Elite Sports Betting Tips: April 15
English Championship - QPR vs Derby County - Both Teams to Score Yes @ 1.70
Caelum
Sorry for the shit tip, but QPR should get the win here against a Derby side deprived of form and all but relegated to the third tier.
QPR’s attacking force should outlast a Derby side who are on a poor run of form and don't know how to enter the sandman. 1 unit
NBA - Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors - Winner (incl. Overtime) Toronto Raptors @ 2.55
Jonah
This feels like a big price, plain and simple. The 76ers have been far from consistent all season, but have definitely been better since acquiring All-Star guard James Harden at the trade deadline.
Despite their 14-7 record with Harden playing, we feel that the Raptors are the play in this one.
Toronto are a fantastic team when they're fully healthy - they've got scoring options at every position on the court and they defend well.
The only issue is their depth - Nick Nurse doesn't run a deep rotation, but this generally isn't an issue in playoff matches anyway.
Their top end talent is excellent and we can see Philadelphia’s guards struggling to contain the scoring punch of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr.
Who could forget Toronto’s series-ending game winner against Philadelphia in 2019?
They broke the hearts of Joel Embiid, the Sixers and the city of Philadelphia en route to a Championship. That ghost still haunts the Sixers… Toronto to snatch Game 1 on the road. 1 units
FA Cup - Chelsea vs Crystal Palace - Draw @ $4.10
Nick
Crystal Palace are having a positive period of football. Before their loss to Leicester on the weekend, they had put together a seven-game unbeaten run, and in this time they’ve only conceded four goals.
Chelsea can now focus on their FA Cup campaign after being kicked out of the UEFA Champions League midweek.
They’ve put together a couple of decent games, but some of their recent performances (notably against Brentford) have shown they're still capable of imploding on any given day.
Conor Gallagher not being available (loan player from Chelsea) will be a blow for Crystal Palace, who will no doubt field a defensively-minded lineup.
Crystal Palace have proven a stubborn team, we think they can at least hold out for extra-time in this contest. 1 unit
Dota2 Dreamleague - Team Secret vs Nigma Galaxy Correct Score (In Maps) 2:0 @ 2.10
David
Nigma Galaxy currently stands at the bottom of the table with a score of 0-6 and is sure to be relegated to Division 2.
Meanwhile, Team Secret is still in the fight to qualify for the next major but is very much vulnerable to be knocked out of contention by Tundra Esports .
Team Secret will have no space to play around and will probably take this seriously.
It’s been a rocky season for the star studded lineup of Team Secret but these veterans know it’s crunch time and I do expect them to deliver. 1.5 units
English Championship – Stoke City v Bristol City - Asian Total Over 2.5 @ 1.93
CBod
15th placed Stoke host 19th placed Bristol in what is a dead rubber with five matches remaining for both teams, meaning a swerve on the result with nothing on the line.
What it could mean though is a nice open match. Bristol arrive with the second most away goals conceded (45 in 20 games/2.5 goals per game), only surpassed by bottom side Peterborough.
Stoke’s 1 goal per game defence at the Bet365 Stadium is decent, but Bristol cannot stop scoring for all their defensive troubles - 6 goals in 3 games, incl. 2 against high-flying Bournemouth.
Finally on The Robins, no other team has produced over 2.5 goals more than Bristol City’s 26 this season.
One other thing to consider as Stoke go into this as favourites, only one Championship team has lost more points than Stoke’s 26 after scoring the first goal.
And the great news is that team is Bristol City, who’ve lost a staggering 33 points. Imagine that with the shackles well and truly off for both! 1 unit
NBA - Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies Handicap: Timberwolves +6.5 @1.92
Alex
After their impressive win against the Clippers in their last match, I'll be taking the Timberwolves to cover the spread against the No. 2 seed Grizzlies.
Despite the Grizzlies having covered the line against the Timberwolves in 9 of their past 10 home games, and the fact that the Timberwolves have lost each of their last 8 road playoff games, the Timberwolves are still a top team and in my opinion should cover with +6.5 points advantage. 1 unit
Bellator 277 - Vadim Nemkov vs Corey Anderson - Anderson to win @ 2.41
Blake
There's no doubt Vadim Nemkov is a worthy Bellator Light Heavyweight champion with the stand-up and wrestling to challenge any 205-pounder in the world.
But Corey Anderson is being underrated by bookies and punters alike here.
He had an outstanding run in the UFC before being caught by one Jan Blachowicz right hand from hell and he has looked terrific since joining Bellator with a devastating win over Ryan Bader in his last fight.
This is the culmination of the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix and given Anderson has a wrestling background, he can go toe-to-toe with his Russian rival here and find a path to victory as the underdog. 1 unit
Scottish Cup - Celtic v Rangers - 1x2 Celtic @2.31
Matt
Yet another Old Firm derby with the traditional rivals playing each other for the 4th time this season.
This time in the Scottish cup semi final with a place in the Scottish cup final on the line. The match is held at a neutral venue at Hampden Park.
The last 2 matches have gone the way of Celtic, and I expect this to follow a similar pattern.
