With most of the Leagues around Europe decided you have to look at Spain and Turkey for a competition that is still close or not too complex so that a quick glance at a table doesn’t require a degree in statistics.
All the talk though is about Champions League, and the progression of Barcelona and Juventus to the final in Berlin despite a loss and a draw respectively.
Spanish papers are calling Real Madrid not making the final the catastrophe of the century or something similar, thankfully with Gareth Bale’s level of Spanish he won’t be able to translate the criticism of him to English.
Thankfully a potential strike in Spain for the last two rounds was called off, giving Barcelona their chance to win the competition this weekend, although a trip to Atletico Madrid is one of the hardest assignments they could ask for.
HAVE SOME BEST BETS.
ITALY ROMA to beat Udinese
DRAW – Sassuolo v Milan
DRAW – Inter v Juventus
LAZIO to beat Sampdoria
$1 Multi pays $30
GERMANY
BAYERN MUNICH to beat Freiburg
OVER 2.5 GOALS – Wolfsburg v Dortmund
HERTHA BERLIN to beat Eintracht Frankfurt
DRAW – Augsburg v Hannover
BORUSSIA M-GLADBACH or DRAW v Werder Bremen
$1 Multi pays $18
FRANCE
PSG or DRAW v Montpellier
DRAW – Monaco v Metz
DRAW – Lyon v Marseille
DRAW – Nice v Lens
$1 Multi $67
SPAIN REAL SOCIEDAD to beat Granada
SEVILLA to beat Almeria
OVER 2.5 GOALS – At Madrid v Barcelona
GETAFE to beat Eibar
CELTA VIGO to beat Valencia
UNDER 2.5 GOALS – Villareal v Malaga
With everything other than one relegation place and the order of 2nd, 3rd and 4th already decided in the EPL it is time to go down a step to check out the real action this weekend.
The biggest game in UK Football this weekend is the clash between Norwich and Ipswich in a game described amongst many things as the old farm derby or farmageddon. It is the second leg of the Championship playoffs and with winner set to go to Wembley to play off for a spot in the EPL, the local rivalry cranks it up to 11 this Saturday.
The tie sits at 1-1 after Ipswich fans hit the ceiling (some literally) when they equalised after an earlier Norwich goal. Norwich looked the slightly better side and go into the second leg at home favourites, but Ipswich are known for fighting hard if nothing else, so nail biting penalties could be the solution.
As a life long Ipswich Town fan, one can only hope that the team can break out of mediocrity and head for the EPL.
There is another leg to this playoff series too, and that one features Middlesbrough and surprise playoff team Brentford.
The better game of the first legs finished 2-1 to Middlesbrough after a very late goal disappointed the boisterous home fans in west London.
Boro looks the good on paper, but Brentford have surprised thus far, and another en route to a Wembley final is not out of the question.
GURGLER PREDICTS
Norwich 1 – 1 Ipswich – please let it be Ipswich on pens.
Middlesbrough 2 – 0 Brentford
Further down the divisions the next three divisions have their finalists decided, and only the big day at Wembley awaits.
The first of those is the Conference Playoff Final between Bristol Rovers and Grimsby Town. The Conference is the division is the fifth tier of UK Football and first of the non 100% full time leagues, although that is barely the case these days. The problem with being in the Conference is that only two go up each year -1 automatically and 1 from the teams 2nd to 5th.
Bristol Rovers, who are spending their first season in the Non League div ever after 90 odds years above, finished second and could have been automatically promoted with better results on the last day. Grimsby Town were relegated to the Non League tier in 2010 and like Bristol Rovers the trip down was their first ever and after 100 years above. So one of these teams will get back to where they think they belong this Saturday, we think Bristol Rovers will make it back first attempt.
GURLGER PREDICTS – BRISTOL ROVERS 3 GRIMSBY TOWN 1
The division the above teams are trying to make it into, League Two, have their finalists decided – Wycombe after a pair of wins against Plymouth, and Southend who needed extra time to get past Stevenage after a draw first up.
