May 2019
SHEFF UTD PROMOTION
Blades set to pick up 36 points in Premier League comeback season
Wednesday 8th May, 2019 – Newly promoted Sheffield United will claim 36 points in the Premier League next season according to Sporting Index, which would have been enough to secure survival in the last three seasons in England’s top flight.
The Blades, who finished second in the Championship to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League, could realistically face a relegation fight next season, and the projected 36 points would be their lowest total in their time in the Premier League.
However, Brighton and Southampton both avoided the drop in the last two years by claiming 36 points, and the same fortune could land on Chris Wilder’s team next year.
Sporting Index expect Championship winners Norwich to clinch one point more than the Bramall Lane side next season, in what could be a tough welcome back to the top division for the Canaries.
Neville Burdock, head of trading at Sporting Index, said: “Sheffield United have had a fantastic season in the Championship and fully deserve their place back in the Premier League. However, they know the task at hand and will be aware of how hard it will be when they return back to the top flight.“
“We predict the Blades will pick up 36 points next season, which will be on the cusp of survival or relegation. It would be enough to claim Premier League survival in the last three seasons, but Sheffield United fans will need to wait and see if that’s enough next season.“
NORWICH EPL POINTS
Norwich to pick up 37 points in Premier League comeback season
Wednesday 8th May, 2019 – Newly promoted Norwich will claim 37 points in the Premier League next season according to Sporting Index, which would have been enough to secure survival in the last three seasons in England’s top flight.
The Canaries, who were crowned Championship winners to secure automatic promotion, could realistically face a relegation fight next season, but a tally of 37 may be enough to secure their Premier League status for another year.
Huddersfield and Southampton both avoided the drop last season by claiming 37 and 36 points respectively, while Brighton are on 36 with one match to go on in this campaign, and the same fortune could land on Daniel Farke’s team next year.
Sporting Index expect Norwich to clinch one point more than fellow Premier League newcomers Sheffield United next season, in what could be a tough welcome back to the top division for the Blades.
Neville Burdock, Head of Trading at Sporting Index, said: “Norwich have been head and shoulders above the rest in the Championship this season and fully deserve their place back in the Premier League. However, they know the task at hand and will be aware of how hard it will be when they return back to the top flight.
“We predict the Canaries will pick up 37 points next season, which will be on the cusp of survival or relegation. It would have been enough to claim Premier League survival in the last three seasons, but Norwich fans will need to wait and see if that’s enough next season.“
FINAL DAY OF THE SEASON
Liverpool to top table for 15 minutes on last day of season
Friday 10th May, 2019 – Liverpool will be top of the Premier League for a total of 15 minutes in Sunday’s season finale, according to spread betting firm Sporting Index.
The Reds host Wolves while league leaders Manchester City travel to Brighton knowing they’ll likely need to take all three points to be crowned champions.
The Premier League’s final day has been known to produce shocks and surprises, and Sporting Index’s traders have predicted that Liverpool could go top for a total of 15 minutes on Sunday, with City leading the rest of the time.
The last time a Premier League season went to the final day was back in 2013/2014, and also involved both of the current title challengers, but City always stayed top to lift the trophy.
In 2012, when both Manchester teams went into the final day on 87 points, Manchester United were ahead for a total of 69 minutes over two spells before City struck deep in stoppage time to claim their first league title in 44 years.
Neville Burdock, Head of Trading at Sporting Index, said: “The final day of the season is set to be a real nail-biter for Manchester City and Liverpool fans, with the Reds just one point behind the league leaders.
“We think there’s every chance there will be a few twists and turns on the last day, and predict that Liverpool will have a 15 minute lead within the 90 minutes of normal time, with City leading for the remaining 75 minutes.
“The most important time for either of those teams to lead will be when the final whistle blows, so we’ll need to wait and see what the final day brings before finding out who is crowned Premier League champions.“
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Six under required to tame lengthy Bethpage Black
Wednesday 15th May, 2019 – Six under is the score that will be required to win this week’s PGA Championship, that’s according to the traders from leading spread betting firm Sporting Index.
