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It’s been 23 years since Scotland last featured in a World Cup tournament and it’s safe to say that when they have qualified, they haven’t excelled given that they’ve never made it through to the knockout stages of the competition. However, they’ll want another crack at it in Qatar next year and Steve Clarke’s side may get that opportunity if they’re able to pick up a few more wins during qualifying.

Scotland’s World Cup Qualifying Group

Scotland were drawn into Group F along with Denmark, Israel, Austria, the Faroe Islands and Moldova. It’s by no means an easy group to qualify from but after eight matches, Scotland find themselves in a promising position.

Here’s how the table looks heading into the final two sets of fixtures.

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Denmark	8	8	0	0	27	0	27	24
Scotland	8	5	2	1	13	7	6	17
Israel	8	4	1	3	18	15	3	13
Austria	8	3	1	4	11	14	-3	10
Faroe Islands	8	2	1	6	4	17	-13	4
Moldova	8	0	1	7	4	24	-20	1

Four of Scotland’s victories during the qualification stages have come by a one-goal margin, including their most recent wins against Moldova (1-0), Austria (1-0), Israel (3-2) and the Faroe Islands (1-0).

What Do Scotland Need To Qualify?

Only the top team will qualify automatically for the World Cup. As Denmark are seven points ahead of Scotland with two games to play, Scotland’s only chance of qualifying is through the playoffs. To reach the playoffs, they must finish second which means that they need to pick up three or more points from their final two qualifying fixtures in order for Israel to be unable to catch them.

The final two fixtures will see Scotland face Moldova on the 12th of November and Denmark three days later. Denmark are yet to drop a point in qualifying and impressively, yet to concede a goal. Therefore, picking up maximum points away to Moldova is vital for Clarke’s side. Thankfully, Moldova are one of the weaker sides in the group and despite only beating them 1-0 at Hampden Park last month, Scotland should have more than enough to come away with the three points that they need. Should they do that, a second-place finish in Group F would be guaranteed and Scotland would earn their place in the 2022 World Cup playoffs.

Group F - Top 2 Finish Betting Odds
Team	Odds	Bookie
Scotland	1/10
Israel	9/2

As you can see from the above, Scotland are strong favourites with UK betting sites to finish in the top two places in Group F compared to Israel.

World Cup Playoffs

The playoffs are scheduled to take place in March 2022 and will feature 12 teams. Ten of those teams will qualify by finishing second in their groups and the remaining two places are awarded to the highest-ranked teams that won their UEFA Nations League groups.

The twelve teams will be drawn into three groups with the top three top teams after the knockout rounds gaining their place in the World Cup along with 29 other nations from around the World.

Summary

Four successive victories have propelled Scotland into second place in their group and has fans biting their nails at the thought of inclusion in the World Cup for the first time since France ’98. Three points against Moldova next month would secure a place in the playoffs – a route that they were forced to take, and succeeded in, to qualify for Euro 2020.

Watford’s new manager, Claudio Ranieri, wants to defy the odds and ensure that the Hornets stay in the Premier League for next season.  Ranieri, who has previously managed Chelsea, Leicester and Fulham, faces an onerous start to his tenure at Vicarage Road with a home match against Liverpool this weekend closely followed by upcoming clashes against Arsenal and Manchester United.  

Ranieri will turn seventy next week and a win against Jurgen Klopp’s side, missing some key players due to international duties and injury, would be a magnificent start to his birthday celebrations.  However, the depth and talent of Liverpool’s squad are likely to be decisive and the Reds are hot favourites to win the match with odds of 7/18 from bookmaker SBK compared to the long odds for a Watford win of 17/2 from Unibet.

Both Watford and Norwich returned to the Premier League after only one season languishing in the Championship.  The Canaries look likely to ricochet back down to the Championship with no wins at all after seven matches played and only one point gained.  Burnley, also are faring badly too with three points on the board and remain in the relegation zone in this early stage of the season.  The bookies’ odds reflect this harsh reality with odds of 2/9 from Paddy Power that Norwich will be relegated and odds of 4/5 for Burnley from the same bookie.

