European Tour 6- Austrian Darts Open Day 3 Picks 2026 (Sunday 10th May)

The wide open Austrian Darts Open concludes on Sunday and the manner of the Wessel Nijman defeat is a reminder of the depth of talent on the Tour.

He has been domnating on the floor all season, but Nijman had no answers for Niko Springer who blitzed past him to set up a big Third Round match with Josh Rock.

And while I have stated that the tournament looks wide open, there are plenty of big names in action on Sunday to suggest a familiar player can come through to pick up the title at the end of the Evening Session.

As has been the case with previous tournaments, any selections from the Quarter Final matches will be added to this thread at the conclusion of the Day Session when the entire Third Round is completed,

Kevin Deots to win & most 180s v Ryan Joyce: Credit has to be given to Relentless for finding enough big scoring and his usual level at the doubles in his upset win on Saturday.

However, he was aided by a poor performance from Mike De Decker and is unlikely to have the same slackness coming out of the darts of Kevin Doets.

The Dutchman is finding some real consistency on the Tour and he should have the edge on the maximums, even if Kevin Doets has not been hitting a lot of them over this weekend. He remains someone who can find a rhythm around the treble 20 bed and Kevin Doets can do what is needed to get the better of a solid competitor.

James Wade v Luke Woodhouse: This looks to be a quality Third Round match, but the slight edge has to be with James Wade, who beat Luke Woodhouse twice on the European Tour last year.

Respect has to be given to Woodhouse for reaching the Players Championship 13 Final last week and he has moved into the top 20 of the World Rankings thanks to a consistently improving twelve months.

The scoring can be strong enough to give the best players a problem, but James Wade remains a player who will stick around and battle and make sure he is in a position to take advantage of any mistakes.

Both Seeded players had strong wins on Saturday and this is likely going to be nip and tuck.

With that in mind, James Wade's temperament may just give him the edge.

Michael van Gerwen to win & over 1.5 180s v Rob Cross: This was a Premier League match twelve months ago and that will make sure Michael van Gerwen is taking nothing for granted.

You can't really do that against a former World Champion anyway and there have been some signs that Rob Cross is picking up his form after dropping out of the top 20 in the World Rankings.

In the last few weeks, Rob Cross has had some decent floor efforts and the European Tour win on Saturday will have done him the world of good.

Another level will have to be found to beat Michael van Gerwen.

The Dutchman has looked like he is getting closer and closer to his best in the Premier League this season and his own Second Round win came through another very impressive showing.

MvG should win and he can add a couple more maximums to his two from yesterday in a victory.

Ross Smith-Martin Schindler over 5.5 180s: When these two players find their rhythm, the maximum hitting can be a joy to watch.

Both Ross Smith and Martin Schindler displayed that part of their darts in Second Round wins and there is every chance that this is a Third Round match that will need at least nine Legs to separate them.

With that much time on the oche, both are capable of contributing to this total line set for the maximums.

A blowout one way or the other would end the chances, but matches between Smith and Schindler have been competitive in recent battles and there is every expectation that will be another with a big Quarter Final berth on the line.

Quarter Finals: The opening Quarter Final looks like it could produce the winner of the tournament, but it is a tough one to call.

The next three have selections from the Austrian Darts Open as it is played to a conclusion this evening.

Rob Cross was excellent in his win over Michael van Gerwen and he can back that up against Andrew Gilding, while adding a couple of maximums.

The same can be produced by Josh Rock in what looks to be another fascinating Quarter Final against Cristo Reyes- the latter deserves so much respect for the standard produced since returning to the Tour and he will push the Premier League participant in this one.

Finally the expectation is that Martin Schindler can get the better of Daryl Gurney at an event the German clearly enjoys.

Maximum hitting has been fuelling the success over this weekend and that can be the case in this last eight clash.

MY PICKS: Kevin Doets to Win & Most 180s @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

James Wade @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Michael van Gerwen to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Ross Smith-Martin Schindler Over 5.5 180s @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Quarter Final Picks: Rob Cross to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 2.30 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Josh Rock to Win & Over 1.5 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Martin Schindler to Win & Most 180s @ 3.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Austrian Darts Open: 2-7, - 4.58 Units (9 Units Staked, - 50.89% Yield)

Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2026 (Sunday 10th May)

After a decent start to the clay court season, the decision had been made to miss the Madrid Masters and resume Tennis Picks at the Rome Masters in the last big event before the French Open.

There have already been some upsets in the early days at this tournament, but Jannik Sinner will be heading to Paris as the player to beat on the Men's side of the draw.

We could have another wide open second Grand Slam as far as the WTA players are concerned, but this is the last chance to lay down a marker for Paris with some big names still fighting through the draw.

The season totals have been updated below and there are two selections from the Sunday tennis in the Italian capital.

Iga Swiatek - 6.5 games v Elisabetta Cocciaretto: The first point you have to make is that the home player is not going to lose this match to Iga Swiatek having won a single game, as was the case right here in Rome last year. That was a devastating Second Round performance from the multiple time French Open Champion, but Elisabetta Cocciaretto may be more prepared by what she is going to be facing and will be looking to use the home crowd to push her forward.

There has not been a lot of positive clay court form to call upon, but a couple of wins in the main draw in Rome will have given Cocciaretto some belief, even if she is well aware that this is a big step upwards in terms of level of opponent.

Iga Swiatek will go into the French Open as one of the favourites, but she will be looking for a strong run in Rome after some inconsistent results of her own during this portion of the Tour.

Three wins and two losses on the clay courts may mean Iga Swiatek is in danger of heading to Paris a little undercooked, although the numbers have been solid and some of her main rivals at the next Grand Slam have also had their issues.

The serve is always a strong part of the Iga Swiatek game- if she is serving well, the rest of her tennis seems to flow and the numbers in the five clay court matches this season have been decent enough. The World Number 3 has also been having strong success on her return in the limited sample of matches played and Iga Swiatek may still have enough to cover this spread, even if it is not expected to be as one-sided as when these two players met last year.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto did take a set from Jessica Pegula in Charleston earlier this year, but this is a big step up compared with recent level of opponents and that should play out on the scoreboard in favour of the higher Ranked player.

