Highlights all over

5 out of 7 selections obliged with Igugu, Milan, Palermo, Real and Lyon all winning, but Inter and Barcelona disappointing against lowly opposition. The week-end was not short of highlights in many departments.

In La Liga, it is almost done deal for Real who have shot 7 points clear at the top. They look a certainty to win the title and only a cataclysmic occurrence (like Mourinho quitting before the season end) will stop them. It is looking sweet right now, having recommended piling on them a couple of months ago.

In tennis, what else to say about Djokovic beating Nadal yet again in a Major final? He's got his sights on Roland Garros already and Nadal has a few weeks to figure out how to stop the Serbian machine. After all, Paris is the Spaniard's hunting ground and it will be interesting to see if Nole has the ammunition to topple him on his favourite surface. We'll get there in due time.

In golf, Tiger let go of the win in the final round in Abu Dhabi to an English journeyman golfer. It used to be that Tiger would always make the difference in the last round if leading after 3 rounds, but his defeat shows that he's not quite at his best level yet. Still a third place finish looks honorable as he continues his comeback assault.

In racing, the Kenilworth meeting in South Africa was a treat to watch. What a beautiful mover Jackson, the winner of the Cape Investec Derby, is. Definitely one to watch in future middle-distance races. Ebony Flyer, who I have been gloating about in these pages but who flopped badly in the Queen's Plate, redeemed herself and won the Group 1 mile race on the card. But the star of the evening was Igugu, no doubt. She produced a jaw-dropping finishing kick to win when all observers had her beaten. Super Igugu, she would beat any filly on this planet from 10-12 furlongs, in my opinion.

Tuesday sees a rare Premier League fixture and I see Man Utd and Tottenham keeping the pressure on leaders Man City. They should dispatch Stoke and Wigan respectively at home; a Win on Man Utd is recommended, while a conservative draw-no-bet on Spurs looks safer than an outright win (there's always the disruptive effects of manager Redknapp's off-field issues on the functioning of the team).

Win: Man Utd

Draw-no-bet: Tottenham

Busy week-end

Terrific last couple of days with African Story and Musir winning the plaudits in Meydan and Djokovic reaching the Australian Open Final as recommended.

The EPL leaves the stage to the FA Cup this week-end, with a Liverpool v/s Man Utd as the highlight match. Cup matches rarely have anything to do with EPL form so it is pointless for me to try to find teams that will go through. I will rather focus on La Liga where Real and Barcelona go back to battle for the title after their epic Cup showdown. With eyes closed, the recommendation is on Real to overcome last-place Zaragoza. It will be a matter of how many goals the Los Blancos will score against a club that looks destined for relegation.

Barcelona have an arguably more difficult match against Villareal, who are the disappointing team of the league. This is a team that was contending in the Champions League not long ago and who now find themselves fighting for survival in the top flight. The Catalans cannot afford to lose any points in this match and provided they do not suffer from the absences of Iniesta and Sanchez, they should get the Win in the end. They are recommended as a Win as well.

In Serie A, I like draw-no-bets for AC Milan, Inter and Palermo as they are playing inferior opposition.
In La Ligue 1, Lyon looks a safe draw-no-bet against Dijon.

South African racing has a big Saturday with no less than 3 Group 1's and 1 Group 2 up for grabs. The main race is the J&B Met in which superstar filly Igugu is the big favourite. The main question is whether she has fully recovered from the throat infection that had affected her, and the subsequent tough quarantine to which she had been subjected. If she's back to her best, she'll win. Throat infections can destroy a career; the one that comes to mind is Discreet Cat's in the DWC. The horse never came back to his best again. Although Igugu's problem does not look as serious as that of the former Godolphin star, it will still be interesting if that could have had any effect on her. I think as odds-against, she's worth the punt as a Win as she is better than anything in the field by far. With those risks in mind, the recommendation is for her to Win.

Win: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Igugu

Draw-no-bet: Milan, Inter, Palermo, Lyon

Champions League Tuesday

Glorious week-end where just about everything hit the board. In racing, Frankel was again his outstanding self and won with authority. Opinion Poll validated the confidence of a Place recommendation by finishing second to Fame and Glory. I mentioned So You Think will run good but wouldn't win. The way winner Cirrus des Aigles caught him in the final 50 yards suggests strongly that he was feeling the exertions in the Arc 13 days ago.

In football, Man City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid all won and QPR drew with Blackburn for a voided punt. The fact that the Gunners had to resort to a free-kick in the last 10 minutes to overcome Sunderland at home shows that this is really a team in transition and much weaker than the previous editions. I cannot see them winning anything again this year, unless the other top teams allow them the Carling Cup.

On Tuesday, it's back to Champions League matches, and it is certain that Man Utd and Real Madrid won't lose their matches; in fact, I see both of them winning. It's a must win game for The Red Devils who have drawn their first 2 matches of the group. Losing points to the Romanian outfit Galati will spell trouble for them. The match will be played in a neutral avenue, so clearly Man Utd should outclass the opposition. They are recommended as a win.

All indications are that Real Madrid win beat Lyon; they are nearly flawless at home and Lyon hasn't been able to have their measure in the confrontations of the past years. Knowing his opponents well and posting ever solid results at home, Mourinho should get the tactics right to overcome the French. Real Madrid is recommended to win.


Win: Real Madrid, Man Utd

Rory fades but the Roar is back

A quite superb week-end it was with 6 out of 7 recommendations winning, and 1 voided for a draw. Inter, Barcelona, Man Utd, Lyon, Aston Villa and Chelsea all won, while Marseille drew at home to Toulouse.

Not much to take anew from the world of football where the major protagonists in English, Italian, and Spanish Leagues won. Man Utd look rock solid, their deep squad coming through when needed. Having only the League to play for should give Arsenal the necessary focus and energy to handle their remaining games better than usual. In La Liga, Barcelona and Madrid are sharpening their knives ahead of the clasico's ahead. The return to form of Kaka is a massive boost for the Los Blancos. We'll see if that's enough to derail Messi and company.

For me, the main story of the week-end was Tiger's performance at the Masters, particularly the last round on Sunday. Too bad Rory McIlroy capitulated at the end, but it looks like Tiger's finally back! And that's great news for punters because at his best, there's probably no more dominating athlete in any sport besides Tiger! It's time to take a close tab on his next tournaments, that's for sure.

Going back to football, on Tuesday, Man Utd host Chelsea for the return leg of the Champions League. I can't see Utd losing this game. This is potentially the last meaningful game of the season for Chelsea to play for, and that will surely drive them. But Man Utd have the form, the youth, the hunger, the first-game result, and the fans on their side. Rio Ferdinand is back to tighten things at the back with Vidic. Hard to see a declining Blues team getting a result at Old Trafford. A draw-no-bet on Rooney and his teammates is recommended.

Draw-no-bet: Man Utd

Week-end Preview

Las Verglas Star came out second for a winning Place recommendation. A lot of interesting things going on in the world of sports this week-end with the golf Masters (can Rory do it?), the Grand National (will McCoy win again?), and of course the usual football and racing.

I was mentioning earlier this week that I thought La Liga was over. I can't see Barcelona losing the title with an 8-point advantage at this stage of the season. I think it is obvious for both teams as well that the race is over and that there are "better fish to fry", notably the Copa del Rey and Champions League where both teams look assured to clash again. So, this makes it a little tricky to analyze their remaining League matches because they will obviously not be fielding their best teams. So, as Real Madrid travel to Bilbao, Mourinho might feel the time is right to experiment with his team selection and give a rest to some players. I would not be surprised if Bilbao get a draw or even take the spoils there. Too unpredictable to forecast this game. Barcelona host Almeira. Again here, it looks certain that Guardiola will freshen things up and give a chance to fringe players. Even so, I cannot see them missing the golden 3 points available here. Barcelona as a Win is recommended.

The Premier League looks a more interesting proposition to follow as although Man Utd have a seven point lead (with an extra game played than Arsenal), their road to the title is somewhat more difficult than Barcelona. That's the competitive nature of the league, where even the lowest-ranked teams can spring shock results as they wage their own relegation battle. There is no doubt that Man Utd got a huge boost by beating Chelsea in mid-week, and their confidence will have soared with the return of centre-half Rio Ferdinand. They entertain Fulham who are by means an easy team to deal with. Mark Hughes teams always have character and will have a go at the hosts. Still, Man Utd should prevail in this one and should they fail to win the 3 points, a draw is a minimum result for them. A draw-no-bet on Man Utd is recommended.

In the other Premier League games, Chelsea should overcome Wigan. If they were in the thick of the title race, it would be a sure Chelsea win. Since they are (mostly) out of it, and that the Champions League return leg at Old Trafford will be on their minds, Carlos Ancelotti is bound to rest key players now that he has a full-squad at his disposal. Chelsea is a draw-no-bet recommendation. I like Aston Villa's chances against Newcastle on Sunday. Villa have to pick up points as they try to distance themselves from the relegation zone. Obviously the quality available in this squad means that they shouldn't be there in the first place. The positive vibe from the Villains is that Darren Bent is scoring. To me, he's one of the top 5 strikers in the league, and should score enough goals till the end of the season to get his team out of its precarious position. A draw-no-bet on Villa is recommended.

In the Serie A, Inter play host to Chievo. The big question is what kind of Inter will show up; a demolarised one after consecutive thumpings from Milan and Schalke at the San Siro? Or a re-energized one that is solely focused on retaining its Serie A title, now that they almost have both feet out of the Champions League? I see Inter grinding a win out of this, or a draw in case Chievo prove resilient. A draw-no-bet on Inter is the recommendation.

In France, Lyon and Marseille should either win or draw their home matches. Both of their title aspirations are slim as Lille is looking like a runaway winner, but they are working on maximizing points in their battle for Champions League/European spots.

Win: Barcelona
Draw-no-bet: Man Utd, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Marseille, Lyon