Newcastle are also languishing in the relegation zone with only three points won and those points were from draws, including a 1-1 result against Watford late last month.  However, the recent £305 million purchase of the club by the Saudi Public Investment Fund is likely to signal a renaissance at Newcastle, with manager Steve Bruce remaining in charge for the moment and the promise of investment in new players during the January transfer window.  The betting market has reassessed the relegation odds for the Magpies in light of the PIF purchase with SBK, for example, offering odds of 13/5.

The same bookmaker is giving punters odds of 14/19 that the Hornets will go down, despite the fact that Watford are in 15th place in the League table with seven points from two wins and a draw – ahead of Leeds, Southampton, Burnley, Newcastle and Norwich.  The odds can be seen as good value, given the season’s results to date and the positive flip which Ranieri’s appointment is expected to bring.

Watford’s owners, the Pozzo family, have known Ranieri for many years.  Gino Pozzo, son of Giampaulo who originally bought the club back in 2012, will be expecting results.  No manager has lasted longer than 20 months in the past nine years and there is no place for sentimentality at the club.  Ranieri, whose contract is for two years, acknowledges the precarious nature of his appointment saying “I can laugh as much as I want.  If I don’t get any points, the laughing is finished.”

Less than a week after the Saudi Arabian-backed £305m takeover of Newcastle United was completed, rumours around potential January transfer window signings for the North East club have surfaced with fans and media both sharing their opinions on who they would like to see in Newcastle and who the club could potentially sign.

In the background, several other Premier League clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, continue to voice their disapproval around Richard Masters’ decision to let the deal go through with a Premier League meeting arranged to discuss matters, without the attendance of Newcastle United representatives.

Whatever is discussed in that meeting, it will not change anything regarding the takeover which was completed on Thursday 7th October 2021. Therefore, it’s all go at St James’ Park as they begin their search for new players (and a manager) who can take the club to new highs.

Newcastle United Potential Signings

Despite the club becoming one of the richest on the planet overnight, we’re unlikely to see the likes of Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe arrive in the North East in January. Given Newcastle’s dreadful start to the season in which they have picked up just 3 points from a possible 21 and are without a win in their first 7 games, the players that they bring in will be aimed at keeping the club up with a bigger rebuild of the squad scheduled for the summer. However, that’s not to say that there won’t be recognisable names putting pen to paper in January as the new owners simply can’t afford to get it wrong and being relegated for the second time in six seasons won’t be seen as an option.

So, who are the potential candidates to walk through the door at St James’ Park in January?

Phillipe Coutinho (Barcelona)

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Coutinho could perhaps be Newcastle’s biggest signing of the season should it happen. Since his £105m move to Barcelona in January 2018, the Brazilian international has had a terrible time and was loaned out to Bundesliga club Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 season. He returned to Barca the following season to play under new coach Ronald Koeman but given the state of the La Liga clubs finances, it’s possible that they could be willing to part with him.

Coutinho scored 41 goals in 152 appearances during his time in the Premier League with Liverpool and the 29 year old could relish the chance to regain that form in a league he knows well.

Coutinho is one fo the bookies favourites to arrive at St James’ Park in the January transfer window at odds of 6/1 with online bookmaker Betfair.

Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)

Lingard has been on United’s books since 2011 but has been passed around multiple clubs on loan deals from not long after that. The 28 year old has struggled for regular first team football at United and has had spells at Leicester City, Birmingham, Brighton, Derby County and West Ham.

Since arriving at West Ham in January of this year, Lingard has regained his form, finding the net 9 times in 16 appearances for the Hammers. He’s also been recalled to the England squad and if he wants to be included in the Southgate’s group that travel to Qatar next year, he needs regular pitch time and as he is now back with United, a permanent move to Newcastle could provide him with just that.

Lingard has been on Newcastle United’s radar for some time now with the club trying to lure the England midfielder on a loan deal in January. With the new owners ready to open their wallets, that could turn into an offer to purchase which could be tempting for both Lingard and United.

Lingard is currently priced at 9/1 to sign for Newcastle before 3rd February 2022 with Paddy Power.

