tadley

Pullen has done well to come through two rounds, beating Sarkhosh and Burden in the first round after trailing 5-1. Un Nooh is a step up on those two, though. He recently won the World Open, beating Trump in the semi and O'Sullivan in the final. If he brings that level of form, he wins.

You would think sooner or later. Spurs will wake up and realise they are in serious relegation trouble and put in a fine performance. There is absolutely no sign of that happening, though, with them being winless in 13. I think they may sneak a crucial point in this one. Sunderland were unbeaten in their first 12 home games but have now lost three on the trot. They are prolific scorers, have drawn 10 so far this season, and may have to settle for one today.

Cristian Romero is a key player for Spurs, but he struggles to avoid the refs' attention. In his 22 games this season he has already picked up 10 yellows and 2 reds. With Spurs in deep relegation trouble, it wouldn't surprise me if he lost his cool again.

Spurs are the second-most booked side with 73 yellows. They also have 4 reds for good measure. Sunderland are averaging over 2 cards per game, so this clearly has the potential to go over. Ref Rob Jones is averaging a shade over 4 cards per game, so I like the over.

Hyderabad Kingsmen won their first game last time, but it needed some good late-order batting to get them over the line. Islamabad seems to be getting better with every match. Their bowling was impressive last time against Qalanders, and they simply look a better all-round side.

Man-for-man, Mumbai Indians are probably the strongest side in the competition, but they haven't been playing like it, losing 2 of their 3 matches. They could click at any time, but taking them at odds-on to do so against a quality RCB side looks questionable. RCB lost their first game last time to Rajasthan Royals, but there's no disgrace in that, as RR have won all 4 games and are mightily impressive with the bat. RCB have posted 200+ totals in every game and have the batting power to win this.

I'd normally expect Man City to be evens or a shade of odds-on in this fixture, so odds against considering the respective form of the sides is better than expected. Chelsea have lost their last two Premier League games to Everton and Newcastle without scoring. They were also well beaten 8-2 on aggregate by PSG in the Champions League. City, by contrast, come into this having beaten Arsenal and Liverpool in the cups. With Arsenal losing yesterday, they won't want to spurn this chance to gain three points on them.

Haaland had a quiet spell by his standards in February and March, but his fortunes immediately changed when he bagged a hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup. Now back in the groove, he can score against misfiring Chelsea.

Chelsea have been racking up the corners of late, winning 9, 8, 8, 10 and 9 in their last 5 games. Man City average 5.7 corners per game and won 15 last time against West Ham. This has the potential to go over.

Hamburg have just 11 away goals from 13 games, so Champions League-chasing Stuttgart look the most likely first scorers. Deniz Undav is having a great season with 18 goals in total, bettered only by Kane. He has scored in his last six Bundesliga games, netting seven times in total. During that run he also scored in the Europa League and for Germany despite coming on in the second half. Hamburg have just 11 away goals from 13 games, so Champions League-chasing Stuttgart look the most likely first scorers. Deniz Undav is having a great season with 18 goals in total, bettered only by Kane. He has scored in his last six Bundesliga games, netting seven times in total. During that run he also scored in the Europa League and for Germany despite coming on in the second half.

Huesca grabbed a priceless tie last time against Ademar in their bid to climb out of the relegation zone. They could achieve another today against Nava. Nava are regularly involved in tight games, and this looks like another.

Kocaelispor are clearly in better form at this stage of the season than Hausmannstättten. Hausmannstättten have lost their last five and are really struggling in the relegation group. Wiener beat them 3-0 away and should follow up with a win at home.

Galatasaray are just one point ahead of Fenerbahçe and can't afford to drop points in games like this. They shouldn't, as Kocaelispor are a poor away side with just three away wins, all against bottom-half sides, including losses to the sides 2nd and 3rd bottom.

The sides have met twice this season, with Holstebro winning 36-33 and the other being a 36-36 draw. On that evidence, this clearly has the potential to go over.

On the evidence so far, under looks the call. The games have ended in a 2-0 win for the White Sox and two 2-0 wins for the Royals. Pitching today, we have Grant Taylor for the Sox, who, although a relief pitcher, has gone 4.1 innings without giving up any earned runs. He may not last long, but the White Sox bullpen doesn't look too bad. The Royals haven't allowed the White Sox to score even one run in the last two games. They have Noah Cameron, who has a 1.69 ERA, has gone 10.1 innings, has 10 strikeouts, and just two earned runs.

Justin Rose has never won the Masters, but he couldn't have come much closer with three second places and twice losing in playoffs. He is still playing well after capturing the Farmers Insurance this year. He doesn't always bring his A game these days, but you can be sure he's up for this one.

Chris Gorrell has had a fine year, winning the Sony Open and Phoenix Open. He had a few below-par performances since, but he was a fine sixth last time with a 65 on both Saturday and Sunday. He could easily figure it out this weekend.

Justin Rose has come ever so close to winning the Masters, finishing second three times and twice losing in playoffs. He is still very capable, as seen when capturing the Farmers Insurance this year. I'm expecting another good performance on a course that suits him.

Aberg was leading on the final day last weekend until the rain started to fall. He immediately sliced the ball into two consecutive left roughs and his chances went. He will be keen to put that behind him, and his game looks good coming into the Masters. He has taken part here twice, finishing 2nd and 7th. He seems to relish putting on the fast greens, and his approach shots are an ideal fit as they drop and die.

Wawrinka struggles to sustain his effort throughout a match these days, so a match on clay against Norrie is far from ideal for him. Norrie will happily grind away all day to get the win and should wear Wawrinka down.

Borges has lost four on the trot, but he did have tough opponents in Rublev and Opelka, and the other two were 50-50 games. I don't think he's playing as badly as those results suggest, and this looks very winnable for him. Mannarino, with his unorthodox style, is a tricky opponent but not on clay. It simply doesn't suit his game, with him having an 8-40 win/loss record since 2020.

It's a chaotic PSL this season with no crowds, just two venues, and substandard players due to them bizarrely scheduling it against the IPL. Qalandars won last season and have won three of the last four. They retain a strong squad. They possibly have the best selection of bowlers, and although the batting could be said to be a bit too heavy, there is quality there. I expect a strong performance from them.

According to the bookies, Gujarat Titans are the second-worst side in the competition, but I don't see it. Jos Buttler is a concern after a poor T20 World Cup campaign, but he is too good a player to keep playing that badly. I see him enjoying the fresh start. Even if he underperforms, there are enough quality batters in the side to step up. I also like their mix of bowlers and can see them going deep.

Mumbai Indians look the strongest side on paper and should go well. They had the best net run rate last season but just missed out on the play-offs by one point. They have a wealth of batting talent to choose from, although perhaps they are over-reliant on Bumrah in the bowling department. That may not matter, as I see them posting consistently high scores.

I'm just not convinced by Boult at the moment and think Bumrah is a much more reliable option. You can guarantee he will play his full quota of overs each match and simply looks the best, most consistent wicket-taker.

Lancashire underperformed, finishing 5th despite having a strong squad. They've really impressed with signings over the winter, enrolling quality players at this level, so I see them doing a lot better than 5th.

Warwickshire finished down in 5th last season but were hampered by drawing nine games, the most in the league. They've strengthened their squad and look capable of a better performance this season.

Verstappen kept himself in the title race last season despite clearly not having the best car. That speaks volumes about his skill, which should see him once again go well this season. Despite him slamming the new regulation, it should be to his benefit as he has the skills to master the new designs. The Red Bull has looked very promising in practice, so I rate him as the most likely winner.