The Festive Season is nearly here and TAB soccer customers have a bunch of chances to fill their wallets at just the right time this weekend. Six TAB soccer pools Friday through Sunday have added cash, including two Soccer 10s with R150,000 TAB bonuses, and they are packed with exciting matches, including a full round of games in the PSL and English Premier League. And Saturday’s Soccer 13 has a huge guaranteed pool if there is only one all-13-correct winner.
The excitement kicks off tonight with a cash-added, month-end Soccer 10 that should total over R2 million. SuperSport United, Brighton and Sheffield United play at home and should be able to maximise that advantage. All three look attractive bankers to win.
The second of three Soccer 10s on Saturday also carries a R150,000 cash bonus from TAB and this is a cracker pool comprising matches from the top-tier leagues in South Africa, England, Germany, Italy and Spain. It’s also a pool that could easily yield a six-figure payout with Nottingham Forest to win at home against Ipswich looking the safest banker. Other potential bankers to win include Newcastle away to Crystal Palace in London and Chiefs to post their second win in a row by beating Royal AM.
Two of the best clashes are on Sunday, when PSL log-leaders Orlando Pirates will be out to bank another three points and struggling EPL champs Manchester City head to Liverpool fearful of being mauled by the current table-toppers.
Jose Riveiro's Pirates are finally looking like a side capable of challenging Sundowns for the Betway Premiership title. The Buccaneers have been a brilliant cup team under their Spanish head coach, but have not been able to find the consistency to mount a serious challenge to Sundowns in the league.
In the new campaign, however, it seems Pirates have a squad that can cope with the long haul of competing for the league. They host Stellenbosch in Orlando on Sunday looking to extend a run of seven consecutive Betway Premiership wins in as many games this season.
In the EPL the same day, expect Spurs to win at home against Fulham and the rampant Reds to send City back to Manchester with their tails between their legs. But a Liverpool win may not be the formality it looks. City boss Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in football history and you have to fancy him to navigate his side out of the current storm, principally precipitated by injuries and a couple of stand-ins not stepping up to the plate.
SOCCER 10 V2 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1 | Schalke 04 vs Kaiserslautern | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| This should be a bumper R2-million pool as a result of a R150,000 cash boost from TAB. Schalke are unbeaten in their last three games in the German second division, while Kaiserslautern are unbeaten in their last four across all competitions. Kaiserslautern won 4-1 in their previous meeting in January and have won four of the last six clashes between them. They are ninth with 20 points, seven more than Schalke. | |||
| M2 | SuperSport United vs Marumo Gallants | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| SuperSport have won one of their last five games and drawn another two, while Gallants have lost six of their last 10. Their previous meeting ended 0-0. | |||
| M3 | St. Pauli vs Holstein Kiel | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| St. Pauli have lost six of their last nine games and Holstein five of their last six. St. Pauli won the last clash 4-3 in February, their third win in the last six with two wins for Holstein. St. Pauli are 16th in the Bundesliga table with eight points, three more than Holstein. | |||
| M4 | Cagliari vs Hellas Verona | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Cagliari are winless in their last five, while Verona have lost eight of their last 10 games. Verona drew 1-1 at Cagliari earlier this year and had won three of the five meetings previously. Verona are 14th with 12 points in Serie A, one point ahead of Cagliari. | |||
| M5 | Kortrijk vs KV Mechelen | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Kortrijk are on a three-game losing streak, whereas Mechelen have won six of their last nine. Mechelen are fifth with 24 points and Kortrijk 15th with 14 points in Belgium’s First Division A. Mechelen have won six of the last seven meetings. | |||
| M6 | Reims vs Lens | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Reims have won five of their last 10 games, while Lens have failed to win in eight of their last 10. The teams drew 1-1 in their previous meeting in February with Reims winning none of their last six clashes against Lens but drawing three. Reims are eighth with 18 points in France’s Ligue 1, one point more than Lens. | |||
| M7 | Brighton vs Southampton | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Brighton have won their last two, whereas Southampton have just one win this season and are bottom of the EPL. Brighton won 3-1 in their last meeting in May, their third win in the last six clashes of which two were drawn. Brighton are fifth with 22 points to Southampton’s four. | |||
| M8 | Real Mallorca vs Valencia | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Mallorca have won five of their last nine games, while Valencia have failed to win in eight of their last 10. Mallorca are currently eighth in LaLiga with 21 points, 11 more than Valencia. The last meeting between them ended 0-0 in March. | |||
| M9 | Sheffield United vs Sunderland | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Sheffield moved into second place in the English Championship by beating Oxford on Tuesday night, when Sunderland drew with West Brom and dropped to fourth in the table. Sheffield won the last clash between them 2-1 in March. | |||
| M10 | Farense vs Estrela | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Clash between two battlers in Portugal’s Primeira Liga. Both have two wins from their last five games. Farense won 3-0 in their last meeting earlier this year and have won two of their last six clashes with three draws. | |||
Suggested R216 perm: 1,2,3 x 1 x 1 x 1,2,3 x 2,3 x 1,3 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1,2,3.
SOCCER 10 V1 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1 | Richards Bay vs AmaZulu | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| TAB will inject R150,000 into this month-end bet - get set for a big pool and payout! Richards Bay have lost their last three and AmaZulu six of their last seven. Richards Bay won 2-1 in their previous meeting and have won two of the last four encounters with two draws. | |||
| M2 | Como vs AC Monza | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Como are winless in their last seven games, while Monza are winless in their last five. Como are 17th in Serie A with 10 points and Monza 19th with nine. | |||
| M3 | Freiburg vs Borussia M'gladbach | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Freiburg have won five of their last nine games and Borussia are unbeaten in their last four. Freiburg won 3-0 in their last meeting in March and are level with Borussia on 17 points in the German Bundesliga. | |||
| M4 | Union Berlin vs Bayer Leverkusen | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Berlin are winless in their last five games, while Leverkusen have avoided defeat in nine of their last 10. Leverkusen won the previous meeting 1-0 and have won three of the last six encounters with three draws. Leverkusen are fourth in Bundesliga, four points ahead of Union. | |||
| M5 | Brentford vs Leicester City | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Brentford have won five of their last 10 games and Leicester are winless in their last five. The teams drew 1-1 in their previous meeting with Brentford winning none of the last six clashes between them. Brentford are 11th with 17 points in the EPL, seven ahead of Leicester who fired their coach this week. | |||
| M6 | Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Palace are winless in their last three games and Newcastle have won three of their last five. Newcastle are 10 points ahead of Palace after 12 games and will be keen to get back on the winning track after losing at home to West Ham on Monday. | |||
| M7 | Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Forest have lost their last two, but will find it much easier going against Ipswich who have failed to win in nine of their last 10 games. Forest have won four of the last six meetings between the sides and are 10 points ahead of Ipswich in the EPL. | |||
| M8 | Wolverhampton vs Bournemouth | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Wolves are unbeaten in their last four, while Bournemouth have lost two on the trot. But Bournemouth are six points ahead of Wolves in the league. | |||
| M9 | Deportivo Alaves vs Leganes | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Alaves have lost seven of their last nine games, while Leganes have won four of their last seven. They are separated by only a point in the bottom half of LaLiga. | |||
| M10 | Kaizer Chiefs vs Royal AM | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Chiefs got back on the winning trail by beating Richards Bay midweek, but Royal AM suffered their fourth defeat in their last five matches. The teams drew 0-0 in their previous meeting and have two wins apiece in their last six clashes. | |||
Suggested R216 perm: 1,2 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 3 x 1 x 3 x 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2 x 1.