*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
The theme of today’s double is optimism. And yes, I realise I’ve opened this up like a sermon delivered to a declining congregation in an awkward manner, but bear with me.
Right now, you could easily say that Cheltenham is half-over. You could take the viewpoint that the end is in sight and the best has already gone past us.
For Everton, you could look upon the fact that Frank Lampard is about to guide a club whose sole claim to fame is their longevity in England’s top flight; and never sacrificing their values to personalities like Lampard’s to secure that feat.
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For Newcastle, you can potentially feel the weight of your newfound wealth not giving you the immediate payoff you wanted. But look at it this way instead.
There’s still half of the Cheltenham Festival left. Two days of swashbuckling equine action featuring the Stayers’ Hurdle that we’ll preview now, and the Gold Cup to look forward to tomorrow.
Newcastle, you’ve got more money than communal mispronunciations for the first time in your illustrious history. And Everton – well, ehh. Cheltenham is on if you fancy it? Here’s your football/Cheltenham double for this fine Thursday.
- A double with these two bets pays at approximately 11/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Champ to Win the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
This is a race for headcases, which is much the stereotype it had for years before becoming hipster and classy for the briefest of spells. As Ted Walsh once said, you never buy a pointer or a flat recruit from France hoping to win a Stayers’ Hurdle.
But the one thing it does give us is a lively heat with various quirky sorts to pick holes in and find the one that suits your agenda. And I’ll be doing just that.
Flooring Porter is one dimension. Paisley Park is too old. Klassical Dream needed them all to miss the start last time out and still barely saw off the market leader. Thyme Hill is the solid one, but that only means he won’t be out of the front three.
Regardless of what you like here, you’re going to have to be backing something you believe will run to the best of its ability – and if they all did that, then Champ would stand out among them.
His run in the Long Walk is the best display of any of these all year, and while he was found wanting in the Cleeve, I think the fact a horse won it after totally missing the starter’s flag means you can throw a line through it – it was an absolute mess.
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Everton v Newcastle – Over 2.5 Goals
Newcastle will face the unprecedented nature of having four away games in a row in the Premier League and the basis for their performances to date have been keeping games close. But such is the makeup of their squad that they can’t really control games. They know they need to score goals to win games and can’t rely on being better in possession for large spells.
Frank Lampard’s Everton are in full crisis mode and their only way out of this slump is by playing to their strengths in attacking areas to avoid teams exploiting them further up the pitch. Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Donny van de Beek might all be absolute liabilities off the ball, so they’ll have to sustain possession higher up the pitch – leading to more efforts on goal, but more chance for Newcastle to overload on the break.
Goals, goals, goals.
Cheltenham and Premier League double tips:
*A double with these two bets pays at approximately 11/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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