A-League Round 8 - Western Sydney v Sydney FC (Saturday 7:50pm AEDT)
The two Sydney teams haven't had the best of fortunes lately so the passion and excitement on Saturday night should be even more fever pitch than usual.
Both sides have dropped two of their past three fixtures and in Sydney FC's case, both of those losses have been at home. What is remarkable about that is the fact they only lost twice at home last season! What's remarkable about that is the fact that Sydney only lost twice at home in their last campaign!
I'm tipping the Sky Blues to bounce back from their shock 3-1 loss to Wellington. They've dominated this fixture since 2014, losing just once in that time and enter the match having won four-straight against their cross town rivals. Sydney FC have been so dominant in recent seasons that they've outscored the Wanderers 13-1 during this current run!
Adam Le Fondre, one of Sydney FC's new imports this season, has already written himself a few chapters into the Derby by scoring in both his outings against Western Sydney and I wouldn't be surprised if he found the back of the net again.
While I am predicting that Sydney will be Sky Blue once more, I think this game will have plenty of goals because the defence of both teams has been questionable in recent weeks. Having a shot at the stumps, the 3-2 scoreline for Sydney FC looks juicy at $21.
Tip: Sydney FC to defeat Western Sydney at $2.10
Tip: Adam Le Fondre to score a goal at $2
Tip: Sydney FC to win 3-2 at $21
NFL Week 15 - New York Jets v Houston Texans (Sunday 8:30am AEDT)
The Houston Texans' nine-game winning streak ended last week in a home loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but the current AFC South division leaders are expected to rebound with a victory against the lowly New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday morning.
A poor second quarter proved decisive as the Texans surrendered 17 points in less than seven minutes and eventually fell 24-21 to Indianapolis. Quarterback Deshaun Watson had a reasonable game statistically (27-of-38 for 267 passing yards and one touchdown), but his counterpart, Andrew Luck, played better throwing for 399 yards and two touchdown passes.
However, this week the Texans won't be facing a quarterback as formidable as Luck on Sunday morning. Rookie Sam Darnold (12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions this season) returned from injury and managed to guide the Jets to a come-from-behind 27-23 win away to the Buffalo Bills. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for the Jets, but it did come against a struggling Bills team which has only won four times in 2018. The only win the Jets have secured over a team currently possessing a winning record is Indianapolis, who were 1-5 after their loss to the Jets back in Week 6 but have since rebounded strongly to 7-6.
The Texans are desperate to maintain their two-game buffer atop the AFC South and should be too classy for a Jets side who have only recorded consecutive wins once this season.
Tip: Houston to defeat the New York Jets by seven points or more at $1.90
NFL Week 15 - Denver Broncos v Cleveland Browns (Sunday 12:20pm AEDT)
The Denver Broncos suffered a costly defeat last week in their pursuit of a playoff berth and they will be determined to regain lost footing when they host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon.
The Broncos had won three straight games - including fighting victories away to the Los Angeles Chargers and at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers - before stumbling 20-14 away to the San Francisco 49ers last week. Denver were torched by the 49ers' tight end George Kittle (seven catches for 210 receiving yards and a touchdown), but their offense struggled without their best wide receiver, Emmanuel Sanders, who tore his Achilles during the week. Broncos quarterback Case Keenum will appreciate a full week of practice adjusting to Sanders' unavailability.
After being mired in mediocrity for years, the Browns are finally showing signs that they won't be easybeats no more. Last week, they defeated the sputtering Carolina Panthers 26-20 at home; their third win in four games. However, that loss was a poor 29-13 road loss to the Houston Texans. Like the Texans, the Broncos are inside the top 10 for defensive takeaways, and the Browns have only recorded one victory in six road games this season.
Denver can ill-afford to drop another game as they attempt to sneak into the playoffs, and with the Browns' rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield expecting a baptism of fire in front of a raucous home crowd, it might be enough to see the Broncos prevail.
Tip: Denver to beat Cleveland at $1.62