Last week’s games broke the record for the most goals scored in a weekend with 44 including two 5-2 results as well as a 4-3 between Leeds and Fulham and a 4-2 win for Leicester vs. Burnley. We may not get just as many this weekend but there’s still plenty to look forward to on this weekend’s schedule.
NFL: Week 3 Betting Preview
Week two is in the books and some of the Super Bowl betting favourites have already laid down a marker for the season. The Chiefs, Ravens, Packers, Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams have all impressed with 2-0 starts. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, former partners now rivals, have led their franchises to difficult 1-1 starts although it wouldn’t be wise to rule either the Patriots or the Buccaneers out at this early stage of the season.
The Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens is the standout fixture of this week’s schedule although there is plenty of other top games on offer.
Let’s take a look at this week’s games.
NFL: Week 2 Betting Preview
So, now that we’ve all firmly sat down to assess the opening weekend of the NFL season, I presume we’ve all made completely rational observations and not jumped to any bizarre conclusions – correct?
Well, don’t worry. You’re not the only ones. Oddsmakers generally do the same, and the days between opening weekend and the following Sunday is usually a battle of wits between us, as to who can stumble upon the most logic while dismissing their go-to, default hot takes.
For me, this is the best weekend of the season to have a wager, simply because you should look at trends rather than execution. If you’re right 50% of the time, and you weren’t last week, well – chances are that you’re in the money now.
Let’s take a look at the three best positions to take on for week two.
NBA Playoff Update: Conference Final Preview
There have now been 11 teams eliminated coming into the Conference finals. The Los Angeles Lakers are in the in the Western Conference finals after just ten games. They dispatched the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets with 4-1 series wins. They will face either the Denver Nuggets or local rivals the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers and Nuggets went to game 7 after an exciting game six the other night.
The Eastern Conference finals are ready to get underway with the fifth seed Miami Heat taking on the third seed Boston Celtics. Miami swept the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in the first round followed by a shock 4-1 series win over the first seed Milwaukee Bucks. The Boston Celtics swept the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 in the first round. The Celtics followed up a tight series against the Toronto Raptors which they finished out with a game seven win.
Premier League Season Betting Preview
Not too long after the Premier League season has finished here, we are ready for it to start all over again. The new teams coming into the league this year from the championship are Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, and Fulham. The season is going to start off quickly and anything can happen for Premier League betting. Most of the players have not got their usual break as they jumped straight into international games.
The new season is shaping up to be a bit more competitive than last year where Liverpool had a 20-point lead in March. The lack of fans in the stadiums towards the end of the year has been noticeable and does take away from the atmosphere at games. However, the quality of soccer has not declined. It also was probably not a large enough sample to decide if away teams perform better with no fans. This season will paint a clearer picture.
There is going to be continuous fixture congestion throughout the season. It may benefit top clubs who have greater squad depth or punish the ones who are competing in European competitions.
NFL Season Preview
The NFL season is coming back this weekend. As per normal the SuperBowl Champions will kick off the season start. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the Houston Texans on Thursday night at 7 p.m. As we have seen several other American sports had to change their seasons due to the Covid-19 virus. Luckily, the NFL season is able to press ahead without any changes in their schedule so far. This season might make it easier for teams on the road as like most other sports there will be no fans at any of the games. Check out our Power Rankings to start out the NFL season preview.
NBA: Playoff Round 2 Preview
The first round of NBA games is finally tied up. The LA Lakers who are the first seed in the West beat out the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. Damian Lillard put up two thirty-point games from four due to not playing the final game with injuries. The Lakers will face off against the Houston Rockets. The Denver Nuggets beat out the Utah Jazz in game 7. The Clippers beat out the Mavericks as well. So far in the West, the top four seeds have made it through to the second round.
The East followed a remarkably similar pattern. The Bucks beat out Orlando while the Miami Heat swept the Pacers. The Miami Heat are the fifth seed in the East and the lowest seed remaining in the playoffs. The Raptors and Celtics are in the other Semi-Final game sitting at the second and third seed, respectively.
Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Clippers, Game 1, 3rd September, 9 p.m.
The Nuggets are coming up against a dangerous combination of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Kawhi is currently the reigning finals MVP and will certainly be looking to make it back. The Clippers finished as second seed after the regular season. The Clippers are -9 point favorites for Game 1.
The Denver Nuggets came back from 3-1 in their series against the Utah Jazz to win in Game 7. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell put up some good performances for the Jazz but could not see out the final game. The Nuggets will look to Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic to outshine the Clippers George and Leonard combination.
The Nuggets put up some resilient performances to come back and beat the Jazz, but they are taking on a better team here. If the Clippers take a 3-1 lead there will be no redemption for the Nuggets. Take the Clippers -9 for this game at (-113) here at Canplay.
