The wizard of odds has all the latest betting tips

By Simon Hayes on May 15, 2008 8:59 AM |

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Betbrokers' Nigel Seeley - The Wizard of Odds - gives Wharfers the lowdown on where to place their bets this week.

He who dares wins? Famous words from Del-Boy, but unfortunately we ended up looking “right plonkers��? with a total loss of £50 last weekend.

With two major football finals this week we can get our figure up again, but we start with cricket where England face New Zealand in the first test at Lord’s on Thursday.

England are without Freddie Flintoff but that hasn’t stopped the punters piling on them to start the series with a victory, but can you seriously back them at 5/6?

The first way to the poor house is to place your hard-earned on the England cricket team and I’m not going to change that habit. Also I can’t bring myself to back the woeful Kiwis so the draw must be backed at 7/4.

The weather forecast is not good for the weekend and the early part of next week and draw backers will be in clover if the heavens open over NW8.

Portsmouth and Cardiff face each other in Saturday’s FA Cup Final. Pompey are red-hot favourites to win at 1/3 with their Welsh rivals available at 11/4. Both teams come off the back of some pretty poor form and the bookmakers prices look bang-on the money.

I expect both defences to be on top, so the only bet is on Sol Campbell to be crowned man-of-the-match. He’s Pompey’s defensive rock and with this possibly being his last game for the club odds of 20/1 on him receiving the accolade are far too big.

With goals likely to be scarce it’s hard to make a case for Milan Baros or Kanu who are both 8/1 co-favourites.

Bookies are bracing themselves for football’s biggest betting event ever when Manchester United meet Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow on Wednesday.

United edged out the Blues in the Premier League and are slight favourites to add the Champions League at 4/5. But they have only beaten Chelsea twice in their last 14 meetings. Avram Grant’s men are 6/5 to win but there is more appeal in backing them at 9/4 to win the match in normal time.

Roman Abramovitch will not accept defeat in his own back yard and I fully expect “old big ears��? to be heading to the capital for the first time in its long history.

I wouldn’t normally recommend a bet on the correct score but I like the look of Chelsea to win 1-0. Of the last 14 matches between the two teams Chelsea have won three by this score-line, so 15/2 on the Blues to win 1-0 has great appeal with all the stats suggesting it should be half those odds.

RUNNING TOTAL +£136.53

RECOMMENDED BETS
£10 England v NZ – First Test to be a draw @ 7/4
£5 Sol Campbell to be man of the match in FA Cup final @ 20/1
£15 Chelsea to beat Man Utd in normal time @ 9/4
£10 Chelsea to beat Man Utd 1-0 @ 15/2

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