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

Gareth Bale is another player that has recently been out on loan and spent time with his former club Tottenham Hotspur having spent seven years playing for La Liga side Real Madrid. Shortly after returning to Madrid, Bale picked up a long-term hamstring injury which has seen him miss the majority of Madrid’s games this season along with several of Wales’ World Cup qualifying fixtures.

It has been reported that Newcastle have Bale on their list of potential signings but whether or not a deal will materialise before the summer is in doubt.

Bale would be a marquee signing for the new owners but it’s likely that they’ll have to dig deep to cover the Welsh star’s wages given that he currently earns £25m on Real Madrid’s books. However, his hefty wage bill may be the reason Madrid will let Bale go as it would free up significant funds to potentially sign their top transfer target, Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint Germain.

Bale has bagged 11 goals in 20 games for Spurs since rejoining the club he left in 2013, proving that he is still capable of performing in England’s top league.

Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal)

Alexandre Lacazette has spent four years at Arsenal during which time the French international has scored 50 goals for the club and so has proven his ability and gained experience in the league. His contract expires at the end of the season and given how Arsenal are underperforming this season, Lacazette could be tempted to move on sooner rather than later to a club that has a bright future ahead of it.

Donny van De Beek (Manchester United)

Since moving from Ajax to Manchester United over a year ago, Donny van De Beek has played just 20 games for his club with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær often opting to start matches with the Dutch international on the bench. The 35 year old midfielder cost United around £35m and given that he is not getting regular game time, a generous offer from Newcastle United’s new owners who have deep pockets could be tempting for the club.

For van De Beek, a move to Tyneside would allow him to play on a weekly basis. Something that initiated a potential loan move to Everton in August which failed to materialise.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s summer appointment at Spurs was not entirely expected or welcomed by many Spurs fans and now after only 6 Premier League games, the former Wolves manager is 4/1 joint favourite with Bet Victor to be the next Prem League manager to leave their post. 

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy conducted a protracted search during the summer to be the full-time replacement for Jose Mourinho but on a couple of occasions was unable to get the manager he wanted. Mauricio Pochettino was initially approached about an unlikely comeback as well as Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Genaro Gattuso before talks with Santo began. 

Admittedly the major problem with Spurs during the Summer and throughout August was the huge uncertainty caused by Harry Kane’s protracted transfer discussions with Man City which unsettled everyone at the club. It was a surprise to many that Kane eventually decided to stay at White Hart Lane and three opening 1-0 wins including against Manchester City masked over some of the internal problems. 

However, three consecutive heavy defeats have piled the pressure on Santos and the abject first-half performance against arch rival’s Arsenal is unforgivable to many hardened Tottenham supporters. However, the Premier League statistics are even more concerning as Spurs rank bottom for shots and chances created so far this season and their players have covered less distance than any other side.

Spurs face NS Mura in the Europa Conference League this Thursday and then entertain an in form Aston Villa side in the League this weekend with the pressure very much mounting on Santo to show that he can save his job and his team from further embarrassment. 

Many bookmakers offer odds throughout the season on which Premier League Manager will be next to leave his post and the latest showing bookmakers with the highest odds at the time of publishing are as follows: 

Manager	Club	Bookie	Odds
Nuno Espirito	Tottenham Hotspur		4/1
Steve Bruce	Newcastle		4/1
Xisco Munoz	Watford		7/1
Mikel Arteta	Arsenal		7/1
Daniel Farke	Norwich		8/1
Patrick Viera	Crystal Palace		14/1
Ralph Hussenhuttl	Southampton		16/1

The pre-eminent team event in golf is back this week with the belated return of the Ryder Cup 2020 edition where the USA team lead by captain Steve Stricker are strongly fancied to win back the Trophy. An awful lot has happened in the golfing world since Europe hammered America in the 42nd Ryder Cup played at the Le Golf National course in Paris in 2018.  The score then was an overwhelming 17.5 to 10.5 win for Europe with Italy’s Francesco Molinari the leading man for Europe with an amazing 5 points won from his five contests. 

Molinari is one of five players from the European 2018 team who have not made selection with the most recognised other player missing this time round being Justin Rose. So seven of the 2018 team remain but Rory McIlroy once ranked World No.1 is now ranked 15 but Spain’s Jon Rahm is now the undoubted top-ranked player in the world. 

