Elite Sports Betting Tips: September 16
Serie A - AC Milan vs Napoli - Double Chance & Both Teams To Score AC Milan/Draw & Yes @ $2.24
Nick
Top spot up for grabs, in easily the pick of the Serie A games this weekend.
Both teams coming off favourable mid-week Champions League results and will be full of confidence, Napoli’s effort against Liverpool was the more impressive of the two.
Having scored 13 goals in their first six goals, I’d still back Napoli to get on the scoresheet this game too. However I’d also still back AC Milan’s attacking prowess (despite missing Leao & Ibrahimovic), overall just two of their matches so far this season hasn’t seen goals at both ends.
Can see this being a 2-1 AC Milan result, or a 1-1 draw, so I’ll include this selection to cover bases. 2 units
NFL - Baltimore Ravens Vs Miami Dolphins - Dolphins +3.5 @ $1.88
Blake
Football is back and we've had a one week sighter at what the 2022/23 season has to promise.
Some punters might say that's just not enough evidence, it's still too early to be confident of what we might expect from teams this year.
Not this punter. We're looking to nail a field goal from down town with the Dolphins to reek havoc on the Ravens.
It's fairly obvious the Ravens offense has some holes in it this season.
They had a less than inspiring win over the Jets in week one.
On the other hand, Tua and his Dolphins looked to be on song when downing the Pats at their first outing.
Combine that with the fact Tyreek Hill is still settling into his new home, and there's genuine reason to believe they will only have benefitted from last week.
A brave punters would scream Moneyline underdog here but this is about getting on back on track in September.
For that reason, we'll have a slice of the Dolphins +3.5 handicap at a generous $1.88 and feel confident money will be coming back our way at the end of this match. 1.5 units
NRL - Cronulla Sharks vs South Sydney Rabbitohs - 1x2 & Total Cronulla & Over 42.5 @ 3.60
Brad
Week 1 of the NRL finals was one wild ride with four captivating matches which saw Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters eliminated in shock results.
Week 2 promises to be just as exciting with two great games to look forward to.
Saturday Night's showdown between Cronulla and South Sydney is where we will focus our attention as both teams fight for their place in next week's Preliminary Final.
The Sharks were seconds away from having this week off but ultimately fell to the North Queensland Cowboys in an Extra Time thriller.
South Sydney enter this game on the back of a win against rivals Sydney Roosters in what was one of the most brutal games of Rugby League we’ve seen in recent memory.
The market has Souths favourite in this one which is a bit of a surprise given they finished seventh on the ladder compared to the Sharks in second.
Cronulla may have played 93 minutes of football last week but the gruelling encounter Souths found themselves in last weekend we expect them to carry more bruising into this one.
Souths form has been shaky all year, especially against other top-8 teams so we’re going to back Cronulla to bounce back this year and keep their season alive.
As both teams scored 30 points last weekend we’re going to combine a Sharks win with over 42.5 points landing. 2 units
NCAAF - Indiana Hoosiers v Western Kentucky Hilltoppers - Western Kentucky +6.5 @ 1.93
George
This week we travel to my former alma mater - Memorial Stadium in Bloomington - to see an intriguing contest between two college programs who have started off their respective campaigns in terrific fashion and both entering this duel with a 2-0 record.
Unfortunately, it is a spot where I see my Hoosiers severely overvalued against a Western Kentucky outfit that has fired on all cylinders in their first two weeks and coming into this road game with great momentum.
The main metrics on Pro Football Focus back up my claim that we may see a strong showing by the Hilltoppers; they rank 42nd in the nation in overall offensive ranking led by the unbelievable production from quarterback Austin Reed, currently possessing an overall QB grade of 76.5 on the back of seven touchdowns in his first two starts.
He will come up against an Indiana secondary that is ranked 106th in defensive coverage and a defensive front-line ranked 122nd in QB pressure.
On the other side of the ball for the Hoosiers, despite lighting up the score sheet in their first two weeks they hold a current offensive power rank of 113th, which is strongly influenced by a poor pass-blocking output from their offensive line ranked 116th in the country.
Applying the pressure to Indiana QB Connor Bazelak (led by the strong presence of interior defender Lorenzo Hernandez) and forcing throws to a coverage team ranked at a healthy 43rd looks to be the main recipe of success for Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton, and will be looking to capitalise on their defensive stops.
The +6.5 line is an absolute steal when breaking down the weaknesses of the home team, and while we may see a bit of a shoot-out I can see the Hilltoppers easily covering the spread and quite possibly getting over the line in what will be one of the more underrated contests this Saturday. 3 units
La Liga - Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid - Asian Total Goals Under 2.5 @ 1.88
Dom Rae
The first Madrid derby of the season takes place at the Metropolitano this weekend in what is always a closely fought contest.
Visitors Real head across town with a 100% winning record in all competitions so far, while Atletico will be smarting from a 2-0 loss at Leverkusen in the Champions League in midweek.
The home side have been inconsistent so far but a win on Sunday will take them within two points of their rivals.
The goals are coming from all areas for Real but Atletico have home advantage on their side so this is expected to be a tight game.
