US Open Tennis Day 1 Picks 2017 (August 28th)

The final Grand Slam of the year is set to get underway in New York City and I have to say the US Open has always been my favourite Slam as a fan.

This year I will be fortunate enough to be attending in the second week of the US Open so I am hoping the 'big names' can secure their places at that time especially with the top of the men's tournament missing so many of the marquee names.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be generating most of the headlines over the next two weeks as they try and meet each other at this Slam for the first time, which is still something of a surprise when you think of how well both have played in New York City in their careers.

Watch out for the younger players on the men's Tour who may just have a huge opportunity for a breakthrough at the highest level with Alexander Zverev perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Andy Murray's decision to withdraw from the tournament.

The women's draw looks wide open, although Garbine Muguruza looks to have built on her Wimbledon win in much better fashion than she did when winning the French Open in 2016. I think the Spaniard may be the player to beat here, even if the likes of Karolina Pliskova and the main British hope, Johanna Konta, are both likely to be there or thereabouts.

Venus Williams will be the main home hope in both draws having reached two Grand Slam Finals in 2017 and in the absence of sister Serena, but all in all I am hoping for two brilliant weeks of tennis.


Day 1 on Monday sees half of the First Round matches being scheduled to be played. The weather looks good for tennis today, although the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium is expected to be in use on Tuesday when rain is scheduled. That may mean the remainder of the First Round matches tomorrow also see some left over for Wednesday, but the Tennis Picks today should all be completed.


Camila Giorgi v Magdalena Rybarikova: This was one of the First Round matches that the layers have struggled to split when the draw was initially made. Since then there has been enough interest in Camila Giorgi to see her price come down to the point she is a favourite to win the match, although still at a reasonable price.

The run at Wimbledon which saw Magdalena Rybarikova reach the Semi Final was a career highlight for the Slovakian, but she has been inconsistent back on the hard courts this past two months. In the three tournaments since Wimbledon, Rybarikova has won back to back matches in only one tournament and she is 5-4 in matches on the hard courts.

Inconsistency has been a real problem for Giorgi too which makes it hard to trust the Italian, but I do think she is capable of winning this match. The run in Cincinnati through the Qualifiers and into the Third Round at that Premier Event has been a part of a stronger second half of the season for Giorgi and in that time she was also able to beat Rybarikova without a dropping a set too.

It was the superior performances at the break points which helped Giorgi win that match against Rybarikova despite the latter earning double the amount of break points during the match. The serve is going to be all-important to this match too with Giorgi perhaps slightly stronger on the surface judging the statistics.

Rybarikova has been able to win more return points on the hard courts, but only by a narrow margin over Giorgi and I think the latter will have the slight advantage behind serve. There would be no surprise if this match needs a third set to decide things and Rybarikova has been strong when matches have gone the distance, but I will be looking for Giorgi to frank her narrow win over Rybarikova from the Cincinnati Premier Event Qualifiers by winning this First Round match.


Johanna Konta - 5.5 games v Aleksandra Krunic: A strong run at Wimbledon raised the hopes of a nation, but I think most tennis fans who watch more than the limited grass court season will believe the hard courts offer Johanna Konta the best chance of winning a maiden Grand Slam. Winning titles in Sydney and, in particular, Miami will have raised those beliefs and I think Konta will go some way over the next two weeks.

The First Round matches can be difficult with nerves and expectation perhaps making things tougher than they should be for the top Seeds in the draws. That has to be watched for Konta who has had disappointing efforts in the Canadian and Cincinnati Premier Events in preparation for the US Open.

However the losses to Ekaterina Makarova and Simona Halep came against players higher up the World Rankings and against players in strong form. I am not sure Aleksandra Krunic can reach the same level as those two players and especially not for long enough to earn the upset in the First Round.

Thee isn't a lot of hard court form to lean back on for Krunic and the pressure will come if Konta is serving up to the level she can. Reaching that level will mean Konta is holding serve well enough to keep Krunic in a tough position to keep the British Number 1 off her when it comes to protecting her own service games.

Last year Krunic worked her way through the US Open Qualifiers before winning just a single game in the First Round of the main draw. I don't imagine she is going to be beaten as easily as that, but Konta has proven she is very strong on the hard courts and can cover this number of games to get her final Grand Slam of 2017 off to a strong start.


Sloane Stephens - 4.5 games v Roberta Vinci: After a couple of rough outings on her return to the Tour, Sloane Stephens has to be feeling very positive about the way the hard court season has shaped up for her. Reaching the Semi Final at back to back tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati and beating some of the better players on the WTA Tour will have given the American confidence, although we can't ignore the fact she did ride her luck on a number of occasions.

Facing an opponent who reached the US Open Final just two years ago would usually be seen as a big test for anyone, but Roberta Vinci has just shown signs of decline as the 34 year old Italian has slipped down the World Rankings. This is going to be the nineteenth tournament Vinci has played in this season, but she has won back to back matches just three times and the hard court season has not been a good one for her.

Vinci has lost three of the four matches she has played on the hard courts since Wimbledon and she is just 5-10 on the surface in 2017. Eight of the ten losses Vinci has suffered on the hard courts would have seen her fail to cover this number of games and I do think she could be put under pressure by Stephens who has been playing well over the last month.

My one concern is the number of games being asked to cover by Stephens who has not dominated matches despite finding a way to get the win on the board. Stephens would have covered this number of games in half of the eight wins she has earned over the last month in Toronto and Cincinnati but I will be looking for her to take enough advantage of the Vinci serve to get this done.

The Italian can serve well when she is feeling confident, but that can't be the case going into Flushing Meadows and I will look for Stephens to find her way to a 7-5, 6-3 win in this First Round match.


Ashleigh Barty - 3.5 games v Ana Konjuh: If this match was played earlier in the 2017 season I would have expected Ana Konjuh to perhaps be favoured by the same amount as Ashleigh Barty is in this First Round match. However the form shown by the Australian who has returned to the tennis Tour has been much stronger in recent weeks than Konjuh's and I think she can get the better of her opponent here.

Both Barty and Konjuh have stronger serves than people may think and both will be looking to earn the first strike in the rallies behind the first serve which should bring up a short reply. The key for the two players in this match is making use of the second serves they see and the similar numbers produced by Barty and Konjuh means it should be a competitive match.

I believe the difference comes from the confidence the two players could be able to lean on in tough moments. Barty's Ranking means she has had to play the Qualifiers in both Toronto and Cincinnati, but she has put together eight wins all together which has seen her reach the Third Round in each event.

Losses to Garbine Muguruza and Caroline Wozniacki won't have dented too much of the Barty confidence and she has to be feeling better than Konjuh who has now lost three matches in a row. Like Barty, a couple of those losses have come against decent players, but a run without wins can knock anyone's confidence and I do think that is what is going to separate these players on the day.

Konjuh did reach the Quarter Final here at the US Open twelve months ago so the conditions and environment will be in her favour. However the hard court form in 2017 has been a little erratic and I will be looking for Barty to get the better of the big moments and earn a 6-4, 6-4 win to move into the Second Round.


Pauline Parmentier - 1.5 games v Oceane Dodin: This is a good opportunity for either Pauline Parmentier or Oceane Dodin to make it through to the Second Round of a Grand Slam tournament with both players likely to be looking at this as a good chance to progress. There are some real question marks around both players, but the difference between the compatriots comes from two matches that were played earlier in 2017.

