The NFL comes to London this weekend for the latest fixture in the International Series when the New Orleans Saints take on the San Diego Chargers and Sky Bet are offering over 45 markets on the Wembley clash.
Sky Bet make San Diego rushing sensation LaDainian Tomlinson 4/1 to score the first touchdown of the game. The Chargers back has been hampered by a toe injury so far this season and is 1/2 with Sky Bet quote to score at any time and 5/6 to carry for over 70.5 yards.
Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, who has passed for the most yards this year (2,224), will be looking to impress his former team and is 5/6 to make over 290.5 passing yards during the game.
With New Orleans missing star man, Reggie Bush, to a knee injury, all eyes will be on replacement Deuce McAllister in the backfield and he is 7/1 to score the first touchdown and 5/6 to make over 58.5 rushing yards.
Sky Bet have moved the handicap line on New Orleans from +3.5 to +3 following sustained support for the underdogs this week.
Neither team has lived up to pre-season expectations, with both having won three games but lost four so far this year. The Chargers are 8/11 to win the weak AFC West division while the Saints, currently lying bottom of the NFC South Division, are 11/2 to top their section.
Elsewhere in the NFL, the only unbeaten team, the Tennessee Titans take on Indianapolis on Tuesday and are 66/1 to remain unvanquished throughout the regular season. Struggling Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions are both yet to win a game and are 14/1 and 8/1 respectively to remain winless throughout the regular season.
The bookies are fully expecting the San Diego Chargers to be ‘shooting the Brees’ with a victory over New Orleans Saints when the NFL returns to Wembley this weekend.
Paddy Power have installed San Diego as the 20/33 favourites for a victory in London as Drew Brees and his New Orleans team count the cost of injury to star running back Reggie Bush. The absence of the big man sees San Diego with a three point handicap in the handicap betting at 10/11 with LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego’s own star running back expected to steal the show.
Tomlinson is also 7/2 to score the first touchdown of the game with the shortest winning margin price a Chargers win of 1-6 points at 3/1.
Darren Haines, spokesman for Paddy Power, said: “Missing star running back Reggie Bush could be the undoing of New Orleans, just giving The Chargers the edge in the early betting.”
Master v Apprentice
Despite being the underdogs The Saints’ Drew Brees is expected to get the better of his former understudy in the battle of the Quarterbacks. Having been grooming Rivers to be his eventual successor at New Orleans the master is still seen as having the edge over his former apprentice with New Orleans’ Drew Brees, who leads the NFL for average passing yards this season, 4/7 to pass for more yards than San Diego’s Phil Rivers.
Wembley Repeat
Meanwhile it’s 8/1 for either Wembley team to repeat New York Giants’ feat last year of going all the way from London to Superbowl champions. However the bet doesn’t look as promising as it did pre-season with both teams heading to Wembley with losing records this season. San Diego had been 7/1 contenders for the Superbowl at the start of this season with New Orleans at 20/1 but their odds have drifted out to 10/1 and 40/1, respectively.
Why not bet on the Football Play Offs, Scottish Cup Final, Monaco Grand Prix, Eurovision or NHL?
FOOTBALL
After the thrills and spills of the FA Cup and Champions League Finals the domestic football season is almost over but this weekend it’s all about the play-offs as six sides look to jump up a division care of a Bank Holiday triumph.
On Saturday the headline event takes place as Hull and Bristol City battle it out for a place in next season’s Premier League. The stakes can’t really get any higher for these sides as they both aim to reach the Promised Land. Just one point separated the sides during the league season and both enjoyed impressive wins in the semi-finals against more fashionable opponents. (more…)
It’s a massive weekend of sport with the Championship drawing to a close in England while Manchester United and Chelsea continue to battle away in the Premier League. In Horse Racing the opening classics of the new flat season take place at Newmarket while the World Snooker Championships wraps up from Sheffield. Make sure you bet with Sportingbet as the weekend action unfolds.
Sunday 3rd February Live on SS1/BBC2
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