FOOTBALL is poor on thursday, Europa League games have been covered, so going to take the IPL Cricket for my bet of the day.
Chennai Super Kings v Hyderabad Sunrisers, 3.30BST, live on ITV4.
Chennai are beginning to look ominous. They have three successive victories and really should make it four with this home contest.
Following worries about their lazy batting they emphatically confounded all critics by chasing a whopping 186 against Rajasthan Royals. Mike Hussey and Suresh Raina were the architects of that chase with quick runs.
The giant West Indian fast bowler Jason Holder had a poor debut (Rajasthan had 71 on the board after seven overs) and could be replaced. Dirk Nannes and Albie Morkel are potential starters.
It is a meeting like this when the IPL governing council’s ban on Sri Lanka players appearing in Chennai highlights just what an unfair advantage the Super Kings are enjoying.
Hyderabad will be without two of their most influential players in captain Kumar Sangakkara and all-roudner Thisara Perera. They have at least prepared themselves.
Sangakkara did not play in the victory over King’s XI which took the Sunrisers, albeit briefly, to the top of the table. Cameron White led in his absence and once again is expected to take the armband. Perera’s likely replacement is Nathan McCullum. There is still no sign of a return to fitness of star batsman Shkihar Dhawan.
Here are the first-innings totals so far this season and last (most recent on right) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium: 112-205-164-146-156-139-160-114-222-190-148-165-159-185. That is an average of 162.
Indeed, backing more than 160 at around 2.0 looks a fair wager given that backers of the score would have won 50 per cent of the time over the study period. Of course we would rather be on Chennai for runs instead of Hyderabad so you may wish to wait until the toss. On three of the last four times they have batted first at CSK have posted 160 or more.
Chennai are sizzling favourites to continue their good run. At 1.50 the Super Kings are an unappetising wager in this helter-skelter format.
The Sunrisers are virtually friendless at a whopping 2.80. The case for a back-to-lay of the visitors is obvious. They need only a foothold rather than a concerted spell of dominance to get the clicks down.
Their best chance comes in the form of their pace attack – Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma. A couple of early wickets from those two and their price will plummet allowing a quick and easy profit. Chennai are not for us at such odds and if you fancy laying with a limited downside be our guest.
Recommended Bets
Wait for the toss and if Chennai bat first then back Chennai for 160 or more first-innings runs at 1.90
Back Chennai WIN @ 1.50
Milesey (Betfair)
In December 2020 we sadly 
Have to agree Milesey, CSK look a sound bet yet agsin, Mike Hussey and Dhoni are oozing confidence and as long as they can see off the dangerous Dale Steyn they shouldn’t have much problem beating this depleted Hyderabad side. Home win 1/2.
I’m also looking at Hussey for top Chennai batsman at around 5/2. Have been impressed with him all season so far.
Milesey what would you say is your lay of the day. I’m fishing today.
Miguel, lay yourself to catch a whopper!
Ten of IFK Goteborg’s last 12 Allsvenskan home games have produced Under 2.5 Goals and so have 5/7 Malmo away matches. Between them, the two defences have conceded three goals in ten matches so far this season.
Recommended Bet: Back Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.8 in IFK Goteborg v Malmo
Milesey
Milesey, I looked at this and settled on both to score. I noticed past meetings were fairly low scoring but both have started well and should be fuull of confidence. If it’s 1-1 we’ll both be right though.
Not alot else today out there football wise today, this is the only game i could find with some decent enough stats to suggest it would be low scoring. I am going to do btts Basel V Chelsea, correct score punts on the Benfica game for abit of interest, and mainly horses for me today, with a couple darts matches later, and snooker…….. and my big bet will be CHENNAI today, if they bat first i’ll be going for the over 160 runs aswell.
Milesey
Peru rarely have a representative in the last eight of the Copa Libertadores but Real Garcilaso are on the cusp of reaching that late stage, back Freddy Garcia’s boys in tonight’s first leg against Nacional
It’s three years since a Peruvian side last reached the knockout stage of the Copa Libertadores. Not since 1997, when Sporting Cristal, under the inspired leadership of the Uruguayan Sergio Markarian, reached the final, that there has been a Peruvian side in the last eight. So when Real Garcilaso host Nacional of Uruguay tonight, there’s more at stake for the home side than just a place in the next round.
