The festive footy continues on Tuesday night with Aston Villa (17/10) looking to restore confidence at home to Liverpool (7/5) in the Premier League, following a 3-0 pasting at Arsenal on Sunday.
Martin O'Neill's men will be keen to get back on track for a top-four slot here and the stats suggest they can take three points as they have a good record against the top sides this term, unlike the Reds who boast just one win from nine against teams in the top half of the table.
Villa's tormenters from Sunday, Arsenal (1/2), feature in Wednesday's live Premier League match against Portsmouth (21/4) at Fratton Park where they should collect maximum points.
Sure, Pompey have improved of late under Avram Grant, but they have also been turned over by Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea in the last month – suggesting that they struggle against the big boys. The Gunners will be brimming with confidence following Sunday and won here last season 3-0. The score may not be as big this time around though, so '1-0 to the Ar-se-nal' could pay dividends with Sportingbet at 11/2.
The third round of the FA Cup takes centre stage over the weekend and there are some exciting games to look forward to on the box.
First up is Reading's (21/4) home tie versus Liverpool (9/20) at teatime on Saturday (ITV) where Liverpool will be out to give their fans something to shout about for the remainder of the season. The Reds have won five of their six clashes with the Royals – all since 2006 – and can extend the run on Saturday with correct scores of 2-0 (11/2) or 2-1 (15/2).
ITV return with a double-header on Sunday when the lunchtime kick-off features a feisty clash between Manchester United (1/5) and Leeds (10/1) at Old Trafford.
It's hard to see beyond a home win here, even if a weakened home side is on show – and Leeds have to overcome an Old Trafford hoodoo that stretches back to 1981. Fergie's reserve team took care of a full-strength Spurs at home in the League Cup and they can dispose of Leeds either 2-0 (11/2) or 3-0 (13/2).
The teatime kick-off will be another tense affair bringing together local rivals in West Ham (15/4) at home to Arsenal (13/20) – the draw is 5/2.
I was inclined to side with the Gunners here, but an inspection of recent matches between the pair suggests a close encounter is in store. Since 2002, six clashes at Upton Park resulted in three draws and two away wins for Arsenal, including the 2-2 draw two months ago. The worrying thing for the Hammers, however, is that they have conceded in 10 of their 11 home matches this term. But, on a positive note, they did score in all but one of them.
The evidence points to a score draw and respective odds of 13/2 and 16/1 about 1-1 and 2-2 appeal to my eye, while a few quid can be risked on 3-3 at 80/1 – that'll start 2010 with a bang!
Tennis punters won't have to wait until 2010 for their next action though, as the Abu Dhabi Challenge gets underway on New Year's Eve, featuring a select field of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko. Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal in last year's final and Sportingbet will be pricing up this year's event soon, so check their website for the latest odds.
I've mentioned my liking for darts previously, and it is currently arrows heaven with superb coverage of the PDC World Championship on Sky, while the BBC chip in with the BDO version on Saturday.
The leading players from each organisation took each other on in the Grand Slam a few months ago, where Scott Waites lost to Phil 'The Power' Taylor in the final. The improving Waites won't face the likes of Taylor in the BBC tournament and rates a good bet at 4/1 to lift the trophy. His nickname is 'Scotty 2 Hotty' by the way.
Week's best Sportingbet: Scott Waites to win darts' BDO Championship at 4/1 – starts Saturday.