League One playoff finalists are decided too with Preston North End to meet Swindon Town. Swindon went through after a goal invasion 5-5 in the second leg against Sheffield Utd proved enough after a first leg win. An invasion of a different kind at Preston left a Chesterfield players attacked and Preston in trouble. More trouble is Preston’s inability in 9 attempts to win a playoff final.
We’ll give our thoughts on a final Football League playoffs bit next weekend.
There still are some EPL games worth following this weekend, and for different reasons. The full list is below for interest.
One of them is Newcastle @ QPR. Two of the worst form teams in the comp meet each other with the R’s already down and Newcastle looking like they are on a commission for places on the ladder dropped.
Man Utd v Arsenal is always a good game, but with not a great deal at stake it hopefully open up the game a bit.
Liverpool v Crystal Palace sees Steven Gerrard’s last game at Anfield. The man deserves no less than a huge turnout and a win. Hopefully he’ll get both on the weekend. A true hero of the English game.
TIME FOR BEST BETS
ASTON VILLA to beat Southampton
SPURS to beat Hull
EVERTON to beat West Ham
OVER 2.5 GOALS – Liverpool v Crystal Palace
MAN UTD to beat Arsenal
Round 10 already, time sure does fly when you’re having fun. Better enjoy it whilst we can as the Origin series looms to ruin the NRL for about two months, and clog the airwaves and TV on origin bolters, conspiracies, and other Channel 9 related things.
We’ll do a quick run through of the games this round. Plus give our tips for the games which you can use to make a super multi involving all 8 tips. We sure will.
Friday 7:30 – CH9COWBOYS v BRONCOS
A Friday double header from Channel 9 which are both worth watching and the Queensland live leg looks a goodun’.
The Cowboys have won six in a row since their season looked doomed after three straight losses to start the season including a pantsing at the hands of this week’s opponents.
The Broncos are quietly going about 2015, just the way you’d imagine Wayne Bennett would enjoy it, and that leaves us with a top four clash to enjoy on Friday night.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – BRONCOS +8.5 start
Friday 7:30 – CH9BULLDOGS v ROOSTERS
The NSW live game also looks a goodun’ and features two of last year’s Top including the minor premiers and the eventual runners up.
The Bulldogs are getting some of the big name players back, and that can only help when playing a Roosters side with many playing to impress for origin time. Although it looks like the Roosters pair will get the nod for origin which is reasonably good news for Queenslanders.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – ROOSTERS -3.5 start
Saturday 3:00pmEELS v NZ WARRIORS
A meeting of the NRL’s two most unpredictable teams.
NZ may have already spent their quota of decent performances in Sydney for the first half of the year, so their visit to Parramatta will be met with some kind of reluctance to tip them.
Eels meanwhile were well beaten by Melbourne which is no shame, but they are even less reliable to tip than NZ who can be guaranteed to come close to victory at home.
Maybe Semi Radradra’s 2nd week back will inspire Parramatta. Or maybe The Beast will continue his fine form. The battle of these two wingers should be the highlight.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – NZ +6.5 start
Saturday 5:30pmGOLD COAST V SHARKS
The Sharks had been on a decent roll before last week’s loss to the NZ Warriors, after starting off with a few losses, one of which included an away win to their opponents Gold Coast this time around.
The Gold Coast were thumped in the second half against Canberra last weekend, but despite enough turmoil to send a club down, they currently have 4 wins and 5 losses, and another win would give the home side an unlikely 50-50 start to the season.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – SHARKS +2.5 start
Saturday 7:30pmSTORM v RABBITOHS
Arguably the game of the round, but you gotta give Fox Sports some sugar since they will eventually have all the games live when Channel 9 can’t afford the next broadcasting rights by themselves. Please make it happen. F1 to Fox Sports is the perfect example of how it works great for the fan.
Anyways, back to the game and there are battles galore for this game, unfortunately there are some battle scars for the Rabbitohs who will be without Adam Reynolds for another long stint, and Sutton may or may not play.