Parmentier and Dodin played at the Indian Wells and Miami Premier Events on the hard courts and both times it was the older Frenchwoman who was able to make it through to the next Round. Parmentier lost six games when they played in Indian Wells and then halved that in Miami by losing three games to Dodin and I do think the current form of the latter is not exactly going to make it easy for her to turn that around.

She did reach the Semi Final in Washington but First Round losses in Toronto and Cincinnati will have knocked some of the confidence from Dodin. She actually retired with some issue in Toronto before losing 6-3, 6-0 in Cincinnati the following week and Dodin will have to do something very different to get the better of Parmentier.

The lack of hard court tennis this summer is a concern for Parmentier, having failed to play in a main draw after losing in Qualifiers in New Haven last week. That does make me lose a bit of belief in backing Parmentier, but the way she was able to dominate Dodin in both Indian Wells and Miami changes the feeling.

I do think Parmentier may need an extra set to get it done here, but I will be looking for her to get the better of this number of games as she moves past her fellow Frenchwoman.


Carla Suarez Navarro - 5.5 games v Ipek Soylu: All credit has to be given to Ipek Soylu for working her way through three Qualifiers to make her debut in the US Open main draw. The young Turkish player has produced her best performances on the Doubles circuit so far in her career, but the three wins earned this week may give her some belief in her Singles game.

This First Round match is a big test for Soylu who faces Carla Suarez Navarro who was once in the top ten of the World Rankings. The Spaniard has had a difficult twelve months which has seen her slip back, but she continues to play at a much higher level than her opponent and even a par performance will see her produce enough to move into the Second Round.

The hard court preparation could have gone better for Suarez Navarro, but she is up against opponents who are at a much higher level than the one she will meet in the First Round at the US Open. While she may only be 3-3 on the hard courts this summer, Carla Suarez Navarro can use her experience to negotiate the early Rounds at the US Open.

One concern for the Spaniard has always been the vulnerable serve but even that she is capable of protecting against players Ranked much lower down the World Rankings. That is backed up by her numbers against players Ranked outside the top 100 on the hard courts in recent years.

I expect that to show up when she meets Ipek Soylu in the First Round especially as the Turkish player just hasn't had the experience of playing the best players on the Tour. Soylu has never beaten a top 100 Ranked player having gone 0-13 in that time and eleven of those losses would have seen her fail to cover this number. I think that will happen again as Suarez Navarro wears her down and produces a 6-4, 6-2 win.


Joao Sousa - 1.5 sets v Paolo Lorenzi: Despite the top of the men's draw losing so many of the players that would have been Seeded, no one is going to expect Joao Sousa or Paolo Lorenzi from reaching the business end of the US Open event. However the First Round draw will have given both players belief that they can at least earn some solid World Ranking points which will keep them in a position to earn automatic entry into some of the big events for the rest of the season and going into 2018.

It is no surprise that Sousa is the favourite in this First Round match considering he has beaten Lorenzi in all three previous matches they have played. A couple of those matches have come down to a third set though, but even then I would suggest the surface is one that Sousa will enjoy more than his Italian opponent.

Neither player has a lot of form to fall back upon over the last month, but Sousa did produce some solid wins at the Cincinnati Masters before going down in the Second Round. He had to Qualify for that tournament but it is about as well as Lorenzi has done in the three events he has played in and overall Sousa is the superior hard court player.

The numbers do seem to back that up with Sousa getting a little more from his return game than Lorenzi and moving into a position to break serve in more games than his opponent. Neither has a great serve which means the break points should be fairly frequent, but Sousa's head to head with Lorenzi and hard court performances should see him come through.

I imagine this will be played with a clay court feel as both players will look to get involved in the rallies and try and wear the other down. To that extent I think Sousa may just have slightly more success which can give him the edge over the course of three or four sets and I will look for Sousa to cover the set handicap in this First Round match.


Gilles Muller 3-0 v Bernard Tomic: This is going to be the first time Bernard Tomic has played a competitive tennis match since Wimbledon when he admitted in a post-match new conference that he hadn't tried as he could. The Australian went on to admit that tennis is not something he loves and is simply a job for him, while also stating that he doesn't always produce his best as he loses his focus.

I am not sure the fans will have forgotten those words so I don't expect Tomic to receive a lot of support in this First Round match. It doesn't help that his opponent is going to be respected so much for a solid 'Indian Summer' to his career as well as the fact that Gilles Muller made so many positive headlines at Wimbledon.

It hasn't been so positive for Muller on the hard courts since the end of his Wimbledon fairytale run to the Quarter Final, but this is a match up that has been good to him in his career. He has beaten Tomic in four of his fie previous matches including three wins on the hard courts and I do wonder if the Australian is here to make a point or pick up another paycheque.

Tomic hasn't played any hard court tennis in preparation for the US Open and while the service numbers have been solid enough on the surface over the last year, he is also someone who has struggled on the return. That can show up against someone who serves as well as Muller can and I do think this match will be dictated by the higher Ranked player.

Backing any player to win in straight sets can be tough in a best of five set match because there are some fluctuations in performance over the longer format. However there is every chance Tomic 'gives up' if he does make a slow start and fall a set behind and Muller is likely to play at the same consistent level throughout which helps him move through to the Second Round without dropping a set in this match.


Daniil Medvedev v Denis Shapovalov: Two of the young and brightest talents on the men's Tour will be meeting in the First Round of the US Open and it is Denis Shapovalov who is considered the favourite to beat Daniil Medvedev.

That will have been influenced by his three Qualifier wins as well as the wonderful run to the Canadian Masters Semi Final earlier this month. I have to respect those performances, although I will say that Shapovalov was perhaps a little fortunate to have won at least a couple of the matches that he did win in Montreal.

His form has also been superior to Medvedev's in recent weeks as the young Russian player has lost four matches in a row. That began with a Quarter Final loss in Washington, but First Round losses to Adrian Mannarino, Fabio Fognini and Kyle Edmund were disappointing. A couple of those were very close losses though and I do think Medvedev is being under-rated in this First Round match.

Denis Shapovalov does look the flashier player, but the raw numbers are perhaps not as good as the young Canadian would like. While the serve is a decent weapon, Shapovalov has not been able to produce the same goods on the return and I do think Medvedev's returning numbers have been much stronger over the course of the season.

And it isn't like Medvedev's own serve is a weak part of his game so I do think the Russian can get the better of his fellow youngster in this one. I would expect Medvedev's experience at a higher level for longer than Shapovalov helps here and the expectation is all on the latter having been set as the favourite, which may just help Medvedev's cause.

I imagine it will be a tight match, but I will look for Medvedev to work his way to a four or five set victory as the underdog.

MY PICKS: Camila Giorgi @ 1.91 William Hill (2 Units)
Johanna Konta - 5.5 Games @ 1.73 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Sloane Stephens - 4.5 Games @ 1.73 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Ashleigh Barty - 3.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Pauline Parmentier - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Carla Suarez Navarro - 5.5 Games @ 1.83 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Joao Sousa - 1.5 Sets @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Gilles Muller Win 3-0 @ 2.25 Coral (2 Units)
Daniil Medvedev @ 2.20 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Boxing Picks 2017- Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor (August 26th)

All eyes of the combat world will have turned towards Las Vegas on Saturday night as the Boxing vs MMA fight comes to town.