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 games v Alexander Blockx: He started the season having to Qualify for the Australian Open, but there is every chance that youngster Alexander Blockx will be Seeded when Wimbledon rolls around at the end of June.

Even as recently as the Monte Carlo Masters, Blockx was playing in the Qualifiers, but his run to the Madrid Masters Semi Final means the Belgian has pushed his way into World Number 36.

That run was ended by Alexander Zverev, who was eventually beaten by Jannik Sinner, and it is going to be tough for the younger player to change the scoreline.

Alexander Blockx does have a serve that can keep him in matches, but the clay courts are always tougher to impose that shot alone and in Madrid it was Alexander Zverev who had the bigger serve by some margin.

The experience is also an edge and Alexander Zverev has long been very comfortable on the clay courts and two of the three defeats on the surface this year have been against the World Number 1.

While the numbers are impressive, there is also a feeling that Alexander Zverev has room for improvement and he will be looking to peak at the French Open beginning at the end of the month and not at this stage of the clay court season. He will be expecting a bit more out of the serve and will feel there is more pressure he can exert on the return, but Zverev did more than enough to get the better of Alexander Blockx at the last tournament and can frank that form.

Respect has to be given to Alexander Blockx for the confidence he would have earned from some of the upsets produced during the clay court season, but he may not have had enough time to make the adjustments for this match up.

MY PICKS: Iga Swiatek - 6.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)

Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)

Season 2026: 97-82, + 10.54 Units (244 Units Staked, + 4.32% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2025- Anthony Cacace vs Leigh Wood (Saturday 10th May)

The whole weekend might not have been as successful as a combined effort, but it was important for some of the leading names in Boxing to get out and compete.

Ryan Garcia's upset loss to Rolly Romero has disrupted some of the plans that Turki Alalshikh may have had for later in the year, but Canelo Alvarez was able to come through his fight and we finally heard an official announcement for his next fight against Terence Crawford, which had long been rumoued.

The Time Square event did not work as well as would have been hoped, while there isn't much Canelo could have done about facing an opponent who literally refused to engage for Twelve Rounds. William Scull might have received much more respect for his performance if he had looked to win the fight, but it was clear almost immediately that he felt a win would be simply hearing the final bell.

In saying that, Canelo Alvarez did not exactly impress with his inability to cut off the ring nor his own output, or lack of output, and Bud Crawford has to feel pretty confident in earning the upset as he moves up a couple of Divisions.

The most interesting fight of the long weekend turned out to be the one featuring Naoya Inoue after his Second Round Knock Down- he came back very strongly to secure the Stoppage, but it is another reminder that fighters booking bouts down the line can come unstuck by tempting fate.

He is due back out on the same weekend that the Canelo-Crawford fight has been scheduled, although once again a clash will be avoided with the fight in Vegas taking place on Friday night and Naoya Inoue set to be out on Sunday in Japan or Saudi Arabia.

The weekend proved to be another tough one for the Boxing Picks in what has been a poor season so far- there is still more than half of the 2025 calendar year to get through, but it is still frustrating and something that needs to be turned around pretty quickly if the year is to end with another positive number.

May is another busy month of action and the usual mid-summer break looks a little shorter than usual with some decent cards set for June and July. That offers an opportunity for the Picks, although one that has to be carefully negotiated to get things moving in the direction we are aiming to go.

Anthony Cacace vs Leigh Wood

It has been a very different eighteen months for Anthony Cacace and Leigh Wood and that is down to the activity, or inactivity of the latter.

Of course Anthony Cacace has really put some momentum into his career very late on thanks to some big wins over Joe Cordina and Josh Warrington and those kind of wins have just pushed him to the forefront of the domestic scene. He had won a World Title as well, but Cacace decided to vacate that in order to chase the bigger paydays and one of those is coming up on Saturday.

Antony Cacace will be going into enemy territory, but he should be the more natural at the weight class with Leigh Wood moving up following a win over Warrington of his own.

He looked to be on the way to a defeat before finding a punch to force the Stoppage, but that fight took place in October 2023 and at 36 years old, you do have to wonder how much is left in the tank.

Eight Stoppages in twenty-three wins may suggest Anthony Cacace does not punch as hard as some of the others in and around the Super Featherweight Division, but that number has long been dismissed. Most accept that Cacace punches plenty hard and that could give him the edge in a bout where it should not take too long to find the other Boxer in the ring.

This is where we could see the inactivity hurt Leigh Wood and he was being hurt in recent fights.

There also has to be some concern that the Wood injuries have piled up over the last eighteen months and the fighter himself has spoken about his time coming to an end as a professional. No one will doubt his toughness and the home fans should be right behind Leigh Wood, but even that may not be enough to keep Anthony Cacace from building the momentum and a late Stoppage for the more active fighter is potentially the outcome.

On the undercard in Nottingham, Ezra Taylor can get the better of the contest with a fellow unbeaten fighter and he can continue his move up the Rankings with a Stoppage win.

All of the momentum looked to be behind Liam Davies, but he was upset in his last bout and is looking to bounce back against unbeaten Kurt Walker.

This is not going to be easy, but Davies has shown his qualities before the defeat to Shabaz Masoud and he may be able to break down an opponent stepping up a couple of levels.

We also have an event being run in San Diego which features a World Champion defending his title and another bout where an Interim World Champion will be crowned in what looks a pretty deep Lightweight Division.

Emanuel Navarrete has spoken about his struggles to make weight as the Super Featherweight World Champion, but a venture to Lightweight lasted a single fight when he was beaten for a vacant World Title. He came back to defend his WBO World Title with a crushing win over Oscar Valdez, but Navarrete had to make weight at a second attempt ahead of this defence.

His opponent is unbeaten, but at 36 years old, Charly Suarez is stepping multiple levels even if he has taken some encouragement from the fact the Champion is tight at the weight.

However, it is going to be very tough to keep Emanuel Navarrete from pushing forward and Charly Suarez may just find out how tough the World level can be.

There has been a long hope of how far Raymond Muratalla can go as a professional and the promoters are firmly behind him as he looks to pick up an Interim World Title.

This does feel like the time for Muratalla to really put some momentum into his career and he faces Zaur Abdullaev who has won nine fights in a row since his sole professional loss to Devin Haney.

At 31 years old, you have to think Abdullaev understands that he may not get too many more opportunities to join the elite in the Division and that should mean a willingness to push forward and see if he can put a dent in the unbeaten home fighter.

The problem is that Raymond Muratalla hits plenty hard and has been a pretty good finisher when that chance presents itself.

We should have a decent fight between two Boxers looking to move into a position to face some of the other Champions in and around the Lightweight Division, but the expectation is Raymond Muratalla can push through and secure a Stoppage to really make a statement to potential rivals.

After returning from a pretty bad beating at the hands of Brian Norman Jr, Giovanni Santillan should be able to make it two wins from two.

His Mexican opponent might offer a bit more resistance compared with Fredrick Lawson, but Santillan should still be able to move through the gears pretty quickly as he looks to get back with one of the Welterweight leading contenders.

MY PICKS: Anthony Cacace to Win by KO/TKO @ 4.33 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Ezra Taylor to Win by KO/TKO @ 1.80 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Liam Davies to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.10 William Hill (1 Unit)

Emanuel Navarrete to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.05 Bet365 (2 Units)

Raymond Muratalla to Win by KO/TKO @ 1.80 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Boxing 2025: 17-46, - 23.70 Units (77 Units Staked, - 30.78% Yield)

Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2025 (Saturday 10th May)

Another day of mixed results at the Rome Masters means it has been a slow start to the tournament.

Action moves onto the Third Round as far as the WTA tournament is concerned, while the ATP event concludes the Second Round schedule when we move into the first weekend in Rome and there are three selections which can be read below.

Tomas Machac - 3.5 games v Learner Tien: The next crop of American tennis players are never that far away and 19 year old Learner Tien has already made an impact on the Tour.

He put some solid performances together at the Australian Open and has cracked the top 70 in the World Rankings, although Tien is going to have to go through the same experiences as so many of his compatriots during this European clay court swing.

Like many American players, the red dirt can take some getting used to for those playing on the Tour and Learner Tien is having a first full year playing clay court tennis. He did have a decent run in Munich, which will give Tien confidence, but early losses in Madrid and Estoril are just a reminder of the challenge that so many players from the United States face when playing on an unfamiliar surface.

He beat fellow American Reilly Opelka in the First Round, but this is a different challenge for Learner Tien against a player from Europe who will be much more comfortable on the clay courts.

Tomas Machac is a solid all around player and is the current World Number 20 as he looks to become the next big player representing Czechia. He has a 25-16 record on the clay courts in 2023 and 2024 combined, but it has not been the most productive time for him on the surface in 2025 having lost two of the three matches played and not having any kind of impact in Monte Carlo or Madrid.

A loss of focus has perhaps been a problem considering Machac won the first set in the two matches he has been beaten, and he has not served nor returned as well as would be expected.

This should be a more comfortable match up for Tomas Machac against someone he has beaten before and who is still learning how to craft points on the clay.

Respect will be given to Learner Tien for the level of performances he has produced considering his inexperience on this surface, but Tomas Machac should be the stronger player on the clay and that can show up on the scoreboard at the end of this Second Round match.

Andrey Rublev - 2.5 games v Fabian Marozsan: It has been a difficult twelve months for Andrey Rublev and he continues to struggle to find the consistency needed to get to where he wants to go.

That inconsistency is summed up by his clay court record in 2025 with two wins and three losses and Andrey Rublev is looking to put a strong tournament in the books to build confidence before the French Open begins. He has managed to win a match at both Monte Carlo and Barcelona before exiting events and Andrey Rublev is narrowly favoured to win this Second Round match in Rome.

Despite the record on the clay, Andrey Rublev has been able to put some solid numbers together and that has to be respected.

He serves very well on the surface and Rublev is an aggressive and very capable return player, while previous successes at Roland Garros underlines the ability of the World Number 17 when it comes to playing on this surface.

First up for Andrey Rublev is a match with Fabian Marozsan who upset Joao Fonseca in the First Round.

The Hungarian did reach the Semi Final in Munich last month, but Fabian Marozsan has not exactly put the wins together in Monte Carlo or Madrid around that tournament. He is a comfortable clay court player, and has plenty of wins on the surface, but this feels like a big increase in level of opponent and Fabian Marozsan has struggled to step up.

Over the last twelve months, Fabian Marozsan has a 3-7 record against top 50 Ranked opponents on the clay courts and he has struggled in all aspects of his tennis.

In three previous matches against Andrey Rublev, Fabian Marozsan has had difficulty in attacking the Russian's serve and that can be a problem on the clay courts. He only won 34% of return points against Rublev when the players met on this surface last year and Fabian Marozsan could struggle to keep the aggressive top 20 Ranked player from getting on top in key moments.

Andrey Rublev will have to play well, but he is capable against an opponent of this level and he can make it through to the Third Round with a win and cover.

Jasmine Paolini - 3.5 games v Ons Jabeur: This does feel like a pick opposing Ons Jabeur rather than backing Jasmine Paolini, but the World Number 5 deserves her respect for her clay court ability.

The defeat to Maria Sakkari in Madrid will feel disappointing, but Jasmine Paolini had a good run in Stuttgart which was only ended by Aryna Sabalenka. During that path through to the Semi Final, the Italian was able to beat Coco Gauff and that victory looks all the stronger after Gauff reached the Madrid Final.

She is facing Ons Jabeur who benefited from a walkover in the Second Round, but who has played one clay court match this year and been beaten in that one. An injury has meant a lot of time has been missed and Ons Jabeur has fallen out of the top 30 of the World Rankings, even if she remains a talented player on the Tour.

Winning matches is important and Ons Jabeur has simply not been doing enough of that recently as she has struggled to remain healthy.