Miami Heat @ Milwaukee Bucks, Game 3, 4th September, 5.40 p.m.
Probably the biggest upset so far in the series. Miami leads the series 2-0 so far in an unexpected turn of events. The second game of the series came down to two free throws while there was no time on the clock. Jimmy Butler helped Miami take the first game with ease after scoring a whopping 40 points. Goran Dragic played well in both games to help Miami take the series lead. Duncan Robinson was kept pretty quiet in the opening games and is expected to show more quality in the remaining games in the series.
The Bucks will be looking to regular-season MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to step up his game after being overshadowed in the first two games. Even though the Bucks got off to a slow start they are going to step up their game or they will go 3-0 down in the series. It is time now for players like Khris Middleton and Giannis to show their value to the franchise. Back the Milwaukee Bucks -5 at (-114) here at Canplay.
Tennis: US Open
The US Tennis Open has kicked off. The first round is finished and we got to see some Novak Djokovic go past Dzumhur. Which really was no surprise as the current world number one is undefeated so far in 2020. His record was 23-0 before coming into this tournament. Djokovic is chasing his 18th Grand Slam Title. This would leave him one trophy behind Rafael Nadal (19) and two behind Roger Federer (20). At last year’s US Open championship Djokovic bowed out in the fourth round to Stan Wawrinka.
The loss to Wawrinka broke an 11-year streak in which the Serbian made at least the semi-finals of the competition. Andy Murray is trying to get back to the top of his tennis game. The British tennis player won his first-round against Yoshihito Nishioka in a five-set game. This was Murray’s first Grand Slam singles match since his hip surgery.
We will see how Murray holds up against young Canadian up and comer Felix Auger-Aliassime. Daniil Medvedev is looking like he will make a strong run in this competition. The Russian is settling in well to the closed doors US Open. He defeated Federico Delbonis is under two hours on Tuesday. Medvedev went from tournament villain to crowd favorite at last years open after a heroic comeback against Rafael Nadal. Even after coming back from two sets down to tie the game the Spaniard finished him off in the fifth.
Women’s Singles
The number one seed in the women’s single matches Karolina Pliskova was knocked out in the second round. Caroline Garcia was behind the upset as the French national came out and played a complete game. Garcia was ranked as high as world number 4 in 2018 and had split her previous six matches with Karolina Pliskova. Pliskova is no doubt a highly accomplished tennis player. Her lack of grand slam singles titles is a shame, but it does lead to the fact that she may not have the nerve required to go the whole way.
Making quick work of an opponent for a change, Serena Williams wrapped up her 102nd career U.S. Open match win to break a tie with Chris Evert for the most in the professional era. Her sister Venus was not so lucky as she exited the tournament earlier than expected. Serena Williams is looking to win a record-tying 24th Grand Slam. Serena Williams was always capable of winning this tournament when playing well. However, she is much more likely now that Pliskova got knocked out early.
Betting Odds
Men’s Singles Odds
Women’s Singles Odds
PGA Tour: BMW Championship Day 2 Preview
Given the smaller field at this week’s BMW, and the fact that players will start off two tees, tee times for the second round only span two hours, beginning at 12:30 p.m. with Joel Dahmen, Danny Lee and Tom Hoge, and finishing up with the final grouping of Robby Shelton, Jim Herman, Paul Casey at 2:31 p.m. (All times are Eastern Time)
Some big names will tee off at 1:58 p.m. with the trio of Dustin Johnson, Daniel Berger, and Justin Thomas. While at 2;09 p.m. Tiger Woods will tee off playing alongside Carlos Ortiz and Bubba Watson. There is going to be some exciting golf on display even without spectators attending the event in Olympia Fields.
Collin Morikawa, Harris English will play with Bryson DeChambeau at 1.03 p.m. Jon Rahm, Sungjae Im and Patrick Reed will play together at 1:47 p.m. Brendon Todd and Xander Schauffele play with Rory McIlroy will tee off at 12.52 p.m.
BMW Championship Day 2 Preview
To support healthcare regulations some players had to start on hole 10 playing the back 9 first. Matsuyama is leading going into day 2 finishing the first round at 3 under. Matsuyama is now the favorite to win at (+600). Tyler Duncan is second in the leader board with 2 under but is an outside shot to win the tournament at (+3300). Mackenzie Hughes is third with 1 under and is (+5000) to finish on the top at the end of the tournament.
Some big names coming in with decent odds to win with Dustin Johnson being (+800) to win even though he is currently tied 14th. He is only 1 over and four birdies off the leader so far. McIlroy is also (+800) here at Canplay. McIlroy is currently even after day one and has the ability to shoot birdie after birdie in a round.
This is an elite course; the Olympia Fields in Illinois has hosted and U.S Open and PGA Championship. This is less of a point and shoot course. It is more technical around the greens and will require players to be efficient with their approach play and putting.
Rory McIlroy has struggled in the last couple of months but is more than capable to turn it on for a couple of rounds. He is also liable to shoot 6 over on a bad day. Tony Finau is (+1400) to win the tournament. As it currently stands, he is tied fourth and is even after day one. After the first day results, it looks like players who can make it round the course safely picking up a birdie here and there will be rewarded.
Get all the latest odds on the BMW Championship here at Canplay.
Soccer: Community Shield Preview
Even though it feels like the Premier League has just come to a close, which it has, the FA Community Shield is taking place a few weeks later than normal. The Champions League just finished last weekend which seen German Giants Bayern Munich lift the trophy. The Community Shield is usually the opener for the season, letting fans see what the Premier League and FA Cup Champions might offer this year.
Even though this game is taking place a few weeks later than normal it will give us a look at some of the new signings these teams have made. Arsenal will be likely to display their signing from Saint-Etienne William Saliba. The 19-year-old Frenchman may be able to lock up a starting position at center-back with the way Arsenals defense suffered last season. It will be the first time we see Willian play in an Arsenal Jersey after his free transfer from Chelsea.
Liverpool has been linked with a number of players in the transfer market such as Thiago and more recently Lionel Messi. Although Messi is linked with everyone only a handful of clubs could afford to pay his wage demands. However, they did sign Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiakos. The left-back is likely going to be a squad player and may see some minutes during cup games and fixture congestion.
Arsenal vs Liverpool, Saturday 29th August, 10.30 a.m.
This is successive years for Jurgen Klopp’s side to feature in the Community Shield. After a long and successful campaign, Liverpool traveled to Austria for a pre-season training camp. Liverpool will be preparing to go back for another Premier League title. Although, with Man City and Chelsea being aggressive in the transfer market.
Looking to put their stamp on the start of the league this will not be taken as a friendly by Liverpool. Arsenal on the other hand had a very mediocre season. They finished mid table in the Premier League to the disappointment of their fans. Mikel Arteta is starting his first season as Arsenal manager. After taking over halfway through last season all eyes will be on the Spaniard to put his stamp on the Arsenal squad.
Even though the London side is still very much a work in progress they have firepower upfront with Lacazette and Aubameyang. Over a full season, Liverpool will outperform Arsenal but in one game anything can happen. Arsenal is (+400) to win against Liverpool. Even as underdogs Aubameyang is decent value to score first at (+400) and (+130) to score anytime.
Salah is favorite for the first goal at (+300) and Mane is the second favorite at (+320) to score the first goal. Liverpool is much better defensively with two great full-backs in Trent and Robertson. While Van Dijk is their rock at the back and has his name in the hat for the best center-back in the world. Their ability at the back makes them a much better side than Arsenal as things stand. A safer bet for this game is Liverpool to win at (-150) here at Canplay.
Champions League Final Preview
Bayern Munich face Paris Saint-Germain in this Sunday’s Champions League Final in Lisbon. The knockout format of games held in the Lisbon bubble have been a great success albeit with some one-sided games.
The curtailed soccer season has thrown up surprises in games across the world but it’s fair to say that these two teams have proven themselves to be the strongest in Europe over the last number of weeks. Bayern Munich embarrassed Lionel Messi and Barcelona with an 8-2 rout while PSG recorded a 3-0 semi-final victory over a strong RB Leipzig. Many people had tipped Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as this year’s winners before they were outclassed by Lyon in the quarter-final.
From a neutral’s perspective, this is one of the best finals we could have hoped for. Bayern have dominated both the Bundesliga and Champions League with their organised pressing and free-scoring attackers while PSG have two of the most exciting attacking players in world football in the shape of Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.
MLB: Season Update & Betting
North America’s big four leagues have made a solid return to action post-lockdown. The NBA and NHL are entering their playoffs and NFL teams are returning to training camps in preparation for the regular season beginning next month.
MLB has not made such a successful return in recent weeks. Spectator-less games have not made for an enjoyable television experience while almost 30 games have already been postponed due to COVID-related scares. The playoffs have been extended to allow more teams participate after the curtailed 60 game season concludes.
With that in mind, we take a look at some of this week’s important games and some of the interesting outright bets available at the moment.