Given the recent history of low scoring encounters between these sides, it's surprising to see odds as generous as this for the game to feature two goals or less. 1 unit
AFL - Sydney Swans vs Collingwood Magpies - Asian Total - Under 164.5 @ 1.92
Caelum
The Pies and Swans are two of the best defensive teams in the competition, which they have shown time and time again when it has mattered most.
Their previous matchup this season, also at the SCG, saw a grand total of 127 points in what was a fairly tight contest.
You can expect plenty of intercept marks from the likes of Darcy Moore, Nathan Murphy, Jeremy Howe and the McCartin boys in what should be a fierce contest.
Outside of Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom, the Collingwood midfielders aren't especially know for hitting forwards lace out.
If this is the case, the Swans defenders should eat up a lot of the high balls inside 50.
Same goes for the Pies, who will have to defend the balls inside 50 from a plethora of Swans inside mids who are known more for their physicality than cleanliness with ball in hand.
Lance Franklin could get off the hook, as he has a tendency to do against Collingwood. But outside of this, expect both sides to play to form. 2 units
EPL - Everton FC v West Ham United FC - Everton FC 1x2 @ 2.95
Matt R
Over the past few matches Everton have been knocking on the door of their first win this season.
Four ties from the last four matches will mean they are set to be coming out in this one looking to fire.
Being back at Goodison park will increase the confidence in the squad also.
Lampard has plenty of attacking strength at his disposal with Gordon and Maupay who will be pushing hard up front and on the counter.
West Ham don't have the best record on the road and this will be no different. 2 units
CSGO - ESL Pro League - Astralis vs Heet - Map Handicap Astralis -1.5 @ 1.74
Alex
While both teams haven't been in great form, Astralis seem to be the much better team on paper.
They have much more experienced players and a relatively wider map pool.
Despite their inconsistent performance, they should be able to win in 2-0 fashion against the no. 32 ranked underdog.
Overall, this should be an interesting match to watch.
Expecting them to take the win here. 1 unit
La Liga - Real Betis Balompie vs Girona FC - 1x2 & Total Real Betis Balompie & Over 1.5 @ 2.03
Cesar
Betisssss! I’d be lying if I said it’s not one of my favourite La Liga teams.
The history, the players that have played for this club and the fans, make it a very likeable team.
In recent seasons, we’ve seen how a humble team from the South of Spain has progressed and developed in every way into becoming one of the teams to fear in Europe.
Although they don’t have the flashiest players, they have recruited a very solid team overall, with superstars such as Fekir and underrated class players such as Canales.
Important to mention the revelation player Borja Iglesias, who has impressed with his goalscoring performances in recent seasons.
This Betis looks like it gets better with every game that they play, having won 4 out of their last 5 matches, they don’t seem to be slowing down at all and I can’t wait to see more of them and especially in European competitions.
On the other hand, Girona has been claiming much deserved respect with performances that have shocked the league such as a 3-1 win vs Getafe.
Girona is making noise and they will be sure to go into this game with an underdog, giant slayer mentality.
Although we should be careful with Girona, I don’t see them securing a win away vs Betis, who have their fans in an ecstatic mood ready to back their team with their all.
And of course, Fekir and Canales will be looking to put the ball on Borja Iglesias feet or head, to put on a show on their home ground.
Betis to win here with at least a brace. 2 units
NFL - Pittsburgh v Cincinnati - Cincinnati -5.5 @ 1.80
Nathan Pap
The most special time of the year is back and could not think of a better way to kick off the season than with a classic AFC North rivalry.
Riding high from their dream run last season and strong off-season, the Bengals begin their quest to get back to the Super Bowl.
The Steelers are have a lot of unknowns and will be starting the season for a new QB for the first time in over a decade.
Paycor Stadium will be rocking in Ohio and Joe Burrow and company start their year off in hot fashion.
Bengals to win and cover fairly comfortably. 1 unit
EPL - Wolverhampton Wanderers FC vs Manchester City FC - Man City 2-0 @ 6.40
Ben
Man City looking in great form to start the EPL season.
The players will be eager to score after the break in matches.
Man City will have some plays crafted to find some goals given the extra time to prepare and strategise against their opponent.
Expecting Man City to have no trouble bringing the ball up field and converting.
Defense has been hit and miss but this sees a decent chance for a clean sheet 3 units
NFL - Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions - Winner (Incl. Overtime) Detroit Lions @1.85
Tangy
Week 1 didn’t go to plan with some massive upsets and to top it all off, our Jags fell victim to a backdoor cover thanks to a Carson Wentz game-winning drive!!
But that won’t stop us from fading the Commanders for yet another week.
On their first road game of the season, they’ll go up against the Hard Knocks-showcased Detroit Lions who impressed on Gameweek 1 despite the loss against a clinical Philly team.
What we can take-away though, is that Detroit can score too, which is why we like them as the favourite here.
In the last six H2Hs against Washington, the Lions have covered five times, going into the match as faves four times.
We’ve got the historical data on our side and from Week 1 performances, happy to side with the Lions here! 4 units