Pandora Hughes has lined up another weekend multiple and she’s backing Ukraine to hold the World Cup champions to a draw.
“France have managed two wins and two draws from their four outings, while Ukraine have returned four points from twelve, thanks to a safety-first approach that has seen them produce consecutive draws against minnows Kazakhstan.”
Group D of the UEFA World Cup qualification tournament is one of the tougher sections and the two fancied teams involved, Ukraine and France, are finding it difficult to pull away from their rivals.
France have managed two wins and two draws from their four outings, while Ukraine have returned four points from twelve, thanks to a safety-first approach that has seen them produce consecutive draws against minnows Kazakhstan.
Still, the point they gained in Paris in March was a solid effort, and a repetition will at least keep them in the hunt to win the Group. Given the talent in the respective squads, France should win this comfortably, but they bring a four-game winless streak of their own to Kiev and at these odds I’m siding with the stalemate.
Haydock is the venue for one of the highlights of the flat racing season this weekend as some of the fastest horses in Europe line up for the Sprint Cup.
The list of entries features a number of top-class sprinters, including Glen Shiel, who finished second in this last year prior to success in the British Champion Sprint, progressive Godolphin three-year-old Creative Force and the consistent Art Power.
This is likely to be a fiercely competitive race but Starman looks to be a notch above his rivals. The Dutch Art colt recorded a career best in winning the July Cup and wasn’t suited by the going in the Prix Maurice de Gheest last time. The prevailing fast ground at Haydock should be more to his liking and he looks the best bet here.
If the Republic of Ireland show the same sort of fight and resolve against Azerbaijan that they displayed in their heart-breaking 2-1 loss in Portugal on Wednesday night, then a first win of the campaign should be assured.
Unfortunately, recent history suggests that relying on Stephen Kenny’s side is a poor punting strategy. They’ve lost all three qualifiers so far and have recorded only one win in their 17 outings – a friendly victory against Andorra.
The visitors are on an equally poor run of form, but they are rarely thrashed and are likely to offer stubborn resistance. Given that the home side are more or less out of contention in the qualification race, they may have difficulty rousing themselves for this one so I’m backing the visitors to leave Ireland with a point.
*Total Odds for this multiple: 28/1. Remember, multiple prices are based on our Sportsbook product, so any winnings are exempt from commission.
Source: BetFair Tips
