SUNDAY BATTLE AT THE EMIRATES

A Great weeekend weekend of football ahead folks, with the game of the weekend happening at the Emirates where Arsenal host old foes Man Utd.


QUAD
We begin there for our weekend quad and as we go to press Man Utd lead the way in the Premiership, but that could have changed by the time you read this, depending on how results went last night.
Both teams will be going for the win come Sunday and Arsenal will be looking for revenge after a narrow 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
I think Sunday’s game could hinge on two in-form players, Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas, and if one of these players fails to turn up on Sunday then it will be advantage to the other side – both players are vital for their team’s chances.
We are siding with the home team on Sunday and are banking on an ARSENAL (11/8) win, so we need to find three teams to with the Gunners.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (11/10) are the form team in the Championship and fired five past QPR on Tuesday night, so we expect Billly Davies’ team to take all points at struggling Derby.
WEST HAM (1/1) need points and need them on the board soon, and we think they can grab three at the expense of leaky Blackburn who are also in the hunt for points.
READING (5/4) will need to put their cup heroics behind them and give it all in the league as they need points on the board to stay in the Championship, and Brian McDermott could be given the job if they can take the spoils against Barnsley.

FIVEHIT
On to the odds-on Fivehit folks, and we start with CARDIFF (4/6) who should follow up on the that 0-6 drubbing of Bristol City with a win at home to Doncaster.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4/7) lost 10 points after going into administration midweek and can get three back with a win at home to struggling Peterboro.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (8/11) have been a different team under new manager Alan Irvine and look too good for Plymouth.
HIBS (4/6) have been a revelation in the SPL this season under John Hughes and they can keep tabs on the Old Firm with a win over St Mirren.
BRECHIN (4/6) look back to form and are taken to make the Fivehit up with a win over Stenhousemuir.

XXX
It’s all Premiership for the draw treble which has slipped badly since the turn of the New Year, so hopefully a sweat at least at the weekend.
We start at St Andrew’s where in-form BIRMINGHAM host SPURS who are chasing fourth in the Premiership and a draw could suit both teams.
FULHAM have lost their way in recent weeks and will be looking to avoid defeat at home to ASTON VILLA who have their eyes on that fourth spot.
We go to DW Stadium to finish the XXX off this week with WIGAN hosting a EVERTON team who have lacked consistency this season, but we think that the Toffees can grab a point in this one against a Latics side who are difficult to beat at home.

HORSE RACING:

Another cracking weekend of racing ahead as the Cheltenham 2010 countdown continues. Solwhit shot to the head of the Champion Hurdle betting when romping home in the Irish equivalent on Sunday.
On to the weekend action and we start with the ultra-competitive listed Sky Bet Handicap Chase (formerly the Great Yorkshire Chase) at Doncaster on Saturday. It’s a lottery, according to the betting, with Seven Is My Number, Exmoor Ranger and Theatrical Moment all vying for early week favouritism at 8/1, and to be honest I think it’s between the three of them come Saturday.
The David Pipe-trained Seven Is My Number is the one to beat as he chases a hat-trick after a non-contest at Cheltenham last time out when he only beat Pigeon Island; but he is chasing his sixth win of the season
Exmoor Ranger was well backed on his last start at Newbury and came through at the last to beat Ice Bucket cosily and he will be thereabouts on Saturday.
The one we have sided with is the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Theatrical Moment, which looks a horse on the up, judged on his last two handy wins at Leicester. Regular jockey Noel Fehily takes the mount again on Saturday and we expect a big run from our selection.
SEAN GRAHAM BET: Seven Is My Number, Theatrical Moment, Exmoor Ranger 8 , Far More Serious 10, Calgary Bay 14, Killyglen 14, Tatenen 14
ck 19/2 , Barbers Shop 10, Taranis 20/1 Bar
We finish with the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle and we have another hotpot here in the shape of KARABAK from the Alan King yard, whose horses are showing signs of improvement over the last week.
He finished second to Big Bucks at Newbury last time out and that is the best form by far in this contest. The 7/4 early week price won’t be long changing.
Lie Forrit is improving all the time and could be a danger, but we like French import Bouggler each-way at 25/1 to run into a place.

BETTING STORY
A well-known Lenadoon punter we’ll call only Fitzy was left crying into his beer on Saturday night after just missing out on a dream bet.
The punter took an ambitious 14 teams but when the Institute v Linfield game was called off it became a 13-timer.
He picked German teams as well as English, Scottish and Irish teams, and, boy, was he close.
That’s his docket to the right. He squeezed German leaders Schalke 04 in right at the bottom of the docket - that was to be his undoing.
He picked an amazing 12 winners, with Schalke leaking two late goals after going 2-0 up. In fact, they conceded the second deep into injury time.
Did Fitzy get greedy with that very last selection? Only he knows that. But if he’d left Schalke out he would have picked up £3,366.02 plus the 10% bonus that Sean Grahams offer.
And if Schalke had held on for those final few seconds then our punter would have raked in £6,426.04 plus that 10% bonus. So that last-minute goal cost him over SEVEN GRAND.
Sean Grahams eased the pain a teensy bit by giving our poor punter a free £25 soccer bet at the weekend. No 14-timers, Fitzy.

FRIDAY NAG: NAAFATH DONCASTER