Domestic football in the UK gets underway again tonight, and we will be taking a close look at those fixtures as well as the tennis for today’s Lucky 15. Yesterday proved to be a day of upsets as Dominic Thiem fell to Kevin Anderson and Kei Nishikori powered past Juan Martin del Potro. However, our highlighted man to watch Sebastian Ofner beat Renzo Olivo for our only winning bet.
The less said about the Europa League qualifiers, the better. Can we close the week with a few more winners? Don’t forget that a Lucky 15 combines four separate bets into one accumulator, four trebles, six doubles and four singles to maximise your chances of a return.
Here are today’s bets:
- Tennis: Sebastian Ofner to beat Joao Sousa at around 7/4
- Football: Nottingham Forest to beat Millwall at around Evens
- Football: Sunderland to win or draw against Derby County at around 1/2
- Tennis: Thomas Berdych to beat Thanasi Kokkinakiks 2-0 at around 4/6
Sebastian Ofner to beat Joao Sousa
We are going to stick with our new favourite Austrian player (sorry, Dominic) for our first bet of the day. He has now extended his clay season record to 19-9 (3-0 on the main tour) by beating Olivo and has already beaten Pablo Cuevas this week. Sousa has had a challenging year (11-12 on clay), and this is his first semifinal since April. Sousa has had to come from behind in all three wins this week but may find Ofner a tougher nut to crack. Both players may be nervous, so it may well go to three sets, but we are sticking with Ofner – particularly with odds against available.
Nottingham Forest to beat Millwall
Sleeping giants Nottingham Forest begin their latest campaign to return to the Premier League against newly promoted Millwall tonight, and we see them making a winning start. I would not expect many goals, but at Evens, I think Forest are worth including in our bet today. They came through pre-season unbeaten and have recruited well, adding a mix of experience and youth to areas of their squad that needed attention. They will have a big crowd supporting them tonight as well and don’t be put off by recent injuries – they have the squad depth to cope.
Sunderland to win or draw against Derby
This early-season encounter between two big clubs is unlikely to be a high-scoring thriller – few games this early in the season are. Sunderland, under new boss Simon Grayson, are still trying to bolster their squad after relegation from the Premier League. Although they have arguably recruited better than Derby, it will take time for the new side to gel, and a 5-0 hammering by Celtic will have knocked their confidence a little. However, with a point to prove, I do not see them losing this one at home so go for the double chance to cover every option except an unlikely Derby win.
Thomas Berdych to beat Thanasi Kokkinanikis 2-0
Berdych looks a good bet to win ATP Los Cabos overall (get him at around 8/11 if you want to) but first he must see off Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Australian is making a comeback after some time out of the game but has had to battle to get this far. He needed two tie breaks to beat Frances Tiafoe, three sets to beat Peter Polansky and another tie break in the win over Taylor Fritz. Berdych is a step up from those players, and I think the time he has spent on the court will begin to tell. Berdych came from behind to beat the dangerous Adrian Mannarino and is coming into some good form.