NBA Playoffs Preview
With the final regular season standings all but confirmed it’s time to take a look ahead to the NBA playoffs. Of course, we are still awaiting seedings to be finalised including the 8th and final place in the Western Conference which will be decided by a play-in tournament this weekend between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies have been less than impressive in the bubble. Taylor Jenkins’ team have went 2-6 since the end of July and just about held on to the 9th seed ahead of the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. To qualify for the final 16 they will have to beat Portland twice in a row this weekend. The Blazers have been another one of the most impressive teams in the bubble finishing 6-2 over the 8 game stretch. Damian Lillard has recovered from a late collapse against the Clippers with three 40+ point performances.
So, without further ado, lets take a look at some of the key 1st Round matchups.
NHL: Stanley Cup Predictions
We have seen multiple different sports returning so far including the Premier League, NBA and now finally the NHL is getting ready to get back onto the ice. The Stanley Cup is going to be officially getting underway on the 11th of August. The NHL have changed up how the playoffs will work slightly. Basically, the top four teams from both conferences will play each other once in order to determine seeding for the playoffs. The other eight teams in each conference will play qualifiers to try and make it to the playoffs.
Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and Rogers Place in Edmonton will be hosting the first two playoff rounds. While Rogers Place will be hosting the conference and Stanley Cup Finals. The season is scheduled to finish by October 4th as long as everyone can stay healthy within the NHL’s bubble.
US PGA Championship Preview
The US PGA Championship is kicking off on the 6th of August. It is taking place in San Francisco in California. This competition is taking on a new role of being the opening Major of the year. This is one of the most competitive tournaments of the year. It can be seen by the fact that the favourites for this competition are at the top at (+1000). Justin Thomas is the favourite followed shortly by Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka at (+1200).
John Rahm who was world number one for a mere seven days before Justin Thomas took over on Sunday is (+1400). There are plenty of players wanting to get their hands onto a Major since it has been 12 months since the Open at Royal Portrush last July. Koepka was the runner up last week and he won this championship the last to years. He is likely to turn up for this Major but at a short price and struggling with putting recently it displays doubts in his ability to get the job done for the third time at this Major.
These Majors are usually wide open and any player who can play good golf for four days has a chance to win. Webb Simpson won the US Open eight years ago at a San Francisco course. Simpson is well equipped to deal with the conditions that are supposed to be windy. He will happily grind round the course making pars in bad conditions. Simpson is currently world number four and won the 2018 Players Championship at Sawgrass. He is capable of coming out on top going around a hard course in harsh conditions.
Outside Bets
Simpson is (+2800) to win the Major. He is certainly a good value wager. Another good value wager is Tommy Fleetwood. He always seems to show up during Majors and San Francisco is unlikely to be an exception. Runner-up in the 2018 and 2019 US Open, Fleetwood is just waiting to get that breakthrough to win a Major. He also finished his final round on Sunday shooting 65 which may see his form spike going into the first day. Tommy Fleetwood is (+4000) to win the US PGA Championship here at Canplay.
Harding Park favours players who have a right-handed draw. Some strong players have a good right-handed draw including Rory McIlroy, Jim Furyk and Danny Willet. Willet played in WGC – Cadillac Match Play in 2015 in Harding Park where he managed to get a third-place finish. He has been in solid form before and after the break. He is not one of the names high up on the list to win, however, he is great value for an each-way or outside bet.
Danny Willet is (+12500) to win outright. His right-handed draw, good form and experience on this course gives him a good chance to surprise some spectators. As with every golf Major it is extremely unpredictable but definitely brings entertainment along with it. Bet on your favorite golfer here at Canplay.
NBA Weekly Betting Preview 5th August 2020
We’re almost a week into the NBA’s bubble basketball experiment and it’s fair to say it has surpassed expectations so far. The viewing experience may be a bit strange for fans but the basketball has been played at playoff intensity for the duration.
In the Western Conference the race for the 8th seed has caught the attention with current occupants Memphis Grizzlies struggling in the opening week. Behind them the Portland Trail Blazers have recaptured some of their 2019 form with two important wins while the Phoenix Suns are undefeated so far in Orlando after close wins over the Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers. In contrast, the final seedings are all but wrapped up in the Eastern Conference with the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic taking the final two spots.
Now, lets take a look at the betting for this week’s games.
MLB: Yankees face off against the Red Sox
The 60-game season has kicked off. Almost immediately games have been postponed due to Corona virus but the majority of games are still going ahead. One thing it means is that teams may not have the opportunity to try out different options with their roster. There is less room for error with teams in the shortened season. Expect to see less rotation this season with the risk of losing out on playoff positions.
NBA Restart Preview
The NBA makes a long-awaited return on Thursday night after almost five months without any action on an NBA court. Play was suspended on March 11th after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 and teams haven’t taken to the court since. Now, after plenty of negotiations, 22 teams will return to action at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Campus in Walt Disney World, Orlando.
