Daily tips for September 17

Feature: Match-fixing scandal hits suburban soccer

Six men have been charged in relation to Australia’s largest match-fixing scandal, including a goalkeeper and a Malaysian national who has been remanded in custody for allegedly helping to run the alleged scam.

The charges relate to an alleged match-fixing ring estimated to have reaped more than $2 million of betting winnings, mainly overseas, from manipulating scores of the bottom-placed Southern Stars in the Victorian Premier League. It follows a Victoria police investigation, which began last month on information from Swiss-based sports and betting data intelligence agency Sportradar, which was passed on by Football Federation Australia. Gerry Gsubramaniam, 45, of Clayton South is accused of acting as a contact point for players in the Southern Stars team. He faces 10 charges including five counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts or could corrupt the outcome of a betting event, and five charges of facilitating conduct that corrupts or could corrupt the outcome of a betting event.

Southern Stars FC president Ercan Cicek said many of the players arrested were from the UK and were playing in Australia in their off-season. Cicek said five players from England joined the southeast Melbourne-based Stars at the start of the season, at the instigation of a man who also offered to organise sponsorship. Cicek said the Stars’ coach also gave his services for free this season, telling the club he just wanted a chance at Premier League level. The Stars have played 21 games this season, losing 16 and drawing four. Their only win was a 1-0 victory over top side Northcote City, on August 18. The Stars had lost their previous four matches, conceding a total of 13 goals without scoring.

Note: More on this story from The Age’s crime reporter John Silvester here

Racing for September 17

Horse racing: Traralgon (Vic), Tamworth (NSW), Townsville (Qld). Harness racing: Albion Park (Qld), Ballarat (Vic), Kalgoorlie (WA), Menangle (NSW). Greyhound racing: Devonport (Tas), Ipswich (Qld), Lismore (NSW), Warragul (Vic), Gawler (SA), Mandurah (WA), Gosford (NSW), Horsham (Vic), Townsville (Qld), Goulburn (NSW).

Wet weather sweeping across the south-east corner of the country has left heavy tracks for today’s meetings at Traralgon (9) and Tamworth (8). But that shouldn't concern my best of the day, which comes up in the last of eight races at Tamworth – the Hygain Spring Cup (BM70) over 1200 metres. Craig Martin’s 4yo #5 Jefferson Park looks set to continue his impressive recent run here. The son of Dream Ballad is in career-best form, having won four of his last five, most recently landing a career-best rating when leading all the way at Mudgee over this trip. He jumped from gate four on that occasion in a BM65, went straight to the front and was never threatened. Today he’s up in grade a fraction but sheds a kilogram and jockey Dale Spriggs will likely employ exactly the same tactics from gate two.

Suggested bet: Tamworth R8 #5 Jefferson Park WIN (two units) 1st ($2.30)

Other tips

Traralgon R2 #12 Hampshire (win) LOSE (U/P)

Traralgon R5 #2 Nordic But Nice (win) LOSE (U/P)

Traralgon R8 #15 Bamboo Harvester (E/W 1x3) 1st ($3.60/$1.40)

Tamworth R5 #1 Triple Oh (E/W) LOSE (U/P)

Tamworth R6 #8 White Stocking (E/W 1x2) 3rd ($1.80)

Townsville R3 #5 Bar Attack (E/W 1x2) 1st ($4.00/$1.90)

Harness racing tip: Ballarat R3 #6 Hexham Heartbeat (win) 

Greyhound racing tip: Warragul R11 #1 Harper Seven (win)

MLB for September 17

AL: Texas Rangers (81-67, 42-32 away) @ Tampa Bay Rays (81-67, 45-28 away), Tropicana Field (pictured), St Petersburg, FL, Tuesday, September 17, 9.10am

The Texas Rangers’ stunning collapse has left them with little chance at a division title and forced them to focus on the wild card as their only avenue to the postseason. That road may get a lot tougher heading into a visit to the other team holding a wild-card spot. Opening a potentially vital four-game series at Tropicana Field here, the Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays attempt to improve their playoff chances while damaging the hopes of the other. Texas (81-67) entered this month with a two-game lead over Oakland in the AL West, but a 2-11 slide has turned that into a 6 1/2-game deficit with 14 games remaining. The Rangers’ tailspin includes losing all six games of a homestand and never leading in any, including a three-game series sweep to the A’s, capped by yesterday’s 5-1 defeat. Instead of tightening the division, Texas finds itself in a crowded wild-card race that has six teams separated by 3 1/2 games. The Rangers and Rays (81-67) own the same record, but are just one-half game ahead of Cleveland with Baltimore, the Yankees and Kansas City lurking.

The offence certainly isn't helping, going 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position over the last two games. The Rangers stranded 10 runners Sunday and failed to get an extra-base hit. Improvement at the plate might be necessary with the Rangers expected to send Matt Garza (3-4, 4.46 ERA) to the mound for his first meeting with his former team. The right-hander, a member of the Rays from 2008-10, is 0-3 in four starts and has lost his last two while surrendering nine runs in 11 innings. He gave up three runs with four walks in four innings of Wednesday’s 7-5 loss to Pittsburgh, turning in his shortest outing since being acquired in a trade from the Chicago Cubs two months ago. The Rays failed to complete a three-game sweep at Minnesota yesterday, squandering a two-run eighth-inning lead en route to a 6-4 loss. Cobb (8-3, 3.08) is 5-0 in 11 home starts, but he's 0-1 with a 3.91 ERA over his last four overall while being backed by six total runs. He gave up three runs over 5 2/3 innings in Thursday’s 7-3 loss in 10 to Boston.

