4/1 Recap: April Fool’s Day doubled as opposite day for me. The results I needed were flip-flopped in Spain and France. I stated that I was fearful of Atletico Madrid getting a lead and then shutting it down. That is exactly what happened after Kevin Gameiro’s penalty before halftime. There may not be a more boring team on this planet to watch than Atleti with a lead. But it wasn’t just Los Rojiblancos playing with my emotions. Lyon did their part in scoring two as predicted against Toulouse, but the visitors did everything but hit the back of the net in the second half. This exercise in futility started off my month with a whimper, but with some La Liga action and a full slate of Championship tilts, Monday Night (or Afternoon if you’re in the US like me) Football should be fun.
4/1 Results:
My Picks: Atletico Madrid 2 Deportivo La Coruna 0 (Atletico -1.5 goals [EVEN])
Lyon 2 Toulouse 1 (Toulouse +1.5 goals [-145])
Actual Results: Atletico Madrid 1 Deportivo La Coruna 0
Lyon 2 Toulouse 0
So let’s start the week off right and just pretend April Fool’s Day was a practical joke. Off to Cardiff first to get my Monday moving.
ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP
Cardiff City @ Sheffield United (2:45 PM ET/ESPN3 USA, WatchESPN)
http://gty.im/832022800
There are few teams in Europe hotter than Cardiff City right now. The Bluebirds are winners of eight in a row and haven’t been beaten in the league since New Year’s Day. They’ve won on the road and at home. They’ve bested the best and the bums. It is remarkable that they haven’t been able to make up more ground on leaders Wolves, but a win on this Monday would put them within 3 points of them.
While Cardiff’s return to the Premier League for 2018-19 is a formality, Sheffield United have work to do. The Blades are getting points where they can, but continue to shoot themselves in the foot. Their most recent match against Brentford was a microcosm of this. After conceding an equalizing goal in an irritating fashion, keeper Jamal Blackman was sent off for tussling with Ryan Woods who was trying to bring the ball back to the center circle. United was lucky to end up with a point but won’t have their starting netminder for this match now.
The bookmakers always try to keep me on my toes, and this matchup proves no different. Everything is in Cardiff’s favor, outside of the match’s location. But still (per Bovada) Sheffield are the favorites in this one, and fairly comfortably price wise, even in a pick ’em scenario. Even with this red flag, I can’t deny the form Cardiff is in and go with them at a plus.
PREDICTION: Cardiff City 2 Sheffield United 0 (Cardiff PICK [+110])
SPANISH PRIMERA DIVISION
Real Betis @ Getafe (3:00 PM ET/beIN Sports USA, beIN Sports en Español, fuboTV, iGol)
I can’t really get a hold of La Liga. The Primera has dealt me at least one prop loss in each of my past four Spanish picks (five if you include La Liga 2). But I can’t lie, the football is damn entertaining, the second half of yesterday’s Atletico match notwithstanding. So when I see two teams vying for the final European place in the country, consider me intrigued.
It is even more of a pull betting wise when you delve into how much of a Monday warrior Real Betis is. This is their tenth Monday contest in La Liga this year, and they’ve won six of their first nine. They are also on a hot streak on the road with five wins in seven. Their opponent tonight isn’t going to just roll over though.
Getafe is four points behind Betis in the table, and need this to keep their slim chances of European football next year alive. After two losses, Getafe won their last time out against Real Sociedad in a comeback performance. They are a resilient, defense-minded outfit who has no problem with roughing up a team on a roll.
Last time these two clashed, it ended in a 2-2 draw. But that is one of just four draws for Betis on the season. Only one of those have been on the road. So I think there will be a winner in this one, and with Betis getting a half a goal (per Bovada), I’ll put my money on them.
PREDICTION: Real Betis 2 Getafe 1 (Real Betis +0.5 goals [-125]
If you have any games you’d like me to pick over the week you can contact me on Twitter @TREVORutley. In addition to the available media listed for each game, be sure to try out our Gameview service while watching as well. Also, here is a link for my results throughout and the points system. Cheers!