Daily tips for December 13

What’s on today

A total of 18 of the 24 spots in the second round of the UEFA Europa League have been decided but there’s still plenty at stake across the 24 game scheduled for today, with my tips posted here; the AFC West takes centre stage for Thursday Night Football as the playoff bound Broncos host San Diego; there are just two NBA games on the card with Houston’s visit to Portland the clear standout; in contrast, it’s a massive day in the NHL with 11 games scheduled; also look out for Third Test, racing and A-League previews throughout the day.

A-League (round 10) for December 13

Melbourne Victory (3-3-3, 12 pts) v Perth Glory (3-3-3, 12 pts), AAMI Stadium, Melbourne, Friday, December 13, 7.30pm

The Victory will be looking to arrest something of a form slump in recent weeks, having lost three of their past five outings. The most recent defeat was a 2-1 reverse at home to Newcastle Jets on Sunday, a particularly disappointing result given they dominated possession in front of a packed AAMI Park in their first appearance at the rectangular stadium this season. Convincing wins over Wellington and Adelaide mean rumblings of discontent directed at Kevin Muscat are yet to be heard, but Ange Postecoglou’s successor will need to coax more consistency from his charges to stave off scrutiny. Victory needs to start turning their dominance of possession into more goals and wins. They controlled proceedings away to the Central Coast Mariners in Round 8, but were unable to breach the champions’ defence. It was a similar story last time out, with the well worked goal of James Troisi (pictured) all they managed despite spending the majority of the game camped out in the Jets’ half. There are issues at the back too, where expensively acquired Chilean marquee defender Pablo Contreras continues to underwhelm.

Glory, meanwhile, have recorded their best results on home soil, and are yet to win on the road this season. The odds are against them breaking that duck here, but they did beat Victory at AAMI late last season, and may be motivated by the chance to gain revenge for their finals defeat to the Victory at Etihad Stadium in April. There is plenty to like about Perth Glory. Their crop of talented youngsters, touted so publically as the future of the club by coach Alistair Edwards in pre-season, have performed admirably when called on to replace the likes of Scott Jamieson, who has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a torn Achilles, and Steve Pantelidis, allowed to move to Malaysian club Selangor FA. Brazilian wide forward Sidnei Scolari gets better every week, and made the difference with two goals in a 4-2 win over Wellington Phoenix last week. The Glory are a few steps behind the Jets in terms of funds and development and finding the back of the net could be a tough ask for the visitors here.

Confirmed bet

Melbourne Victory (to nil) v Perth Glory (one unit @ $2.25)

Racing for December 13

Horse racing: Moonee Valley (Vic – night), Canterbury (NSW – night), Sunshine Coast (Qld – night), Wangaratta (Vic), Murwillumbah (NSW), Ipswich (Qld), Oakbank (SA), Scone (NSW), Warren (NSW), Bunbury (WA). Harness racing: Leeton (NSW), Newcastle (NSW), Albion Park (Qld), Ballarat (Vic), Yarra Valley (Vic), Gloucester Park (WA), Globe Derby (SA). Greyhound racing: Bendigo (Vic), Wentworth Park (NSW), Ipswich (Qld), Wagga (NSW), The Gardens (NSW), Angle Park (SA), Geelong (Vic), Casino (NSW), Mandurah (WA).

A big day of racing features seven day and three night meetings as regional clubs make the most of the festive season with Christmas parties at the races proving very popular. There’ll be a big crowd at Moonee Valley tonight for an eight-race card and punters won’t have to wait too long for my best of the night, which comes up in the Eastcoast Energy Plate over 2040 metres. This maiden at set weights is ready made for #11 Love The Rock. The 3yo Kiwi filly finished strongly in the most recent of her two starts to finish second at Bendigo over 1600 metres. Trained by Mark Kavanagh and ridden here by Michael Rodd, she looks a class above this bunch.

