Weekend Talking Points: Will Man City get over the line in title race?
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Round-up of the big sporting action
It was another huge weekend of sport, as Manchester City cleared another hurdle in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool are in hot pursuit, but it’s out of their hands now. Over in Germany, Bayern Munich may also have taken a decisive step to a seventh-straight title.
We’ve also covered F1 and IPL in this weekend’s round-up, but we start with Man City…
Will Man City slip up in Premier League title race?
Liverpool can’t do any more in their quest to win the Premier League title. They’ve won seven games on the spin now, having dispatched Huddersfield Town 5-0 on Friday.
The Reds will finish on an incredible tally of 97 points if they win their remaining two league games. But it won’t be enough unless Manchester City drop points against Leicester City or Brighton & Hove Albion. Pep Guardiola’s side held their nerve to seal a 1-0 win at Burnley on Sunday.
Our traders expect City to get the job done. They’re clear 2/11 favourites to finish top, with Liverpool a 7/2 shot.
Can Mercedes keep their drivers on track?
Mercedes have now sealed four consecutive one-twos at the start of the season, setting a new F1 record. But could there be problems between their drivers down the line?
Valtteri Bottas held on to win in Baku, having suffered a tyre blow-out while leading there last year. Bottas and Lewis Hamilton now have two wins apiece.
Having seen Hamilton clash with Nico Rosberg, Mercedes will be keen to make sure things remain friendly between their top drivers. Hamilton remains 2/5 favourite to win the Championship, with Bottas back at 7/2.
Have Dortmund blown it?
Borussia Dortmund had a seven-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga back in February, but having let that slip, their title hops may have been dealt a fatal blow this weekend.
Lucien Favre’s team went a goal up in the Revierderby against Schalke, only to end the game with nine men in a 4-2 defeat.
Dortmund are now two points behind Bayern with just three games left to play. It’s been a below-par season for the Bavarian giants, but they’re now 1/8 to defend their title.
Delhi Capitals end their playoff wait
Delhi Capitals sealed their place in the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2012 after a 16-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer both racked up half-centuries, while Amit Mishra and Kagiso Rabada did their part on the bowling side.
They’ve only lost four games this season, but the Capitals (5/2) trail the Chennai Super Kings (2/1) in the outright betting. With MS Dhoni leading the way, the defending champions look like the team to beat again.
Does anyone want to finish fourth in the Premier League?
We return to the Premier League again, as Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all passed up a chance to boost their top-four hopes.
West Ham United became the first away side to win at Spurs’ new stadium, while Arsenal lost away to Leicester. Manchester United and Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw that doesn’t really help either side.
Spurs are currently third and in the driving seat, but they’ve got few fit players and a Champions League semi-final against Ajax coming up. They’re still 1/16 to seal a top-four place, with Chelsea 1/3, Arsenal at 11/5 and United back at 10/1.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