While most Boxing purists may not be expecting a true competitive fight, casual fans have been intrigued by the cross-code contest and I think this is an event that does deserve to be watched. There will be much better Boxing fights to come as we enter September and move through the remainder of 2017, but not many events will transcend the sport as much as this one.

We also will see the return of Miguel Cotto in California on the same night, although his own fight has been overshadowed by the events taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in the MGM Grand Garden.


One other major piece of news from the combat world was the Jon Jones failed drug test in the wake of his devastating win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214.

What a sad thing to happen... Jones is seen as the face of the UFC alongside Conor McGregor, but if the drug test failure is confirmed his career will be in tatters and the legacy will be severely tarnished. The question will be for how long has Jones been using PEDs and whether that was the only reason he was the man to beat in the Light-Heavyweight Division.

It also ends any talks of a fight with Brock Lesnar (unless they do that under WWE rules at Wrestlemania some time), and Jones was also in line to fight for the Heavyweight Title which is now obviously gone too.

There is no doubting the Jones talent, but his fans around the world are going to be extremely disappointed as I am.

Miguel Cotto vs Yoshihiro Kamegai

This fight was announced before the mega-event between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor and that means the return of Miguel Cotto has been overshadowed. No one will doubt that he has plenty of fans of his own who will be more interested in this fight than the one taking placed hundreds of miles away in Las Vegas, but the Cotto return is definitely flying under the radar.

Cotto is returning after losing a Decision against Canelo Alvarez two years ago and the question has to be how much is left in the tank and how much desire does Cotto still possess?

You wouldn't expect anything less than the camp talking up Cotto's chances to come back and win some marquee fights, but he is now about to turn 37 years old and a two year absence has to hurt. However I am not sure any decline in Cotto will be evident in a carefully selected comeback fight against Yoshihiro Kamegai.

While no one will really be expecting Kamegai to win, he looks the perfect opponent against whom you can shed the ring rust. This is a man who has yet to be stopped in his career and has shown toughness when under the cosh, elements which are important for Cotto too as he looks to put some Rounds in the bank.

Cotto is 8-4 since his defeat to Antonio Margarito in 2008, a fight that many will believe saw the latter load his gloves and was later avenged by the Puerto Rican hero. Many of those he has found the stoppage and he has been in with a who's who of recent Boxing history which should mean his experience is too much for Kamegai.

A look through Kamegai's career and you will notice he hasn't been in with too many guys of the calibre of Cotto. A Decision loss to Roberto Guerrero and Alfonso Gomez suggests Kamegai will come up short again, although I do think he will be strong enough to reach the final bell.

He is the bigger man on the night and will look to impose his size, but Cotto has shown he has devastating power which may just force Kamegai to take a backwards step at times. Cotto has 33 stoppages from the 40 fights he has won, but I can see him being forced to go the distance against a fighter who has shown he can come through some stormy weather.

He should still be a fairly routine winner on the cards though and I will back Cotto to win this one by Decision/Technical Decision.

Andrew Tabiti vs Steve Cunningham

There are a couple of Team Mayweather fighters who have a chance to showcase their talents on the undercard of the big Las Vegas fight this weekend and first up in that regard will be Andrew Tabiti, the undefeated Cruiserweight.

This is a step up from the usual opponents Tabiti has been fighting as we get to see whether he is potentially the real deal, or just someone who has taken advantage of the early fights that have been scheduled for him. Steve Cunningham may have seen his best days behind him, but the 41 year old has come to Vegas with confidence and has proven to be a tough man to stop.

Only Tyson Fury managed that when beating Cunningham at Heavyweight, but Fury is a huge man compared with the natural Cruiser. Other than that, Cunningham has forced fighters to dig deep to beat him and I think the wily veteran can get through to the judges scorecards in this one.

Cunningham has to use the tools he has being the taller man with the fairly large reach advantage, but it will be tough to keep the younger fighter off of him having seen Tabiti stop 12 of 14 previous fighters. The two Decision wins have come in the last 4 fights though so I am not completely convinced about the Tabiti power, especially not against someone like Cunningham who has proven to be gritty to say the least.

Ultimately I do think the 41 year old may struggle with his stamina and Tabiti can take control in the second half of the fight. There is always a potential the towel is thrown in or Cunningham is stopped on his feet as Father Time catches up with him, but he has looked in good shape and can trouble Tabiti and give him a bit of an education in this one.

Tabiti has to take those things on to bigger and better things as I will look for him to earn the Decision win, but it should be competitive for a while with perhaps a couple of blurry Rounds being given to the 'home' fighter which makes the difference. Backing Tabiti for a Decision/Technical Decision win looks a decent enough price and worth a play.

Gervonta Davis vs Francisco Fonseca

There are some that belief that Gervonta Davis may take over from Floyd Mayweather as the PPV Champion of Boxing going forward as he continues to learn under the tutelage of the best fighter of this generation. Terence Crawford may have something to say about that, but Davis has the platform to announce his name to the casual fans who will be tuning into the mega-event taking place in Las Vegas.

Davis will be defending his World Title for the second time after removing it from Jose Pedraza with a stoppage win back in January. He has since travelled to the United Kingdom and wiped out Liam Walsh inside three Rounds although Mayweather and his promotion team will know Davis isn't ready to take on the elite of the Super-Featherweight Division which is headed up by the fantastic Vasyl Lomachenko.

Two Tanks does look very good with heavy hitting hands and at 22 years old he is surely going to be able to move up Divisions in the coming years as he looks to replicate what his mentor achieved. The height may be a factor that eventually catches up with Davis, especially if his power does not move up with him, but for now the young American is looking to showcase his talent as one of the chief undercard support acts.

Davis is defending against an unbeaten fighter in Francisco Fonseca, although this is a big step up for the Costa Rican. Despite the unbeaten record, Fonseca is seen far below the level of the two previous fighters that Davis has been able to wipe out and there isn't a stand out name in the previous 20 fights the 23 year old has had.

This is not just a step up in competition, but the entire event is not one that Fonseca would have experienced before whereas Davis has fought on decent cards thanks to his connection with Mayweather. 13 of the 19 wins for Fonseca have come inside the distance and I would be surprised if he is not going to try and come forward but he may be better off trying to use his size and keep Davis at the end of the jab.

It is unlikely to work and Fonseca would have been carefully picked out by the Davis promotion team as not only a fighter he should beat, but one against whom Davis can look very good.

That looks the most likely way this fight will go and Davis has stopped 17 of 18 previous opponents so the stoppage is most likely to come. Only 3 of 18 have gotten out of the Third Round though and backing Davis to win this one between 1-4 looks a very appealing price.

Gervonta Davis did miss the Super Featherweight limit on Friday which means he has been stripped of the title and it will only be on the line for Fonseca. That does mean the move up in weight is likely to happen immediately, and I can only see Davis trying to make up for it by getting Fonseca out of there as early as possible.

Nathan Cleverly vs Badou Jack

The main supporting fight on the card in Las Vegas is a fight for the WBA World Light Heavyweight Title and both Nathan Cleverly and Badou Jack have spoken about this being the potential 'fight of the night'.

