Win a cash-boosted TAB soccer pool this weekend and you are guaranteed to collect an inflated payout that could have you laughing all the way to the bank. No fewer than seven bets start with extra cash in the form of carryovers or cash add-ins, notably Saturday’s R6.8-million carryover Soccer 13 (likely pool R21 million) and the weekend’s Soccer 13 Xtra, which kicks off with a R400,000 carryover. Tonight’s Soccer 10 has a R250,000 add-in bonus from TAB, as does the second of three Soccer 10s on Saturday.
Saturday’s Soccer 13 is a combo of English Premier League and Championship matches and there are potential bankers galore. In the Premiership Liverpool and Crystal Palace have home fixtures against relegation-doomed Southampton and Ipswich respectively, and it’s hard to visualise anything apart from a home victory in both matches.
The eight Championship games in the pool also offer an array of bankers with all of Bristol City, Burnley, Sheffield United, Sunderland and West Bromwich looking set to register home victories against their respective rivals.
All five of those clubs are still very much in the race for a top-six finish in the Championship in which there are still 11 rounds still remaining. Eleven points separate log-leaders Leeds United from fourth-placed Sunderland and then there’s a 12-point gap to fifth-placed Coventry, who are only five points ahead of Norwich City in 11th. In terms of the top-four battle and the fight for fifth and sixth, those are not big margins in the Championship, in which the first two finishers gain automatic promotion to the EPL with playoffs between the third to sixth finishers to decide the third club to be promoted.
In spite of the mega pot, many TAB soccer customers will opt for the Soccer Any 13 Xtra, in which you choose your 13 matches from a list of 30 games that this weekend include the four Nedbank Cup quarter-final clashes.
Orlando Pirates are bang on track for a third consecutive Nedbank Cup title to go with the third consecutive MTN8 trophy they picked up earlier this season. On Saturday they travel to face SuperSport United in Polokwane in the country’s biggest domestic cup competition.
Pirates are having a brilliant season under Riveiro, having also made the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League, in which they will take on MC Alger at the start of next month.
Gavin Hunt’s SuperSport United will be looking for revenge over Pirates, who knocked them out of the MTN8 at the quarter-final stage last August. Pirates also beat SuperSport 2-0 in the Betway Premiership last October with Evidence Makgopa grabbing an early goal for the Buccaneers before Deon Hotto sealed the three points in stoppage time.
SuperSport are not having a good season under Hunt in the Premiership and are currently 13th in the table with just five wins from 20 league matches. Hunt is a vastly experienced coach and will do everything possible to inspire his side to take down Pirates, but much more likely is that the Buccaneers will continue their brilliant knockout record under Riveiro.
Also on Saturday, Stellenbosch take on Kaizer Chiefs in another Nedbank Cup quarter-final at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha. Amakhosi will fancy their chances of victory because their record against Stellenbosch is generally very good. Nasreddine Nabi’s side have beaten Stellies home and away in the Betway Premiership this season.
SOCCER 10 V3 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1: NAC Breda vs Rotterdam | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Here’s a great bet that could win you a small fortune. TAB starts the pool with a R250,000 add-in and that should result in a total pot of well over R2 million! NAC are winless in five games, while Sparta have won three of their last five. NAC won the last meeting 2-0 in December and are 12th in the Dutch Eredivisie with 27 points, four ahead of 16th-placed Sparta. | |||
| M2: Borussia M'gladbach vs Mainz 05 | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Borussia have won four of their last six Bundesliga games and Mainz are on a three-game winning streak. The teams drew 1-1 when they last met. Mainz are currently fourth in the league, four points ahead of eighth-placed Borussia. | |||
| M3: Cagliari vs Genoa | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Cagliari are on a two-game losing streak, while Genoa have avoided defeat in seven of their last 10 Serie A matches. The last meeting between the teams ended 2-2. Genoa are 12th on the table with 31 points, six ahead of 15th-placed Cagliari. | |||
| M4: Derry City vs Galway United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Irish Premier League. Derry have won five of their last seven games, while Galway are unbeaten in their last nine. Both have played four times in the new term and Galway have six points to Derry’s three. | |||
| M5: Sint-Truiden vs Beerschot | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Sint-Truiden are unbeaten in their last three games, while Beerschot have lost six of their last 10. Sint-Truiden won the last meeting between the sides 3-0 away last September and are 14th in Belgium’s First Division A with 28 points, 10 more than Beerschot. | |||