The problem for Europe is that many of their players are going through a fairly average period of form with Fleetwood, Hatton, Fitzpatrick and others all struggling by their own high standards in recent weeks. 

With the USA having the advantage of home soil and a large partisan crowd as well as the vast majority of the in-form players it is no surprise that bookies make them general ½ favourites with the European team generally available at odds of around 2/1 with Betfred offering the standout odds of 9/4 of the mainstream bookmakers. 

The USA should win back the Ryder Cup comfortably but there is little value in supporting them at such cramped odds. Golf punters will be more interested in some of the other markets, particularly which player will win most points. Jon Rahm is the clear favourite in the Top Combined Points Scorer market and rightly so as he can expect to play in all of the 5 sessions and will have the opportunity to score 5 points. Many other players will not play in all 5 sessions and therefore will be handicapped somewhat by this. 

At best odds of 15/2 currently with BetVictor who offer each-way terms of ¼ odds for 4 places, Rahm is the standout bet. The Spaniard has been in superb form all year and is a great competitor in matchplay tournaments. Expect Rahm to lead the way for Europe although a USA team victory is surely on the cards.       

The 2021/22 Premier League season kicks off tonight with newly-promoted Brentford hosting Arsenal at the Brentford Community Stadium. It will be the first-ever Premier League match for the Bee’s and a great fixture to kick start the season with.

Looking ahead to the weekend and there are some exciting clashes taking place including an intriguing clash between Tottenham and Manchester City on Sunday and a potentially thrilling bout between Manchester United and Leeds tomorrow.

Harry Kane and his squad will host City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the late kick-off on Sunday with the Citizens still keen to acquire his services this season. However, for now, he remains Spurs’ captain and it will be interesting to see how the England number 9 performs in front of his potential new teammates.

The stand-out fixture for many this weekend is at Old Trafford where the other Manchester club take on Leeds. This fixture last season resulted in an 8-goal thriller in which Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side came out on top as 6-2 winners. It was a match that produced 41 attempts on goal and 18 on target and both sets of fans would welcome stats like that in tomorrow’s match.

Despite United finishing second in the league last season, they were far from a club that were capable of challenging for the title. With the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all somewhat underperforming in their 2021/22 campaign, this season could prove to be much tougher for the Red Devils and their opening fixture will be a good test of their abilities. United don’t meet one of the big top four until mid-October when they travel to the King Power stadium to play Leicester and so picking up maximum points in the early stages of their campaign will be their goal.

When Is Man Utd v Leeds?

Kick-off is scheduled for 12:30 on Saturday and will take place at Old Trafford. The match will be televised live on both BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate.

Manchester United Team News

All eyes will be on Jadon Sancho who signed for United this month. The 21 year old winger joined the club on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £72.9m from Borussia Dortmund. Sancho has been in training with United this week and fans will be hoping that Solskjær gives the exciting youngster a start but it’s likely that we’ll see him on the bench at kick-off. United’s other signing, Raphael Varane, is still yet to be confirmed and so it’s more than probable that fans will have to wait at least another week for his appearance on the pitch.

Man Utd picked up a morale-boosting 4-0 win in their pre-season friendly against Everton on Saturday with goals coming from Mason Greenwood, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot. It’s likely that all those players with the exception of Dalot will find a place in Solskjær’s starting XI to make up a relatively unchanged side from last season. Anthony Martial is likely to make his first appearance in a competitive match for United in five months following playing a part in their victory against Everton at the weekend. Man Utd will be without Edinson Cavani after the striker was given time off following his involvement in the Copa America this summer which allows Martial to work his way back into the starting XI.

As well as Cavani, United will also be without h Marcus Rashford, Alex Telles, Dean Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Amad Diallo which does leave the squad relatively thin on depth.

Manchester United expected starting XI:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, Fred; Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood; Martial

Leeds United Team News

After being promoted from the Championship in 2020, Leeds achieved an impressive 9th-place in the table last season. They were a joy to watch for the most part with Marcelo Bielsa’s high-tempo style of play producing some thrilling matches. It was a season that they beat the likes of Tottenham (3-1), Manchester City (2-1), Leicester (3-1)  and Everton (1-0) as well as picking up points against Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea. They proved to be more than a match for the best in the league and will hope to produce some similar upsets heading into the new term.