Each team will play 8 regular season games before the top 16 enter the playoffs as usual. With that in mind, lets take a look at some of the best prop bets and outright bets for the remaining games.
Premier League: Final Games of the Season
The Premier League is coming to an end. We have finally reached the last game. Over the last few weeks Liverpool has clinched the title. However, they only lifted the trophy for their last home game of the season. The battle of Champions League still exists with Manchester United and Leicester playing each other on the final day. The battle for survival is still on also. Between Bournemouth, Watford and Aston Villa are battling to stay up. Only one team from the three can survive the drop to the Championship next season.
The only two negatives about the last round of Premier League games is that you can only watch one (per screen) as they are all played at the same time. The other negative is that it is the end of another season. Thankfully, the wait for next season will not be as long as normal.
MLB: Season Preview 2020
The Major League Baseball season is having a serious rework for this season. The regular 162 game season might return next year but unfortunately not in the 2020 season. The season will consist of 60 games. As a result, the 2020 season will be the shortest regular season since 1878. Each team will play nine opponents rather than the usual 19 or 20 for the season. The league has also been split into smaller sub-divisions in order to reduce the amount of travel. The new interleague matchups will be AL East vs NL East, AL West vs NL West and AL Central vs NL Central.
There are some teams that have strengthened their team during the off season. Including the Dodgers and Angels who improved their world series title chances. This new season will start on July 23rd. The opening games will consist of the New York Yankees at Washington Nationals. While the San Francisco Giants play the Los Angeles Dodgers.
FA Cup: Semi-Finals Clash
Some excellent football has been played since project restart has kicked off. The Premier League has been the primary focus of football. That will shift a bit this weekend as we see the semi-finals of the FA Cup take place. Leicester, Norwich, Newcastle, and Sheffield United were the four teams that went out in the quarter-finals.
This left four big hitters in the semi-finals with Man United playing Chelsea, while Arsenal play Man City.
Premier League: Battle for Survival Continues
Tumbling into the last few games of the Premier League. There is still no outright sign on who will grab the Champions League places. Chelsea, Leicester, and Man United are hunting for the 3rd and 4th spots. The battle for avoiding relegation is still alive. Norwich is the first side to be officially relegated from the Premier League. Aston Villa and Bournemouth are the other teams in relegation but both sides have three games to try and fix that.
UFC 251 Betting Preview
UFC 251 is here and it certainly contains some great fights. Jose Aldo will certainly draw a crowd. Max Holloway is also fighting Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. This rematch from UFC 245 is one of the most anticipated events of the night.
Here is our preview from some of the biggest events on Saturday nights card.
Premier League: Champions travel to Brighton
There are only a handful of games left in the Premier League season. There is plenty of competition still left even with the title being decided. The relegation battle is extremely tight. One win for any side fighting relegation could be the difference in saving or losing their season. The chase for European football is still going at the other end of the table with Champions League positions still up for grabs.
PGA: Rocket Mortgage Classic Betting Preview
The PGA Tour resumes with the fourth post-lockdown event at Detroit Golf Club for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. This tournament was first held here in 2019 with 36-year-old Nate Lashley picking up his one and only PGA Tour win on that occasion.
The field looks stronger for this year’s event although there will be a drop in quality after last week’s Travelers Championship. Five of the world’s top twenty will take to the course this weekend.
Let’s take a look at the betting.
EPL: Chelsea to play West Ham in London Derby
Last week the race for the Premier League title officially ended. More fans had accepted it was over around February. Wolves beat Villa 1-0 on Saturday to push towards European football. They now sit two points from fourth place Chelsea and three points away from Leicester in third. The FA Cup filled up last weekend with soccer action. The four remaining teams in the competition are Manchester United who plays Chelsea and Manchester City who play Arsenal. The final is set up to be a derby match between London or Manchester teams but only time will tell who makes it to the final.
The Premier League action this week will see a different London derby when Chelsea travel to West Ham. A race for European football with Sheffield United playing Tottenham on Thursday. Liverpool will receive a guard of honor at the Etihad from Man City.
EPL: Relegation Clashes This Weekend
It’s official, Liverpool are the official winners of the Premier League. After their win against Crystal Palace, Man City needed to beat Chelsea to delay Liverpool winning the league. Chelsea got the best of Man City beating the side 2-1. A great win for both Chelsea and Liverpool fans. It also keeps the London side a few points clear of Man United who is chasing them for the fourth spot.
Even though the league is wrapped up there is still loads to play for. Aston Villa takes on Wolves. Villa is looking to escape relegation, whereas Wolves are pushing for European football. Watford takes on Southampton. Another bottom of the table clash where both teams want to pick up some points.