Amongst those playing is the number one number one in rugby league and Billy Slater, or Greg Inglis, depending on your view. If we ever had both players fully fit at the same time on the same field then it would be a smack down for the ages. That said, it should still enjoyable to view this Saturday.
Despite those players of brilliance, it will more than likely be a truck it up the middle special with the game allowing itself to get creative every now and then. Souths with their big boys from Britain and Melbourne with their array of no nonsense underrated forward pack.
If Sutton plays Souths can go close.
Sutton.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – MELBOURNE -5.5 start
Sunday 2:00pmDRAGONS v RAIDERS
The Dragons beat the Raiders in 2014 for the first time since 2007 and did it again earlier this year and will be confident of repeating the dose on Sunday given their winning run was only beaten by South Sydney on Monday night.
Canberra themselves are in form, and are somehow 5th with 5 wins without anyone really taking notice, maybe because with Canberra winning we don’t hear from rugby league’s angriest man – Carlos Smearson aka Ricky Stuart.
Canberra are three from four away, as are the Dragons at home, so the stats and form are reasonably equal, so flip a coin.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – CANBERRA +8.5 start
Sunday 4:00pmKNIGHTS v TIGERS
One for the purists on Sunday afternoon as Channel 9’s reluctance to leave NSW or kick off before 4:10 so you have no choice but to stay with the game and watch their news on a Sunday sees a trip up the road to Newcastle, a change from the usual venue at the Olympic stadium. Although in no doubt will be Gus describing his love for Sunday afternoon football. We agree, we would just like it shared around more.
Newcastle’s surprise 4 from 4 start to the year has almost taken them surprise as they have now lost the next 5 in a row and have descended down as low as 12th after their early table topping heroics. Not that the losses have been bad, they ran the red hot Cowboys close on Anzac Day amongst those 5.
The Tigers are doing what any young building side will do and lose and win with equal measure until it all clicks. With three home games and a bye coming up, a win in Newcastle will set them up nicely.
GURGLER MULTI TIP – TIGERS +6.5 start
Monday 7:00pmMANLY v PENRITH
Round 10 wraps up at Brookvale and will be the last game before Origin teams are announced, so it will be one last chance for Brett Stewart to push his claims for a blues spot.
The novelty of Manly in last place on the ladder is wearing off as two good wins in a row now have them equal on points with Parramatta and going in the right direction to move further.
Penrith will be looking to bounce back from a late loss to the Broncos on Friday night, and will no doubt need to score more tries on Monday than last Friday if they want the two points from Manly.
One thing The Gurgler prides itself on, awful sports tipping aside, is our celebration of the forgotten, people or things who have long since left the general public’s eye, but are still remembered and cherished in that part of the brain that used to be useful before Google.
So the news today that the Grand Master of Hypnosis Martin St James had passed away was met with the usual ignorance that so many of our forgotten heroes don’t deserve – “I didn’t realise he was still alive”, but it’s hard not to when haven’t thought about him or the hypnosis game for so long. A time when life was simple.
When Martin St James was a regular on TV, entertainment was Deane Hutton and his experiments on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, when the news was believable, where the tedious format of reality TV was a decade and more away.
A visit to the official website of Martin St James is worth a look, like an artist who is only remembered by most for the one hit wonder, but actually released 18 albums full of fine music. Martin St James is the same as there is an interesting back story of cancer battles won, law breaking, record TV audiences in Korea and Seagulls performances.
You’ll remember the menacing but friendly stare with that goatee of intrigue, and more than likely some man in an 80’s power business shirt waiving his arms like chicken. And remember the good times, and the forgotten.
Have some of his best work below courtesy of Youtube.
Another exciting week of the Intrust Super Cup aka the Queensland Cup is coming up this weekend, and you don’t want to be out of the loop. The man and especially woman (as it is Women in League Round for the Qld Cup) on the street will be talking Townsville Blackhawks, PNG Hunters, Easts Tigers, et al this weekend and next week so get all the information before it starts.
