The Week In Sport Preview : England take on Spain whilst the US Open comes to a climax

Last Updated : 2nd September, 2018 By Simon A

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The Premier League might be taking a break for a week but there is still plenty of superb sporting action to enjoy this week. The test series between England and India comes to a close, the UEFA Nations League gets underway and the US Open tennis comes to a close at Flushing Meadows. So there is plenty to get your teeth into. 

Ryder Cup: European Team Selection - Wednesday 5 September

Eight places have now been filled in the European Ryder Cup team, with four wildcard picks to be confirmed by Thomas Bjorn on Wednesday afternoon. Already guaranteed a spot in Paris are Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen.

Bjorn must now decide if he should pick between experienced heads such as Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia, or roll the dice on untested but in form players such as Matt Wallace and Eddie Pepperell. Almost certainly it will be a mix of the two, and Wallace looks like a very decent shout to grab one of the four spots after a fantastic run of results. The Englishman has won three European Tour events this year, including the Made In Denmark tournament as recently as this weekend. Helpfully for his case, he beat fellow contenders Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick at that event, whilst already-qualified Olesen could only finish T20. He is in form at the right time and should have caught Bjorn's eye.

Back Matt Wallace to grab a Ryder Cup place at 21/10 with Betfair (18+, Ts & Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly) 

Fifth Test: England v India - Friday 7 September 11am

The fifth and final test between England and India has nothing riding on it after England’s remarkable victory in the fourth test on Sunday. Moeen Ali and Sam Curran returned to the side to prove to selectors how wrong they had been to omit them as they both turned in fantastic displays with bat and ball to take their team to victory.

The home team now lead 3-1 with one game to play, which gives the final clash at the Oval a slightly underwhelming overtone. There is the possibility that England will take their foot off the gas, but such was the nature of India’s defeat in Southampton, their morale will be terrible going into this match, whilst England’s will be fantastic and the pressure will be off them.

When England were 86-6 on the first day of the fourth test, India would have expected to stroll to victory. Similarly, with Virat Kohli and Ajiknya Rahane settled at the wicket in the fourth innings, with India needing just 245 to win, they looked well in command.

Having lost the match and the series, they will be at a serious low and if England put the pressure on then they could really crumble.

England look good value to win the fifth test at 8/11 with Betfair.  (18+, Ts & Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly) 

Nations League: England v Spain - Saturday 8 September 7.45pm

The UEFA Nations League begins for England on Saturday night as they host Spain at Wembley in what is a very intriguing contest. England enjoyed a great World Cup, narrowly missing out on the final, whilst Spain left Russia disappointed, falling to the hosts at the round of 16.

Whilst Spain still boast quality, they are far from the proposition they were a few years ago. They have a new manager at the helm in the form of Luis Enrique and their squad is not the terrifying who’s-who of footballing superstars it once was.

England will be playing much the same team that they put out throughout the World Cup and should be confident of getting a result against their visitors. Last time these two teams met was in November 2016 and it ended 2-2 and we can expect another draw this time around with England. Spain are not that great at the back these days, but neither are the Three Lions, so a score draw could be the best option.

Both teams to score and the match to finish as a draw is available at 13/4 with Ladbrokes. (18+, Ts & Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly) 

US Open Women's Singles Final - Saturday 8 September

Serena Williams is making an extremely impressive return to form at the US Open this year and it looks like she is set to regain her spot at the top of the tree in women’s tennis.

Over the first three rounds in New York she has not dropped a set, and has only dropped 11 games, which is a pretty significant marker to lay down to the rest of the field. Especially as the third of those games was against her sister, and 16^th seed Venus.

The likes of defending champion Sloane Stephens, a resurgent Maria Sharapova and Madison Keys are her main competition, but with Serena seemingly returning to something near her best, then no one is likely to stop her. Stephens is the main contender, but despite winning this tournament 12 months ago, she has only beaten Serena once in six attempts and would need to pull out something special to achieve that again.

On Monday morning, Serena Williams is available at 7/4 to win the US Open women’s singles with William Hill. (18+, Ts & Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly)

US Open Men's Singles Final - Sunday 9 September

It seems like very little has changed at the top of the men’s game for many, many years. We are heading into the second week of the 2018 US Open and the three men thought to be in with a shot of claiming the trophy are Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

The bookies think it is likely to be a Nadal v Djokovic final, but it is the third contender that may well be worth backing at Flushing Meadows. Federer has still got plenty of life in him, even at 37-years-old, which should be no surprise seen as he is the second seed for this tournament. The Swiss legend did not drop a set in his first three matches this year, including a third round clash with Nick Kyrgios.

It looks like it will be a Federer vs Djokovic quarter-final and if Roger can handle Novak, which is very possible with the Serb not at his best at the moment, then he will be the man to beat.

On Monday morning, Boyle Sports are offering a very decent 15/4 on Federer winning the US Open for a sixth time this year.  (18+, Ts & Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly)