Author: AC

The growing rivalry between Exeter Chiefs and Saracens at the pinnacle of the English club game ratcheted up a significant notch with Exeter's 31-13 win at Sandy Park that shattered Sarries' eight-month unbeaten run on Saturday. “Uncharateristically, Saracens cracked a few times,” said Rob Baxter, the Exeter director of rugby, who had drummed into his men the need for a positive performance in the…

Bumper crowds do not always coincide with brilliant rugby matches. The Coventry multitude of 31,626 were consigned to a bitty mess of breakdown and scrum penalties, not that Bath will care too much as their fly-half Freddie Burns steered them through the holiday traffic with a man-of-the-match performance of personal redemption. Burns suffered a much-publicised and ridiculed blip against Toulouse at The Rec earlier…

‘Twas the game before Christmas, and the goals were non-stop, with Spurs beating Everton, to close in on the top. Everyone involved with Tottenham Hotspur was left with a warm feeling going into Christmas as they closed within two points of Manchester City, and six off Liverpool in a what was is their hardest fixture of the festive period comfortably out of the way.…

Fulham will return to Craven Cottage in search of a win after a run of five games without, Claudio Ranieri‘s only three points coming from his first match in charge, against Southampton. The Boxing Day visitors, Wolves, will hope to similarly return to winning ways, after their three on the bounce streak was broken by a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at home. Previous wins…

Football’s Christmas period is, like the World Cup and European Championship, a law unto itself. The concentration of a huge number of games into a short space of time means bizarre things will happen on the pitch, like Cuco Martina scoring one of the goals of the season or Stoke – Stoke! – being involved in a seven-goal thriller. Essentially, the base level for…

Welcome to the BetBright STATZONE, where we give you the stats and you make the decisions! It’s ‘Week 20’ in the Premier League as we head into another full round of fixtures this 26th (Boxing Day) and 27th of December. We get going at 12:30pm with newly-promoted pair of Fulham hosting Wolves – and with Wanderers having only lost one of their last 10…

I was a fairly late comer to horse racing, only starting to fully engage with the sport in my late teens around the early 2000s. The period from 2002 to 2005 was a special period in time for the Leopardstown Christmas Chase, then and for many years known as The Ericsson and Lexus Chase, now called the Savills Chase, with the 2018 renewal set…

Latest odds and preview for Premier League match The final Premier League fixture before Christmas looks set to be a cracker as Everton welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Goodison Park. Marco Silva’s men may be on a poor run of form but their performances at least hint towards a difficult match for today’s visitors. Spurs, though, won’t fear anyone after 10 wins in their last…

Two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang proved key for Unai Emery's side, as the Gunners got back to winning ways in the Premier League immediately following their shock defeat at the hands of struggling Southampton. Sead Kolasinac was also a tireless presence down the left-hand side. Mesut Ozil returned for the home side to take the captain's armband, on an afternoon where Unai Emery had…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first game in charge of Manchester United could not have gone much better. Goals, confidence and positivity – three things that had blatantly run out in the dying months of the Jose Mourinho era. Paul Pogba returned to the centre of midfield for the Red Devils, after his well-publicised tough relationship with Mourinho, aligning with past comments from Solskjaer about whether…

In the first 55 minutes at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea enjoyed 75% possession and completed almost four times as many passes as Leicester City. Claude Puel’s side were penned in their own penalty area, Jamie Vardy starved of possession in his own postcode as Leicester midfielders dropped deeper. Chelsea supporters waited for the opening goal like an expectant child on Christmas morning. And then, after…

Cardiff City fans may give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a mixed reception on his return to south Wales this weekend, as the former Bluebirds boss heads back to the scene of his first managerial job in the Premier League. After Jose Mourinho's sacking earlier in the week, the Norwegian coach was appointed on an interim basis at Manchester United. His spell in the Welsh capital…

The funeral cortege trundles slowly towards Doncaster Rovers' Belle Vue stadium. Joined by hundreds of mourners, the congregation approaches the grounds bearing wreaths, banners and handmade memorials in remembrance of the departed. It's the final day of the 1997/98 season and Doncaster are playing host to Colchester United. Only today's match is just a mere footnote to the real reason why many of the…

Preview and odds for Europa League clash All eyes will be on the Cardiff City Stadium tonight as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes charge of Manchester United for the first time. The Red Devils legend has been handed the reins in a caretaker capacity, following Jose Mourinho’s sacking on Tuesday. By coincidence, his first match in charge of his beloved club is away at the…

Saturday racing odds, tips and preview It’s the final Saturday before Christmas, but it’s business as usual for the ITV Racing crew. ITV 4 is the place to be, with races coming to you live from Ascot and Haydock. The headline contests being the Long Walk Hurdle at 2.25, and the Exchange Trophy at 3.35. Paisley Park – 2:25 Ascot Plenty of runners have…