Check out the preview at Nothing But League here. Our friends at Nothing But League have all your Queensland Cup news plus NRL and UK Super League, and just about anything rugby league.
The Gurgler will even provide their Super Multi for Round 10.
EASTS TIGERS to beat Redcliffe Dolphins
SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES to beat Sunshine Coast Falcons
CENTRAL CAPRAS to beat Wynnum
MACKAY CUTTERS to beat Ipswich Jets
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS to beat Tweed Heads Seagulls
PNG HUNTERS to beat Norths Devils
Welcome to another week of the sporting week in review and preview, summing up what took our fancy for the sporting set of seven.
KEVIN PIETERSEN 326 NOT IN
As Andrew Strauss moves into the hierarchy or English Cricket, the well timed triple century put KP’s name back in the spotlight at just the right time for chaos for English cricket.
Despite the triple century and plenty of runs in Australia’s Big Bash a return was unlikely before Andrew Strauss’ arrival to the board, and virtually zero once he was chosen. For Andrew Strauss had once put a big C beside the name of KP in a TV commentary for Sky, and he wasn’t talking about captaincy.
Happily with an Ashes series looming England are sticking to the guns and confirming they are not selecting Kevin Pietersen. Somehow the leading English run scorer from the last series in Australia, and the only batsman who looked like troubling the Aussies won’t be considered.
Maybe they think they are covered after their unconvincing tour to the West Indies or their tremendous performance at the World Cup earlier in the year.
Sure he comes across as a dickhead, and that no one within or outside the team really likes him, but that hasn’t stopped Australia and Channel Nine persisting with Michael Slater.
It doesn’t matter us as Aussies, but we’ll sure sleep easier knowing one of the biggest dangers won’t be able to play. Especially in England where we have been off the pace in recent series.
FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
As QPR and Burnley are relegated it is time for the occasional UK non EPL fan to look downwards as the importance of the lower teams become greater as three of them are allowed to join to the EPL each year.
If one has made the effort to keep an eye on the lower three tiers playoffs they have been rewarded with some great games.
The Championship saw two great games one a 2-1 win to Middlesbrough over Brentford and fierce local rivals Ipswich and Norwich played a 1-1 draw. The Ipswich equalising goal’s importance was highlighted by the celebration by a man on twitter who showed the hole in his roof caused by overly excitable celebration. As an Ipswich fan, I can relate. The goal scorer offered to pay the damages. Man of the people that Anderson.
Another game worth noting amongst them all was the final semi final of League One between Swindon and Sheffield United. Swindon took a 2-1 lead into the home game, and at the end of the second 90 minutes there were another 10 goals scored and a 5-5 score line. Just goes to show that anything can happen lower down in UK Football. Swindon will meet Preston to go up to the Championship, whilst that division and League Two still have their second legs to go.
A LEAGUE FINAL
Melbourne Victory are playing Sydney FC on Sunday. Sure the detractors will remark that it’s only A League and sometimes they are right, but this should be as good as it can be this weekend with two of the best teams who don’t like each other very much. It will be more than likely better entertainment than the NRL on Sunday.
SPORTING VIDEOS OF THE WEEK
With the NRL showing little interest in sending anyone off for some very ordinary foul play, we want to highlight just how easy it is to send players off in other sports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-SEpBTqWmI
ASK DR SPORTZ
With the looming A League Grand Final, do you have any ideas for A League Expansion? Frank North-Star, Doboy, Qld
Not really, any more teams will only make the competition weaker than it already is, and the only cities that could sustain more teams – Melbourne and Sydney – don’t really need a third. Neither do next big cities Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth need a second given their current attendances.
Only possibilities within Australia would Tasmania or Canberra for geographic reasons, or another regional Vic or NSW side.
One out there solution would be rewarding the non League team in the FFA Cup that get the furthest in the competition for the next season. That or a team from a South East Asian country like Singapore or Malaysia.
What do you think of Deflate-Gate in the NFL? Beryl Pocket-Rohde, Wantima, Qld.
