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Premier League

The weekend kicks off with West Ham hosting Liverpool in the lunch time fixture and it has the look of a really tight game. West Ham were shock 3-0 winners at Anfield earlier on in the season when Brendan Rodgers was still in charge but Liverpool look a different side under Jurgen Klopp and I think they may just have enough to sneak a win here today.

It appears that Daniel Sturridge is back fit again as Klopp has given him a 'mini pre season' to try and make sure he is properly ready to return. Just having him on the bench would be a massive boost for Liverpool as he is capable of scoring goals from nothing.

Jordan Henderson looks set to miss the game after feeling more pain in his heel during the win at Sunderland on Wednesday whilst James Milner and Divock Origi are still out.

West Ham had drawn five consecutive games before beating Southampton on Monday and they will be tough to break down. Andy Carroll, who was Liverpool's most expensive signing before moving to West Ham, will look to expose any vulnerabilities the away side have from set pieces. Dimitri Payet is back in the West Ham squad after two months on the sidelines through injury and he is their most dangerous player. I'm not sure if he is fit enough to start, but if he does then he will be the key for the Hammers.

I think there is a good chance that both teams will score in this game, although the price of 10/11 on this happening feels a little short. Liverpool are best priced 11/10 to win the game and I think there is a little bit of value in that.

 

South Africa v England

The second test gets underway this morning and England will hope to continue where they left off in the first match. After being put on to bat under extremely difficult circumstances they managed to get to a respectable total and from then on they were in complete control of the match and went on to win by over 200 runs.

Dale Steyn picked up a shoulder injury in the first test and he is definitely out of this match which is a massive blow to the home side. He is the number one bowler in the world and always causes problems. Young fast bowler Kagiso Rabada comes into the side and he is an exciting prospect who can bowl seriously quick whilst he maintains good control for someone so young. Quentin De Kock also comes in to keep wicket so De Villiers can concentrate on batting only.

James Anderson appears to have won his battle to be fit so is likely to come in for Chris Woakes. This makes England even stronger than the first test and they will be confident they can take a 2-0 series lead. Neither batting line up looks strong enough to post a huge score, therefore I cannot see this ending in a draw with the forecast for five fair days. The toss will again be important as the pitch is expected to take spin but either way, England look to be the side in form and the South Africa batsman are having a terrible time of things at the moment so I doubt their ability to put enough runs on the board.

Alastair Cook scored nil and seven in the first match and I expect him to change that here. It's unusual for him to go two matches in a row without a contribution and I fancy him to get a century in this match.

Today's Selections

West Ham v Liverpool - Liverpool win - 2 points @ 11/10 (Sportingbet, Betvictor)

South Africa v England - England win - 3 points @ 6/4 (Betfred, Betvictor)

Alastair Cook to score a century - 1 point @ 5/1 (Stan James, William Hill)

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