Theirs is a remarkable story – and one that suggests at the mess Peruvian football has found itself in over the past few years. The club was founded as recently as 2009 by students at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega school in Cuzco. They started in the second division of the regional Cuzco league and worked their way up to take their place in the Torneo Descentralizado for the first time last season. They also won the Copa Peru in 2011.
With Andy Pando finishing as top scorer in the league, they lost in last season’s championship play-off to Sporting Cristal, but a runners-up spot was sufficient to secure their place in the Libertadores. That they could rise so quickly, and then prosper at the highest level, is possible only because of the general financial shambles of so many clubs.
One-nil away wins over Cerro Porteno and Deportes Tolima, together with a 5-1 home demolition of the Paraguayans, effectively booked their place in the last 16, qualifying with the second best record of the second-placed sides – they actually got the same number of points, 10, as Nacional, which is one of the reasons they are such strong favourites: they’re 1.84 to win the first leg with Nacional 4.8.
Players were rewarded for getting out of the group with a $100,000 bonus pot, while fans greeted them deliriously on their return from their final group game.
“I want to take on the biggest teams in South America,” said Garcilaso’s 53-year-old coach Freddy Garcia, who tends to be regarded as a promotion specialist.
“We are prepared to go as far as possible. Many might think that the ideal for us would be to face a seemingly weak opponent, but no, I want to deal with the continent’s largest, because then we can surprise them.”
The other factor in Garcilaso’s favour is altitude. Cuzco stands 3,400 metres above sea level, a major test for a Nacional side that will be without the experienced striker Sebastian Abreu, forwards Juan Albin and Alvaro Recoba and central defender Andres Scotti.
This has been a difficult season for Nacional. They may only have lost one of nine games so far in the league but the sense is that they draw rather too much – undone both by a defensive leakiness and by a lack of attacking ruthlessness. The Libertadores game at home to Boca Juniors was a classic example, as they lost 1-0 despite dominating the game and playing against 10 men for three quarters of the match.
Garcilaso are in good form domestically, lying second in the Peruvian league, a point behind the leaders Cesar Vallejo with three games in hand, having lost just one of their eight games so far. The only slight doubt is whether they convert sufficient chances: although they’ve conceded only twice in five home league games so far, they’ve drawn two of their five home matches. Given that both sides probably draw more than they ought to, the draw at 3.4 is perhaps intriguing – although given Nacional’s injury problems probably not quite intriguing enough.
In part that’s because of the departure of Pando, who scored 27 times in 40 league games last season. He was sold to Las Palmas, where he is still to start a game, leaving the Paraguayan wide forward Victor Ferreira as the main goal threat, with his compatriot, Fabio Ramos, a threat from deep. Mauricio Montes, who leads the line, has never got into double figures for a season. Given Nacional, with all their absentees are likely to adopt a defensive approach, a low-scoring affair seems likely. Under 2.5 goals is 1.66.
Recommended Bet
Back Real Garcilaso to win @ 1.84
Milesey
( betfair )
Bets for today (% of bankroll)
Singles
Basel v Chelsea BTTS (6)
Chennai to win (8)
Upsie (7:15 Punchestown) (4)
Doubles
Phil Taylor to win both matches (4)
Van Gerwen to win &
Fenerbahce v Benfica -3.5 (4)
Defo jinxed me Mr Fixit
Mr T, is that Benfica to win by 3.5 goal in your double?
It’s going to be a tough ask for Chennai to beat 159, especially with the Sunriser’s bowlers
Under 3.5 goals in game.
Added a 4-fold to other bets, small stakes just for a bit more interest in games.
Quevego *winner*
Basel v Chelsea – draw
Fenerbahce v Benfica – draw
Thornton v Lewis – Thornton win
Wow, what a tense but incredibly exciting game. Chennai wins!
RESULT
INDIA: Premier League
Chennai Super Kings 160-159 Sunrisers Hyderabad
Back Chennai WIN @ 1.50
Milesey
RESULT
SWEDEN: Allsvenskan
IFK Göteborg 1-1 Malmö
Göteborg scored in the 94th minute !
Milesey
Milesey, nice result and we’re both winners.
You said earlier 1-1, we should have had a punt on the correct score ;) ;)
The goal came in on flashscore, after it had come up the game had finished 1-0, then it flashed up 1-1.