Sometimes cheats prosper, but the actual incident doesn’t bother me, it’s the use of gate in all media. Although in this case it rhymes, the use of gate is usually a lazy way of highlighting an issue instead of using a carefully constructed pun.
BEST OF SPORTS UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS
FRIDAY
19:30
NRL
CH9
NQ v BRISBANE
FRIDAY
19:30
NRL
CH9
ROOSTERS V BULLDOGS
SATURDAY
14:20
V8s
FS5
WINTON RACE 1
SATURDAY
16:35
V8s
FS5
WINTON RACE 2
SATURDAY
19:20
AFL
FF
SYDNEY v GEELONG
SATURDAY
19:30
NRL
FS1
MELBOURNE V SOUTH SYDNEY
SATURDAY
21:15
UK FOOTBALL
BE IN SPORTS
NORWICH V IPSWICH
SUNDAY
2:00
EPL
FS4
LIVERPOOL v CRYSTAL PALACE
SUNDAY
13:10
AFL
FF
BULLDOGS V FREMANTLE
SUNDAY
13:45
V8s
FS5
WINTON RACE 3
SUNDAY
14:00
OTHER
FS3
RED AIR AIR RACE – JAPAN
SUNDAY
16:00
A LEAGUE
FS4
MELBOURNE VICTORY V SYDNEY FC
GURGLER SUPER MULTI
$1 pays $48
UK FOOTBALL – League 2 Semi SOUTHEND to beat Stevenage
MOTO GP – Marquez to win French GP
AFL – WEST COAST to beat Gold Coast
AFL – WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.5 start v Fremantle
COLLINGWOOD to beat Richmond
MELB VICTORY to lift ALeague trophy
UK FOOTBALL – Conference Playoff Final – BRISTOL ROVERS to win
LONGSHOTS MIGUEL ANGEL JIMINEZ to win Spanish Open Golf @ $51
MICHAEL CARUSO to win R1 V8’s at Winton @$751
Need to know about the Intrust Super Cup? Of course you do. Did you know who beat who by 72 points? Did you know how teams are tied in second? Which Seagulls side was superior? Did excitement machine and Gurgler favourite Willie Minoga score for PNG?
The answer to those questions are right here – Townsville beat Burleigh. Three. Wynnum Manly. Yes.
If you need more on those questions and many, many, more answers you didn’t realise you needed to know, why not visit Nothing But League’s Intrust Super Cup review for Round 9.
European Football is all about the European knockout competitions and in particular one man, Lionel Messi.
His performance on Wednesday has allowed Barcelona to all but seal a final spot for the Champions League. 3 – 0 over Bayern Munich all but sorts that tie out. The other leg is more delicately placed after Juventus beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the first leg in Italy.
In the poorer cousin, the Europa League Sevilla look like they will be another Spanish team in a European final after a 3-0 first leg win over Fiorentina. The other leg between Napoli and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk ended 1-1, and if the latter team makes the final it will be interesting to see the many attempts at pronouncing their name. Lord knows we don’t know.
So onto the Leagues where of the top 4 leagues two are already decided – Germany and Italy. One is almost decided – France. And the only close one is between giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, and with a potential strike to end the year it may well be decided early too. We hope they sort it out soon.
HAVE SOME OF OUR BEST BETS
ITALIAN MULTI $1 Multi pays $10
JUVENTUS to beat Cagliari
PALERMO to beat Atalanta
UNDER 2.5 GOALS – Milan v Roma
NAPOLI to beat Parma
LAZIO or DRAW v Inter
SPANISH MULTI $1 Multi pays $17
BARCELONA to beat Real Sociedad
ATLETICO MADRID to beat Levante
REAL MADRID to beat Valencia
VILLAREAL to beat Elche
RAYO VALLECANO to beat Getafe
MALAGA to beat Almeria
GERMAN MULTI $1 Multi pays $26
BORUSSIA DORTMUND to beat Hertha Berlin
OVER 2.5 GOALS – Ein Frankfurt v Hoffenheim
BAYER LEVERKUSEN to beat Bor M’Gladbach
BAYERN MUNICH to beat Augsburg
MAINZ to beat Stuttgart
Not long to go for the Football season to go now with the lower leagues already in playoff mode and the EPL with just three rounds to go. Those three rounds looks likely not to be enough games and time left to save QPR and Burnley who could go down to the Championship this weekend with tough away games. Who will join them remains an open race of 5 teams currently within 2 points of each other. All going in different directions.