Suggested bet: Tampa Bay WIN (2.5 units @ $1.80) WIN, game total -7.5 (1.5 units @ $1.87) LOSE (2-6)

Other tips

IL: Reds WIN $1.57 WIN @ Astros -8 $1.88 WIN (6-1)
AL: Mariners @ Tigers -1.5 $2.03 WIN +9 $1.83 LOSE (2-4)
AL: Twins @ White Sox +8.5 $1.94 WIN (1-12)

AL: Indians WIN $2.35 @ Royals LOSE (1-7)

AL: Angels @ Athletics WIN $1.75 LOSE +7 $1.87 WIN (12-1)

NL: Braves @ Nationals WIN $1.88 -7.5 $1.79 POSTPONED

NL: Marlins @ Phillies -7 $1.93 LOSE (2-12)

NL: Padres @ Pirates -6.5 $2.04 WIN (2-0)

NL: Cubs @ Brewers WIN $1.84 WIN (1-6)

NL: Cardinals @ Rockies +10 $1.96 LOSE (2-6)

NL: Dodgers @ D'backs WIN $1.93 WIN -8.5 $2.08 WIN (1-2)

NFL (week 2) for September 17

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals (0-1), Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH, Tuesday, September 17, 10.40am

The Pittsburgh Steelers will try to rebound from one of their more feeble offensive performances in recent memory when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals for Monday Night Football in a match-up of two teams expected to vie for the AFC North crown. The Steelers are coming off a disastrous Week 1 loss to Tennessee in which they managed only 195 total yards and lost three players to season-ending injuries. The Bengals blew an 11-point, second-half lead in a 24-21 opening loss to Chicago. Third-year wide receiver A.J. Green was on his way to a career game and Cincinnati was having its way with Chicago after putting together three touchdown drives of at least 80 yards to take a 21-10 midway through the third quarter versus Chicago. Green finished with nine catches for 162 yards and two scores and Andy Dalton threw for 282 yards but was picked off twice. The running game did nothing, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis managing only 25 yards on 14 carries, while a defence that was among the league leaders with 51 sacks last season failed to register one and allowed the Bears to possess the ball for the final 6:38.

Ben Roethlisberger became the 35th quarterback to surpass the 30,000-yard mark for his career but that was about the only offensive highlight for Pittsburgh, which did not get into the end zone until there were 83 seconds to play. The running game was non-existent, managing a paltry 32 yards, and there seems no easy solution in sight after news that rookie Le'Veon Bell will miss at least another month with a foot injury suffered in the preseason. The defense played well, holding Tennessee to 229 total yards, but Roethlisberger was sacked five times and Isaac Redman lost two fumbles to stall the offence. Pittsburgh managed only 32 yards rushing and lost three-time Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey for the season due to torn knee ligaments. The first step comes against a rugged Cincinnati defense that includes former Steelers linebacker James Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year who signed with the Bengals in the offseason. The Steelers have history on the side, having won 10 of their last 11 in Cincinnati. They are also 13-2-1 ATS in their last 16 meetings in Cincinnati and are 7-1 on MNF under Tomlin.

 

Suggested bet: Cincinnati -6.5 (2.5 units @ $1.91) WIN, game total +40.5 (1.5 units @ $1.91) LOSE (10-20)

 

EPL for September 17

Swansea City (1-0-2) v Liverpool (3-0-0), Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Tuesday, September 17, 5am

Brendan Rodgers’ side have hogged the first two monthly Premier League awards after their 1-0 (Daniel Sturridge, pictured), 1-0 (Sturridge), 1-0 (Sturridge) opening to the new league campaign and if they win again, or indeed draw, at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea they will return to the top of the table. A victory would make it Liverpool’s best start to a season since they were last the defending champions when they won their first eight league games of 1990-91. After Luis Suarez dominated the Liverpool summer agenda, it’s all gone rather out-of-sight-out-of-mind as far as the Uruguayan is concerned and he now has only two more matches of his suspension to serve. Instead, Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho, Iago Aspas and the continuing-to-improve Jordan Henderson have caught the eye. And in South Wales we may get to see Rodgers’ latest acquisitions; defenders Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori, and Victor Moses, who could prove to be a shrewd loan signing from Chelsea. Prior to thrashing the Swans 5-0 in February, Liverpool had failed to even score against the Swans in their previous three Premier League matches – two 0-0 draws and a 1-0 defeat.

Swansea made just one further signing since they last played and registered their first win and points of the new Premier League season at West Brom two weeks ago. By beating West Brom in their last match, Swansea avoided setting a new club record of five top-flight defeats in a row. It was yet another Spaniard, swelling their ranks to eight in the Swansea squad, in the shape of the Getafe forward Alvaro Vazquez. But Michael Laudrup’s summer business appears to have been done with a nod to their Europa League commitments and on Thursday they play what is already the fifth match of their European campaign when that octet will return to their homeland for the group match against Valencia. The win at The Hawthorns was not only most welcome for Swansea but necessary with Liverpool and Arsenal the next two Premier League visitors to The Liberty. Remember that not only Liverpool, but also Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs were held to draws at Swansea’s atmospheric home ground last season.

Suggested bet: Swansea City +0.5 (two units @ $1.69) WIN, game total -2.5 (one unit @ 1.78) LOSE (2-2)

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