Jack is a former Super Middleweight World Champion and decided to make the move up to Light Heavyweight after a Draw with James DeGale back in January. I backed Jack to win that day and he has DeGale almost out in the Twelfth Round, while the Draw Decision was controversial with the majority thinking Jack had done enough to win.

He has also beaten current Super Middleweight World Champion George Groves by Decision in 2015 and Jack has been in with some of the best fighters in his Division in recent years. Jack has rebuilt his career after a devastating First Round stoppage to Derek Edwards and has since been unbeaten in six fights of which he as won five.

That includes beating Anthony Dirrell (who is set to challenge for a portion of the Super Middleweight that Jack left behind), Groves and Lucien Bute (later changed to a win after Bute was caught with PED enhancement, although even the Draw at the time was controversial with many thinking Jack had done enough to win).

There is no doubting how good Jack is with his ability to remain consistent and technically expose any flaws in opponents. However Nathan Cleverly is perhaps being under-rated as the 'away' fighter and one who has perhaps not achieved what many thought he might in his career.

Cleverly is still a two weight World Champion which deserves respect, and I think he has rebuilt his career fantastically after being brutally dismantled by Sergey Kovalev in 2013. That doesn't mean he has won every fight since, but Cleverly looked much better in his Decision losses to Tony Bellew and Andrej Fonfara, even if he showed more heart than actually ever looking like winning those fights.

That heart has seen him come back from Cruiserweight to win his version of the World Title on the road in Germany and that has to be respected. He has decent hands and speed which may actually give Jack something to think about in this one, and Cleverly has shown toughness since that loss to Kovalev which doesn't look half as disappointing now than it did at the time.

The Welshman looks to be the bigger fighter and he should be able to cause Jack problems with the speed of his shots. At some point Jack may begin figuring out what he needs to do, but Cleverly may be able to put the Rounds in the bank by the time that happens.

This is a much closer fight than the layers think as far as I am concerned. I backed Jack to beat DeGale back in January in what was seen as a pick 'em, but in this one Jack is a huge favourite and I am not sure I agree with that.

He is the home fighter which means there is a chance of some 'home cooking' when it comes to close Rounds, but I think Cleverly can land more punches and I think he can defend his title here and really rebuild his reputation. It may be controversial at the end, but I am looking for a fair swing and having a small interest in Nathan Cleverly finding a way to win this one on points.

Jack is a tough man himself and will cause Cleverly problems, but I am not sure he has the power to stop the British man as he claims. He is going up a weight and fighting a naturally bigger man and I will look for Cleverly to come out on top and open up to a potential rematch with Kovalev down the line.

The fights involving Jack do tend to be close so backing his opponent at a big price to win this one on points looks very appealing.

Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor

I like Conor McGregor.

He supports Manchester United and he has proven to be one of the best UFC fighters out there and in the Octagon he is a scary opponent to face.

In the Octagon I would favour McGregor against most in and around his weight class.

This is not the Octagon though.

And I simply can't see McGregor doing what the likes of Ricky Hatton, Marcus Maidana, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez have failed to do.

And that is beat Floyd Mayweather.

The two year absence from the ring and the fact Mayweather is 40 years old is what seems to have influenced the fans and that has been seen in the Vegas betting windows with the majority of 'smaller' bets coming in on McGregor. However 76% of the money is on the unbeaten American and it would be a monumental upset, the biggest in Boxing history, if McGregor is able to land the one shot he is relying on.

Shane Mosley hurt Mayweather, but the latter knew how to hold on to escape the Second Round and then turn the fight in his favour. That is a huge advantage for Mayweather and one that McGregor is seemingly ignoring, at least publicly.

On the other hand defending yourself in the UFC environment is much different than the way you would in Boxing and I simply don't think McGregor will have learned enough to beat the best fighter of the last twenty years. At first I can see this being awkward for Mayweather with McGregor perhaps clowning for the crowd with different stances and means of attack, but that may last a couple of Rounds at most.

At that point I would think McGregor will understand that he does have stamina issues, like he has shown in the UFC at times and noticeably in both fights with Nate Diaz. That should mean McGregor is going for the big shot early, but I can see him perhaps starting to get picked off by Mayweather and I simply don't think he is going to be suited to being counter punched with the accuracy he will see on Saturday night.

Barring something happening to Mayweather's hands, which has happened before in a Boxing fight, I can only see 'Money' stopping McGregor at some point in the middle of this fight. Mayweather has spoken very positively about looking for a spectacular end to his career and I can see the body shots being key to breaking down McGregor and eventually producing the telling shot in what is essentially a fight between a professional and amateur boxer.

I do think the bout will come to a close at some point between Round 4 and Round 8 and you can get a decent price on Mayweather being able to do that. A small interest in that and also on Mayweather completing the win inside the first half of the fight looks to be the way to go for me if you avoid allowing the hype to engulf you.

11 of his 26 stoppages have come inside the first three Rounds, but the majority of those were very early in Mayweather's career. He hasn't had a stoppage win since the controversial ending against Victor Ortiz in September 2011, but the fighters he has faced in the latter half of his career have been a who's who of Boxing.

McGregor may be more in line with some of the early opponents Mayweather fought, but I think there is enough heart to come out towards the middle of the fight and I am looking for a body shot to hurt him and accumulated punches to force the stoppage at somewhere like Round 5 or Round 6.

Backing Mayweather to win between 1-6 and also 4-8 should produce a winning return.

MY PICKS: Miguel Cotto by Decision/Technical Decision @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Andrew Tabiti by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.88 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Gervonta Davis to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.20 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Nathan Cleverly By Decision/Technical Decision @ 5.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Floyd Mayweather Between 1-6 @ 3.25 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Floyd Mayweather Between 5-8 @ 4.33 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

College Football Week 1 Picks 2017 (August 26-September 4th)

It feels like only yesterday I was watching the National Championship Game and just like that College Football is back on our television screens with Week 1 just about to get underway.

You can't deny it is a strange Week 1 with the games spread out over two weekends and I am not entirely sure what the reasoning is behind that. Some teams, Hawaii for example, are actually playing twice in the time period, but essentially the next two weekends are all a part of the same stretch of games.

Unsurprisingly it is Alabama who come in as the favourites with defending Champions Clemson losing key starters from the team that won it all. The Crimson Tide are probably still wondering how they managed to lose the National Championship and most will be expecting them back in the Play Offs and likely making amends with better experience at the Quarter Back spot.

However Lane Kiffin has moved on as Offensive Co-Ordinator having been dropped from that role before the National Championship Game and the SEC continues to be one of the toughest Divisions to negotiate.

That may give teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Florida State Seminoles to take advantage and I have no doubt how good this season is going to be. Quality teams around the nation will be desperate to make the College Football Play Offs and it will all begin over the next two weekends with some big non-Conference games set up for the fans to watch.

The NFL is also just two weekends away as we get set for six months of brilliant sporting drama.

The College Football Picks for Week 1 will all be collated here. I will have this post as the 'featured post' from Saturday 2nd September for the two days remaining of Week 1 and picks will be added throughout the week. 2016 proved to be a difficult season for the College Football Picks, but I am looking to bounce back in 2017 as I have the year after poor seasons previously.


South Florida Bulls @ San Jose State Spartans Pick: College Football is back on Saturday and this is a genuinely interesting game even though it is a non-Conference game. The South Florida Bulls have some big expectations in the comings season under new Head Coach Charlie Strong, while San Jose State Spartans also have a new Head Coach although mainly because they underachieved last season.

