SOME GREAT CHANCES TO BE MUCH RICHER BY MONDAY
Three cash-added bets and two carryover pools, including Sunday’s R4-million carryover Soccer 13 with a likely pool of some R9 million, guarantee that some TAB soccer customers are going to be a whole lot richer come Monday morning.
3 CLUB WORLD CUP GAMES IN CASH-BOOSTED SOCCER 10
The big-money action starts tonight with a R200,000-added Soccer10 pool that contains three matches from FIFA’s new-look Club World Cup (CWC), which now comprises 32 teams divided into eight groups from which the top two in each progress to the knockout stage.
FIFA is pumping in $1-billion to the participating clubs to get this expanded version of the previously seven-team format off the ground. Clubs get a minimum of $9.55 million just for qualifying, while teams from Europe can bank as much as $38 million. Teams then earn $2 million for a win and $1 million for a draw in their three group games.
Those who reach the knockout round-of-16 bank another $7.5 million each with $13 million more for making the quarter-finals. Semi-finalists earn another $21 million with another $20 million for the eventual runners-up and $40 million for the winners.
The competition is gathering momentum after a tame start with some USA and South American teams proving tougher rivals than many pundits had envisaged. Team in Groups A and B have now played two of their three matches and European big guns Porto and Atletico Madrid are suddenly in grave danger of not making the last 16.
The CWC clash between Flamengo and Chelsea kicks off tonight’s Soccer 10 and Chelsea are 6-5 favourites to win with the draw 12-5 and a Flamengo victory 14-5. First impressions were to banker Chelsea to win, but Botafogo’s shock 1-0 victory over PSG indicates this is not going to be a walk in the park for the English Premier League Club. Botafogo won last season’s Serie A in Brazil with Palmeiras and Flamengo in second and third respectively.
Bayern Munich though should be too good for Boca Juniors in M10, whereas the clash between Los Angeles and Esperance of Tunis could end in a draw. LA are favoured in the betting at 15-13.
SUNDOWNS FACE DAUNTING TASK AGAINST DORTMUND
Our own Mamelodi Sundowns take on one of the toughest rivals they have yet faced tomorrow, when they go up against Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in a Group F clash in Cincinnati at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The game presents a fantastic opportunity for the eight-time reigning South African champions to test themselves against some of the world’s best players.
Miguel Cardoso’s side are 8-1 underdogs against Dortmund (2-5) and will need to play significantly better than they did in their opening match to avoid a whitewash.
Back in South Africa on Saturday the PSL promotion-relegation play-offs continue with Casric Stars hosting Orbit College. Up to now there is little to separate the three teams vying for a spot in the Betway Premiership next season – Stars, Orbit and Cape Town City. At the halfway stage of the play-offs, all three have two points from two matches played.
City and Stars are ahead of Orbit by virtue of the goals both scored in their 1-1 draw on Wednesday afternoon. Victory for either Stars or Orbit tomorrow would put them in a fantastic position to lead from the front in the last couple of play-off matches. Another draw, however, would hand the initiative to Cape Town City, who would trail by just a point and be the only side left with two games to play.For TAB soccer customers, a draw between Casric Stars and Orbit seems the best option, whereas Dortmund are a banker bet to win against Sundowns.
Sunday’s R4-million carryover Soccer 13 is a mixed bag of Scandinavian matches in which Landskrona, Karlstad and log-leaders Viking Stavanger should land maximum points in their respective games.