Leed’s pre-season form hasn’t been the best with Bielsa’s side picking up just one win in their seven matches, losing four of them. However, they ended last season as one of the strongest teams having suffered just one defeat in their last 11 which left them just six points adrift of a Europa League spot.

New signing Firpo, who joined the club from Barcelona for a fee of £12.8m will be available for the Whites on Saturday and should gain a place as left-back. Diego Llorente is likely to miss his teams opening fixture due to a leg injury and could be replaced by Robin Koch in central defence alongside Liam Cooper.

Leeds United expected starting XI:
Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Firpo; Raphinha, Dallas, Rodrigo, Phillips, Harrison; Bamford

Man Utd v Leeds Odds

Odds are available for the match at several of the top online bookies with our recommendations being Bet365, Betfred and Virgin Bet.

Man Utd v Leeds Match Odds
Man Utd	3/5
Draw	17/5
Leeds	5/1

Man Utd v Leeds Prediction

In terms of a result, it’s a very tough match to call. Leeds proved that they’re capable of beating the best in the Premier League multiple times last season and so it wouldn’t be surprising to see an upset on Saturday. However, it’s too early to say whether they’ll be able to repeat their success of last season, or better it, and their pre-season matches haven’t gone exactly to plan. Of course, you can’t take too much from warm up games but with United playing their first match in front of a full Old Trafford since their 2-0 win over Manchester City in March 2020, they may just have the edge.

Rather than backing United to win at odds of 3/5, you can get odds of 4/5 on Both Teams To Score. That seems a much more probable outcome and is what WhichBookie will be backing on this exciting Saturday afternoon clash.

Prediction: Man Utd 3 – 2 Leeds Utd

The Premier League returns this weekend just one month after the final of Euro 2020 and clubs have been hard at work to bring in new players to strengthen their squads.

With the headline transfer of Lionel Messi from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain going through earlier this week, we take a look at some of the biggest signings to happen in the summer transfer window for Premier League clubs.

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Jack Grealish

• From: Aston Villa
• To: Manchester City
• Fee: £100 million

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Jack Grealish was one of the stars of England’s Euro 2020 campaign. The likeable midfielder may have not be given the pitch time he or the fans would have liked throughout the tournament, but he made an impression and put in some excellent performances as many expected him to do on the pitch.

2020/21 Premier League champions Manchester City expressed their intentions to strengthen their squad with their main targets being Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and Tottenham’s Harry Kane. Their pursuit of Kane is still ongoing but Grealish was slightly easier to convince to put pen to paper given the release clause in his contract. The Citizens were able to sign Grealish for a fee of £100m from Villa which set a new record as the most expensive Premier League transfer ever. Grealish made his senior debut for Aston Villa in 2014 and has made 213 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 32 goals in the process. He’ll add creativity to City’s squad and join a host of other world-class players at the Etihad.

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Jadon Sancho

• From: Borussia Dortmund
• To: Manchester United
• Fee: £73 million

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21-year-old Sancho was also part out Southgate’s squad heading into Euro 2020 but only managed a matter of minutes on the pitch. However, his talent has not gone unnoticed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United who were able to sign the midfielder from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £73 – the seventh most expensive signing in Premier League history.

Sancho will surely improve the United side which has been somewhat lacking in creativity going forward. He’s considered one of the most exciting and promising young players in football and despite only being 21 years old, he has experience under his belt having made 104 appearances for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, playing in the Champions League and scoring a total of 28 goals for the club.

Sancho is set to make his debut appearance in a United shirt in their opening fixture of the season against Leeds at Old Trafford on Saturday.

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Romelu Lukaku

• From: Inter Milan
• To: Chelsea
• Fee: £97.50 million

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Although Lukaku’s move to Chelsea from Serie A club Inter Milan is not officially confirmed, it looks as though he is set to be a Blues player in the coming days. Just a day after Chelsea lifted the Super Cup after beating La Liga side Villarreal on penalities on Wednesday, Lukaku landed in London to put pen to paper to return to the club he was with between 2011 & 2014.