Previously the Tunisian has been a very comfortable clay court player, but 2024 was a tough year on this surface and the lack of matches in 2025 has to go against Jabeur here.

Last year, Jasmine Paolini beat Ons Jabeur on the clay courts of Stuttgart and she may be able to back that up against an opponent who may run out steam. You know Paolini will keep going for as long as needed and the higher Ranked player may come through with a good looking win on the scoreboard.

MY PICKS: Tomas Machac - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Andrey Rublev - 2.5 Games @ 1.90 Bet Victor (1 Unit)

Jasmine Paolini - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Rome Update: 3-3, - 0.46 Units (6 Units Staked, - 7.67% Yield)

Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2022 (May 10th)

The Monday results from the Rome Masters Tennis Picks were a little inconsistent, but it could have been worse if not for a late retirement.

I was a little frustrated with a couple of my selections on Monday, but I also think there were moments when results could have been slightly better. It is very early in the tournament, but I have already mentioned that I am trying to keep myself on a short leash at this event after the tough last few days with the selections from the Madrid Masters.

Tuesday will see First Round and Second Round action in both the ATP and WTA tournaments being played in Rome and my selections from those matches can be read below.

MY PICKS: Grigor Dimitrov - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Diego Schwartzman - 1.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Botic Van de Zandschlup + 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Andrey Rublev - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Rome Update: 2-2, - 0.18 Units (8 Units Staked, - 2.25% Yield)

Rome Masters Tennis Picks 2021 (May 10th)

We move onto the second day in Rome in the final Masters tournament before the French Open and while there are plenty of matches set to be played, I haven't found too many that I think are appealing enough to place a marker on.

More Picks should be made as the tournament progresses, but there are some tight matches being played on Monday.

Aslan Karatsev - 3.5 games v Miomir Kecmanovic: A pretty remarkable run at the Australian Open back in February coupled with some strong performances in Challenger events in the second half of 2020 has pushed Aslan Karatsev into a career high World Number 27 position. To sum up the rise, the Russian is set to be a Seed at the French Open and he is clearly someone the layers have a keen eye on getting on their side.

That means Aslan Karatsev could find himself a little over-rated in the weeks and months ahead and his clay court performances over the last several weeks have been a little better than average. While reaching the Final in Belgrade and holding a win over Novak Djokovic, Aslan Karatsev has suffered relatively early losses in Monte Carlo and Madrid and his numbers are someway short of the kind of marker he had been setting in the hard court matches played.

So far in 2021, Aslan Karatsev has won 62% of his service points played on the clay courts and he has won 38% of return points which means he could be someone we can look to oppose with the right opponent. Being over-rated means Karatsev can be asked to cover big numbers, bigger than he should, but that may not be the case in the First Round in Rome.

The draw has thrown up a match against Miomir Kecmanovic and the Serb has produced a 2-3 record on the clay courts since the European clay court swing has begun. Like Aslan Karatsev, Miomir Kecmanovic reached a career best World Ranking earlier in 2021, but he has been struggling for consistency with his tennis.

Miomir Kecmanovic has struggled behind serve and on return in his clay court matches in 2021, but those numbers take a pretty big hit when only considering matches against top 100 Ranked opponents. In those matches, Kecmanovic is winning just 58% of points behind serve and he has held just 65% of service games played and that has put considerable pressure on his return game which has seen the Serb break in 19% of return games played.

I expect there ie enough consistency in the Aslan Karatsev game to expose Miomir Kecmanovic's struggles and I think that will lead to a solid win for the Russian player. There is a confidence about the Karatsev game which has seen him largely dominate those opponents Ranked outside the top 20 that he has faced on the clay courts over the last few weeks and I think he can come through with a cover in this victory.

MY PICKS: Aslan Karatsev - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2019 (May 10th)

What can I say about this week? It really could not have gone a lot better with another strong showing on Thursday helping the Tennis Picks move the numbers into a very good spot and almost definitely meaning another winning week.

To be honest it is the first really good week I am having since the Tour moved to the clay courts, but it comes at a good time with the Rome Masters next up and then all packing up and ready to get to the French Open. Hopefully it is a positive sign that the remaining month of the clay court season is going to be as positive as previous years have been and putting up some real profits to move the 2019 season in potentially being the best one I have recorded here.

On Friday I am just placing the selections from the Quarter Final matches and Semi Final matches in this thread without the full analysis. I've just had one or two things scheduled which has made it very difficult to write out fuller thoughts this week, but I am hoping those are going to be clearing up in time for the Rome Masters and most definitely before the French Open begins on Sunday 26th May.


MY PICKS: Novak Djokovic - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Rafael Nadal - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Ladbrokes (2 Units)

Madrid Update: 18-5, + 21.90 Units (46 Units Staked, + 47.61% Yield)

Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2018 (May 10th)

A night out at the movies and a busy day have come together to mean I have not been able to do the full breakdowns of the Tennis Picks from the matches in Madrid on Thursday.

We have reached the Quarter Final Round in the women's draw and a full Third Round of men's matches also take place over the course of the day.

MY PICKS: Caroline Garcia - 2.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)
Simona Halep - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Dominic Thiem - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Madrid Masters Update: 6-6, - 1.62 Units (24 Units Staked, - 6.75% Yield)

Midweek Football Picks 2018 (May 8-10)

This midweek sees a number of Premier League games played involving those teams who got to the latter stages of the FA Cup in March and April.

While some of the fixtures look like being dead rubbers and have us guessing the motivation of the players involved, there are some key games at the top and bottom of the Premier League with perhaps the biggest coming from the Liberty Stadium where Swansea City host Southampton.

The final week of the Premier League season begins with that fixture on Tuesday and there are six Premier League games to be played across the next three days before the final Sunday of the season.


Swansea City v Southampton Pick: The term 'relegation six pointer' was made for fixtures like this one between Swansea City and Southampton on Tuesday with only goal difference separating the hosts from the visitors in 18th and 17th place in the League table.