Milesey
FENERBAHCE V BENFICA
Back under 2.5 goals at 1.82
Back the draw in the half-time market at 2.14 ** WIN **
BASEL V CHELSEA
Back over 2.5 goals at 2.1
Back Chelsea to score two goals or more in the Chelsea total goals market at 2.43
Back Fernando Torres to be first scorer at 7.2 * LOST *
Milesey
Nice one Milesy! Double on the nags and cricket bet in already.
02:15 K/O SOUTH AMERICA: Copa Libertadores – Play Offs
Garcilaso V Club Nacional
Peru rarely have a representative in the last eight of the Copa Libertadores but Real Garcilaso are on the cusp of reaching that late stage, back Freddy Garcia’s boys in tonight’s first leg against Nacional
It’s three years since a Peruvian side last reached the knockout stage of the Copa Libertadores. Not since 1997, when Sporting Cristal, under the inspired leadership of the Uruguayan Sergio Markarian, reached the final, that there has been a Peruvian side in the last eight. So when Real Garcilaso host Nacional of Uruguay tonight, there’s more at stake for the home side than just a place in the next round.
Theirs is a remarkable story – and one that suggests at the mess Peruvian football has found itself in over the past few years. The club was founded as recently as 2009 by students at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega school in Cuzco. They started in the second division of the regional Cuzco league and worked their way up to take their place in the Torneo Descentralizado for the first time last season. They also won the Copa Peru in 2011.
With Andy Pando finishing as top scorer in the league, they lost in last season’s championship play-off to Sporting Cristal, but a runners-up spot was sufficient to secure their place in the Libertadores. That they could rise so quickly, and then prosper at the highest level, is possible only because of the general financial shambles of so many clubs.
One-nil away wins over Cerro Porteno and Deportes Tolima, together with a 5-1 home demolition of the Paraguayans, effectively booked their place in the last 16, qualifying with the second best record of the second-placed sides – they actually got the same number of points, 10, as Nacional, which is one of the reasons they are such strong favourites: they’re 1.84 to win the first leg with Nacional 4.8.
Players were rewarded for getting out of the group with a $100,000 bonus pot, while fans greeted them deliriously on their return from their final group game.
“I want to take on the biggest teams in South America,” said Garcilaso’s 53-year-old coach Freddy Garcia, who tends to be regarded as a promotion specialist.
“We are prepared to go as far as possible. Many might think that the ideal for us would be to face a seemingly weak opponent, but no, I want to deal with the continent’s largest, because then we can surprise them.”
The other factor in Garcilaso’s favour is altitude. Cuzco stands 3,400 metres above sea level, a major test for a Nacional side that will be without the experienced striker Sebastian Abreu, forwards Juan Albin and Alvaro Recoba and central defender Andres Scotti.
This has been a difficult season for Nacional. They may only have lost one of nine games so far in the league but the sense is that they draw rather too much – undone both by a defensive leakiness and by a lack of attacking ruthlessness. The Libertadores game at home to Boca Juniors was a classic example, as they lost 1-0 despite dominating the game and playing against 10 men for three quarters of the match.
Garcilaso are in good form domestically, lying second in the Peruvian league, a point behind the leaders Cesar Vallejo with three games in hand, having lost just one of their eight games so far. The only slight doubt is whether they convert sufficient chances: although they’ve conceded only twice in five home league games so far, they’ve drawn two of their five home matches. Given that both sides probably draw more than they ought to, the draw at 3.4 is perhaps intriguing – although given Nacional’s injury problems probably not quite intriguing enough.
In part that’s because of the departure of Pando, who scored 27 times in 40 league games last season. He was sold to Las Palmas, where he is still to start a game, leaving the Paraguayan wide forward Victor Ferreira as the main goal threat, with his compatriot, Fabio Ramos, a threat from deep. Mauricio Montes, who leads the line, has never got into double figures for a season. Given Nacional, with all their absentees are likely to adopt a defensive approach, a low-scoring affair seems likely. Under 2.5 goals is 1.66.
Recommended Bet
Back Real Garcilaso to win @ 1.84
Milesey
RESULT
SOUTH AMERICA: Copa Libertadores – Play Offs
Garcilaso 1 – 0 Club Nacional
Milesey