NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
What a crazy weekend. Total and unpredictable. And it swept through many divisions like wildfire.
There have been big winners and big losers, as pools with big opportunities on their hands drowned while others failed to capitalize, leaving enthusiasts and bettors wondering what’s going on.
Be careful, if you place the effects on an acca, you’ll probably be enjoying cocktails on an exotic beach and that’s why football is a lovely sport. It’s rarely bland and undeniable and there are twists, turns, and drama just around the corner.
Let’s start with the Premier League, where Manchester City, who long ago looked a little below average, moved into the most sensible position in the table with a gripping 5-1 home win over Luton.
It would only be a transitory one, as Liverpool hosted Crystal Palace, but the Reds looked tired and out of concept when they stumbled into a 1-0 defeat that followed the 3-0 Europa League loss to Atalanta last Thursday.
So what a pleasure it would be to be in the Emirates, where Arsenal could take a big step forward to become champions for the first time in 20 years.
Not so fast,” said former Gunners manager Unai Emery as he led Aston Villa to a shock 2-0 win.
The deserved victory propelled the Midlands club to fourth place and a definitive qualification for the Champions League, with Tottenham being overtaken at Newcastle and Manchester United stuttering once at Bournemouth.
It’s a familiar story in the league, where Leicester lost 1-0 to long-suffering Plymouth on Friday night only to breathe a sigh of relief when compatriots Leeds were beaten by lowly Blackburn at Elland Road and Ipswich may simply not be able to draw at home to Middlesbrough.
What in the air also prevailed north of the border, where Rangers were beaten in the penultimate county of Ross to hand the Scottish Premiership initiative to defending champions Celtic.
None of the titles were this weekend and there are sure to be more thrills and twists and turns in the coming weeks, but here’s a hat-trick on the three existing league leaders who took home the silverware.
Manchester City have 4/9, Leicester and Celtic have 4/6, all with a list of bookmakers, who stayed on the same bet and pay 3/1.
Add Villa to finish in the top four of the combination and it’s 5/1.
They look like counterfeit bets and are worth paying, but you give them this month’s rent or mortgage.
• Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Monte Carlo Masters for the third time in 4 years and is 9/2 with StarSports and Bet Victor to win the title at the ATP tournament in Barcelona this week.
• Coco Gauff, a 2022 French Open finalist, can prepare for next month’s Grand Slam at Roland Garros by winning the Porsche Tennis Grand Slam in Stuttgart. She beats the American in 8/1 with BetMGM.
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