Two games remain for both clubs and the feeling is that the losing team here is likely going to be relegated while the draw means both sweat it out on the final day.

Out of the two teams, I think Swansea City may take their chances of settling for a point here and then looking to beat already relegated Stoke City and hoping Southampton fail to beat Manchester City at St Mary's.

With that fixture in the back of the visitors minds, I think Mark Hughes will take more risks to try and win the game which would almost certainly be enough to keep them in the Premier League. A 0-1 win would mean Southampton are 3 points clear of Swansea City with a nine goal advantage over their relegation rivals which would be too much to overcome in one game.

However you have to wonder how much Saturday's draw at Everton took out of the Southampton players, especially losing their 0-1 lead deep into injury time. That is tough to recover from, but Southampton have found an attacking threat which will give them chances at the Liberty Stadium to win this fixture.

The lack of clean sheets, especially away from home, is hard to ignore for Southampton and Swansea City created enough chances in their 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday. They have to show more composure in front of goal and have managed to score in 8 of their last 10 home fixtures in all competitions.

Recent setbacks at home are tough to take for Swansea City too who have fallen back into the bottom three after pulling clear in March. Carlos Carvalhal will want his team to take some risks at home themselves and I think both teams will create the chances they need to earn a result in this one.

The layers have Southampton as pretty strong favourites, but Swansea City have been good at home and I think both teams will believe in themselves. I can't separate them easily and I think both teams will score in this one at a decent looking price.


Chelsea v Huddersfield Town Pick: This is a big game at the top and bottom of the Premier League table as we head into the final week of the season.

Huddersfield Town are looking for a couple of points to avoid the drop, but may only need one more if there has been a winner in the Tuesday evening encounter between Swansea City and Southampton.

On the other hand Chelsea are looking to keep the pressure on Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur as the race for the top four is likely to go into the final weekend. The Blues have to win to really put significant pressure on their two rivals and finishing up with a win at Stamford Bridge has to be expected.

It won't be easy if Huddersfield Town defend as valiantly as they did in the draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, although I do wonder if that has taken something out of the gas tank. There were times Huddersfield Town threatened in Manchester, but they had to work extremely hard in tough conditions and Chelsea may be able to pick the bones.

Despite some of the promising positions Huddersfield Town got into, they continue to struggle to score goals and that can be an issue for them again on Wednesday. Chelsea defend fairly well, although are vulnerable to a mistake or two, and I think that is going to put them in a position to win this fixture.

Backing Chelsea to win with a clean sheet looks the most likely outcome of this one and I will back that to occur when these two teams play their penultimate game of the League season on Wednesday.


Leicester City v Arsenal Pick: This is a pretty meaningless Premier League game for both teams in terms of what it will help them achieve, but there is a difference between Leicester City and Arsenal which could decide the outcome of the fixture.

At the moment it feels like Arsenal are going to give Arsene Wenger a huge send off in his final two games of the season, even if ultimately they have found themselves short of the quality they needed to win the Europa League or finish higher in the Premier League table.

On the other hand Leicester City look to have 'downed tools' on beleaguered manager Claude Puel and perhaps made their feelings clear that they don't want their own French manager to stay on beyond the end of the season.

Some of the recent Leicester City performances have been truly terrible and home losses to Newcastle United and West Ham United around a limp draw with Southampton does not offer a great look.

If Arsenal had performed with any consistency away from home it would be much easier to believe they can produce the required quality to win this fixture. They have been tough for Leicester City to deal with in recent years, but The Gunners have only won 1 of their last 4 visits to this ground.

It is entirely possible Leicester City could play much better now they are up against a top team, but I can't help feel their players have given up on the season. Scoring goals has become an issue for them as they have perhaps 'downed tools' and Arsenal's own away troubles is hard to ignore.

I was tempted by Arsenal's odds against price to win here, but they haven't looked at their best away from home and goals may be at a premium on Wednesday despite what the layers think. At a big price it may be worth risking at least one of the teams failing to score in this one in what could be something of a slow burner between teams lacking true motivation.


Manchester City v Brighton Pick: Both Manchester City and Brighton have achieved their goals for the season and that should mean both teams are able to express themselves with some freedom on Wednesday.

There will likely be some changes in the Manchester City starting eleven to make sure they are able to give the likes of Yaya Toure a send off in his final home game for the club. However that doesn't mean Pep Guardiola is going to be happy if his team don't reach the standards they have set for much of the season.

Brighton secured their own safety with a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Friday night and I think that could take something away from the players here. Of course there is motivation taking on the Champions, but Brighton have not been strong travellers all season and will have to work very hard to match Huddersfield Town in becoming the second Premier League club to prevent Manchester City scoring at the Etihad Stadium.

It's a tall order for most teams and Brighton have struggled for clean sheets against the best teams. They have lost without scoring at Manchester United (twice) as well as at Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and I think that is the most likely outcome again on Wednesday.

Manchester City do offer chances to those clubs who are willing to take risks because the defenders are simply not as strong as Guardiola would like. However Brighton have struggled for a consistent threat away from home and I think Manchester City likely win this game with a clean sheet to boot.


Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United Pick: This might be the right kind of fixture for Tottenham Hotspur to bounce back from the disappointment of losing 1-0 at West Brom on Saturday, but they have to be very careful.

The recent form has not been good enough for Tottenham Hotspur which has allowed Chelsea to close in on a top four place in the Premier League. 3 losses in 5 games in all competitions has knocked the confidence of the players and they have looked like that in nervy performances.

However Tottenham Hotspur did beat Watford 2-0 here last time out and are facing a Newcastle United team who have lost 3 straight Premier League games. It is clear that Newcastle United have achieved all their goals and perhaps they have just dropped their intensity since then which has allowed teams to get the better of them.

That is important for Tottenham Hotspur who may need some demotivated opponents to just get over the line in the Premier League top four race. Facing both Newcastle United and Leicester City in the final days of the season looks like hand picked opponents for Spurs and I think they will be good enough to earn the win on Wednesday.

The key for Tottenham Hotspur will be to try and keep their defensive shape and control this fixture and I think that is possible for them. They have kept a clean sheet last time out here and I believe Tottenham Hotspur are able to do that again as they record the win over Newcastle United on Wednesday.


West Ham United v Manchester United Pick: Too many times this season Manchester United have produced a really poor performance against teams they should be beating comfortably and Friday night proved to be another.

This season Manchester United have dropped a combined 16 points in six games against Southampton, Burnley, Stoke City, Brighton, Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town. With a 17 point gap between them and Manchester City, those 16 points are huge in the grand scheme of things and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is likely to have made a note of that too.

In most cases Manchester United have not allowed those negative results to carry over to the next League game and I expect a big reaction from the players this week too.

Having six days rest between games will help their cause as will the long injury list at West Ham United. With Marko Arnautovic also a doubt it is hard to see West Ham United posing a consistent threat to Manchester United now their future in the Premier League has been confirmed.

This should see Manchester United return to winning ways on Thursday although it is not an easy ground to visit and I am second guessing the kind of team Jose Mourinho will pick. Even if Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku miss out, Manchester United have enough quality to challenge a West Ham United defence missing some key men.

They won 0-2 here last season and I think I will go back to the market which let me down on Friday. I will back Manchester United to win a game featuring two or more goals as some of the players try to change Mourinho's mind when it comes to the expected starting line up for the FA Cup Final later this month.

MY PICKS: Swansea City-Southampton Both Teams to Score @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Chelsea Win to Nil @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Leicester City-Arsenal Both Teams to Score- NO @ 2.90 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester City Win to Nil @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Tottenham Hotspur Win to Nil @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester United Win & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.20 Boyle Sports (2 Units)

Madrid Masters Tennis Picks 2017 (May 10th)

The last couple of days have been disappointing for the picks here in Madrid, but I think I know where I am potentially going a little wrong.

The tournament in Madrid is played on one of the faster clay courts during this swing towards the French Open and that means you can get a few surprise results. That is especially early in the week and the same might occur in Rome with the shift in conditions next week, but I am looking for a much better Wednesday compared with the last two days.

There are a lot of matches to come on Wednesday as the ATP Masters Second Round is completed and the WTA Premier Event Third Round is also rounded off.


Svetlana Kuznetsova - 4.5 games v Qiang Wang: This has already been a very successful week for Qiang Wang having come through the Qualifiers before winning two main draw matches. Wang won a title on the Tour just last month and she is a player that is definitely improving and likely to be in a position to get an automatic place in these Premier Events going forward thanks to an improving World Ranking.

Playing on the clay courts is going to be the next step in the development for Wang who has not had a lot of success on the surface prior to this week. She was beaten in Prague last week by Camila Giorgi but Wang might be taking on her toughest challenge on the surface when she faces Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Russian is a former French Open Champion so clearly Kuznetsova has plenty of pedigree on the clay courts, and she has produced some strong results on the surface throughout her career. Some of the consistency has gone from the Kuznetsova game, but her peak levels can see her challenge the very best players on the Tour although maintaining that throughout a match has not really been something she has shown she can do.

That could present a danger against Wang who is playing with a great deal of confidence at the moment and it does make this a potential banana skin match. However Kuznetsova reached the Final here in Madrid last season and has two solid wins under her belt here and I can see her clay court experience helping her to a fairly routine win when the result goes down in the books.

After a number of breaks of serve, I can see Kuznetsova take control of the match in the middle of this one and come through with a 6-4, 6-3 win.


Novak Djokovic - 4.5 games v Nicolas Almagro: One of the most interesting developments in tennis which may have flown under the radar behind the Maria Sharapova return was Novak Djokovic's decision to make wholesale changes to his team. In the same breath Djokovic admitted that he has been struggling for the 'spark' that has made him such a success in recent seasons.

It has been described as a move which should give himself 'shock therapy' and the rumours are that Djokovic is set to turn to Andre Agassi to help him refocus. For now though, Djokovic will be playing without the team that helped him achieve all his goals and I think there are some questions as to how he will respond.

A couple of years ago a match against Nicolas Almagro on the clay courts would have been a hugely dangerous one for Djokovic in his current state of mind. However the Spaniard has slipped as he has struggled for the consistency that made him such a threat and Almagro can lose his way considerably these days.

I do think this match will be close at times and I am not sure Djokovic is not going to have to battle through some tough games on his own serve. However he can exert enough pressure on Almagro to start seeing the latter break down and I am expecting this to be a match that Djokovic can control for the most part.

All eyes will be on the former World Number 1 to see his state of mind after the break up with his team, but I think he passes this first test and can win the match 7-5, 6-3.


Jo-Wilfred Tsonga - 3.5 games v David Ferrer: This is one match that I would have favoured David Ferrer to win a couple of years ago on the clay courts, but things have changed in 2017. Now Ferrer has lost something about his game and I can only see the Spaniard slipping further and further in what has been a truly exceptional career.

The speed of the court won't help Ferrer when he takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who had to battle through his First Round match. That does raise some doubts as to the level Tsonga is currently operating at, but he is taking on an opponent who has had a number of surprise losses as he continues to be rated at a level that he simply doesn't reach enough these days.

Since the Australian Open, David Ferrer has lost to the likes of Carlos Berlocq, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Diego Sebastian Schwartzman and Kevin Anderson with three of those losses coming on clay courts. I would have backed Ferrer to wear down all of those opponents in the past, but it just highlights where his game is these days.

If Tsonga had more matches under his belt he would be a bigger favourite, but I still think the win in the First Round will have done him good. The serve will be important for the Frenchman and producing the goods there will be putting Ferrer under immense pressure and he hasn't the consistency to play his usual brand of tennis which can allow Tsonga to thrive in this one.

I can see Tsonga just having a little too much in both sets and coming through with a 6-4, 6-4 win in this one.


Rafael Nadal - 5.5 games v Fabio Fognini: I can remember a couple of years ago when Rafael Nadal was finding Fabio Fognini a real test including on the clay courts. It came at a time when Nadal was struggling on all surfaces to really lay down his quality, but 2017 has seen a resurgence from the Spaniard who will be going into the French Open as the favourite to win another title there.

That has been backed up by his performances over the last month which has seen Nadal win the titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona and most people will be picking him to pick up more in Madrid, Rome and eventually in Paris before the move to the grass courts.

The only concern in backing Nadal to cover this number is the fact that he is playing his first match in Madrid but the Spaniard has proved he can produce a lot of wins here through his career. He hasn't won the title here since 2014 having lost in the Final and Semi Final in the last two years to Andy Murray both times, but Nadal is playing with a new level of confidence.

The enigma that is Fabio Fognini can be hard to dismiss out of hand and he certainly gets up for a match like this one, but he was beaten easily by Nadal at the Miami Masters. Since then Fognini has struggled back on the clay courts and I am not sure he has the consistency or belief at this point of his career to match an in-form Nadal who is putting opponents under serious pressure and watching them crack.

It could have a similar feel as to when these two met in Miami and Nadal can cover this number on his way to the Third Round.


Marin Cilic v Alexander Zverev: This looks a very good match on paper and a tough one for both Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev when you think it has been put together in the Second Round. Confidence won't be lacking on either side of the court as both Zverev and Cilic have won a title in Munich and Istanbul respectively just a few days ago.

The young German backed up that title success by seeing off veteran Fernando Verdasco in the First Round but I think the extra rest for Cilic could be important. There are still some questions as to how good Zverev is on the clay courts at this point of his career and he has suffered a couple of heavy losses on the clay over the last month.

Cilic is a very capable player on the surface, although he has not had the consistent season he would have been hoping for to this point. Early losses in Indian Wells and Miami were huge disappointments for Cilic, but his performances back on the clay will have increased his confidence.

He has lost his last two matches against Zverev which may give the latter the mental edge in the contest, but I think Cilic might be the superior clay court player at this point. The layers can't separate them and have set the match as a pick 'em contest, but I like Cilic and I think he can battle through this tough match by showing a little more ability and reserves in the gas tank at critical times.


Stan Wawrinka - 4.5 games v Benoit Paire: One of the things you can almost be certain of is that Benoit Paire will usually crumble under some exerted pressure, but the Frenchman dug deep to see off Pablo Carreno Busta in the First Round. He saved 9/10 break points during the match which is not something I would expect from Paire, but he will need to be even better when he faces Stan Wawrinka.

The head to head is heavily in favour of Wawrinka and I think that does play a part in this match. This is the first time Wawrinka is back on court since his early loss in Monte Carlo and he can start off slowly in tournaments, but that is where his strong record against Paire may help the Swiss player settle more quickly than usual.

A problem for Paire supporters is the way their man can suddenly go completely off the boil and make poor shot selections and give up serve. While he has some solid tennis ability, Paire is someone that the top players know they can put under immense mental pressure and that will usually be enough to see him break down.

Paire is a player that won four games against Philipp Kohlschreiber in Marrakech, five games against Haas in Monte Carlo and five games against Nicolas Almagro last week in Estoril. I will credit him for the way he played against Pablo Carreno Busta, but backing that up is going to be difficult for Paire and I think Stan Wawrinka will be too good for him on the day.

Stan Wawrinka has covered this number in six of his seven previous wins against Paire and I will be looking for him to do the same in this Second Round match.

MY PICKS: Svetlana Kuznetsova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Novak Djokovic - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Rafael Nadal - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Marin Cilic @ 1.91 Coral (2 Units)
Stan Wawrinka - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Madrid Update: 7-8, - 3.24 Units (30 Units Staked, - 10.80% Yield)

Midweek Football Picks 2017 (May 9-11)

We are now getting down to the final weeks of the domestic season in European Football and that means we will get to see the Champions League and Europa League Finals set by the end of Thursday evening.

To be honest, the Champions League Final is basically already decided with Juventus and Real Madrid holding historically big leads in their Semi Final Second Legs and those two clubs could provide a real spectacle come June 3rd.

The Europa League Final is less secure despite the leads Ajax and Manchester United have from the First Leg as they are playing two dangerous opponents. That Final is set for the 24th May in Stockholm and looks to be the best chance for Manchester United to be playing Champions League Football next season.

One make up Premier League game is also set for this week before we get into the penultimate weekend of the domestic League season in the big European Leagues which begins on Friday.


Juventus v Monaco Pick: It was a pretty impressive performance from Juventus all around in their 0-2 win in Monaco last week and the expectation is that they will be too good when the teams meet for the Second Leg. This feels like a chance to salvage some pride for Monaco than a realistic bid to overturn the deficit from the First Leg as they are facing a team protecting an 18 game unbeaten run at home in the Champions League and who haven't been beaten at home in any competition since August 2015.

The young players of Monaco will be looking to display their talent with a lot more effectiveness than they showed last week and keep impressing teams around Europe. Last week they missed the clinical edge they have displayed over the last few months, but they did have some opportunities against a veteran Juventus defence.

Ultimately I can't see Monaco preventing Juventus from scoring at home and I do think the way Juventus played last week is going to be copied as they look to exploit Monaco on the counter attack. That will be more evident the longer the game goes on and Monaco begin to push more and more men forward and I would be concerned that their last couple of away defeats have both come while conceding five times in each.

I don't think Juventus will take too many risks though and will be happy to see the chances come when they do rather than actively pursuing those chances to win by a wide margin. They rely very much on making sure they are not going to offer Monaco too much encouragement and will be looking to keep the run of clean sheets going, although I am expecting Monaco to be a little more ruthless when the chances do come their way this time.

Last week I did think there would be three goals shared out by these teams and that only came up short thanks to some solid last ditch defending from Juventus. Things will likely open up at some point in this one again and this time I am looking for the teams to combine for at least one more strike in the Second Leg.


Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid Pick: No team has ever come back from a two goal deficit after the First Leg to win a European Cup Semi Final and it would be a huge shock if Atletico Madrid are able to turn around their 3-0 loss to Real Madrid last week. Pride is still a big factor but I have to say I was largely disappointed with the attitude of the Atletico Madrid players in the defeat in the First Leg as they showed little to no belief of their chances of beating Real Madrid.

A lot will have had to changed for them to make this a much more competitive Second Leg, although I do think Atletico Madrid can't possibly play as badly as the First Leg. Maybe Atletico Madrid can relax and play with a 'nothing to lose' attitude, but it does feel they have to play a more open style than they are used to and that is where Real Madrid can take advantage of them.

Real Madrid will sit back and wait to hit Atletico Madrid on the counter and there will be a few occasions when they are able to exploit gaps left behind.

They have already won convincingly here once this season and Real Madrid were able to rest the majority of their big names for the League win at Granada at the weekend. That should mean they are capable of producing another strong performance and I think Real Madrid will have the opportunities to win the Second Leg unless Atletico Madrid are going to play this game without really believing they can move into the Final.

In that case Atletico Madrid might prove a stubborn nut to crack, but I have to think the home fans will urge their team to try and get forward and pressure their rivals in the Second Leg. That could see Real Madrid score a late goal to secure a win here and I think they can be backed at the prices even though they don't 'need' to win the game.

The price factors in the lack of a 'need' for Real Madrid and I think that makes it attractive enough to back the defending Champions League Winners to win the Second Leg.


Lyon v Ajax Pick: There is a lot of pressure on Lyon to put themselves into a position to turn around the First Leg deficit with this being the only avenue back into the Champions League for them. If this was closer, Lyon would feel very confident at home, but the pressure of overturning a three goal deficit is much harder to judge.

No one will dispute Ajax are not the same force on their travels as they have tended to be at home, while a young team are not as experienced as some of those Lyon can count upon. However they have shown they can express themselves away from Amsterdam and the feeling is that Ajax do have enough to score here especially if Lyon defend as poorly as they did in the First Leg.

On the other hand, Ajax have conceded at least twice in half of their 8 away European games this season including in the last two Rounds at Copenhagen and Schalke. That will encourage Lyon to get forward considering they have scored at least three times in half of their 6 home European games and perhaps there will be some life in this tie.

The first goal is going to be key and I can see this being another open Semi Final tie like the one in Amsterdam was. I did consider backing Lyon to win a high-scoring game, but I think there is enough here to believe Ajax can cause some problems especially on the counter when Lyon get desperate and they could score some goals when exploiting gaps left behind.

I would be really surprised if both teams don't score here and I can see them coming close to match the goal output of last week, but will simply look for the two teams to combine for at least four goals on Thursday.


Manchester United v Celta Vigo Pick: The remaining games in the Premier League are no longer the concern for Jose Mourinho and Manchester United with their best chance of getting into the Champions League coming by winning the Europa League. It was clear from the team picked against Arsenal that Manchester United have had an eye on this Second Leg and that should mean fatigue is not really a ready made excuse.

Manchester United played really well in Spain for large portions of that First Leg and only some poor finishing prevented them from returning to Manchester with one foot in the Europa League Final. Now there is still some pressure on the favourites as a Celta Vigo goal would level up the tie instead of having some margin of comfort, but the chances created in Spain has to encourage Mourinho.

A line up with the likes of Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba all with a week of rest under their legs is likely to be too good for Celta Vigo. It has been difficult for Celta Vigo to turn the switch on and off for Europa League games when they have not been taking their League games seriously and they did look a little out of their depth last week.

This is a team that still needs to be respected having won at Real Madrid while knocking them out of the Copa Del Rey and Celta Vigo also overcame a 0-1 First Leg loss at home to beat Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League. They will feel they can create chances, but their one away loss in the Europa League at Ajax saw Celta Vigo outplayed.

The 3-2 scoreline flatters them on that day and I think Manchester United will have the better of the chances and just have to show more clinical finishing in front of goal. They had enough to win easily in Spain and Manchester United have been better in the Europa League with the starting eleven likely to feel rested and ready to go in this one.

It is not always in Mourinho's nature to take unnecessary risks so you can see Manchester United perhaps sitting back a little if they do take the lead in the Second Leg. However I think Manchester United will have enough chances to hit Celta Vigo on the counter attack in this one to create more opportunities in front of goal and I think they move into the Europa League Final with an impressive Second Leg win.


Southampton v Arsenal Pick: Both Southampton and Arsenal are not exactly firing in their best form at the moment despite the positive results both achieved on Sunday in the Premier League. I have to say that there are some big questions for both teams to answer going into this Wednesday Premier League game, but regardless I am stunned by Arsenal being a short favourite to win at St Mary's.

Yes Arsenal beat a distracted Manchester United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium to get their top four ambitions back on track, thanks partly to Southampton earning a goalless draw at Liverpool earlier in the day. However they have been very poor away from home in recent weeks and 5 losses from their last 6 Premier League away games is not going to encourage anybody to back a team at just over odds against.

The problem is Southampton have looked really poor in recent games as the season winds down for them and they have not won any of their last 4 League games. Both Manchester City and Chelsea hammered Southampton, while they have not scored in 3 of their last 4 Premier League games.

Defensively they have looked good enough in the last couple of games, but they will be tested by Arsenal. On the other hand, a more positive approach from Southampton is likely to give them every chance in this one against an Arsenal team who have been beaten at the likes of West Brom and Crystal Palace in recent Premier League games and were rocking at Middlesbrough.

Prior to the FA Cup loss to Arsenal in January, Southampton have had a strong recent home record against The Gunners. I don't think Arsenal are as good as the oddsmakers clearly believe they are and even a demotivated Southampton team can raise their game for the visit on Wednesday.

Fatigue could be a factor for both teams, but I am going to take Southampton with the start on the Asian Handicap to avoid defeat.

MY PICKS: Juventus-Monaco Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.90 Bet365 (2 Units)
Real Madrid @ 2.70 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Lyon-Ajax Over 3.5 Goals @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Manchester United - 1 Asian Handicap @ 1.99 Bet365 (2 Units)
Southampton + 0.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.88 Bet Victor (2 Units)