Lukaku originally signed for Chelsea on a 5-year contract back in 2011 for a reported fee of around £10m. However, he only played 10 matches in a Blues shirt and spent most of his time in the reserve team. He was eventually loaned out to West Brom where he spent a season before Everton took him on loan before securing a permanent transfer of the Belgian in 2014 where he would remain for 3 seasons.

Lukaku has vast experience in the Premier League having also spent 2 years at Manchester United before moving to the Serie A to play for Inter Milan. He’s been a proven goalscorer wherever he’s been and will no doubt be a great asset for Chelsea in the coming season.

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Ibrahima Konate

• From: RB Leipzig
• To: Liverpool
• Fee: £36 million

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Following their failed attempt to retain their Premier League title last season, Liverpool got to work early in adding to their relatively thin squad with the excellent signing of Ibrahima Konate from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig for a fee of around £36m.

With the absence of Virgil van Dijk for much of last season due to injury being partly to blame for Liverpool’s failed title push, Klopp was seeking to give his squad a boost in this department and the France Under-21 defender may be just what they need.

The 22-year-old centre-back made 66 appearances for RB Leipzig since joining the club in 2017 and is considered a promising young talent having played for his national side since the age of 15.

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Cristian Romero

• From: Atalanta
• To: Tottenham Hotspur
• Fee: £42 million

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After a somewhat disappointing league campaign last season which saw Spurs finish in 7th place and outside of a European spot, new manager Nuno Espírito Santo is hoping to improve his squad starting with the signing of centre-back Cristian Romero from Serie A club Atalanta.

The 23-year old signed a five-year contract with Spurs in August for a fee of around £42 where he’ll meet former Atalanta team-mate, Pierluigi Gollini.

Nuno Santo is looking to bring in one more defender before the summer transfer window closes in replacement of Toby Alderweireld who departed the club last month. He’ll also be eager to retain the duties of England number 9 Harry Kane and block his potential move to Premier League champions Manchester City who are eager to sign last seasons Golden Boot winner.

BoyleSports, Ireland’s largest independent bookmaker, is considering an audacious move to buy some or all of William Hill’s UK retail portfolio.  Founded by John Boyle back in 1982, the Dundalk-based company has 2,500 employees.  It operates a successful online business together with 340 betting shops, of which 21 are in Great Britain and 45 in Northern Ireland.  

BoyleSports Chief Executive Mark Kemp is keen to acquire the 1,400 William Hill shops which are surplus to the requirements of the new American owners, Caesars Entertainment.   Caesars completed its £2.9 billion purchase of William Hill at the end of April.  As the American gaming giant’s primary target was Hill’s US betting business, all other European assets are surplus to requirements and Caesar’s Chief Executive Tom Reeg aims to find a buyer of the William Hill shops this year, with a view to completing the sale by next May.   He says “One of my pet peeves when I was an investor was companies that didn’t know what they were good at and I can’t tell you we’re good at running a non-U.S. digital business.  I can tell you that there are almost certainly people out there that will do it better than us and see opportunity there.”

BoyleSports has the market experience and know-how to take on the challenge but the big question is, does the business have access to the enormous loan capital that would be required to finance a deal that is expected to be worth £1.5 billion?  

The company is facing competition from other companies keen to snap up Hill’s retail business, some of which already have the deep pockets needed to fund the purchase.  Private equity firm Apollo Global Management, which was outbid by Caesars for the entire William Hill empire, is thought to be in the mix and the purchase would allow Apollo to combine the William Hill retail business with Gamenet, an Italian gambling company purchased for $1.15 billion in December.   

888 Holdings is also thought to be eying up William Hill.  At present, 888 focuses on iGaming and poker; the purchase of William Hill would complement its existing business and allow an opportunity for cross-sales.  Intriguingly, rumours are swirling that the Gibraltar-based company is itself likely to be subject to a takeover bid shortly!

Other potential suitors include Betfred (which may face intervention by regulatory authorities, as the company’s existing retail arm is already extensive), and two Swedish companies – Betsson and Kindred Group.  