EPL: Battle for European Positions
Another exciting week for Premier League action. Some interesting results so far during the return. Manchester City beat Burnley 5-0, Liverpool drew to Everton and Arsenal lost to Brighton. Some of the big games during the week are Manchester United taking on Sheffield United in a battle for European spots. Southampton takes on Arsenal in a match that could see the Gunners drop to the bottom half of the table if lost. Manchester City takes on Chelsea who are looking to secure a top-four spot.
EPL: Liverpool return in Merseyside Derby
The second round of returning games is coming this weekend. The first two games we witnessed were covered with controversy. Sheffield United had a clear goal that the officials managed to get wrong even with the Video Assistant Referee and goal-line technology. Arsenal looked even worse after the restart with a 3-0 defeat to Man City.
Return of the Premier League – Betting Preview
Finally, after weeks and months of waiting in anticipation, the Premier League is finally coming back. Any Liverpool fans will be extremely happy with the return of soccer as the question whether to void the league is finished. The abundance of games that must be played to finish off the season will leave fans with roughly two matches a week for each team. People who watch and bet on sports alike will be delighted with the number of matches after the extended break from live sports.
Opening the return of the Premier League we will see Aston Villa play Sheffield United. This is followed by a clash between Man City and Arsenal.
Bundesliga Betting Preview – Four Matchdays Remain
Just 4 games remaining in the Bundesliga. The odds have changed dramatically for clubs and Bayern Munich is now (-20000) to win the league. Borussia Dortmund is (-590) to win without Bayern Munich. A good option to go with now is a top 4 finish for the teams battling it out. Borussia Monchengladbach is (+130) to finish in the top 4. They are currently 4th on goal difference and face off against Bayern Munich this weekend.
Even though they are likely to lose to the reigning champions this week they can capitalize on Leipzig’s poor form to clutch a top 4 finish. Especially with the suspension of Leipzig’s center back Dayet Upemecano.
UFC Fight Night Betting Preview
We have another highly anticipated event from UFC’s Apex Gym in Las Vegas to look forward to this weekend. This Fight Night promotion is headlined by Jessica Eye versus Cynthia Calvillo. There are a number of fighters on this card that will not be familiar to casual fight fans but still plenty to look forward to with Karl Roberson going head to head with Marvin Vettori and Andre Fili facing Charles Jourdain.
UFC 250 Betting Preview
Another Saturday night means another big event from the UFC being broadcast around the world. This time around it’s UFC 250 from the Apex gym in Las Vegas. A milestone event for Dana White and the UFC with their 250th Pay-Per-View.
There’s definitely been bigger headliners in some of the other 249 PPV events but there’s still plenty of action to look forward to with Amanda Nunes vs Felicia Spencer scheduled as the main event.
Lets take a look at the betting for that fight and some of the other fights on Saturday night’s main card.
Bundesliga Weekend Preview
Bayern has all but secured the Bundesliga title following a midweek which saw the Bavarians beat Borussia Dortmund and all other chasers drop points. The fight for European places remains fierce.
Dortmund now must shift focus from a title fight that isn’t quite over to building upon its four-point advantage on fifth. They can still push towards the title if Bayern makes any slip-ups on the way. RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach sit behind in third and fourth, the latter ahead of Bayer Leverkusen on goal difference of two.
Bundesliga Betting – Top of the Table Clash
Bundesliga action ramps up again this week with a midweek round of fixtures including the top of the table clash between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night. Only four points separates the two teams after both picked up wins at the weekend (correctly predicted in our preview!)
This week’s other top fixtures include RB Leipzig versus Hertha Berlin and Fortuna Dusseldorf versus Schalke.
Without further ado, lets take a look at our top tips for the midweek Bundesliga action.
Bundesliga Betting Preview & Tips
After seeing the first major soccer league returning there was almost no form to go off after the break. At least now we can see which teams have come back out of the blocks firing. The German league is still looking like it is going to be a furious and hard push to the end of the season for teams like Munich, Dortmund, and Wolfsburg.
This week we get to see a Berlin city derby and the leagues two top teams push towards lifting the title. Dortmund and Bayern play each other next week and depending on that result every single point will be crucial for these sides.
NBA Draft Betting
As we go through another week without much live sport, people are starting to turn their attention towards the reliable markets. One event we do know will go ahead is the NBA Draft. It’s due to take place in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn although they may yet follow the NFL with a ‘virtual’ draft at a later stage.
Much like the NFL Draft we have a three horse race at the top of the betting for October’s draft. At the time of writing Anthony Edwards (+120) leads the way followed by James Wiseman (+190) and LaMelo Ball (+200).