| M6: Toulouse vs Monaco | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Toulouse have won two in a row in Ligue 1, while Monaco have won five of their last 10 in all competitions. Monaco won the last meeting 2-0 in December and are fourth with 43 points, 10 more than Toulouse after 24 games. | |||
| M7: Waterford FC vs Bohemians | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Waterford top the standings in the Irish Premier League with nine points, while Bohemians have three points after four games. In the last four meetings, both teams have won once with two draws. | |||
| M8: Norwich City vs Oxford United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Norwich are unbeaten in six of their last seven matches, while Oxford are winless in their last seven. Oxford won the last meeting 2-0 in August. Norwich are 11th in the English Championship with 48 points, 10 ahead of 18th-placed Oxford. | |||
| M9: Shamrock Rovers vs St Patrick's Athletic | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Rovers have one point from their first three games of the new season and St Pats seven from their first four. In the last four meetings, St Pats have won three times with one draw. | |||
| M10: Estrela Amadora vs Gil Vicente | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Estrela are unbeaten in their last three games, while Gil Vicente are on a six-game losing streak. Gil Vicente won the last meeting 3-0 and are level with Estrela on 22 points in the Primeira Liga table. | |||
Suggested R216 perm: 1,2 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1 x 3 x 1 x 1 x 2,3 x 1.
SOCCER 10 V2 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1: Celta de Vigo vs Leganes | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| TAB will boost this pool with a R250,000 add-in so expect a big pot of over R2 million! Celta are unbeaten in their last four matches and Leganes have lost four of their last six. Leganes won the last meeting 3-0, but Celta are 10th in LaLiga and six points ahead of their rivals. | |||
| M2: SuperSport United vs Orlando Pirates | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Nedbank Cup quarter-final. SuperSport have won one of their last seven PSL matches, while Pirates have won eight of their last 10 games in all competitions. Pirates won the last meeting between the teams 2-0 and are 18 points ahead of Supersport in the league, having played three games less. | |||
| M3: Como vs Venezia | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Como have lost five of their last eight Serie A matches, while Venezia are winless in 10 games. The teams drew 2-2 in December in their last clash. Como are 13th on 28 points, 10 ahead of 19th-placed Venezia. | |||
| M4: Parma vs Torino | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Parma have lost six of their last eight Serie A games, while Torino have avoided defeat in nine of their last 10. The last meeting between the teams ended in a 0-0 draw. Torino are 11th in the league, 11 points ahead of 17th-placed Parma after 27 games. | |||
| M5: Borussia Dortmund vs Augsburg | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Dortmund have won two in a row in the German Bundesliga, while Augsburg are unbeaten in four. Augsburg won the last meeting 2-1 in October, but are three points behind Dortmund in 10th place with 35 points. | |||
| M6: Brighton vs Fulham | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Both teams are hot with Brighton on a five-game winning streak, while Fulham have won seven of their last 10. Fulham won the last meeting 3-1 in December. Brighton are eighth in the EPL on 43 points, one more than Fulham after 27 games. | |||
| M7: Crystal Palace vs Ipswich Town | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Palace have won three in a row, while Ipswich have lost six of their last eight EPL fixtures. Palace are 12th in the EPL table with 36 points, 19 ahead of 18th-placed Ipswich. | |||
| M8: Deportivo Alaves vs Villarreal | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Villarreal are unbeaten in their last six LaLiga games, while Alaves are winless in their last six. Villarreal won the last meeting 3-0 in November and are fifth on the log with 44 points, 21 ahead of 19th-placed Alaves. | |||
| M9: Fortuna Sittard vs Heracles | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Sittard have lost seven of their last 10 games, while Heracles have avoided defeat in eight of their last 10. The teams drew 2-2 in their last meeting in December. Sittard are ninth in the Dutch Eredivisie with 29 points, two ahead of 11th-placed Heracles. | |||
| M10: Stellenbosch vs Kaizer Chiefs | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Nedbank Cup quarters. Stellenbosch are unbeaten in six games, winning four, while Chiefs beat Magesi midweek to get back on the winning path. Chiefs did win the last clash with Stellenbosch 1-0 away, their sixth win in the last seven meetings with just one victory to Stellenbosch. | |||
Suggested R216 perm: 1 x 3 x 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2 x 1,2,3 x 1 x 2,3 x 1,2,3 x 3.