Sportsbet Blog

After the accident that placed Felipe Massa in hospital, Michael Schumacher was being touted as the driver to replace him at Ferrari while Massa recovers. In the end, Luca Badoer ($34 for a win @ SportingBet.com.au) was selected as the replacement. With all this excitement, people have been talking about little else and there is much anticipation for this weekend’s European F1 Grand Prix to be held around the streets of Valencia.

While the comeback of the retired legend German legend is not going to be happening (at least for now), the matter of the 2009 drivers championship is back into discussion. This years’ battle for the championship has been very interesting up until the month long break and should continue to be very competitive.

The question on many people’s minds is will Brawn GP be able to regain the early season form that seen an amazing debut season start for the team? Without the benefit of any mid-season testing and restricted development time, can Brawn fix up all their bugs in time for the grand prix in Valencia?

Ross Brawn, team principal and technical brain, is convinced that one of the modifications that have been made to the car has been seriously detrimental to the cars ability to get heat in to the tyres. The problems that Brawn GP has faced have seriously hampered the grip level of the vehicle that saw Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello ($34 for a win @ SportingBet.com.au) dominate in the opening rounds.

The Spanish home crowd will be happily cheering as their national hero Fernando Alonso and his team, Renault, have been given the green light to race in Valencia on the weekend. It was a possibility that Renault would not compete after an incident in the Hungarian GP that saw them incorrectly fit a wheel to the Spaniard’s car, which later came off further around the track. Renault was able to win the appeal which they made to the FIA after a ban was imposed.

The race organisers, along with the home fans will most certainly be happy to see that the ban has been lifted. Romain Grosjean will also have a smile on his face as he is set to make his formula one debut after the sacking of Nelson Piquet Jr. after the Hungarian GP.

After taking a win at the Hungaroring before the month long break, McLaren will be looking to continue with the improvement that they have made since the start of the season. Lewis Hamilton is tipped to be the outright winner this weekend with odds of $3.25 at Sporting Bet.

McLaren is believed to have the best KERS system in the field and they were able to use it o great effect in Hungary. KERS is looking to be the main weapon in the arsenal of McLaren this weekend as overtaking opportunities will be few and far between.

Last year’s maiden grand prix in Valencia showed that overtaking was next to impossible. The teams whose drivers are equipped with the KERS system will be looking to use it to maximum effect off the grid to make up a few extra positions.

For those that get caught behind as a result of this will be suffering a major setback as they may find themselves trapped behind another driver slower than them with no passing opportunity.

In my opinion, anyone not running KERS will more than likely be running light, as they will be looking to hold position off of the grid and possibly make a fast getaway to take an early lead.

My prediction for the podium finishers gives first place to Lewis Hamilton ($3.25 for a win), second to Jenson Button ($8 for a win) and third place to Sebastian Vettel ($3.75 for a win @ SportingBet.com.au).

Sportingbet are covering the F1 round this weekend and give new customers a offer hard to refuse. Simply make an account with Sportingbet and deposit $30 or more and they will credit you with a $100 free bet that can be place on this weekends race!

The 5th and final test match of this year’s Ashes series is set begin this Thursday evening (Australian Time) and will be played at the Oval. It is set to be a thriller as Australia and England will both be looking to push for a win. Although Australia only requires a draw to take home the series win, past performances would suggest that the Aussies will not settle for anything less than a win. Meanwhile, England will be looking to press home any advantage they can after taking the first win of the series and then losing their lead in the 4^th test. I believe that the fifth test will definitely be the best match of the Ashes series this time around and both teams will be faced with stiff competition.

Breakdown of Australia ($2.40 @ SportsBet.com.au)

Needing only a draw to take home the Ashes, the Australian’s are finally beginning to find form as the fifth test is set to begin.

