Not quite the start of the month we were looking for yesterday, but at least Peter Polansky did the business after Blaz Kavcic pulled out, Thiago Monteiro lost and a goal in the 94th minute of injury time did for our Tiraspol-Qarabag bet.
On we go though, and with many more Champions League qualifiers to choose from tonight, as well some fascinating tennis match-ups, let’s hope we get more than one bet coming in from these four.
Remember, a Lucky 15 combines four separate bets into one four-fold accumulator, four trebles, six doubles, and four singles, so you still get something back if only one bet wins.
Here are today’s bets:
- Football: Celtic to beat Rosenborg at around 7/5
- Football: Ajax to beat Nice at around 4/6
- Tennis: Philipp Kohlschreiber to beat Jiri Vesely at around 10/11
- Tennis: Paolo Lorenzi to beat Joao Sousa at around 5/6
Paolo Lorenzi to beat Joao Sousa
The bookmakers can’t split these, but we are prepared to have a go and are opting for the Italian veteran to beat the Portuguese battler. Although Sousa leads the head to head 2-0, their last meeting was back in 2014. Lorenzi is now on the cusp of the top 30 in the world – and is therefore in the running to be seeded for the US Open – whereas Sousa’s ranking has dipped to below 60. Sousa has a record of 9-12 this season on clay whereas Lorenzi, a finalist in Umag a few weeks back, has a much better record of 14-11.
Philipp Kohlschreiber to beat Jiri Vesely
Fresh off a run to the semi-finals of Hamburg, Philipp Kohlschreiber seems to have made a swift recovery from the injury that denied him a genuine shot at that title. He beat Facundo Bagnis in the first round in Kitzbuhel in straight sets to set up a third career meeting with Jiri Vesely. The German leads the head to head 2-0, both matches were on clay, and we fancy him to extend that record to 3-0 later today. His battling qualities should prevail over the often dangerous, but inconsistent, Vesely.
Celtic to beat Rosenborg
We thought Celtic might struggle in the first leg, but not to the extent where they wouldn’t win. Although Moussa Dembele is still unavailable through injury, they do have Leigh Griffiths back, and fresh from hammering Sunderland 5-0 – as much a confidence boost as anything else – I think they will be too strong for the Norwegians, whose chance to win the tie actually presented itself in Scotland. Celtic are odds against to win the match which represents value for me, if you want a safer bet, they are about 8/15 to qualify, which they would in the case of any score draw.
Ajax to beat Nice
Ajax reached the final of the Europa League last season and host Nice after a 1-1 draw in France. With an away goal in their pocket, they could settle for the draw, but with Mario Balotelli playing for a Nice side that likes to counter, that would be a dangerous game. They have an excellent record at home – losing just two of their last 20 – and should be too strong for Nice. The French side has to score, and that could open up gaps for Ajax to exploit. A safer bet is Ajax to qualify at 2/5, but there is little value there.