March Madness For Sport

The Cheltenham Festival, the Six Nations, UFC 286 in London and the start of a new Formula 1 season are among the sporting highlights in March. These are the key dates to mark in your diary:

1st March

Football:

Manchester United lifted the EFL Cup last weekend, and they will maintain their quadruple bid when they host West Ham at Old Trafford for an FA Cup fifth round clash on Wednesday. Spurs head up north to face Sheffield United, while Southampton host Grimsby and Burnley take on Fleetwood.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the FA Cup
 

Cricket:

The first ODI between Bangladesh and England takes place at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. Skipper Jos Buttler has a strong team at his disposal for this tour, including Jofra Archer.

Cricket odds and Cricket spread betting markets for Bangladesh vs. England

3rd March

Cricket:

The second ODI featuring Bangladesh and England will be held at the same stadium.

Cricket odds and Cricket spread betting markets for Bangladesh vs. England

5th March

Football:

One of football’s fiercest rivalries resumes when Liverpool host Man Utd at Anfield for a Premier League match. The Red Devils remain in contention for the title after a superb run of results, while Jurgen Klopp’s struggling team will try to reignite their faltering bid for a top-four finish.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the Premier League
 

Formula 1:

A new Formula 1 season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the chequered flag at last year’s curtain raiser, but he ended up finishing second to the dominant Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship. We make Verstappen the 45-48 favourite in our 2023 Drivers’ Championship Index, with 60 points to the winner, 40 to the runner-up, 30 for finishing third, 20 or fourth , 10 for fifth and 5 for sixth. Leclerc is the 27-30 second favourite, and Lewis Hamilton is next at 25-28.

Formula 1 odds and Formula 1 spread betting markets for the Bahrain Grand Prix

6th March

Cricket:

The action shifts to Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong for the final ODI between Bangladesh and England.

Cricket odds and Cricket spread betting markets for Bangladesh vs. England

7th March

Football:

Chelsea will bid to overturn a one-goal aggregate deficit when they host Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. Elsewhere, Benfica hold a commanding lead over Scott Parker’s Club Brugge ahead of their game in Lisbon.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the Champions League

8th March

Football:

Tottenham will also aim to come back from 1-0 down on aggregate when they host AC Milan in London. Bayern Munich are 1-0 up against PSG on aggregate, and they will bid to seal safe passage to the quarter-finals when the teams meet in Germany.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the Champions League

9th March

Football:

The Europa League Round of 16 gets underway. Premier League leaders Arsenal will head to Portugal to face Sporting Lisbon, while Man Utd – who just dumped Barcelona out of the competition, host Real Betis. Elsewhere, West Ham take on AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the Europa League
 

Cricket:

England’s white-ball stars will take on Bangladesh in the first of three T20I matches.

Cricket odds and Cricket spread betting markets for Bangladesh vs. England
 

Golf:

Some of the world’s finest golfers will compete for a $25 million prize purse at the Players Championship in Florida. The tournament is often referred to as the fifth major, such is its prestige. Reigning champion Cameron Smith will not defend his crown, as he has defected to LIV Golf, but it should see a strong field.

Golf odds and Golfspread betting markets for Players Championship

11th March

Rugby Union:

Italy and Wales will both bid for a first win at the Six Nations when they lock horns in Rome. England will aim for a third consecutive win when they take on France at Twickenham.

Rugby Union odds and Rugby Union spread betting markets for the Six Nations

12th March

Rugby Union:

Ireland will maintain their Grand Slam bid when they take on a talented Scotland team at Murrayfield.

Rugby Union odds and Rugby Union spread betting markets for the Six Nations
 

Cricket:

The Second T20I featuring Bangladesh and England.

Cricket odds and Cricket spread betting markets for Bangladesh vs. England

14th March

Horse Racing:

The Cheltenham Festival, the most prestigious meeting of the National Hunt season, will spark a flurry of betting activity. Day 1 features four Grade 1 races, including the eagerly anticipated Champion Hurdle.

Horse Racing odds and Horse Racing spread betting markets for the Cheltenham Festival
 

Football:

Man City’s Round of 16 showdown with RB Leipzig is delicately poised at 1-1, while Porto trail Inter 1-0 on aggregate ahead of their second leg match.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the Champions League
 

Cricket:

The third T20I between Bangladesh and England concludes the series.

Cricket odds and Cricket spread betting markets for Bangladesh vs. England

15th March

Horse Racing:

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the main event on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. Constitution Hill is the heavy favourite, but the likes of State Man and Vauban could provide stern competition.

Horse Racing odds and Horse Racing spread betting markets for the Cheltenham Festival
 

Football:

Liverpool face Mission: Impossible as they aim to recover from a bruising 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid, while Napoli are in control of their tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the Champions League
 

Football:

The Europa League Round of 16 second legs take place.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the Europa League

16th March

Horse Racing:

The Stayers’ Hurdle is the main event on Cheltenham Festival Day 3. Blazing Khal, Teahupoo and Home By The Lee are among the leading contenders for glory, while Shishkin is the clear favourite for the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase.

Horse Racing odds and Horse Racing spread betting markets for the Cheltenham Festival

17th March

Horse Racing:

The Cheltenham Gold Cup, the biggest race of the season, takes place on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival. The highly-rated Galopin Des Champs heads a strong field that also features luminaries such as Noble Yeats, defending champion A Plus Tard and Bravemansgame.

Horse Racing odds and Horse Racing spread betting markets for the Cheltenham Festival

18th March

Rugby Union:

The Six Nations Championship concludes with three matches taking place on the same day: Scotland vs. Italy, France vs. Wales, Ireland vs. England. Can Ireland seize the crown, or will they fall at the final hurdle?

Rugby Union odds and Rugby Union spread betting markets for the Six Nations
 

Football:

The FA Cup quarter-finals take place, with Man City and Man Utd currently the leading contenders to lift the trophy.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the FA Cup
 

MMA:

British star Leon Edwards will defend his welterweight championship belt in a rematch with Kamaru Usman at UFC 286, which takes place at the O2 Arena in London. Justin Gaethje faces Rafael Fiziev in the co-main event.

MMA odds and MMA spread betting markets for UFC 286 in London

23rd March

Football:

The club season will be put on pause following three frenetic months, as European Championship qualifying begins. England face Italy on the road, while Northern Ireland take on San Marino.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the European Championship qualifiers

25th March

Football:

A new era begins for Wales following Gareth Bale’s retirement. They are away at Croatia, and Scotland host Cyprus.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the European Championship qualifiers

26th March

Football:

European Championship qualifying resumes with several fixtures, England vs. Ukraine and Northern Ireland vs. Finland.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the European Championship qualifiers

28th March

Football:

More European Championship qualifying action includes Scotland vs. Spain and Wales vs. Latvia.

Football odds and Football spread betting markets for the European Championship qualifiers

31st March

Rugby Union:

An action-packed month concludes with the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup last 16 matches.

Rugby Union odds and Rugby Union spread betting markets for the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup