Great Britain were beaten by Australia in the ATP Cup quarter-finals after one of the greatest knockout doubles tennis matches in recent years in Melbourne.

With the crucial quarter-final pitching the ‘pommies’ against the hosts, the best of three clash kicked off with two singles matches. The first saw Kyrgios completely dominate Cameron Norrie as the hot-head turned charity drive hero won 6-2, 6-2 with barely a breaking of breath, winning in just 72 minutes.

The second game, however, was a complete contrast, as Dan Evans took Alex De Minaur to three thrilling sets as he triumphed over the higher-ranked player. Evans, who had already beaten the world number 11 David Goffin that set Britain on their way to a victory over Belgium in the Group Stage, was in fine form again, winning  7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), two tie-breaks the crucial sets that gave Britain the leveler.

It took three and a half hours, but Evans did it in the end, feeding off the partisan Australian crowd to rise above the cheers for De Minaur.

History will be made on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans when top-ranked LSU, in a de facto home game, faces No. 3 Clemson in the College Football Playoff national championship game. The CFP debuted in the 2014 season and neither a No. 1 nor No. 3 has ever won the title. LSU is a 6.5-point favorite. It is 5-1 ATS in its past six neutral-site games as a favorite.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The top seed is 0-3 in the game, including No. 1 Alabama losing last year to No. 2 Clemson. The No. 3 has played in the title game once, with No. 3 Georgia losing in overtime to No. 4 Alabama following the 2017 season. In addition, no team has repeated in the CFP era as Clemson aims to do. It also won the title following the 2016 campaign. LSU aims for its first national title since the 2007 season, when it beat Ohio State also in New Orleans.

This is a matchup of Tigers who also nickname their home stadiums Death Valley: Clemson’s Memorial Stadium and LSU’s Tiger Stadium. The two teams got here in very different fashion.

Two huge games, two pulsating cup ties, and still all is to be played for. After 180 minutes of tension, six goals and heaps of drama saw Manchester City take the biggest step towards Wembley as they cruised to victory in the Manchester derby as Leicester and Villa scrapped to a draw in the pouring rain.

If it sounds like the kind of midweek double-header that might inspire an Oasis lyric, that’s because it was.

Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City

It would be cruel to say that Manchester City completely dominated the EFL cup version of the Manchester derby on Tuesday night. However, but for a 10-minute spell at the beginning and end of the game, it would be completely true, and that will be all the more damning for the red half of Manchester to accept this week.

Professional wrestling, or asw would like you to call it, sports entertainment, is essentially rigged. Although plenty of sites offer wagering on the outcomes, the integrity of betting on it can be fishy considering the outcome could be changed by the whims of one man. To protect the perception of the re-born XFL, McMahon isn’t taking any chances, now having agreed to launch a betting integrity program with Genius Sports.

Under the deal, Genius Sports will provide 24/7 monitoring of all betting markets offering XFL lines, alerting them to significant movements. They will also conduct integrity workshops for players, coaches and game officails, and provide information to league leaders on betting levels. A reporting process will be established, and Bet Genius will assist into any investigations needed for fishy betting.

The XFL may need an integrity program more than most other leagues. Not only does it have the Vince McMahon connection, but its players are guaranteed to make less money than their NFL counterparts. Taking a little money on the side to affect a game, which can easily be done on just something like a prop of how many yards a running back will gain, could make a big difference to a player’s take home pay.

Following news of this integrity deal, the XFL also released their new rules, which they promise will make for a better product than the NFL, but not as silly as the original incarnation of the XFL that came in 2001.

The UK’s anti-gambling media has turned its outrage volume to 11 after learning that online betting operator Bet365 has been streaming English Football Association (FA) Cup matches to its customers.

On Tuesday, the usual media suspects, led by the reliably hyperbolic Daily Mail, lost their narrow minds after learning that Bet365 had been streaming some FA Cup third round matches to customers via its website and betting app.

The FA, the governing body of UK football, famously broke with its former betting sponsor Ladbrokes in 2017, three years before their deal was to expire, after determining that relationships with gambling and alcohol companies were inappropriate. The FA said at the time that it would forego any future deals with betting operators.

But the FA has a media deal with sports rights agency IMG that predated the Ladbrokes sponsorship’s demise, and IMG struck a six-year streaming rights deal with Bet365 that took effect at the start of the 2018-19 season. To stream the FA Cup matches on Bet365’s site or mobile app, customers would either have to place a pre-match wager or open an account with a minimum £5 deposit.

The Bachelor is a little bit of a phenomena in U.S. TV. It’s a show so many can’t wait for as it takes a slightly twisted look at the dating lives of the very well off. As the new season kicks off with Bachelor Peter Weber trying to find love from 30 lovely women, a former contestant on the show is going through her own scandal on Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) betting site DraftKings.

Bachelor in Paradise collusion on DraftKings

We have to start with the gambling scandal, because that’s really our beat. Jade Roper Tolbert, a former Bachelor contestant, won the Milly Maker tournament over the NFL wild-card weekend. She tweeted her enthusiasm over the win.

https://twitter.com/jadelizroper/status/1213993518818967553

Manchester United and Manchester City face off at Old Trafford, while Leicester City welcome Aston Villa to the King Power Stadium as two derbies will decide the Carabao Cup Semi-Finals. Who’ll go into the second legs in three weeks’ time with a crucial advantage? We look at the reasons why there might be blue ribbons on the EFL Cup trophy at the end of February.

Manchester United vs. Manchester City – Tuesday January 7th , 8:00 pm GMT kick-off

When Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial both scored at The Etihad Stadium just a few weeks ago, not only did it derail Manchester City’s creaking title challenge, but it confirmed that The Red Devils had some life in them yet. Clearly, that life still burns in English football’s most successful domestic club, and while the EFL Cup may not be the title or the Champions League, a springboard of marked success this early in Solskjaer’s tenancy would put the Old Trafford club on the right course.

Success against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens will not be easy, of course, and first legs are often tense, tight affairs. That may not be the case on Tuesday evening at Old Trafford, purely for one of the two reasons these sides are so good to watch against each other. United play on the counter attack with devastating pace, drawing out their illustrious quarry before springing the trap and attacking at pace.

Manchester United and Manchester City face off at Old Trafford, while Leicester City welcome Aston Villa to the King Power Stadium as two derbies will decide the Carabao Cup Semi-Finals. Who’ll go into the second legs in three weeks’ time with a crucial advantage? We look at the reasons why there might be blue ribbons on the EFL Cup trophy at the end of February.

Manchester United vs. Manchester City – Tuesday January 7th , 8:00 pm GMT kick-off

When Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial both scored at The Etihad Stadium just a few weeks ago, not only did it derail Manchester City’s creaking title challenge, but it confirmed that The Red Devils had some life in them yet. Clearly, that life still burns in English football’s most successful domestic club, and while the EFL Cup may not be the title or the Champions League, a springboard of marked success this early in Solskjaer’s tenancy would put the Old Trafford club on the right course.

Success against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens will not be easy, of course, and first legs are often tense, tight affairs. That may not be the case on Tuesday evening at Old Trafford, purely for one of the two reasons these sides are so good to watch against each other. United play on the counter attack with devastating pace, drawing out their illustrious quarry before springing the trap and attacking at pace.

With Christmas and New Year in the books, you have returned to work refreshed, buoyed even by the banter with your workmates, a new sense of freedom and opportunity dominating your everyday thoughts. Then you remember Wally from Accounts, and catching his grin at your arrival, remember with horror that you forgot to do a thing with your Premier League football team.

The shame. The shock. The possible money on the line with Wally. Whoever your Wally is, if they have a lead on you, you’re going to need to make big changes as soon as you can. With a new Wild Card back in play, you need to know who to buy and why, let alone how much they’ll cost you. Let’s get down to it.

Goalkeepers 

Top pick: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester)

A weekend of thrills, 1-0’s and goalkeeper spills saw the Premier League leaders progress, while other top flight teams were eliminated. There was no place in the 4th Round for Aston Villa, Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion or Crystal Palace, all beaten across the first two days of action.

Other teams made it through with flying colours. Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby were all Championship teams who bridged the gap to take out Premier League opposition. AFC Fylde were only beaten 2-1 by the Premier League’s Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Elsewhere two minnows made it to a replay before a young Merseyside team won the derby in style.

Rochdale 1-1 Newcastle United

A full programme of EPL action took place across the first two days of 2020, and while Liverpool continue to fly towards their debut Premier League title in the competition’s history, the race for fourth grows ever more complicated.

At the bottom of the Premier League, there were huge victories for Watford and Southampton, while Norwich and Bournemouth saw their survival hopes hit by devastating dropped points at home to Crystal Palace and away to West Ham respectively.

While Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur floundered on the road at Southampton, they were not the only Champions League challenger to hit a roadblock. While Manchester City beat Everton 2-1 and Leicester recorded a famous 3-0 triumph up at Newcastle United, other teams dreaming of 4th place and the richest prize club football has to offer had nightmares instead.

Brighton 1-1 Chelsea

The start of every year’s award season begins with the Golden Globes, which airs January 5 at 8:00 pm ET, and that’s just perfect. Not only do you get a little bit of a taste of the best TV and movies, but you also get to see all your favorite celebrities getting a little bit wasted to celebrate the past year. We’re taking a look at the odds for the top categories, care of Bodog.

Best Actor and Actress In A Motion Picture Musical Or Comedy

The comedy category at the Globes is always a bit tricky, as many of the best performances barely fit in what you would consider as funny. What you end up getting are lots of great performances that just simply aren’t Academy material.

On the mens side, I think Eddie Murphy makes a lot of sense as the favorite, considering the warm recognition Dolemite Is My Name is getting. Don’t count out the longshot in Roman Griffin Davis though, Jojo Rabbit could steal a few awards, or atleast give host Ricky Gervais the chance for some terrible jokes.

2019 was a great year for sports and for sports betting, but you might never know it if you looked at our sites readership statistics. 2018 had lots of big hitting stories that got us clicks, like the repeal of PASPA, the kidnapping of 5Dimes “Tony” and other big stories. But in 2019, we hired Paul Seaton and Derek Tonin, so get ready for some soccer retrospectives and political odds!

Whoever scored the most goals gets the most clicks

In early October, Paul wrote about the top 7 goal scorers in soccer history, topped by Josef Bican with 805. This piece, which takes a fond look at some of the best players in the game, past and present, has had a lot of staying and has helped keep the lights on at the CalvinAyre shop.

The story has been responsible for over 14% of all sports clicks that we’ve received this year in less than 3 months’ time, and had more than double the readers of every other story you’ll see in this article, combined.

Winning the Premier League is one of the toughest tasks in football. While it has been won multiple times by the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and captured once by Leicester and Blackburn, some big sides have never seen their ribbons on the trophy.

Liverpool, Spurs and Everton are just three of the major sides who have never lifted the Premier League title, albeit with The Red close to ending that hoodoo. But could they collapse in the second half of the season? All these five sides have done exactly in the Premier League.

Manchester United, 2003/04

A surprising name in this list are the record-holding 13-time Premier League champions and the team who have won the most league titles in history, with 20 to their name. United, who won 13 of their opening 17 games in the 2003/04 season, were too by virtue of Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ having drawn a large number of their games.