Crystal Palace)
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea v Norwich City)
Michail Antonio (West Ham United v Watford)

Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City v Bournemouth)
Danny Ings (Southampton v Brighton)

Bench: Emiliano Martinez, Dwight Gayle, Harry Maguire, Federico Fernandez

Wimbledon Tennis Day 13 Picks 2018- Men's Final (July 15th)

The World Cup Final may be taking centre stage this Sunday, but the men's Wimbledon Final will also be played and is set to begin a couple of hours before the match between France and Croatia kicks off in Moscow.

Whether we have enough time to see both matches is another question, but for the majority of fans it will feel the Wimbledon Final was completed on Saturday when Novak Djokovic was able to see off Rafael Nadal in five long sets.

You shouldn't disregard Kevin Anderson completely, but he has to be feeling the tennis he has played over the last few days and I am not sure one full day of rest will be good enough.

Men's Wimbledon Final 2018- Men's Final

This is not the Final most would have picked at the start of the tournament, but the lesser of the surprises is clearly Novak Djokovic who showed enough at Queens to think he could go close.

On the other hand Kevin Anderson has reached a second Grand Slam Final in eleven months, but he has had to do that the hard way. The Fourth Round saw him beat Gael Monfils in four very long sets, but it has only become even harder for Anderson who needed twenty-four games in a marathon fifth set to see off defending Champion Roger Federer.

You would have been forgiven for thinking that is as tough as it would get for Anderson, but he then needed FIFTY games in the fifth set to see off John Isner and it would be a major surprise if Anderson hasn't got a lot left in the tank. He did have a full day to recover while Novak Djokovic needed eighteen games in a long fifth set of his own to beat Rafael Nadal in a delayed Semi Final, but Djokovic has not played nearly as much tennis as the big South African.

Three years ago these two met in an epic match at Wimbledon which had the grounds buzzing on 'Manic Monday' as Anderson took a two set lead before being undone in five sets by Djokovic. It looks a big ask for Anderson to even make this match that competitive even though the big serve will be dangerous throughout this match as the last weapon that will weaken.

Djokovic is one of the best returners out there though and I think he will put Anderson under enough pressure to break him down. I was a little critical of Djokovic's poor play on the returning points at break point against Rafael Nadal, but I think the pressure contributed to that as he knows how good Nadal can be and how important the match was to him.

While this match is bigger with a Wimbledon title on the line, I think Djokovic will know a deep return will help him get into rallies he would expect to win more often than not and I think that will help him improve the return. There is a little way to go before we see Djokovic returning to the level he showed in 2015 when beating Anderson in five sets at Wimbledon, but I think he will do enough to find a break in every set.

The Djokovic serve has been in good shape over the last month on the grass courts and Anderson is a pretty limited returner. I expect Djokovic to get the big man moving plenty in this match and I think it may be a situation where Anderson just cannot do enough to keep this competitive and so backing the former World Number 1 to return to the top 10 of the World Rankings with a Grand Slam title to add to his collection looks the way to go.

I have nothing but respect for Anderson maximising his talent over the last couple of years as he has begun to find some big Grand Slam results. However he was beaten handily by Rafael Nadal in the US Open Final and I think Djokovic will come through some nervy moments to produce a routine win of his own on Sunday.

MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 4.5 Games @ 1.72 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 44-41, + 1.36 Units (170 Units Staked, + 1% Yield)

World Cup Final 2018 Pick- France vs Croatia (July 15th)

I can't believe a month at the World Cup is about o come to a close on Sunday and I have to say the tournament has been about as good as any going back to Italia 90.

The England run was magnificent and united a country at a difficult time, while there have been a couple of truly memorable World Cup matches notably Portugal vs Spain and Brazil vs Belgium.

Hopefully there are two more quality matches to come with the unwanted Third/Fourth Play Off coming on Saturday before the Final between France and Croatia kicks off on Sunday.

And then it will be all eyes turned to Qatar in four and a half years time.

Belgium vs England

Some would consider this the most meaningless game in international football as the two losing Semi Finalists at the World Cup Finals meet for the right to say they finished third at the event. No player is going to be that interested about parading a bronze medal around, but there is an edge to Belgium versus England which could mean another high-scoring game.

High-scoring games is what the Third/Fourth Play Off has become known for as teams are perhaps using changed line ups and there isn't anything to lose so attacking football comes to the fore.

Both Belgium and England will feel they can get at what can be considered vulnerable defences and the attacking players will have their chances in this one.

The edge between the teams comes from the fact that so many of them will be familiar with one another with a huge amount of the Belgium players currently plying their trade in the English Premier League. While the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku were not featured in the Group Stage win over England, I imagine they will be urging Roberto Martinez to allow them to play this game.

Martinez himself has insisted Belgium are looking for their best ever World Cup Finals and they can do that by winning this game and surpassing the efforts made by the 1986 squad. It is also important to Martinez to give the team some momentum for the UEFA Nations League and moving through to Euro 2020 in two years time after an improved Belgium performance at this World Cup.

Gareth Southgate has suggested the same for England, but injuries are adding up and England have had less time to get over their disappointment of missing out on a World Cup Finals place. They have also had to play an additional thirty minutes before going out of the tournament and I think a fresher Belgium with arguably a stronger starting eleven will be too good for England.

This may not be the game that either team wanted to be playing this weekend but I think the players will be keen to get one over on club team-mates and that makes for a good looking game of football.


I have to give the edge to Belgium who have the stronger attacking approach and what looks like a defence with a few less mistakes in them than their England counterparts. Having an extra day to recover for this game will help and I think Belgium are worth backing on the Asian Handicap to earn the win.

