Sunday, 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports 2
TWO games so far in the Championship play-offs have produced just the one goal and there's no reason to believe that will change as the Foxes take the slenderest of leads to Watford for this lunchtime kick-off.
Gianfranco Zola's men have hit a bit of a wall at just the wrong time – squandering the chance of automatic promotion at home to Leeds then slipping to defeat at the King Power Stadium on Thursday.
Matej Vydra looked a pale shadow of the striker who had scored 20 goals by the end of February in that game so Troy Deeney, back after suspension, will go straight into the side and be the focal point of the home side's attacking plans.
Having squeezed into the play-offs the Foxes will feel they have nothing to lose and must now fancy their chances of a date at Wembley a week on Monday.
They may not be pretty to watch but their performance on Thursday was just the kind of committed and physical effort which the play-offs call for. Away goals don't count double but strikers of the calibre of David Nugent and Chris Wood are well capable of taking a chance which comes their way and ensuring Watford would have to score at least twice to stay in the tie.
The feeling persists though that the Hornets are at their most effective away from home and will struggle to break down a side who set out their stall to defend deep at Vicarage Road, which is exactly what Leicester will do here. I'm expecting another tight game here and will be backing under 2.5 goals at 1.9 with a considerable degree of confidence.
With neither side in vintage form this is set to be another nailbiting clash and could go all the way. A tight 1-0 win to the home side looks the most likely scoreline so a small play is advised at 8.6.
Recommended Bets
Back Under 2.5 goals at 1.9
Back 1-0 at 8.6
Milesey (Betfair)
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
Monday May 13
19:45 GMT
Live on Sky Sports Two
There’s little time to sit and back and reflect ahead of the second legs of these Championship playoffs with the rapid turnaround but Brighton will be favourites to reach the final with home advantage after the first leg ended goalless, much to our delight having tipped it up at 10.5 on here.
Brighton
Gus Poyet’s side finished top of the form table for the final nine games of the Championship season and are now unbeaten in ten after Friday’s draw. They have yet to lose at the Amex Stadium in 2013, winning seven and drawing three of their ten home fixtures. Albion ran out convincing 3-0 winners when the sides met here in March but this is unlikely to be as one-sided as that game was. Leonardo Ulloa should have scored in the first-half at Selhurst Park and will give the visitors’ defence plenty to think about.
Crystal Palace
Palace were unable to make home advantage count in the first leg and their away record doesn’t inspire much confidence for this one with just one win on the road in all competitions since November 10. Of course, you can argue they don’t actually have to win as they could progress on penalties after a draw but it might be clutching at straws. Crucially, 30-goal striker Glenn Murray won’t play after injuring his cruciate ligaments on Friday.
Match Odds
All the known form suggests that Brighton should win this second leg and reach Wembley and, even allowing for the unpredictable nature of the playoffs and the rivalry between these two sides, at 1.98 that’s a price well worth taking on the Seagulls.
Half Time/Full Time
Albion’s class should show through over 90 minutes but it might take a while so if you prefer to look for slightly more value then draw/Brighton look good value in this market.
Recommended Bet
Back Brighton to win at 1.98
Other Bet
Back draw/Brighton in the half time/full time market at the best available price
Milesey
NBA
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Game four between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors is live on Sky Sports, both teams will be desperate to clinch a win at this critical stage of the series…
Having split the opening two games of this thrilling series in Texas, the San Antonio Spurs responded in Game 3 to wrestle back the initiative from the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena.
Behind 32 points from Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich’s men were able to take a 2-1 series lead, and will be buoyed by their improved defensive display which saw them limit the Warriors to below 100 points for the first time in three games.
While their point guard excelled, Golden State will be anxious to see whether theirs is fit enough to even take to the court on Sunday night with Stephen Curry suffering from on-going concerns with his left ankle.
Having sprained it in Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets in the previous round, the 25-year-old landed awkwardly on it again last time out and despite limping around he was able to stay in the game.
Coach Mark Jackson knows his presence and shooting ability is imperative to their chances of winning, and although he remains a game-time decision, Curry is confident he will be deemed fit enough to feature.
Parker also has injury concerns after suffering a bruised calf, so neutrals will be hoping both men can recover in time in order to prevent the entertainment factor being drastically reduced.
Both Curry and backcourt team-mate Klay Thompson have been responsible for the Warriors’ dazzling shooting displays throughout the post season, but both came up short on Friday night as the Spurs outdid their rivals 50.6 to 39.3 percent shooting from the field.
However, Popovich stressed that it was just “one of those nights” that his team managed to shoot better than their opponents, providing further credence to the unpredictable and fascinating nature of this match-up.
In short, the Warriors’ chances of tying this series heavily rely on whether Curry will feature. Having wrongly been denied an All-Star call-up back in February, he made an incredible NBA record 272 3-pointers in the regular season.
Golden State went 2-2 without him during that time, which included a 95-88 loss to San Antonio in January. While he may not be fully fit, his mere presence will help to open up the floor for his team-mates to benefit.
They will undoubtedly remain competitive without him, but to overcome San Antonio they will need him at his best and it will be interesting to see how much the ankle bothers him and affects his shooting.
In contrast, the Spurs have championship pedigree and know exactly what to do at this stage of the season with wily veterans such as Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Having improved at both ends of the court in Game 3, they will be confident of a repeat performance on Sunday.
Recommended Bets
Back the Spurs to beat the Warriors @ 1.92
Back the Under 199.5 pts market @ 1.85
Milesey
GOLF
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At The Players Championship, after a suspension in play due to bad weather midway through the third round, and a suspension late in the day due to darkness, the final four pairings will restart soon, at 12.10pm UK time this afternoon.
The fourth round is due to begin at 13.35pm and the leaders, whoever they may be, are expected to kick-off their final round at 19.38pm UK time.
As things stand, we have a surprise leader in the shape of 1000.0 shot, David Lingmerth, but the Swede still has to play the notoriously tough 18th on return and a par there would be a great effort considering his lofty position.
Lingmerth, on -12, is currently two clear of fellow Swede Henrik Stenson and bessy mates, Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, with a group of three – Jeff Maggert, Casey Wittenberg and Ryan Palmer, on -9. Hunter Mahan and David Lynn have both completed their third rounds and are on -8.
I jest of course, re Tiger and Sergio – they’re far from best mates, barely tolerating each-other and it seems Tiger upset Sergio during yesterday’s play. Both men will be hoping they’re not paired together again in round four but whether they are or not, can either man win?
Tiger’s the current favourite, at just 2.4 but he’ll have to play much better than he did yesterday and the same goes for Garcia – who’s currently 6.6 to back. Stenson trades at 8.2 and Lingmerth 10.0.
Milesey
as you know im a massive Leicester fan and ive been quiet purely due to the fact that if you ever want a dagger to the heart, be involved with a game like what went on today, brutal and gutted
WTA Internazionali BNL d’Italia Betting
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With just two weeks to go until the world’s stars descend on Paris for the French Open, the leading ladies in the game head to the clay of Rome hoping to continue their preparations with triumph in the Eternal City.
Russian ace Maria Sharapova heads to the Italian capital looking to make it a hat-trick of tournament wins, but while she sits out the first round having been handed a bye, there is plenty of action elsewhere in the draw.
The likes of Victoria Azarenka, Na Li and Angelique Kerber will all await the conclusion of the first round to find out who they will face to begin their tournament, but we take a closer look at some potential upsets on the first two days of play.
Perhaps the pick of the round is the clash between Venus Williams and British hopeful Laura Robson. If further spice were needed for this match, then it comes in the form of the winner facing Serena Williams. With a potential meeting between the Williams-sisters arriving so early, it undoubtedly opens up the draw.
Robson has yet to face the elder of the Williams sisters in her career to date, but the 19-year-old will be buoyed by her win over Agnieszka Radwanska in Madrid, which will certainly give her confidence of upsetting the odds.
Elsewhere, home favourite Roberta Vinci will receive a great atmosphere in front of a partisan crowd but may find life difficult when she takes on Elena Vesnina. The pair have met five times, with the Russian winning four including their clash at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Both players have had a solid year thus far, sharing a title apiece, but history favours Vesnina and she will step into the lion’s den hoping to silence the Roman faithful.
Another Italian hoping to impress on her homeland will be Flavia Pennetta, who was handed a wildcard to take part having struggled through the year. She faces American world number 17 Sloane Stephens in the first round, and despite having beaten her at the same venue in the round of 32 last year, she may have her hands full.
Similarly, fellow Italian wildcard entrant Nastassja Burnett will be hoping to please the crowd when she faces Alize Cornet. The Frenchwoman isn’t having a particularly impressive year to date, with a record of 12-10, and could have an uncomfortable afternoon against a youngster desperate to impress.
The first round draw is scattered with top seeds, including Madrid semi-finalist Ana Ivanovic who should have few problems in dispatching Urszula Radwanska. Meanwhile Carolina Wozniacki takes on Bojana Jovanovski and two-time champion Jelena Jankovic should overcome Tsvetana Pironkova.
However, eleventh seed Nadia Petrova might find life a little more testing, when she takes on one of the few Spaniards in the draw in Carla Suarez Navarro. If there is to be an early exit for a seeded player, this match may well provide the shock of the round considering the Russian’s poor form this year.
It promises to be an intriguing week of tennis in Rome, and as the world’s best enter the fray in the second round there is undoubtedly plenty to look forward to.
Recommended Bets
Back Burnett to beat Cornet @ 2.66
Back Navarro to beat Petrova @ 1.96
Back Stephens to beat Pennetta @ 2.52
Back Robson to beat V. Williams @ 2.46
Back Vesnina to beat Vinci @ 3.00
Milesey