Next week sees the first legs of the Champions League semi-finals, with Manchester City and Liverpool looking again to make it an all-English final, this time in Paris.
First up on Tuesday, City host European aristocrats Real Madrid – while Liverpool entertain Villarreal at Anfield twenty four hours later.
For the first time this season, Liverpool are favourites at 6/5 to win the greatest prize in club football.
And quite frankly I’m not at all surprised after the way they humiliated my team United at Anfield in the Premier League on Tuesday.
You wonder where to start with the rebuilding of our great club. We were just pathetic against Liverpool with lacklustre players either knowing or expecting to be shipped out in the summer.
City can be backed at 5/4 at Betfred to win the Champions League outright with European aristocrats Real Madrid at 6/1 – while Villarreal are the rank outsiders at 20/1.
I’m fully expecting City and Liverpool to both post good wins to set them up for the second-leg, thus underlining my view that here in the North West we have the two greatest club sides in the world.
There is little to choose between the two sides, which was demonstrated in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley when Liverpool pipped City, basically because of a goalkeeper error and a Jurgen Klopp tactical masterclass, stifling the Blues’ slick passing with a superb pressing game.
MATTY Ashton is 10/1 at Betfred to open the scoring for Warrington when they host Huddersfield in the Betfred Super League on Saturday.
The full-back is in fantastic try-scoring form, crossing the line twice in the victory over my home town team Salford last Thursday - and again during the Wire’s bitterly disappointing defeat at Hull FC on Monday.
You can’t blame under-pressure Warrington coach Daryl Powell for trying his utmost to get the Wire back on track.
He took his squad off on a two-day trip to York in a bid to breathe some life back into the club’s faltering start to the season.
That seemed to have paid off, with the convincing win against Salford – but it was another hard luck story three days later when the Wolves were narrowly beaten by Hull FC.
The Black and Whites needed a controversial winning try, which involved the referee giving a try despite the video referee failing to get a good angle of the incident, to get the job done.
That decision upset Powell who called for a rule change, questioning whether guessing whether there’s been a score is right for professional sport.
Betfred make the Wire 1/2 favourites to bounce back and topple the Giants on Saturday.
However, Warrington have drifted massively – out to 16/1 behind clear favourites Saints at 10/11, Catalans at 3/1 and Wigan at 6/1 – to win the Betfred Super League Grand Final after a poor run of form.
Well what an Easter for table toppers Saints with fantastic wins over both Wigan Warriors and the Huddersfield Giants.
However, the weekend was marred with the season ending injury to the impressive 20 year old half back Lewis Dodd.
Dodd ruptured an Achilles tendon in the Good Friday demolition of arch rivals Wigan. He has proven himself as a shining star since becoming a regular starter for the Saints half way through the 2021 season and was a key figure in the Grand Final win over the Catalan Dragons.
RL legend and Betfred TV pundit Paul Sculthorpe reckons Dodd is the form half back in the competition, something Saints boss Kristian Woolf agrees with.
Oldham born Sculthorpe writes: “This is a massive blow, not just for the champions but also England, as his name has regularly been spoken about ahead of the RLWC in October, based on his performances in the Betfred Super League.
“I saw Lewis go down and grab his heel, and knew instantly what he’d done…having experienced exactly the same fate back in 2007.
“ It is an horrendous injury, but one I know you can come back from…and Lewis will do just that. He is an exceptional young man with a first class attitude and work ethic. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to his return in 2023.”
WELSH factory worker Angela Edwards’ love for her five brothers has paid off at Betfred.
She used the birthdays of Bryn, Wayne, Stuart, Jason and Lee on her 49s numbers game coupon and won £50,000 from just a £1 stake when the numbers 9, 11, 16, 25 and 29 were all drawn.
She said: “For five years I’ve been using their birthdays. I’ve always loved my brothers… and now I love them even more!
“When I told them I’d won using their birthdays, they were all so happy for me and said I now had enough to pay for a deposit on a new home rather than pay rent. I’ve already been looking for a nice two-bedroom terraced, or a bungalow.
“I’ve never been abroad as I don’t fancy flying, so I’m also planning to go on a nice holiday to Cornwall or Bournemouth. A nice, posh hotel would be great, especially as I’ve not been on holiday for ten years – and that was when I went to Blackpool.
“I don’t drive, so there’s no point getting a car, and I don’t drink so there’s no big celebration planned. You could say I’m a home bird!
“The shock of winning so much from such a small stake has only just started to sink in.”
The big win is an early birthday present for Angela, who works as an inspector at a factory that makes parts for cars, as she turns 58 next week.
Angela visits our shop in Ebbw Vale near her home in Blaenau every other day and is a very worthy winner.
She’s putting her windfall to good use after a fully-deserved holiday. I’d like to join the five brothers whose birthdays she used in wholeheartedly congratulating her.
Tuesday night saw Ashton United pass up on the chance to set up an all-Ashton Manchester Premier Cup Final, with Tameside neighbours Droylsden picking up a shock semi-final victory at Hurst Cross.
Following their loss at home to Real Madrid last week, knocking them out of the Champions League, Manchester City faced arguably a tougher test against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup Final on Sunday.
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