Long gone now are the days of questioning who is to open the batting. Also long gone is the conundrum over the bowling line-up. The decision that was made to play Shane Watson instead of a struggling Phil Hughes proved to be a stroke of genius while getting Stuart Clark back in to the first eleven has paid off well for the tourists. His similarities to McGrath are astounding with his near perfect line and length and his first innings display at Headingley really provided the spark to get Australia going after breaking the back of the English batting line-up.

Another spark for the Aussies is Mitchell Johnson finally getting into what resembles good form. For the first three test matches of the series, Johnson had very much underperformed and has shown signs of improvement in the 4^th test at Headingley.

Overall, the playing eleven for Australia is beginning to resemble a real team for the first time this series. All the players are coming together just at the right time to possibly take home the Ashes.

Breakdown of England ($5 @ SportsBet.com.au)

This series, England has been an exact opposite of the touring side. The upper-hand that they earned through playing some great cricket in the first three test matches was thrown away in the fourth test after 2 innings of senseless batting.

There is now talk of panic in the English dressing room. The media is predicting the dropping of Ravi Bopara for the likes Mark Ramprakash and the selectors may even go for the likes of Jonathon Trott. The very thought of the selectors putting Ramprakash into the side really shows the negative mindset of the home side. A foolish move like his could not suit the Aussies more.

With the news that Andrew Flintoff will be fit enough to play, there is a small amount of confidence for England’s bowling line-up. With Flintoff retiring after the final Ashes test, England may very well rally behind a stunning performance by the all-rounder as they have done so many times in the past. The problem that the English selectors face is who will he replace? Steve Harmison is the likely choice, but with the Oval providing a bouncy wicket, the quick bowler’s may be vital for success. With Stuart Broad having found a bit of form, Graham Onions may be the man on the sidelines for the fifth test.

When it comes to batting for England, Alastair Cook really needs to find his touch quickly. I dare say that Andrew Strauss will be looking to smash his way back into the form that we have seen of late with a century. The dismal performance of the middle order will need to be rectified if England is to have any chance.

My prediction is an Aussie win here. The Aussies dominated the fourth test and I really believe that they will do the same at the Oval. If England is able to bat well enough to stay in the game then a draw ($2.25 @ SportsBet.com.au) may be on the cards.

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It is nearly upon us. The game that everyone in the football world is dying to see. Both teams unbeaten, both teams looking almost unbeatable. So who will win the most anticipated game of football in years.

Despite St Kilda’s unbelievable form so far  it seems as though no one can see past the glitz and glamour of Geelong. Ablett, Bartel, Chapman and Corey, there is no doubt that Geelong is a team packed with superstars and it is because of those stars that sportsalive and every other bookmaker have them as hot favourites against St Kilda. But the saints have been on fire so far this year and shouldn’t be written off so easily. In Nick “Dangerbolt” Reiwoldt they have one of the best players in the competition. For the last few years Nick has promised so much, but has never really delivered on a regular basis, but this year is a totally different story. With 42 goals so far there is no doubt he is in fine form and has caused problems in everyone of St Kilda’s 13 victories. The Geelong defence are going to have a hard job keeping him under wraps. On top of having probably the best big forward in the competition they also have a revitalised Leigh Montanga in Brownlow Medal winning form. But it is their pressure on the ball that has impressed most people this year, and it is this that I feel will strangle the life out of Geelong and that will see The Saints cause something of an upset.

Sportsalive are paying $2.45 for the Saints to win this game and I feel that these are great odds. St Kilda will be out to prove a point and while I feel Geelong will go on to win the flag this will be the Saints night.

Sportsalive are also offering lots of different ways to get your money on this game with some fantastic little bets if you can’t pick a winner. They are paying out $3.70 that the first points of the game will be a St Kilda goal. Again I see this as a great bet as The Saints are going to come out all guns blazing. The only thing you would have to worry about would be that some of the St Kilda players can be a little wayward with their kicking early on and it might just slip past the post for a behind. But sportsalive are even paying $3.90 for that outcome so just take your pick.

Or how about a draw sportsalive are paying $61.00 for this very rare event, but it has been hard to pick between them so far this year so you just never know.