Strong comes in after a disappointing tenure with the Texas Longhorns and will be looking to rebuild his reputation as he takes over a team who have had a winning record in each of the last two seasons and South Florida finished 11-2 last season. Having 16 starters back from last season means plenty of experience and the Bulls only had a vacancy because Willie Taggart's success saw him offered the job with the Oregon Ducks.

There is room for improvement on an 11-2 record and that is by winning the American Athletic Conference as South Florida missed out on the Conference Title Game because of their loss to the Temple Owls, who did go on to win the Conference. The schedule also looks to be kind enough to give Strong every chance of heading up a team that runs the table and the goal for South Florida is to earn a spot in one of the big Bowl Games at the end of the season.

South Florida have 7 returning players on the Offense including Quarter Back Quinton Flowers, but matching the totals of last season is going to be a real test for them with their top Running Back and Wide Receiver from the 2016 season now playing in the NFL. Working with a new Offensive Line Coach makes things a little tougher for the Bulls too when it comes to match 2016's 43.8 points per game, but Flowers has the experience to guide them.

The Offensive Line will be key for the South Florida Bulls over the course of the season and they can get off to a good start against the San Jose State Spartans who have a new Head Coach in Brent Brennan who takes on this role for the first time in his career. The Spartans finished 4-8 last season for their third straight losing season, but they bring back 8 starters from the Defensive unit last season.

However this is a team that has struggled to stop the run in the last four seasons and the Bulls should be able to gain enough yards on the ground to open up the rest of their Offense. Brennan is going to be on a learning curve too and the first year under the new Head Coach has all the makings of a difficult one despite the returning starters on both sides of the ball.

Brennan will likely use more of his own recruits where possible and the Spartans are not really up to the level of the South Florida Bulls anyway. A lack of experience at Quarter Back could be an issue for San Jose State in 2017 and that certainly looks to be a problem for them in this opening game of the season against a South Florida Defensive unit that are expected to be significantly stronger than a season ago.

The Bulls are expected to field a Defensive Line that is able to shut down the run and that is going to put pressure on San Jose State especially as the Offensive Line is seen as a strength on that side of the ball. Whoever takes the ball under Center will be inexperienced and San Jose State struggling to run the ball will make life very difficult for the Quarter Back to have a lot of success in this one.

That is the way I feel this opening game will go for both teams with the South Florida Bulls having the better consistency with the ball in their hands. I will look for the Bulls Secondary to step up at key times and perhaps even help win the turnover battle and allow South Florida to pull away in the second half.

Charlie Strong's reputation may have taken a significant knock at Texas, but his teams have been decent at covering the spread as the road favourite and I will look for South Florida to win this by around twenty-seven points.


Stanford Cardinal @ Rice Owls Pick: The 2016 regular season ended in the same way as the 2017 season will open up for the Rice Owls and Stanford Cardinal. The only difference is this game will not be played in the United States, but the two College teams have been sent to Australia to open the season.

There is so much to like about Stanford who have not missed a beat with David Shaw as Head Coach who took over from Jim Harbaugh. The team won ten games in 2016 to win double digit amount of games for the fifth time in six years under Shaw as Head Coach. This year they have got 16 returning starters with 8 on both sides of the ball and that could make up for the loss of their two best players in Christian McCaffrey and Solomon Thomas who have both been Drafted into the NFL.

Even with McCaffrey gone, the Offense looks like it may have more overall success than they did in 2016. They will be looking to establish the run with one of the stronger Offensive Lines in the nation and a Running Back in Bryce Love who has had experience playing for Stanford in relief of McCaffrey and also has produced some really strong yards per carry.

Stanford crushed Rice on the ground when they met at the end of 2016, but this time Rice feel they are much more experienced and will be stronger up front. That will be tested by Stanford who look like they will be able to run the ball effectively throughout the season, and could be the key to the entire outcome of this game.

David Bailiff is hoping the teething problems for the younger players in a 3-9 season will help Rice develop this season. There is plenty of experience here and Rice will be another team who will look to run the ball efficiently enough to open things up for Sam Glaesmann who is making his debut at Quarter Back for the Owls.

Anything other than a Stanford win will still be a surprise though and this is all about whether they have enough to cover what looks a big spread. With both teams looking to run the ball, the game may be a quicker one and that may mean Stanford are not given the time to really pull away by as many as people think they might.

The Owls have a Defensive unit that is returning 8 starters from 2016 and, like other units on the team, they do look stronger all around. Matching one of the best teams in the nation is going to be a huge challenge for them but Rice should be able to give themselves a chance to hang with Stanford for long enough to make the points count.

A long journey to Australia is a tough factor to weigh up, but neither should have much of an advantage there. Importantly Rice kept things close enough to get within this number when travelling to Stanford at the end of 2016 and having that much more experience should give Rice the chance to cover.

Rice have a decent record against the spread when facing non-Conference opponents and I think they will do enough here.


Ohio State Buckeyes @ Indiana Hoosiers Pick: They made the College Football Play Offs without winning their Conference last season, but there are even bigger expectations of the Ohio State Buckeyes coming into the 2017 season. Even Head Coach Urban Meyer has alluded to that by talking about the comfort going into the new season with 15 starters returning from the team that went 11-2 last season.

This time last year the Buckeyes were coming into the season with the least experienced team so having 8 starters back on the Offensive unit and 7 back on the Defensive unit is a huge boost for the team. It also means there is some pressure on Ohio State to bounce back from a humiliating College Football Play Off loss to the Clemson Tigers with the fans looking for another place in the final four.

The Big Ten East is a tough Division with the Penn State Nittany Lions and Michigan Wolverines coming in with big expectations of their own. Even the Indiana Hoosiers are a team more than capable of playing spoiler, although they do have a new Head Coach in Tom Allen who is taking over a team that has not had a winning record since 2007.

Indiana have room for improvement Offensively with a team who have 6 starters returning and will Allen being an internal promotion it does mean that the systems are all the same for the players. Richard Lagow has plenty of experience at Quarter Back in his second season as the man under Center, but he has to avoid the Interceptions that blighted what would have been a good first year as the starting Quarter Back.

More important for Allen and the Hoosiers has to be the 9 returning starters on the Defensive side of the ball and this Indiana team do look capable of earning a winning record for the first time in a decade. There will be excitement for this opening game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, but that Defensive unit is in for a big test against a team that could be one of the strongest Offenses in the nation at this level.

If the Hoosiers Defensive Line can have a big game, they do have a chance against Ohio State, but the Offensive Line they face is as good as it gets. On the other side of the ball the Hoosiers are facing a really strong Defensive unit and all in all it does feel like the Buckeyes will be able to earn enough of an edge on both sides of the ball to pull away for the win.

A less experienced team could be a serious upset candidate, but that is not the case with the 2017 Buckeyes and I think they can win this one and cover the number. Ohio State have not been the best road favourite to back as they tend to be over-rated by the layers who know the money will come in, but this Buckeyes team looks to be one of the best in College Football and I think they can make a statement here.

There is also the added factor of Kevin Wilson- Wilson was fired at the end of the 2016 season as the Indiana Head Coach because of differences with the Athletic Director. He has since taken over as the Offensive Co-Ordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes and his insight into a Hoosiers Defensive unit that has 9 starters returning should give the road team a significant edge in my opinion.