After a slow start to the season, Aussie Ange has really turned this Celtic side around and they have won 23 of their last 27 games.
Their squad is near full strength and they have been on fire recently.
Since ex manager, Steven Gerrard left, Rangers have dropped off domestically and have gone from top to 6 points behind Celtic, and I think Celtic will continue their recent form and get a win in normal time and move into the Scottish cup final. 1 unit
La Liga – Real Sociedad vs Real Betis Balompie - 1x2 Real Betis Balompie @ 3.45
Cesar
Two teams battling for top-four finishes in La Liga will lock horns on Friday evening, as Real Sociedad welcome Real Betis to Anoeta Stadium. Real Sociedad are currently sixth in the table, three points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, while Betis occupy fifth, two points ahead of their opponents in this match. Both teams have had pretty decent runs this season however, they have both shown signs of fatigue and wear as their squad depths aren’t the best. In this case, key players Oyarzabal, Carlos Fernandez and Nacho Monreal for Sociedad are out for this clash which may prove to be a downfall. Star Betis players Canales and Fekir are set to be ready to battle for the top four spot, which will be the biggest threat Sociedad will have to deal with. In this case, Betis to secure the 3 points MUCHO BETIS. 2 units
English Premier League - Chelsea v Arsenal - 1x2 Chelsea @ 2.00
Dom Rae
Arsenal have lost two in a row and seem to have jeopardised their chances of finishing in the top four after looking like the favourites to do so in recent weeks.
Chelsea on the other hand are in fine form and were desperately unlucky in their Champions League tie with Real Madrid, gaining a lot of credit from their second leg display.
The Gunners have injury problems and a terrible record at Stamford Bridge so the even money on The Blues looks good value here. 1 unit
AFL - Hawthorn vs Geelong - Hawthorn @2.95
Nathan
Don’t overreact to the 69 point beating by the red hot Saints last week!
The Hawks have produced great results this season if we exclude the last time we saw them. A cruisy Round 1 win, a big stage upset to the poor Power and a gripping loss by 1 to the turn around Blues.
Bottom line is 2.95 is great value for them here. If we take a look at past H2H records, there is definitely a lean towards the Geelong outfit, but interestingly we’ve seen close contests at matches played at the MCG - where we’ll see this fixture take place.
You can wait until the handicap is released for a more conservative play but I’m on the Hawks early here!
Look for Mitch Lewis to re-write a poor 3.5 kicking performance last time out and walk out a very happy team at Hawthorn! 2 units
NRL - South Sydney v Canterbury Bulldogs - 1x2 & Total - South Sydney & Under 39.5 @ 2.33
Brad
We’re treated to five days of football over the Easter long weekend, but it’s the traditional Good Friday afternoon clash between South Sydney and the Bulldogs that has our attention.
Both sides would hardly be thrilled with their opening five rounds of the season with Souths having two wins next to their name while the Dogs have just the one.
Getting points on the board has been an issue for these two as they both are yet to fully adapt to new players in the back line.
To make matters worse for Souths, their superstar Fullback Latrell Mitchell has been ruled out for eight weeks with a hamstring injury.
While Canterbury are slowly showing signs of improving after years in the doldrums, they are still a work-in-progress with their attack in particular far from the finished product.
There’s little doubt that South Sydney are simply too strong for the Bulldogs here, even with Latrell on the sidelines icing his hamstring.
With both sides having difficulty in crossing the try line early in the season it’s hard to go past unders in this one too. 2 units
Seria A - Lazio v Torino - Under 2.5 goals @ 1.92
George
Saturday night will see a red-hot Lazio facing a stubborn Torino outfit; while Torino have settled mid-table with no aspirations for European football or fear of a potential relegation battle, Lazio are sitting in sixth spot and hoping to continue their great form to catch up to Juventus for the fourth and final UEFA Champions League spot.
Ciro Immobile seems to score a cheeky penalty every second game it seems, and he’s at his peak in the Lazio system; he’s got 24 goals in 27 games in the league this season and he loves a low level team.
Additionally, their relentless Serbian engine in Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is in red-hot form, making a case as the best midfielder in the league.
On the other hand, Torino are actually doing okay despite missing Belotti - their relentless pressure forward and best player - for most of it.
They’re missing a lot of depth due to injury, but when they knuckle down they can be hard to crack.
For context, they’ve conceded 30 goals for the entire campaign (only Juventus (28), Napoli (26), Inter (24) and Milan (29) have conceded less).
Also, Torino’s worst loss for the season was a 2-0 scoreline, and have held AC Milan and Inter to draws during the season (0-0 and 1-1).
So you’ve got one team that hasn’t been scoring a great deal and missing their key striker and depth options but have an underrated defensive record, and you have Lazio who have scored goals at will (64 total, 2nd in the Serie A behind Inter at 65).
What puts the under in favour though, is Lazio typically struggling against quality opposition and seeming to thrash smaller teams; Torino are one of those teams in the middle. Also worth pointing out the last two scorelines between these clubs have been 1-1 and 0-0.Overall, I see it being a low scoring game (1-0 for correct score punters) as Lazio will want to break through then settle for the lead to secure the points and take a closer step to Juventus. 2 units