R200,000-ADDED SOCCER 10 POOL MATCH BY MATCH
Friday 20 June – S10 V3
| M1 | Flamengo RJ vs Chelsea | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Brazilian Serie A club Flamengo are unbeaten in their last nine games, while Chelsea have won four consecutive matches. This will be the first meeting between the two teams. Both made winning starts to the Club World Cup against inferior opposition. | |||
| M2 | Salernitana vs Sampdoria | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Salernitana have lost five of their last nine Serie B games, while Sampdoria are unbeaten in their last five across all competitions. Salernitana won the last meeting between them 2-0 at home recently, but lost 1-0 away before that. | |||
| M3 | Drogheda United vs Sligo Rovers | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Drogheda are winless in their last three Irish Premier Division fixtures, while Rovers have lost four of their last six. The teams last met in May, drawing 2-2. In the last 15 meetings over three years, Drogheda have won nine times with five draws. | |||
| M4 | Galway United vs St Patrick’s Athletic | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Galway are unbeaten in their last three games, while St Pats have lost five of their last 10. Galway won the last meeting 2-0 in May. In the last 15 meetings over 10 years, Galway have won five times to St Pats’ six. | |||
| M5 | Shelbourne vs Derry City | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Shelbourne have been unable to win in seven of their last 10 Irish Premier Division fixtures and Derry are winless in their last four. Shelbourne won the last meeting between them 2-0 in May. | |||
| M6 | Waterford FC vs Bohemians | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Waterford are winless in their last four Irish Premier Division games, while Bohemians have won eight of their last 10. Bohemians won the last clash between them 2-1 away from home in May, their ninth success in the last 15 meetings. | |||
| M7 | Los Angeles FC vs Esperance Tunis | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Los Angeles suffered their first defeat in 11 games when losing 2-0 to Chelsea in their opening Club World Cup match. Tunis went down 2-0 to Flamengo in their Club World Cup debut and were unbeaten in 10 games previously. They have not played each other before. | |||
| M8 | North Carolina vs Louisville City | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| USA second division. North Carolina have won five of their last seven games, while Louisville are on a three-match winning run. In the last eight meetings, North Carolina have won five times and Louisville twice. | |||
| M9 | America Mineiro vs Criciuma | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Brazil Serie B. Mineiro have lost five of their last eight games, while Criciuma are on a three-game winning streak. The teams last met four years ago in the Copa do Brasil with Mineiro winning 5-4 at home. | |||
| M10 | Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Bayern are unbeaten in their last eight matches and massacred Auckland 10-0 in their opening game at Club World Cup. Boca have won five of their last 10 games and drew 2-2 with Benfica in their first group match. | |||
Suggested R48 perm: 3 x 1 x 1 x 1,2 x 1,2,3 x 3 x 1,2 x 1 x 1,2 x 1.
TOP SATURDAY SOCCER 10 POOL MATCH BY MATCH
Saturday 21 June – S10 V1
| M1 | Casric Stars vs Orbit College FC | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| PSL promotion playoff. Casric are unbeaten in their last five games, while Orbit are unbeaten in their last nine. Their last two clashes with Orbit at home both ended 0-0. | |||
| M2 | Aalesund vs Odds Ballklubb | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Norway second division. Aalesund are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 games, while Odd have won four of their last eight. Aalesund won the last meeting between them 4-1 two years ago. | |||
| M3 | United IK Nordic vs Enkopings SK | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Swedish third division. Nordic have won four of their last eight fixtures and Enkopings are on a four-game winning streak. They have not played each other before. | |||
| M4 | Ranheim vs Lillestrom | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Norway second division. Ranheim have won six of their last nine games in all competitions, while Lillestrom are unbeaten in their last 10. The teams last met five years ago and drew 1-1. | |||
| M5 | Raufoss vs Hodd | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Raufoss are unbeaten in their last five, while Hodd are unbeaten in their last three. Hødd won the last meeting between them two years ago. | |||
| M6 | Start vs Stabaek | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Start are unbeaten in their last five fixtures, while Stabaek are winless in their last three. Stabaek won the last meeting between them 3-2 away last September. | |||
| M7 | Paide LM vs FC Flora | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Estonia premier division. Paide have lost four of their last nine matches, while Flora have won seven of their last nine. In the last 15 meetings over three years, Paide have won seven times to Flora’s six. | |||
| M8 | Grindavik vs Volsungur | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Iceland second division. Grindavík are unbeaten in their last three fixtures, whereas Volsungur have lost five of their last nine in all competitions. Grindavík are sixth in the table, one point ahead of Volsungur. | |||
| M9 | Bodo/Glimt vs Brann | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Norwegian premier league. Bodo have won two in a row and won their last meeting with Brann 4-1. Brann are second on the log and seven points head of Bodo but have played three games more. | |||
| M10 | Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund | ||
| Team A Wins | Draw | Team B Wins | |
| Sundowns had won six PSL matches in a row before losing 3-2 to Pyramids on aggregate in the CAF Champions League final, while Dortmund are on an eight-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. Sundowns beat South Korean team Ulsan in their opening Club World Cup match, but now take a huge step up in class. | |||
Suggested R72 perm: 1 x 1 x 1,2,3 x 1,2,3 x 2,3 x 1 x 2,3 x 1 x 1 x 3.
This article was originally published on TAB and is reposted here with permission.