Despite the twin challenges of securing the necessary finance and then seeing off their rivals, BoyleSport remains positive.  A spokesperson for the company has confirmed  “BoyleSports would certainly be interested in acquiring some or all of William Hill’s UK shops, or indeed any other opportunity that makes sense for our business.  We have made no secret of our ambition to be one of the principal operators on the UK high street and believe that our retail and digital offerings represent a best in class, safe, and enjoyable proposition for the betting public.  We already have 21 shops in the UK which, along with our 45 shops in Northern Ireland and our recently upgraded online betting site, gives us a sizeable foothold in the UK retail and online markets. The sale of the William Hill estate presents us with a rare opportunity to achieve the retail scale we have been targeting.”

The newly-released fixtures for the 2021/22 season may be causing Pep Guardiola a little consternation.  Manchester City are looking for a fourth league title in five years and the Citizens are run-away favourites to lift the Premier League trophy on 22 May – the final day of the season when the team plays Aston Villa – with odds as short as 5/6 available from bookmaker SBK.  But City’s defence of their title starts with a tricky away match against Tottenham Hotspur, followed by matches against Norwich City, Leicester, Southampton and Chelsea.  Manager Guardiola will be seeking to recruit a new striker (potentially Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund or Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur) to counter the threat posed by rivals Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea who are all expected to strengthen their squads during the summer transfer window.

Manchester United will be looking to go one better in the forthcoming season, having finished as runners-up in May.  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team were disappointed to lose the Europa League final to Villareal but tomorrow is another day, and Solskjaer will have £220 million at his disposal to invest in new players this summer with his targets thought to include Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, West Ham’s Declan Rice and Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho.  Interestingly, despite these plans and the second place finish last season, top bookies still don’t fancy United to win the League, with odds of 21/2 from bookie SBK placing them fourth in the betting order behind City, Chelsea and Liverpool.  Manchester United will play the resurgent Leeds United in their first fixture on 14 August with matches scheduled against Southampton, Wolves, Newcastle, West Ham and Villa in the period to the end of September.  

2019/20 League winners Liverpool struggled to regain lost ground last season, with injured players hampering their chances, and finished third behind City and United.  The Reds did finish the season with a flourish, however, with a 10-game unbeaten run and next season could look completely different for Jurgen Klopp’s team with Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip back in shape.  Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold reflects the team’s confidence about the forthcoming season, saying “Next year we’re coming back for trophies” and bookie William Hill offers odds of 11/2 that Liverpool will win the Premier League title.  The team will have a relatively gentle start to the season, with the first two matches against Norwich City and Burnley, but pressure will ramp up thereafter with fixtures against Chelsea, Leeds and Crystal Palace.  

Chelsea will be confident about their chances to win the League in the forthcoming season and that positivity is well-deserved.  The Blues beat Man City 1-0 in their  FA Cup semi-final encounter on 17 April, and beat them again 2-1 in a League match in early May.  Chelsea then scored a hat-trick by defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League final.  Newly appointed manager, Thomas Tuchel, has propelled his players forward since his arrival in January as replacement for Frank Lampard, and after the historic Champions League win he said “The level is now set. When the celebrations are over and when we have digested this experience, it is the moment to evolve and to use it, to become better, to learn. It is absolutely crucial. We have young players, now it is a big challenge to stay hungry and go for the next one.”  

Chelsea have not been genuine contenders for the Premier League trophy for four seasons now and owner Roman Abramovich is keen to support Tuchel in the transfer market this summer.  Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is on Tuchel’s radar, along with Achraf Hakimi and Declan Rice.  Bookmaker Paddy Power offers odds of 5/1 that Chelsea will win the Premier League, placing the Blues second in the pecking order behind Manchester City. Before the season starts, Chelsea will play Villareal (winners of the UEFA Europa League) in the UEFA Super Cup on 11 August. Then a challenging start to the season includes matches against Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Spurs and Manchester City.