I don't doubt that Wilson will want to keep the scoreboard ticking over to make a point and his extra insight into the opposition is another reason I want to back the Ohio State Buckeyes to win and cover on the road.


New Mexico State Aggies @ Arizona State Sun Devils Pick: Back to back losing seasons is not what was expected from the Arizona State Sun Devils, but the struggles of 2016 could reap rewards in 2017. Injuries meant a lot of players earned some experience in 2017 and having the chance to bring back 13 starters on both sides of the ball gives Head Coach Todd Graham every chance of producing a winning record.

His seat may be feeling a little warmer going into the season though and Arizona State are in the tough Pac-12 South Division which is expected to be headed up by the USC Trojans. However the problems of 2016 should mean the Sun Devils have plenty of depth to call upon, while they also have an experienced Quarter Back in Manny Wilkins compared with twelve months ago.

The Offensive unit is never really a concern for the Sun Devils and they are expected to be one of the top scoring teams again this time around. That will be tested immediately by the New Mexico State Aggies who may not have the best Defensive unit, but bring back 9 starters this time around and are expected to make big improvements from 2016.

Arizona State will look to establish the run against the tougher New Mexico State Defensive Line that is expected to take to the field in 2017. The problems for the Aggies will always be in the Secondary which has struggled to stop the pass which has been amongst the weakest in the nation in back to back years.

It would be a surprise if the Sun Devils were not able to put up around 40-50 points in this one at home, but the big question for them will be how much have they improved Defensively. Last year Todd Graham's Defensive unit gave up the most points in his time as Head Coach, but the injuries contributed to that and they are expected to be almost a Touchdown better in terms of points per game in 2017 compared with 2016.

The 7 returning Offensive starters for the Aggies will test that out though with New Mexico State being able to call upon some veterans who have plenty of experience. The key to this game could be how effectively New Mexico State are able to establish Larry Rose and the running game against what looks like a strong Arizona State Defensive Line.

I do think the Aggies will have some success with their Offense looking like it could be a decent one at the SBC level, but this is a big step up for them to do that consistently. Tyler Rogers is likely to end the season as the career passing record holder at New Mexico State, but Interceptions have been an issue for him. However Rogers should have some success against the Arizona State Secondary which struggled in 2015 and 2016 and who have lost some key players back there.

Arizona State are 17-9 against the spread as the home favourite under Graham's guidance while they have won their last eighteen home openers by 32 points per game. New Mexico State have not been a great road underdog to back under Head Coach Doug Martin and I think the home team from the Power 5 Conference can earn a big win after a close first half.

I will look for the Sun Devils to pull away far enough to cover this big number and get 2017 off to a positive start for Todd Graham.

MY PICKS: South Florida Bulls - 21.5 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Rice Owls + 30.5 Points @ 1.91 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Ohio State Buckeyes - 20.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Arizona State Sun Devils - 22.5 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

Weekend Football Picks 2017 (August 26-27)

This is the final round of domestic League games before the first international break of the 2017/18 season with the World Cup Qualifiers scheduled to be played from Thursday next week until the following Tuesday.

August can be a busy start to the new European season, but September is when things really start heating up with two rounds of Champions League/Europa League games as well as the Third Round of the League Cup and plenty of League football to be played too.


On Thursday the Champions League draw was made and there were six British clubs who were keenly awaiting news about who they will have to compete with over the next three months.

As a Manchester United fan I could not have been happier with Group A even if I have already made the point that both Benfica and Basel helped knock Manchester United out of the Group Stage in the 2011/12 season. However this Manchester United team have the European experience of winning the Europa League and they are playing with plenty of confidence and I would be stunned if there was a repeat.

In fact I really think Manchester United have to be thinking about winning the Group and earning a Seed for the Last 16 draw.

Chelsea were one of the top Seeds in the draw having won the Premier League title, but they would have hoped for better than having to deal with Atletico Madrid and Roma in the Group. As long as Antonio Conte can settle his differences with the power brokers at Stamford Bridge, you have to think Chelsea will have enough to move through to the Last 16 alongside Roma.

There were two English clubs in Pot 3 of the draw and there were mixed fortunes for Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur with the former entering what looks a winnable Group and the latter hoping to sneak through to the Last 16.

Liverpool should be too good for a Sevilla team who have lost some of their edge since the end of last season, Spartak Moscow and Maribor. They avoided the fate of Tottenham Hotspur who face both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the Group, although I do think Spurs may be able to surprise Dortmund and finish above them in a tight section.

The final team from England in the draw was Manchester City who enjoyed a draw that looks as good as the one rivals Manchester United earned. Napoli could cause problems, but Manchester City will be expected to beat them to top of the Group with Shakhtar Donetsk one of the weaker Pot 1 clubs they could have faced.

Brendan Rodgers looks to have a difficult task in achieving the goal he has set for Celtic when he mentioned he wanted European Football after Christmas. Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain should dominate the Group and it will come down to whether Celtic can beat out Anderlecht for the Europa League spot that will be on offer.


Those matches in the Champions League are set to begin in the next two and a half weeks and I am looking forward to hearing the famous anthem at Old Trafford again. The Europa League draw will be made on Friday but I have this post ready to go before Arsenal and Everton find out their fate for the coming months ahead.

Both Arsenal and Everton should receive favourable draws to at least reach the Last 32, although Arsene Wenger has been less positive about the tournament than Ronald Koeman. That may change if Arsenal struggle domestically, but I wouldn't be surprised if much changed teams take to the field for the Europa League games to keep the starters ready for the Premier League.


The football picks from this weekend are coming from the Premier League fixtures with a single pick also from the Spanish top flight. Last weekend was a very difficult one, but hopefully I can end August with a flourish after a mixed start.


Bournemouth v Manchester City Pick: There was some decent football being played by Manchester City on Monday night, but I am not convinced the 3-5-2 system being favoured by Pep Guardiola is going to get the best out of the players he has. Leroy Sane being employed as a left wing back was a mistake which cost Manchester City as it was his error that set Everton off for their goal on Monday evening.

With Kyle Walker suspended, Manchester City may decide to play a back four on Saturday as they look to bounce back to winning ways ahead of the international break. I said on the opening weekend that playing away from home may favour Manchester City more with the extra space they tend to be afforded and that is certainly the case when they come up against Bournemouth.

Eddie Howe has to be credited for sticking to his principles, but Bournemouth can be a side that the top teams find ‘easy’ to play against. I don’t think it is a big surprise they lost to half of the teams that finished above them at the Vitality Stadium and in another game Bournemouth trailed Liverpool 1-3 before fighting back for a 4-3 win.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all scored at least three times here in League games last season and both Manchester clubs as well as Chelsea won by a couple of goals.

The poor start made by Bournemouth will have shaken some of the confidence and I do think Manchester City are good enough to take advantage. They will have the majority of the play and I anticipate Manchester City will create enough chances in the final third to ultimately win this one fairly comfortably to open the Premier League weekend.

Under Guardiola Manchester City have played 20 away Premier League games and won half of those by at least a two goal margin. I expect Bournemouth will cause some problems, but the space they will likely afford Manchester City can see the latter win here for the third season in a row and by at least a two goal margin for the third year in a row.


Huddersfield Town v Southampton Pick: Things could not have gone better for David Wagner and his newly promoted Huddersfield Town side in the opening month of the new season. Putting another win on the board on Saturday would mean Huddersfield Town are almost a quarter of the way to the 40 point mark which has to be the aim for the club in their bid to avoid relegation.

Being able to get three wins on the board in the opening month of the season would be huge for Huddersfield Town to build confidence. We have seen how important it is to put the points in the bank as early as possible and Huddersfield Town look settled.

It should be said that they are going to face more challenging opponents than the likes of Crystal Palace and Newcastle United the rest of the way. Even though Southampton are learning new methods of Mauricio Pellegrino, this is an established Premier League side who will be looking for a top half finish.

With that in mind, this is the biggest test so far for Huddersfield Town and it will be interesting to see how they do going forward. The Saints have a decent defence, even if they haven’t shown that this past week, but goals continue to be a problem for them.

Now they have to unlock a hard working Huddersfield Town team who will press from the front and then tighten the space at the back to make life as difficult as possible for their opponents. The pressure at the front is designed to create mistakes, but Southampton are an experienced team and I think this is going to be a tight match.

Southampton away games tended to feature plenty of goals last season, but generally this is a team that will try and make themselves difficult to beat. The lack of goals to open the season has to be a concern and Huddersfield Town won’t make things easy for their visitors.

On the other hand I do think Huddersfield Town still need to improve in the final third to build on their opening two League wins and this is one of the tougher defences in the League. Putting those factors together I think there may not be a lot of goals shared out on Saturday and I will back fewer than three goals to be produced from this fixture.


Newcastle United v West Ham United Pick: Two managers who are under pressure and two teams who are searching for their first Premier League points of the 2017/18 season will meet on Saturday in a big game at St James’ Park. It is perhaps ironic that Rafael Benitez, the current Newcastle United manager, is also the favourite to take over at West Ham United if they dispense with Slaven Bilic.

That means a win for Newcastle United could mean they lose their manager to West Ham United who would perhaps decide to move on from Bilic. On the other hand a win for The Hammers might see Benitez walk away from a job where he clearly feels the current squad is not good enough to avoid the drop back into the Championship.

It is going to be a tough environment to play in on Saturday after Newcastle United were beaten by Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. The fans have big demands for their club and while they have not turned on the manager, Benitez has to be questioned for giving the current squad so little confidence.

There is only so many times players can be told they are not good enough for this level before they either down tools or struggle to cope mentally knowing a mistake will be highlighted.

That lack of confidence makes Newcastle United a dangerous favourite in this fixture and the West Ham United win over Cheltenham Town will help ease some pressure on Slaven Bilic. The loss at Southampton last weekend came after West Ham United showed plenty of character with ten men and the returns of Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll would provide a huge boost.

Despite losing their opening 2 away games in the Premier League, West Ham United have proved to be one of the better away teams in this Division over the last couple of years. They have been very good when playing those teams in the bottom half and West Ham United showed enough last week to think they can get something here.

Newcastle United have won their last 2 home games against West Ham United, but this is a squad that looks short of quality. They will pose problems for a defence that has conceded 7 goals in 2 away League games, but West Ham United have shown they have goals in the side and the boost of having Lanzini and Carroll could see them upset Newcastle United.

I will take the start on the Asian Handicap with the East London club on Saturday.


Watford v Brighton Pick: The international break is coming up after this round of games in the Premier League and it is an important one for all those teams searching for their first points of the season. Brighton are one of those teams and a newly promoted side could lose some heart the longer they have to wait to get off the mark in the top flight.

Chris Hughton has experience managing at this level and Brighton are surely going to give the manager time to get things right. The fixtures at the start of the season could have been kinder for Brighton, but they have to show more intent in the final third.

They are facing a Watford team who have defensive injuries and suspensions to deal with this weekend. That may give Brighton a chance to earn a surprising win here although Marco Silva has shown he can get the best out limited squads in his time with Hull City.

Silva helped them become a very strong home team and I think he will make Watford a very difficult place to come and play. Liverpool found that out on the opening day and there is enough quality in the final third to paper over the defensive problems in this game.

Watford may have been beaten by Bristol City here in the League Cup, but they were very impressive last week in a win over Bournemouth. The defeat in the League Cup came with a much changed starting eleven and won’t overly concern Silva, and a similar level of performance to last weekend should put Watford in a strong position to win this match.

There does seem to be a more attacking threat in the Watford ranks at the moment and I expect that to help The Hornets earn another three points in a strong start to their Premier League season.

Brighton will work hard and try and make life difficult for the home team, but I do think Watford may have a little too much for them. A lack of bite in the final third has to be rectified going forward, but we may not see that happen until after the international break and I will back Watford to win their first home game of the season.


Manchester United v Leicester City Pick: One of the most positive early season performances from Manchester United last season was the 4-1 hammering of Leicester City at Old Trafford. In fact that may have been one of the best performances at Old Trafford throughout the campaign and fans may be expectant on Saturday to at least match the number of goals scored having seen Manchester United score four in each of their first couple of Premier League games.

Add in the fact that Leicester City conceded four times in a 4-3 loss at Arsenal and goals look to be on the cards.

However it may not all be one way traffic with Leicester City continuing to play at a decent level under Craig Shakespeare. They have gone back to the direct style that took them to the Premier League title two years ago and the players look much happier than they were six months ago.

Goals haven’t been a problem for Leicester City this season with at least two produced in every game they have played. This is a different test considering how Manchester United have defended so far, but I think it could be the most difficult game Manchester United have played so far.

With the pace of Jamie Vardy up front, Leicester City will hope to turn Manchester United around on the counter, but containing them will be a tough task all the same. Manchester United have played with a confidence that wasn’t always evident last season and I do feel like the team as a whole is in a much better place than even at the end of last season when they won the Europa League.

I would expect Leicester City to pose a lot more questions than either West Ham United or Swansea City managed in Manchester United’s first two games. They may even score, but Leicester City have still got a few questions to answer defensively with key players perhaps not at full health.


Manchester United in the mood they have been in should be able to take advantage as Arsenal did and Old Trafford could see another ‘comfortable’ win as I look for Manchester United to cover the Asian Handicap here.


Chelsea v Everton Pick: This has the feeling of being another Premier League game where both sides will have their opportunities to earn the vital three points. While Chelsea will be feeling a lot better after winning at Wembley Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur, Everton have drawn back to back away games 1-1 this week and shown they can be defensively organised against opponents.

They have still to prove they can handle the better teams consistently after earning a 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Monday night. A third away game in a short space of time is difficult though and it will be interesting to see how the players respond.

Everton didn't play well against Chelsea last season with heavy defeats suffered both home and away. They are facing a team that are without Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, but Cesc Fabregas is back from suspension and The Blues looked very comfortable last weekend despite the injuries.

Chelsea will be a threat going forward, but I still think they are a little short defensively with the injuries and lack of depth an issue. There is the chance Everton can earn something on the counter attack, but they may need to ride their luck like they did at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

Ronald Koeman's men showed they can be effective on the counter, but Chelsea should create some chances of their own. Everton games have not featured a lot of goals in the 2017/18 season but the last two games between these teams at Stamford Bridge have featured at least three goals shared out.

