The week in sport betting preview: UFC, FA Cup Champions League and England’s ODI series : Liverpool take on Bayern Munich on Tuesday

Last Updated : 16th February, 2019 By Harvey T

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The Champions League matches this week will grab a lot of the headlines, with Liverpool and Manchester City beginning their last 16 ties. There are also interesting clashes in the FA Cup, while we have a tasty heavyweight clash in the UFC to look forward to, and England beginning their ODI series in West Indies.

Sunday 17 Feb – Cain Velasquez vs Francis Ngannou at UFC on ESPN 1

One of the greatest heavyweights of all time returns to the UFC on Sunday night as Cain Velasquez finally steps back in the Octagon against Francis Ngannou. The two-time UFC champion has been out since 2016 when he knocked out Travis Browne, but is finally back in action, looking to get another crack at the gold.

In his way is the monstrous puncher Ngannou, who responded to back-to-back defeats by knocking out Curtis Blaydes last time out. ‘The Predator’ is the underdog, but he is capable of knocking out any man on the roster with one punch, so can never be written off, especially against a man who will have some ring rust to shake off.

Cain is a fantastic grappler but is likely to stand and trade with Ngannou, which is a dangerous game, but he is talented enough to come out on top, avoiding the Frenchman’s biggest shots and landing a barrage of his own. 12 of Cain’s 14 wins have come by knockout and we can expect another one on Sunday night as Velasquez makes a return to the top five of the heavyweight rankings.

Cain Velasquez to win by KO, TKO or DQ at 5/4 with Betfair

Monday 18 Feb – Chelsea vs Man Utd – FA Cup

The tie of the fifth round sees Chelsea host Manchester United at Old Trafford and the Red Devils are very capable of returning north with a place in the quarter-finals secured.

The Blues were embarrassed by United’s neighbours, City, last week in the Premier League, taking a 6-0 walloping at the Etihad and will still be licking their wounds from that mauling. They responded with a victory over Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday, but they played a pretty strong team in Sweden and that game will not help their chances on Monday night.

United also played midweek, but were at home against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday which will have taken less out of them than Chelsea’s trip abroad. Yes, they will have been disappointed by the loss to the French side, but they will be much more ready to go at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are vulnerable, ponderous and lacking a cutting edge. United will take advantage.

Manchester United to win is good value at 13/5 with 888sport

Tuesday 19 Feb – Liverpool vs Bayern Munich

Liverpool taking on Bayern Munich is one of the glamour ties of the Champions League last 16 and should be a thoroughly entertaining affair at Anfield on Tuesday evening. Liverpool are favourites to win with Bayern not having a great season in the Bundesliga, but the Reds do have a couple of things to worry about.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have not been in the fine form they were in during the first half of the season. They have started conceding goals when they were very reliable to keep clean sheets earlier in the campaign and with Joe Gomez still out and, more importantly, Virgil van Dijk suspended, there are holes in their defence.

Bayern have scored 14 goals in their last five games and we can expect them to find the net on Merseyside. Specifically we can expect their top scorer Robert Lewandowski to capitalise on the second choice central defensive partnership and score.

Robert Lewandowski to score is available at 6/5 with William Hill

Wednesday 20 Feb – Schalke vs Man City – Champions League

Schalke should be trembling in their boots as they await the arrival of Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The Germans have been woeful this season in the Bundesliga and are currently sitting 14^th in their domestic league. Their last three Bundesliga games have produced one point and their top scorer this season is midfielder Daniel Caligiuri with four.

City put six past Manchester City last week in the Premier League and look in rampant form at the moment. They are not always convincing in Europe, but they are levels above their opponents this week and will want to get the tie over and done with in the first leg. Expect a heavy win for the Premier League outfit.

Manchester City to win (-2) is 23/10 with Paddy Power

West Indies vs England 1^st ODI

England will try and put their disappointing Test series against West Indies behind them as they embark on a One Day International series in the Caribbean this week.

Eoin Morgan’s side are the hot favourites for the World Cup this year and they are a fantastic 50-over team these days. They have a long, aggressive and impressive batting line-up, a mix of experienced bowlers and have played as a settled team for some time now.

Any of the top six are capable of scoring big runs in good time, so it is tough to pick one that will outshine his colleagues; however, Joe Root is nearly always worth backing. The Test captain did not have a great series over the longer format, he ended the final Test with a tremendous innings of 122.

The Yorkshireman averages over 51 in ODIs, so he rarely fails and after finding some form, he is certainly worth a punt to be in the runs on Wednesday.

Joe Root to be England’s top batsman at 10/3 with William Hill

Premier League Darts Week Three – Dublin

It will be a raucous night in Dublin on Thursday night as the Premier League Darts rolls into town for the third week of this year’s competition. It has been an entertaining start to the campaign, with Michael van Gerwen already asserting his dominance at the top of the table. MVG is already the only man with a 100% record in the Premier League and he is on course to top the league table for a seventh straight year.

Van Gerwen plays Rob Cross this week in what will be a high-scoring affair, but there will be little value in backing another win for the Dutchman. More tempting is the Michael Smith vs Daryl Gurney contest with the latter a very appealing underdog.

Gurney was excellent against Glen Durrant in Glasgow in week two, producing an absolute clinic of finishing. If he can continue to hit doubles at the superb rate he was doing so in Scotland then he will beat anyone.

He is usually more known for his 180 hitting, which wasn’t so memorable in week two, so if he can put them together he will be unplayable in Dublin. Smith has just one point from his opening two games and is not at his best at the moment, not averaging over 98 in either contest so far, while Gurney has done so in both of his.

Daryl Gurney is 2/1 to beat Michael Smith with Ladbrokes