Paddy Power: Ronaldo have mercy on Ireland, Cheltenham November meeting is here, Grand Slam of Darts thrillers
The big man has covered almost every sport possible in his latest column!
The Premier League season is taking a backseat for a while as we have another international break – huzzah!
Ireland face off against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. on Thursday night as Portugal come to Dublin. It could be a long night but Paddy is thinking positive…
The big man also discusses this weekend’s Cheltenham November meeting, the big-money Dubai battle in the DP World Tour Championship and the ever-thrilling Grand Slam of Darts. Take it away Paddy!
Ronaldo have mercy on us
CRISTIANO Ronaldo is coming to Dublin tomorrow night and let’s hope it is one of the rare occasions when he doesn’t get everything his own way.
Ireland’s hopes of World Cup qualification have been hanging by a threat since the opening few minutes of their first match against Hungary back in September.
The chances of our Boys in Green appearing in next summer’s finals are faint at best and the distant odds on Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men beating Portugal in a game they need to win says it all.
However, we can all dare to dream occasionally!
We all remember that famous night when we beat Germany at the Aviva Stadium with Shane Long’s goal that sent us on our way to the Euro 2016 finals.
And years before that was the win against Holland that fired us into the 2002 World Cup finals and set the stage for Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy’s showdown in Saipan.
That was Ireland’s last appearance in a World Cup and there will be plenty of kids out there who were not even born to witness the drama!
So, let’s imagine a scenario that sees a bronzed and buffed Ronaldo crying in the Dublin night air amid a cacophony of noise as we celebrate a famous win tomorrow night.
A 1-0 victory may be Ireland’s best hope and that’s on offer, with in-form Celtic striker Johnny Kenny a double-figure price to get the opening goal.
When you look at the A-list list of names on the Portugal team sheet, it sends a shiver down your spine, although a boost is Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes missing out due to suspension.
Ronaldo is a nice price to score the opening goal, with AC Milan’s Rafael Leao next and Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva coming in at double figures.
An Ireland win and both teams scoring in the match is a big price, while you can also back Ireland to create the biggest roar we’ve heard at the Aviva Stadium for a soccer match in a long time by scoring the first goal.
Ronaldo will have his eyes focused well beyond tomorrow night’s match in Dublin as even at the age of 40, he is dreaming of finally winning the World Cup next summer.
Portugal are a nice price to lift the biggest prize in football in 2026, behind favourites Spain, then France and England.
Rory eyeing mega-money win in Dubai
THE gaze of the golfing world falls on Dubai this week as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will have their eyes on a mega money prize at the DP World Tour Championship.
This tournament has a mega $10m prize money fund and there will also be a big pay-out at the end of the event as the leaders in the Race to Dubai Rankings will share a $6m bonus pool.
When you have won as much money as McIlroy and Lowry, the cash on offer this week may be secondary to the trophy that is up for grabs and we have Rory favourite to win this week.
Tommy Fleetwood came up just short of winning in Abu Dhabi last week and he will look to go one better by winning in Dubai.
Robert MacIntyre may be worth looking at to win the title, Tyrrell Hatton is a double-figure price and Matt Fitzpatrick is also backable, with Aaron Rai one to watch after his win in Abu Dhabi. We make him a big price to make it back-to-back wins.
We are also offering boosted odds on either McIlroy or Lowry winning this week.
Liverpool’s horror Premier League title defence
ARE Liverpool out of the Premier League title race after their thumping defeat at Manchester City last Sunday?
We did not expect to see Arne Slot’s reigning champions drifting to outsiders to retain the title in the first week of November, but it’s hard to see Liverpool get into it from here.
Arsenal also dropped points last weekend after they drew at Sunderland, with Mikel Arteta’s men still the favourites to lift the title and Manchester City emerging as their biggest challengers.
We’re back at Cheltenham baby
WE are all very excited about the big Cheltenham meeting coming up on Friday and Saturday this week, with my name on the biggest races on Saturday.
We have some cracking action to look forward to on Friday, with Jonbon the favourite to see off what will be a strong challenge from L’Eau du Sud and Liberty Hunter in the Shloer Chase.
My Sun column on Saturday will be packed with a preview of what will be a massive day of racing, with the Paddy Power Gold Cup certain to serve up a real treat for racing fans.
Darts has us gripped, again
THE Grand Slam of Darts has delivered the magical moments once again over the last few days and we have another sensational night of action in store tonight.
Luke Humphries hit a thrilling nine-darter in his win against Michael Smith on Sunday and will fancy his chances of beating outsider Jurjen van der Velde as he looks to hang on to his world No.1 spot.
Luke Littler is the favourite to retain his title this week, with Humphries next in line to take the crown and Chris Dobey a double-figure ahead of his match against ‘Bully Boy’ Michael Smith this evening.
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