Football Multi Bet: $9.90 Tip for Saturday

Pre-season friendlies don’t usually excite me, but Saturday’s fixture list has caught my attention. Chelsea and Spurs meet in the Sydney Super Cup at Accor Stadium, and there’s also a Champions League final rematch between Man City and Inter in Hong Kong. Over in Birmingham, Barcelona pay a visit to St Andrew’s that I can’t see going well for the home side. Combined odds come in at $9.90 on the best betting sites in NZ.

Saturday August 1, 9:45pm NZT, Accor Stadium, Sydney

Chelsea’s touring squad is noticeably stronger here. Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian are both in Sydney, alongside Jorrel Hato, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, and Liam Delap. Morgan Rogers, Reece James, and Enzo Fernandez are still resting post-World Cup, but Xabi Alonso has plenty to work with after their tour opener against Western Sydney Wanderers.

Spurs are thinner where it counts. Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, and Dejan Kulusevski are all back in London rehabbing injuries. Pedro Porro won the World Cup with Spain just weeks ago, while Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi went all the way to the final with Argentina - none of them are touring. James Maddison and Conor Gallagher provide creativity, but Chelsea’s front line has more firepower. 

I’ve checked football betting sites and $2.20 for a Chelsea win feels about right.

Saturday August 1, 11:30pm NZT, Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong

This is Man City’s first fixture of pre-season under new manager Enzo Maresca. No warm-up games beforehand, no soft opener - they’re going straight into it against Serie A opposition. 

With 17 City players at the World Cup, Maresca has been working with a mix of senior squad members and academy kids. The lineup will be patchy.

I’m going over 2.5 goals because of that. 

Pre-season openers with patchwork squads and rolling substitutions usually produce open football. Inter should be further along in their preparation and will test a City defence full of unfamiliar partnerships. But City’s attack - even a depleted one - will find the net in return. 

I’d be surprised if we see fewer than three goals here.

Saturday August 1, 6:45am NZT, St Andrew’s, Birmingham

I’ll be honest - this leg’s a tad riskier. Handicap bets in friendlies can go badly fast if Barca rotate every 20 minutes and sleepwalk through it.

But I can’t look past the gap between these two sides. 

Birmingham finished 10th in the Championship last season after winning League One the year before. A solid trajectory, but they’re several levels below a Barcelona team preparing for La Liga and the Champions League. Even with a rotated squad, Barca should win by two or more. 

At $2.50 for the -1.5 handicap, I’m taking the gamble. If you’ve got free bets available this weekend, this is a good spot for them.