The new signings made by Everton gives them a better squad depth and they will be tough to beat over the course of the season. However this match is coming at a time of the season where Everton have had three tough away games in the space of seven days and I think that may contribute to a Chelsea win.

Chelsea have won 5 of their last 6 home games against Everton and could take advantage of any early season fatigue that could have built up over the last seven days. I will back Chelsea on the Asian Handicap in this one.


West Brom v Stoke City Pick: Both West Brom and Stoke City have surprised early in the new Premier League season and both will head into the opening live game of Sunday with some confidence and momentum. While The Baggies have won 3 in a row, Stoke City have bounced back from an opening weekend defeat to beat Arsenal and Rochdale at the Bet365 Stadium.

Playing away from home is a different test for Stoke City though and they have lost 4 of their last 6 away Premier League games going back to last season. They are also facing a West Brom team who played very well at The Hawthorns last season up until they were past the 40 point mark in the League.

While that did mean a disappointing end to the season, the players have shown they can pick themselves up and go again with the performances early in this season.

Defensively they look sounder than Stoke City have and West Brom do have the quality from set pieces to cause problems for their visitors.

This is unlikely to be the prettiest of games, but Tony Pulis has found a way to get past his former club since moving on to Crystal Palace and West Brom. The Baggies have won 4 of 5 games against Stoke City since Pulis took over as manager and that includes 3 wins in a row at home.

Pulis also guided Crystal Palace to a home win over Stoke City in his short time with The Eagles and I think West Brom are playing well enough to keep the trend going. Stoke City had to ride their luck at times against Arsenal before securing the win and they will likely need to do the same here.

I can’t imagine this being the most entertaining game, but it should be a fascinating tactical battle. Tony Pulis has shown he can win those against his former club and I will back West Brom to make it four wins from four in August as they go into the international break with real confidence.


Liverpool v Arsenal Pick: The first game on Sunday may not be the most appealing for the neutrals, but the last live Premier League game before the international break should be a cracker.

Both Liverpool and Arsenal may be in the news because of two players who want to leave each club respectively, but the managers are trying to focus on what is happening on the field.

To that end Liverpool have been more successful with 3 wins from 4 games in August and remaining unbeaten. On the other hand, Arsenal are coming in following a loss at Stoke City and the reminder they are not playing in the Champions League with the Group Stage draw being made on Thursday.

There is enough attacking talent in the Arsenal squad to feel they can give Liverpool some trouble when they do have the ball, and the return of Laurent Koscielny will bolster Arsenal’s defences. However they will have to be a lot better than they have been in the opening two weeks of the season against a Liverpool team who can be rampant at Anfield and who have played well against the top Premier League clubs over the last twelve months.

Liverpool did win 7 of their 12 League games against the top seven last season and they were unbeaten in all of those. They won 4 of 6 at Anfield and did the League double over an Arsenal side who lost 5 of 6 at the top seven last season.

Even without Philippe Coutinho and with Alexis Sanchez potentially returning for Arsenal, I still lean towards Liverpool to use their August momentum for the victory. Goals also shouldn’t be in short supply with both teams looking much better going forward than they have looked defensively and even the returning Koscielny may not be enough for The Gunners to show vast improvement.

The last 4 at Anfield between these clubs have seen Liverpool unbeaten with at least three goals shared out each time. While I do think Liverpool win this game, and they are a decent price to do that, goals are likely to arrive in the fixture too.

The layers aren’t giving away anything when it comes to at least three goals shared out. But I do think backing Liverpool to win a high-scoring game at an attractive price is more tempting than simply backing Liverpool to win the game.

The bigger price is appealing as I simply don’t imagine this game finishing without at least three goals and that is the way I will go this weekend.


Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley Pick: This feels like a really big game for Tottenham Hotspur as they look to prove that the move to Wembley Stadium for one season is not going to be one that affects their League performances. While there will be a factor of not playing at White Hart Lane, no one in the Tottenham Hotspur dressing room will be thinking about a ‘Wembley Curse’.

Tottenham Hotspur have lost 4 of 6 games at the National Stadium in the last twelve months, but those losses have come against Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea twice. Better finishing last week and Tottenham Hotspur may have earned a result against Chelsea, but that list of losses also shows Tottenham Hotspur will face ‘easier’ tests than the ones they have failed to overcome.

They did beat CSKA Moscow 3-1 here in the Champions League before a 2-2 draw with Gent, but factors have been in play in the games Tottenham Hotspur have lost. They were better than Leverkusen and against Chelsea in the FA Cup Semi Final, while Tottenham Hotspur were down to ten men against Gent.

These are factors that should eventually turn in their favour and I think Tottenham Hotspur will begin that this weekend. The space at Wembley Stadium may make it difficult for Burnley to defend in the numbers they would like to in these games and this is a team that struggled when facing the best teams on their travels last season.

Burnley’s win at Chelsea came down to the home team losing a couple of players and some stunning finishes. This is not something Burnley can rely on in every away game they play and I think Tottenham Hotspur get the better of them.

Sean Dyche’s team work hard and they are rarely beaten comfortably. Only 6 of their 14 away losses last season came by more than a single goal margin, but I think Tottenham Hotspur may be due a really big performance at Wembley to put talk of a ‘curse’ to rest.

More than half of Tottenham Hotspur’s home wins in the League came by more than a single goal margin and I think they will be too strong on Sunday. With the talent in the final third, Tottenham Hotspur can wear down Burnley with the additional space in this Stadium and I will look for Spurs to cover the Asian Handicap.


Alaves v Barcelona Pick: There seems like there is plenty of upheaval at Barcelona at the moment and it feels the players are not as happy as they once were at the club. Neymar's departure has highlighted that and the players look to be backing their former teammate when it comes to the legal situation developing after Barcelona moved to sue the Brazilian for breaching his contract.

This does not make for good reading going into the new season and Barcelona's failure to prise Philippe Coutinho away from Liverpool won't have helped so far. The club just doesn't feel as strong as they did twelve months ago and Barcelona look to have fallen behind Real Madrid both at home and in Europe.

While that is the case, Barcelona still look the second best club in Spain and they still have Lionel Messi which makes them a dangerous opponent on their day. They are facing an Alaves team this weekend who have lost a successful manager this summer and who have been seeing a lot of players both come and go from the club.

That may mean it will take time for Alaves to gel together after overachieving in the 2016/17 season and they were beaten comfortably by Barcelona in their last couple of games last season. Barcelona might be missing key players in Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez, but there is enough talent here to get the job done and I do think Barcelona win here.

They have managed that 3 times in a row at Alaves and last season Barcelona were 0-6 winners here. I would be stunned if they win by that many again, but I do think they can cover the Asian Handicap in a victory here and I am going to back the Catalan giants to do that.

MY PICKS: Manchester City - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.94 Bet365 (2 Units)
Huddersfield Town-Southampton Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.75 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
West Ham United + 0.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.96 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Watford @ 2.00 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester United - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 2.02 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Chelsea - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.11 Bet Victor (2 Units)
West Brom @ 2.45 William Hill (2 Units)
Liverpool to Win & Over 2.5 Total Goals @ 2.90 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Tottenham Hotspur - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Barcelona - 1.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.89 Bet365 (2 Units)

August Update: 25-29, - 6.97 Units (88 Units Staked, - 7.92% Yield)