France vs Croatia

This may not be a World Cup Final that a lot of people would have predicted at the start of the tournament but it could be argued the two best teams have made it through to contest the biggest prize in football.

Teams like Belgium may argue against that, and some have even suggested the Semi Final between France and Belgium was effectively the 'real Final', but France will need to be reminded of how things can go wrong if you overlook an opponent.

Just look back two years- France beat World Cup Champions Germany 2-0 in the Euro 2016 Semi Final and most expected them to get past Portugal and even more so when Cristiano Ronaldo had to leave very early with an injury. Even then things did not work out as they would have expected as they were beaten 0-1 in their home Final and I think Didier Deschamps will make sure the players are reminded of needing to be focused.

I do think the players would have learned from those mistakes though and I don't think France will make those again.

That isn't underestimating Croatia, but there has to be an accumulated fatigue building up to the levels which will make it tough for them to perform at their best. For forty-five minutes against England Croatia were clearly second best and it was only a couple of big missed opportunities that prevented England from taking complete control of that Semi Final.

France may be a cautious side by nature under Deschamps, but they have been looking pretty tight defensively and they have the midfield to disrupt the power of the Croatian side in the middle of the park. That is key for France and doing that should mean they can expose what has looked a vulnerable Croatia defence and I very much think France win this Final.

They are the fresher team who have had longer to prepare for the Final and the experience of Euro 2016 should really help the players focus for this one. France have enough quality in the final third to create chances and are a threat at set pieces, while the last couple of games have seen them defend very well.

It all adds up to a simple selection for me and that is backing France to win this game. If they score first, as they have in their three Knock Out ties and Croatia have conceded first in all three Knock Out ties, I think France will be very tough to peg back and have the counter attack to finish off what will be tired opponents.


All credit to Croatia for making the Final, but all the additional football needed will have added up physically and emotionally and I will back France to win a second World Cup title twenty years after the first.

MY PICKS: Belgium - 0.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
France @ 1.95 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Semi Final Final: 1-1, + 0.20 Units (4 Units Staked, + 5% Yield)
Quarter Final Final: 2-2, + 2.70 Units (8 Units, + 33.75% Yield)
Last 16 Final: 2-6, - 7.20 Units (16 Units Staked, - 45% Yield)
Group Stage Round Robin Three Final: 8-8, + 3.53 Units (27.50 Units Staked, + 12.84% Yield)
Group Stage Round Robin Two Final: 8-7-1, + 1.09 Units (31 Units Staked, + 3.52% Yield)


Group Stage Round Robin One Final: 8-8, + 5.24 Units (28 Units Staked, + 18.71% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 12 Picks 2017- Ladies Final (July 15th)

The Ladies Final at Wimbledon 2017 will involve a Williams again, but it is 37 year old Venus Williams who has come into the tournament that her younger sister Serena could not defend due to pregnancy.

For a long time it was Venus who was the dominant Williams sister on the famous lawns in SW19, but now she will be looking to pull to within one of Serena by taking the title home on Saturday.

That won't be easy against Garbine Muguruza who has played in two previous Grand Slam Finals, both times against Serena Williams. She won the last one of those at the French Open in 2016, but it was Serena Williams who beat Muguruza here at Wimbledon in the 2015 Final.

The Spaniard plays with plenty of power and comes into the Final as the favourite, but Venus Williams has the experience and arguably is playing on her most natural surface.


Venus Williams v Garbine Muguruza: I picked Venus Williams as the winner of this tournament at the start of the event and she has already provided a big return having reached the Final. That means those who followed the outright picks are now sitting on a big priced winner in what has been set as an almost pick 'em Final, but I think it may be worth letting things play out with my feeling being Venus Williams can go on and win the title here for the sixth time.

Both players have only dropped one set in the tournament so far and while Garbine Muguruza had the more straight-forward Semi Final win, I do think Venus Williams has improved in each passing match through the tournament. The serve has been a huge weapon for Venus Williams and it was that delivery which kept Johanna Konta in awkward positions in their Semi Final.

The serve working as well as it has been also means Venus Williams has been able to play with some freedom on the return games and that has seen her put some real pressure on opponents. As well as Garbine Muguruza has served at times, the raw numbers suggest she has been put under some pressure but has managed to play the key points at 30-30, deuce or break point down very effectively.

Some of the players Muguruza have played will be kicking themselves they didn't play those points a little better, but Williams has shown some strength at the key moments in her recent matches. That has been most evident on the serve where Venus Williams has been broken just twice in four matches having dropped serve four times in her first two matches, but it also has seen Venus convert a few more break point opportunities at a better percentage than she was earlier in the tournament.

The Spaniard has not been broken in her last two matches which will certainly give her some confidence, but I don't think Venus Williams will be as loose with her play as Svetlana Kuznetsova and Magdalena Rybarikova were. It won't be easy to get into the Muguruza games if she continues to hit as big as she has been, but I am not sure she has been playing as well as the straight sets victories in her last two matches suggest.

Kuznetsova certainly had her chances in their Quarter Final where there were not many points between them, and I think Venus Williams' comfort on the grass means she may be a little more confident when the chances do come her way. Venus Williams has been very strong when facing those players outside the top ten in the World Rankings on the grass and I think the performances so far this week makes me believe the wrong player is favoured in this one.

If Muguruza continues to play way above average on the big points, then of course she is a big threat, but Venus Williams has been close to her best and I like the veteran American to keep the Williams name on the Wimbledon Champion board.

MY PICKS: Venus Williams @ 2.10 Paddy Power (0 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 44-48, - 6.58 Units (179 Units Staked, - 3.68% Yield)