Leicester have gone from certain doom to ostrich inspired safety, but are still only 1 point from the drop, and going in the other direction is their opponents from last weekend Newcastle, who have now lost 8 in a row, look terrible, and have a manager accusing players of getting red cards on purpose. Aston Villa have the layers and the momentum to move forward as Hull appear to as well. So that leaves Newcastle’s rivals Sunderland as the team most likely to go down. Their form throughout most of the season wouldn’t look out of place against Blackburn, Derby and Birmingham next season.
Talking of the Championship, the playoffs start Friday night UK time with surprise packets Brentford taking on former EPL regulars Middlesbrough. Both Boro and Derby looked odds on to go straight up with a couple of months to go, not only did both teams not achieve that, Derby didn’t even make the playoffs.
The big game a rung down from the EPL is the Old Farm derby between Ipswich and Norwich. Norwich look the favourite as Ipswich struggle to beat their rivals, however an Ipswich fan can dream for a few weeks at least. Read more on our Play off thoughts right here.
Further down League One kicked off the playoff season Thursday night UK time with two away wins to Preston and Swindon. Hard for Chesterfield and Sheffield United to turn those results around in the second legs, and given Preston’s 0/8 playoff record, one could argue that Swindon have it all to lose. But League One is rarely that simple.
League Two start their playoffs on Saturday night UK Time with Plymouth v Wycombe then Stevenage v Southend on the Sunday night.
Amongst all the above action Chelsea took out the title and deservedly so, they looked the best all season. Hopefully next year someone can sustain a challenge for more than a month, starting with Arsene Wenger beating Mourinho for the first time.
Enjoy the sleepless nights whilst they last, you’ll miss it when it’s gone over the Australian winter.
BLURST BETS
EPL MULTI $1 pays $27
MANCHESTER CITY to beat QPR
ASTON VILLA to beat West Ham
HULL to beat Burnley
DRAW – Everton v Sunderland
UNDER 2.5 GOALS – Chelsea v Liverpool
PLAYOFF MULTI $1 Multi $42
BRENTFORD to beat Middlesbrough
NORWICH to beat Ipswich
PLYMOUTH to beat Wycombe
DRAW – Stevenage v Southend
So the international break is over, and alongside the fans, the most thankful people to see the return of NRL action are most of the Australian team from Sunday’s match. Doomsayers have started their campaign, and whilst it’s hard not to argue with a few changes, it’s not the end of the world. Like in every sport, New Zealand are just better than we are at the moment. Simples. A whole batch of new blood will accentuate the difference, not reduce it.
Someone who won’t be enjoying the return of the NRL is Greg Bird, who has been sat down for 8 games (10 weeks if you include Byes) after a dangerous throw.
This round is all about who will make a return whether already scheduled or last minute. Thankfully they are some of players that the clubs and fans have been waiting for. Like John Sutton, Darius Boys, Jamie Soward, Semi Radradra for starters.
But enjoy the full round of eight games whilst they last. They won’t be around for long. By the time you hear the words Origin Bolter, the NRL goes into it’s truncated form, akin to a degree of hibernation.
Better detailed match previews are available at our friends site at Nothing But League.
Here’s our Super Multi for this week’s NRL games.
PENRITH +8.5 start v Brisbane
ROOSTERS -5.5 start v Roosters
GOLD COAST +8.5 start v Canberra
NEW ZEALAND +6.5 start v Sharks
NQ COWBOYS -3.5 start v Bulldogs
MANLY -1.5 start v Newcastle
PARRAMATTA +6.5 start v Storm
SOUTHS -7.5 start v Dragons