The host course, Bethpage Black, is one of the longest ever to host the second Major of the year and with the forecast soft conditions, the players are expected to find things tough, with the predicted six under winning total the lowest since Padraig Harrington’s win at Oakland Hills in 2008.
Sporting Index expect the cut score to come at six over par, the highest since 2012, while the lowest score shot will be a six under 64.
A European hasn’t won the title since 2014, but the spread-betting experts think there will be three Europeans in the top-10 at Bethpage, with five Americans expected to be in contention.
Neville Burdock, Head of Trading at Sporting Index, said: “Judging by the feedback from the players, Bethpage Black is going to be a real brute and it looks as if birdies are going to be at a premium this week.
“Since 2012, there has been only one winner of the PGA who hasn’t been double figures under par, but that doesn’t look like happening this year and we think just six under will be the winning score.”
“The toughness of the course is shown by the fact that six over will make it through to the weekend, while the highest score shot over the four days will be a 16 over par 86.“
MAN CITY GOALS RECORD
Guardiola’s Manchester City going for FA Cup goals record
Friday 17th May, 2019 – Manchester City will smash the record for goals scored in a single FA Cup campaign, according to spread betting firm Sporting Index.
The Premier League and Carabao Cup champions can complete an unprecedented domestic treble when they face Watford in the FA Cup final tomorrow, and the Citizens are level on the record amount of goals scored in an FA Cup campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s side have hit 20 goals in this season’s tournament – the same amount as current record holders Chelsea when they won it in 2011/2012 – and Sporting Index’s traders expect the Etihad side to hit three against Watford on the way to clinching another domestic record.
City scored seven against Rotherham, stuck five past Burnley, thrashed Newport County 4-1 and edged Swansea out 3-2 in high scoring matches in their route to the final, and now they could overtake Chelsea’s record by scoring in tomorrow’s final at Wembley.
Neville Burdock, head of trading at Sporting Index, said: ‘Manchester City have been relentless in the FA Cup this season, showing no mercy when facing the likes of Rotherham, Burnley and Newport County by scoring 16 in those three matches alone.”
“They have now equaled Chelsea’s record of goals scored in one FA Cup campaign, but we expect them to hit the net three times against Watford tomorrow to comfortably clinch the goal scoring record in the competition.“
EUROPEAN ELECTIONS
Brexit Party set for European election dominance
Tuesday 21st May, 2019 – Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is set to win over a third of all seats in the upcoming European elections, according to spread betting firm Sporting Index.
Theresa May’s struggles to get Britain out of the European Union look to have damaged voter confidence in the Conservatives, while Labour’s failure to take advantage has left the door open for the Brexit Party to lead the polls.
Nigel Farage’s newly formed political party is on course to considerably eclipse the longstanding established parties by claiming 28 constituencies, more than double the expected amount for Labour (13) and the Liberal Democrats (12), while the Tories could languish with just seven expected.
Any victory for the Brexit Party will likely come as a shock to the duopoly of British politics, with other political parties expected to gain less than 24 seats combined.
Phill Fairclough, trading spokesman for Sporting Index, said: “Nigel Farage has roared back into the frontline of British politics, and the Brexit Party looks set to dominate the European Elections in the UK.
“With 28 seats predicted, the margin should be enough for the major parties to sit up and take note. The Tories look set to face the consequences over their handling of Brexit, with the Brexit Party and Liberal Democrats making significant gains due to their clear stance on one of the most polarising events in British politics.“
EUROPA LEAGUE
Baku braced for five bookings
Wednesday 29th May, 2019 – As Baku gets set to host tonight’s Europa League final, spread betting firm Sporting Index is predicting referee Gianluca Rocchi could brandish five bookings in what has the potential to be a dirty derby.
With 10 points awarded per booking and 25 points for a red card, Sporting Index have priced total booking points at 50 for tonight’s match.
In 54 Premier League encounters between the teams, Chelsea have received 119 yellow cards and six red cards, compared to Arsenal’s 95 yellow cards and seven reds. With the added tension of a European final, Sporting Index traders expect the average of four cards a game to be bettered.
Tomorrow night’s referee Rocchi has dished out 122 yellow cards and seven red cards in the 27 matches he has officiated this season, averaging 4.69 yellow cards per game.
Arsenal have already picked up two red cards during this season’s competition, as well as 17 yellows. While no Chelsea player has received their marching orders so far, but they have picked up 15 bookings.
The last red card in this fixture came when the teams faced off in the Premier League in September 2017. David Luiz was dismissed in the 87th minute of a 0-0 draw, following a late challenge on Sead Kolasinac.
Neville Burdock, Head of Trading at Sporting Index, said: “Tonight is a huge match for both teams, with Arsenal hoping to clinch a Champions League spot by lifting the trophy, while Chelsea try to finish a turbulent first season under Maurizio Sarri with some silverware.
“These are always emotionally-charged occasions, and based on recent meetings between the sides, we are expecting four or five bookings in Baku tomorrow night“
CRICKET WORLD CUP
Sporting Index price up World Cup wides
Wednesday 29th May, 2019 –20 years on from one of their biggest ever losses,Sporting Index have returned with the infamous World Cup wides market, which saw the spread betting firm lose over half a million pounds in the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
The World Cup wides market, pioneered by Sporting Index, was introduced for the first time in 1999 and has been available to punters in every Cricket World Cup tournament since, but traders (as well as bowlers) underestimated how much this would swing in English conditions.
That year’s tournament saw the introduction of the white ball in the World Cup for the first time, and Sporting Index initially predicted there would be 255 wides in the 42-game tournament, which was quickly pounced on by the betting community.
After the dust settled on the 979th and final wide of the tournament, Sporting Index traders were left licking their wounds, with the company facing huge losses of £500,000.
This year, the trading team returns to the site of its greatest loss, and after 20 years’ experience in the white-ball game, have priced this year’s wides at 715.
Prior to the white ball introduction, World Cup teams averaged 8.15 wides each per game, compared to 16.7 per team with the white ball. There was also an average of 817 wides per tournament with the white ball, compared to 300 per game before its adoption.
Thursday 30th May, 2019 – The nation has spoken – 63% of football fans in Britain are backing Liverpool to lift the Champions League trophy against Tottenham in this weekend’s final, research from spread betting firm Sporting Index has revealed.
Neville Burdock, head of trading at Sporting Index, said: “The 1999 Cricket World Cup wides market was an absolute disaster for us, and a real celebration for punters. This year, we are willing to take on the wides market again but will be pricing the total at 715 across the tournament.“
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SURVEY
Nearly two thirds of Brits backing Liverpool for Champions League success
Thursday 30th May, 2019 – The nation has spoken – 63% of football fans in Britain are backing Liverpool to lift the Champions League trophy against Tottenham in this weekend’s final, research from spread betting firm Sporting Index has revealed.
Jurgen Klopp’s side face Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday evening and the statistics show that, out of people who selected either Liverpool or Tottenham, an overwhelming majority hope to see the Reds lift their sixth Champions League trophy.
The survey, conducted by Opinium on behalf of Sporting Index, shows that just 37% of the UK want Spurs to win their first ever Champions League.
Surprisingly, more Londoners are backing the Reds over Spurs, with 55% admitting they want Liverpool to win compared to 45% supporting the North London side. Over two thirds (69%) of Liverpool will be backing their local team in Saturday’s final.
The Sporting Index traders have priced 2.75 goals, where punters can bet higher or lower, while they also make Liverpool slight goal favouriteson their Supremacy market with a winning margin of 0.6 goals. Total goal minutes (the total minutes of each goal scored in 90 minutes) has been priced at 143.
Neville Burdock, head of trading at Sporting Index, said: “The first all-English European final in years was always going to split the nation, but we were surprised to see so many people side with Liverpool on what will be a historic night for English football.
“Of those who answered Liverpool or Tottenham, rather than ‘don’t know’, just 37% are hoping Mauricio Pochettino’s men can do the business in Madrid. It was also surprising to see London come out on top with 55% admitting to showing support for Liverpool over the local team.“