UFC Fight Night Preview
With two resounding successes in the last week, the UFC will proceed with another event in the VyStars Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. This comes after a fantastic UFC 249 with Justin Gaethje upsetting Tony Ferguson in the main event. On Wednesday night Glover Teixeira beat Anthony Smith in a 5th Round KO victory.
This weekend – Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris face off in a heavyweight clash. Also on the card, Claudia Gadelha faces Angela Hill and Dan Ige takes on Edson Barboza.
The Bundesliga Returns
The return of the first major soccer league. The Bundesliga is starting back up this weekend where there will be home and away games being played. There will be no neutral venue games taking place for the remainder of the season. No doubt there is going to be a surge in views for the German league from soccer fans worldwide. The stadiums will have to remain empty for the rest of the season which will dampen the atmosphere.
CS:GO ESL Road to Rio
The ESL qualifiers are kicking off to see who is going to start moving forward through the qualifiers. There are some great matchups coming up including Cloud9 playing against Gen.G With some great games coming over the whole weekend we also see Unique play Nemiga. The final match we are going to be covering is Team Spirit taking on Winstrike.
Our preview will cover these three CS:GO ESL Road to Rio qualifying matches. For more betting on CS:GO and tons of other Esports visit Canplay to place your bets.
UFC 249 Betting & Odds – Preview
We’re preparing for the much awaited return of the UFC as some of their biggest stars enter the octagon for UFC 249. Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje headline Saturday night’s card from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
The event will take place behind closed doors but will be aired to millions around the world all eagerly awaiting the return of live sports action.
NHL Player Gaming Challenge
In coordination with ESL Gaming, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced the first-ever NHL Player Gaming Challenge. It is presented by Honda featuring NHL players representing all 31 Clubs.
The NHL Foundation and EA SPORTS are teaming up to donate a combined $100,000 in support of the CDC Foundation’s COVID-19 relief efforts. They are raising funds to support priority needs for public health agencies across the U.S. and Canada. Together with Hockey fans, there is great potential for this project to be a success.
UFC 249 Betting Preview
As discussions intensify around the world about easing lockdown restrictions, one question is on a lot of people’s minds – when will sport return? Now, in the grand scheme of things this is a very insignificant worry to have. However, sport is a big part of the day-to-day lives of billions of people around the world and we are eagerly anticipating the day that players can get back on the field, court or diamond. Of course we have had table tennis and Esports to keep us entertained over the last few weeks but that’s not enough for the mainstream. UFC 249 is here to deliver.
Call of Duty League – Chicago Home Series
The Call of Duty League (CDL) has changed approach to the LAN type play which they usually use. Now opting for online hosted games, the next event is taking place on Friday 24th of April. There are 3 game modes available for the pro players. The game modes include Hardpoint, Domination as well as Search & Destroy. The teams are separated into two groups of four teams. Furthermore, the teams will compete until four teams have won at least two matches.
Rob Gronkowski joins Tom Brady at the Buccaneers
It was inevitable to see some players to jump over to join the Buccaneers once Tom Brady made his announcement. There were some rumours about who was going to join but not many predicted the All-Pro to sign up with his former teammate.
Tight End Rob Gronkowski gets traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a stint in the World Wrestling Entertainment inc (WWE) “Gronk” wanted to come back to play in the NFL. Apparently the TE only wanted to come out of retirement in order to continue playing with Tom Brady. The trade gives the Patriots a 4th round pick while Tampa Bay receive a 7th round pick. Apparently, the tight end has already started to put on weight for his return to the NFL.
There is no doubt that two former New England elites will completely change the look of the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has not looked like challenging for anything in recent years. The vast experience and elite mentality between Brady and “Gronk” is bound to have a positive impact on the current and future roster of Tampa Bay.
The Patriots had already written off the tight end as being an asset to the team. Will a 4th round draft pick be able to make up for such a loss? It is extremely unlikely that 4th round pick will see a successor anywhere near the quality of Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski. Although the Patriots have a record of late picks being superstars, evident by the fact that Brady was 199th draft pick back in 2000. There will not be many more 6th round NFL picks that are going to be Hall of Famers.
How will it affect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
The odds for Tampa Bay to win the Superbowl already received a big cut once Tom Brady had joined their roster. After adding another big name with “Gronk” to the roster, the Buccaneers have become the 4th favourites at (+1100) to win the Superbowl. The 31-year-old tight end had his lowest yards per catch and yards per target in 2018. He averaged 14.5 yards per catch and 9.5 yards per target. These were his lowest numbers since 2015.
It is important to keep in mind that he was playing alongside Julien Edelmenn, Josh Gordan and Philip Dorsett. Now he is going to have Godwin and Evans beside his who are more can capable of taking double teams off his hands. Tampa Bay are building a very powerful looking offense and if they can improve their defence from the draft or through trades, they could make a solid run at the Superbowl.
A big factor for whether the Buccaneers can win the division or Superbowl will all depend on whether they can keep their main players healthy. They are competing in a tough division and it won’t be a walk in the park. Tom Brady certainly has a lot of firepower to deal with and it going to take apart several defences. Unlike the Ravens from last season, Brady and Gronk can take the winning mentality throughout the whole competition.
NFL Draft 2020 Betting
We’re only a couple of days away now from the 2020 NFL Draft that will be held virtually. Rather than fans, teams, and next year’s rookie class making the trip to Las Vegas for the draft, each player will have their reaction live streamed from their living room surrounded by their families.
This is always a great night for fans and players but it has taken on added importance this year. Given the current situation, this could be the biggest sporting event of the year and will definitely be the most watched sporting event of April 2020.
With that in mind, we have taken a look at all of the potential 1st Round picks and where you should be betting on next week.
Table Tennis Betting
It has been well documented that our live sports offering has taken a hit in recent weeks. While sport seems insignificant on the larger scale of everything that is happening in the world right now, it’s hard to ignore the sport-shaped hole in our day-to-day lives.
However, there is still some sport for us to savour and some sport that is available to bet on here with CanPlay. One of those sports is table tennis. In fact, the stars of the Ukraine’s Setka Cup and Russia’s Moscow Liga Pro have been pushed into the spotlight in the last few weeks.
NBA 2K Players Tournament Championship Rounds
We have now reached the final rounds of the much talked about NBA 2K Players Tournament. We’re now into the Championship Rounds with the Semi Finals and Final coming on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The remaining four players come from two NBA franchises – the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns. The Suns’ DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker will face off against Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell respectively.
NBA2K Players Tournament Quarter Finals
The First Round of the NBA2K Players Tourney was a relative success last week. The results have corrected the early seedings going into the Quarter Finals and beyond and we now have a good idea who the top players will be.
NBA 2K Players Tournament
With no March Madness and the prospect of this season of the NBA being deemed null and void, it hasn’t been a good few weeks for basketball fans.
One bright spark among the bad news has been the announcement of the NBA 2K Players Tournament beginning this Friday. It sees 16 NBA players, including Finals MVP Kevin Durant and 4-time All-Star Demarcus Cousins, go head-to-head in an NBA 2K tournament. The games will be broadcast live in the United States on ESPN and they will also be streamed live across the world on the NBA and NBA 2K social media channels.
Who’s Playing?
16 players declared their interest in playing in the tournament with Durant being the most high-profile. The Brooklyn Nets forward has not played in the NBA regular season and this will technically be his first appearance in the Brooklyn jersey.
The players have been seeded by their in-game ranking and the first round draw is as follows;
- Kevin Durant (1) vs Derrick Jones Jr. (16)
- Trae Young (2) vs Harrison Barnes (15)
- Hassan Whiteside (3) vs Patrick Beverley (14)
- Donovan Mitchell (4) vs Rui Hachimura (13)
- Devin Booker (5) vs Michael Porter Jr. (12)
- Andre Drummond (6) vs DeMarcus Cousins (11)
- Zach LaVine (7) vs DeAndre Ayton (10)
- Montrezl Harrell (8) vs Domantas Sabonis (9)
The first round begins on Friday with the Quarter Finals on Tuesday and Semi Finals and Final played on Saturday 11th April.
NBA 2K Betting
There is no outright betting available for the Players Tournament but there is match betting available for the First Round games on CanPlay. Find the odds here.
So, who should you bet on? There’s a few notable gamers in the NBA and three of them are on show in this tournament. Trae Young and Zach LaVine have shown themselves to be good gamers in the past. However, the favourite for this tournament has to be young Phoenix Suns phenom Devin Booker. Booker has over 50,000 followers on gaming streaming service Twitch.
He is heavy favourite to beat Michael Porter Jr. on Friday. You can back Booker to win at -220 with CanPlay. He would be our pick to win the whole tournament outright.
Donovan Mitchell is another prominent NBA 2K player. The Utah Jazz guard has 12,500 followers on Twitch. You can back him to beat Rui Hachimura at -195 in the First Round this Friday.
NBA 2K Players Tournament Hype
There’s no doubt that these games will attract a big audience. Nascar trialled a similar tournament over the last few weeks that had an audience of nearly 1 million. Given the star power of the players playing in the tournament and they all around higher profile of the NBA and the NBA 2K game then there should be considerably higher viewing figures.
Keep up to date with all the latest betting info on CanPlay Sports.