The dates detailed in the fixture list for the season are likely to shift once the broadcasting selections are made, with the outcomes for the August and September fixtures due to be announced in early July.  The provisional opening round of fixtures for the weekend of 14 and 15 August is as follows:

• Brentford vs Arsenal
• Burnley vs Brighton
• Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
• Everton vs Southampton
• Leicester City vs Wolverhampton
• Manchester United vs Leeds United
• Newcastle United vs West Ham United
• Norwich City vs Liverpool
• Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City
• Watford vs Aston Villa

Looking further ahead to the spectacular day of football on Boxing Day, 26 December, fans can enjoy the following matches:

• Aston Villa vs Chelsea
• Brighton vs Brentford
• Burnley vs Everton
• Liverpool vs Leeds United
• Manchester City vs Leicester City
• Newcastle United vs Manchester United
• Norwich City vs Arsenal
• Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace
• West Ham United vs Southampton
• Wolverhampton vs Watford

The end-of-season matches are often vitally important, deciding which teams grab a Top-4 finish thereby securing entry to the Champions League and which three teams will suffer relegation to the Championship.  Matches on the final day of the 2021/22 season, on 22 May 2022,  are:

• Arsenal vs Everton
• Brentford vs Leeds United
• Brighton vs West Ham United
• Burnley vs Newcastle United
• Chelsea vs Watford
• Crystal Palace vs Manchester United
• Leicester City vs Southampton
• Liverpool vs Wolverhampton
• Manchester City vs Aston Villa
• Norwich City vs Tottenham Hotspur

At last, the long-delayed Euro2020 tournament is about to start, with the opening fixture of Italy v Turkey taking place in Rome tomorrow evening. Of the 24 participating nations, Scotland is a relative minnow but few would doubt the enormous heart of this small nation at the western edge of Europe. The team qualified after a nail-biting penalty shoot-out against Serbia last November, and Euro2020 is the first major international competition for Scotland since the 1998 World Cup in France.

Scotland’s fixtures in Group D are as follows:

• Monday 14 June Scotland v Czech Republic (2pm kick-off)
• Friday 18 June Scotland v England (8pm kick-off)
• Tuesday 22 June Scotland v Croatia (8pm kick-off)

The England game will take place at Wembley but Scotland will have home advantage in the other two matches which will be played at Hampden Park in Glasgow. The top two teams from each of the six groups will go through to the Round of 16 plus the four best third-placed teams.

There is confidence in Scotland that the national side can progress from the Group Stage to the Round of 16 and that positivity is shared by the self-proclaimed “Special One”, Jose Mourinho, who has said this week “In this moment, Scotland has a nucleus of important players in the Premier League and playing in important clubs in the Premier League. You look to Tierney of Arsenal, Robertson of Liverpool, McTominay of Manchester United – they are a Premier League level team. I think they are better than in the past 20 years. I know there are other good teams in the group, but maybe it can be England first and then Scotland second?”.

Despite Mourinho’s supportive stance, the bookmakers take a very different view of Scotland’s prospects with BetFred offering odds of 11/8 that Scotland will qualify from the Group. These odds are significantly longer than those on offer for England (second favourite, after France, to win the tournament), Croatia and the Czech Republic. And the odds for Scotland to lift the Euro2020 trophy are a whopping 400/1 from some bookmakers.

But the Euro tournament has known upsets in the past. Think back to 2004 when Greece defeated Portugal 1-0 in the final. And in 2016, Iceland – with a population smaller than Bristol – finished second in Group F and then defeated England in the Round of 16. Many pundits do not even place Scotland on their lists of underdogs – Austria, Denmark, Ukraine et al – that may upset the applecart this time round, but the Tartan Army holds a different view.

The squad has a depth in it lacking in the past and, led by 27-year old Andy Robertson (Liverpool’s left back), has delivered solid performances during the build-up to the competition, drawing 2-2 with the Netherlands and beating Luxemburg 1-0 in the past few weeks. Steve Clarke, Scotland manager, believes that Scotland can beat the odds, saying “It’s three tough games against three difficult opponents – but we have to relish that challenge. Experience helps. I’ve banged on a couple of times since getting this job about international experience. Being used to playing international matches and being successful. Not losing is important and the recent run we’ve been on is decent. We want to continue that into the tournament”.