WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 6 - 8 Sep
INTERNATIONAL CLASHES TAKE CENTRE STAGE THIS WEEKEND
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May 2024
CASH-BOOSTED POOLS AS EPL BATTLE GOES DOWN TO THE WIRE
Yet again the battle for the English Premier League trophy is going down to the last day of the season and TAB is cranking up the drama with all-EPL cash-added Soccer 4, 6 and 10 bets on Sunday. And there’s plenty of excitement before that with R150,000-added Soccer 10 pools tonight and tomorrow, when all but two of the matches in the cash-boosted bet are PSL games.
BOOKMAKERS MAKE CITY 1-8 FAVOURITES TO BEAT WEST HAM
Manchester City must win at home to West Ham United on Sunday to be certain of becoming EPL champions for a fourth successive season and Arsenal are waiting like hawks to snatch the title if the reigning champions slip up.
That can only happen if City fail to secure three points in Sunday’s final round of EPL matches and Arsenal beat Everton at the Emirates. Fixed-odds operators don’t really see that happening and City are 1-8 to win a seventh successive game since their Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid. That will leave the Gunners runners-up for a second campaign in a row.
Tomorrow sees the penultimate round of DStv Premiership action with the focus on the race for second place and champions Mamelodi Sundowns’ bid to finish the season unbeaten, a feat never before achieved in South African league history.
The Brazilians have three games left and tomorrow is a tough assignment away at Stellenbosch, but they did beat Steve Barker’s side a fortnight ago in the Nedbank Cup semi-final.
Stellenbosch are one point ahead of third-placed Orlando Pirates, but if they lose and Pirates win away at TS Galaxy at the same time, the Buccaneers will move second and into pole position to grab a slot in next season’s African Champions League. Winning away at TS Galaxy’s fortress at the Mbombela Stadium is easier said than done, however.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEKEND
Varane and Lindelof may be back for United; Chiefs missing two key players for Polokwane clash; Southampton hope Adams can play against WBA; Dundalk goalie banned for 10 games; Iraola stays at Bournemouth.
* Manchester United are hopeful Victor Lindelof and Rafael Varane will make comebacks against Brighton on Sunday. Lindelof has been out since the end of March with a hamstring problem, while Varane has been absent since being forced off against Chelsea at the start of April. Varane's exit from Old Trafford at the end of the season has already been confirmed with the ex-France international set to leave on a free transfer.
* Kaizer Chiefs must do without suspended defender Edmilson and winger Pule Mmodi for their penultimate game of the season at home to Polokwane City. Edmilson serves the second of a two-match ban and Mmodi is out for one game after an accumulation of cautions. Polokwane will be without Mozambican midfielder Manuel Kambala.
* Southampton are hopeful that Che Adams will be able to shake off a calf issue in time to take his place in their attack tonight against West Bromwich Albion. The Championship playoff semi-final is locked at 0-0 after the first leg. The Scotland international taking the place of Sekou Mara could prove to be the only change from the first leg.
* Dundalk say their goalkeeper George Shelvey “regrets” his use of discriminatory language after he was hit with a 10-game ban by the Football Association of Ireland. The former Nottingham Forest player was sent off after the final whistle in last week’s derby defeat against Drogheda United and was facing an automatic one-game ban. But an FAI disciplinary committee confirmed that Shelvey would be banned for 10 games for “abuse towards a match official.
* TS Galaxy defenders Pogisho Sanoka (captain) and MacBeth Mahlangu are yet to miss a minute of DStv Premiership action for the club this season and are on course to be the only players to finish the season with a full house of minutes in the competition.
* Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino expects Reece James and Ben Chilwell to be available for inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s preliminary EURO 2024 squad next week. James made his first appearance since undergoing surgery on a hamstring injury in December when setting up a late winner in the team’s 3-2 victory at Nottingham Forest, but was then sent off against Brighton on Wednesday. Chilwell returned to the bench for the trip to the English south coast, having played only 10 first-team minutes since early March.
* Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has signed a new contract, extending his stay in the Premier League club until at least the end of the 2025-26 season.
R150,000 ADD-IN SOCCER 10 POOLS MATCH BY MATCH
Friday 17 May S10 V3
SOCCER 10 V3 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1: Mirandes vs Elche | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| First of three R150,000-added Soccer 10 pools Friday through Sunday. Mirandes are only three points above the Spanish second division relegation places. Elche have lost their last two outings, jeopardising their chances of a place in the promotion playoffs. | |||
| M2: Drogheda United vs Galway United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Irish premier division. Drogheda are unbeaten in their last five clashes with Galway, drawing the last one but winning four in a row before that. | |||
| M3: Dundalk vs Shamrock Rovers | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Dundalk are bottom of the log in Ireland, having conceded six goals in their last two matches. Reigning champions Rovers are also misfiring and have won one of their last six games. | |||
| M4: Guingamp vs Laval | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Both clubs have won only one of their last five games and lost their chance of a place in the French Ligue 2 promotion playoffs. | |||
| M5: Grenoble Foot vs Amiens | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Another Ligue 2 clash. Grenoble’s home record against Amiens is five wins, five draws and a solitary defeat. | |||
| M6: Shelbourne vs Waterford | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Shelbourne have drawn their last three games, but still enjoy a slender one-point lead at the top of the Irish top-flight standings. Newly promoted Waterford have won their last three in a row. | |||
| M7: St Truiden vs OH Leuven | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| OHL are unbeaten in their last five clashes with St Truiden with two wins and three draws. | |||
| M8: Sligo Rovers vs Bohemians | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Bohemians have a marginal 33-32 lead in the win count of previous meetings between these Irish clubs. | |||
| M9: St. Patricks Athletic vs Derry City | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Derry have won the last three meetings between these two clubs, but all were in Derry. | |||
| M10: Southampton vs West Bromwich Albion | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| The first leg of this English Championship promotion playoff tie ended in a goalless draw. Crunch time now. | |||
Suggested R72 perm: 1,2 x 1,2 x 3 x 1,2 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3.
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Saturday 18 May S10 V1
SOCCER 10 V1 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1: Cape Town City vs Richards Bay | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| With R150,000 from TAB to get the pot boiling, you can count on a bumper total pool of some R2 million! City have won only one of their 13 matches in 2024 in a horror slump in form. Richards Bay’s upset win over Orlando Pirates means they avoid automatic relegation. | |||
| M2: Lamontville Golden Arrows vs Cape Town Spurs | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Arrows are still attempting to finish in the top eight, but have not won any of their last seven matches. Spurs are relegated and have two games left in the PSL before returning to the second tier. | |||
| M3: Kaizer Chiefs vs Polokwane City | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Chiefs are in danger of missing a top-eight finish and could even finish lower than ninth in the league for the first time in their history. They can’t afford not to win this. | |||
| M4: Royal AM vs Chippa United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Royal AM play their last home game of the regular season. Chippa’s draw at Arrows last weekend ended a run of four successive defeats. | |||
| M5: Sekhukhune United vs AmaZulu | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Sekhukhune have drawn their last three games while AmaZulu have drawn their last two. | |||
| M6: Stellenbosch vs Mamelodi Sundowns | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| A second away game for Sundowns at Stellenbosch after they beat their hosts 2-1 in the Winelands earlier this month in the Nedbank Cup semi-final. | |||
| M7: SuperSport United vs Moroka Swallows | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| SuperSport have won two of their last 17 matches. Swallows have not beaten SuperSport in their last 13 meetings, but recent form suggests that sequence could be broken here. | |||
| M8: TS Galaxy vs Orlando Pirates | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Pirates go into this clash having won their last three meetings with Galaxy, one away and two at home. | |||
| M9: Union Berlin vs SC Freiburg | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Union need a point to avoid automatic relegation from the Bundesliga. Freiburg have drawn three of their last four matches. | |||
| M10: Werder Bremen vs VfL Bochum | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Defeat for Bochum could see them finish third last and be forced into a Bundesliga promotion-relegation playoff. They have only won once in 33 past visits to Bremen. | |||
Suggested R108 perm: 1 x 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 3 x 1,2 x 3 x 1 x 1.
Sunday 19 May S10 V3
SOCCER 10 V3 SUGGESTED BET:
| M1: Arsenal vs Everton | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Last EPL games of the 2023-24 season in one Soccer 10 and a R150,000 cash boost to the pot from TAB! A win over Everton will make it six victories in a row for the Gunners, but their late-season surge might not be enough to win the Premier League. Everton are unbeaten in their last five outings. | |||
| M2: Brentford vs Newcastle United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Newcastle have scored 10 goals in winning their last four clashes against Brentford. | |||
| M3: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Brighton have won only one of their past eight fixtures. United’s hopes of playing continental club competition next season look grey after successive losses to Crystal Palace and Arsenal. | |||
| M4: Burnley vs Nottingham Forest | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Burnley were relegated last week while Forest stayed up by the skin of their teeth for a second successive season. | |||
| M5: Chelsea vs Bournemouth | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Bournemouth have won on three previous visits to Stamford Bridge but lost on the other five occasions. | |||
| M6: Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Palace have won five of their last six matches, drawing the other. A fourth-place finish sees Villa in the Champions League for the first time in some 40 years. | |||
| M7: Liverpool vs Wolverhampton Wanderers | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Jurgen Klopp says goodbye to Liverpool as Wolves look to win at Anfield for the first time since a FA Cup tie in 2017. | |||
| M8: Luton Town vs Fulham | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| Luton’s hopes of staying up in the Premier league ended at West Ham last week. Fulham have collected two points from their last four league games. | |||
| M9: Manchester City vs West Ham United | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| A win will see City retain their title and take the Premier League for the sixth time in seven seasons. West Ham have not beaten City in their last 19 meetings. | |||
| M10: Sheffield United vs Tottenham Hotspur | TEAM A WINS | DRAW | TEAM B WINS |
| A last game in the top-flight for the Blades who have not won in their last 13 outings. Spurs have missed out on Champions League football next season. | |||
Suggested R72 perm: 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2 x 1,2 x 1 x 1,2, 3 x 1 x 3 x 1 x 3.
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