Confirmed bets

Murwillumbah R4 #9 Daneares (win) 1st ($2.80)

Wangaratta R2 #7 Opening Bell (win) LOSE (U/P) 

Scone R8 #10 Rossarita (win) 1st ($3.10)

Moonee Valley R2 #11 Love The Rock (win)

Canterbury R2 #2 Amanpour (E/W 1x3)

Sunshine Coast R2 #4 Epic Dragon (win)

Leans

Murwillumbah R1 #2 Lassila (win) LOSE (2nd)

Murwillumbah R9 #6 Diamond Pearl (E/W 1x2)

Wangaratta R1 #7 Diamond Doll (E/W 1x3) 1st ($4.10/$1.40)

Wangaratta R6 #2 Smoken Cash (E/W 1x3) 3rd ($1.70)

Scone R2 #9 Some Boy (E/W) 1st ($33.60/$4.70)

Scone R5 #5 Relay (win) LOSE (2nd)

Ipswich R3 #5 Sheeza Myzzile (E/W 1x3) 2nd ($1.70)

Oakbank R7 #5 Tintagel Rocker

Oakbank R8 #3 Krypton 
Moonee Valley R5 #2 April Rose (E/W 1x3)

Moonee Valley R6 #5 Chow Meow (win)

Canterbury R3 #3 Double Eagle (E/W 1x2)

Canterbury R5 #4 The Owl (win)
Sunshine Coast R6 #5 What A Gal (win)

NFL (week 15) for December 13

San Diego Chargers (6-7, 3-4 away) @ Denver Broncos (11-2, 7-0 home), Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO, Friday, December 13, 12.30pm

Any mid-season signs of the Denver Broncos’ offence coming back to Earth have been dashed by their big numbers in consecutive weeks against respectable defences. The San Diego Chargers have also fit that description over the past fortnight, and their slim playoff hopes now hinge on containing Peyton Manning and handing the Broncos their first home loss of the season. The Denver Broncos can wrap up a perfect home record, and move a step closer to ensuring they stay there throughout the playoffs, with a win here. Denver has clinched a playoff spot and has a one-game lead over Kansas City in the AFC West and over New England for the AFC’s top seed. Manning put to rest any concerns about his ability to perform in cold weather, going 39-of-59 for 397 yards and four touchdowns against the Titans with the temperature well below freezing. Manning has a bevy of weapons at his disposal, as the Broncos are the first team in NFL history to have four players with 10 or more touchdowns – Knowshon Moreno (12, pictured), Julius Thomas (11), Demaryius Thomas (11) and Wes Welker (10, who misses here).

While the Broncos hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chiefs, their margin of error for home-field advantage is ultra thin by virtue of losing to the Patriots in overtime last month. The Chargers are backed much farther into the corner, sitting one game behind Miami and Baltimore in the race for the last playoff spot. To a man, the Chargers called their 37-14 drubbing of the New York Giants on Sunday their most complete game of the season. San Diego has a glimmer of hope after winning two of its last three but its remaining schedule includes not only the trip to Denver but also a visit from the Chiefs in the season finale. QB Philip Rivers has enjoyed a resurgent season, completing 70.3 per cent of his passes for 3882 yards with 26 TDs and nine interceptions. The defence has given up more than 400 total yards four times and surrendered 397 in a 28-20 home loss to Denver in week 10, but the Chargers have forced 12 turnovers in their past eight games after just two takeaways in their first five contests.

Confirmed bets

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos +56 (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (27-20)

Leans

San Diego Chargers +10 $1.91 @ Denver Broncos WIN (27-20)

Damariyus Thomas total receiving yards +92.5 $1.87 LOSE (45)

NHL for December 13

Toronto Maple Leafs (16-13-3, 35 pts) @ Anaheim Ducks (20-6-3, 43 pts), Scottrade Center, St Louis, MS, Friday, December 13, 12.10pm

The high-scoring Alexander Steen (pictured) was once a first-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who could have used his help in recent games. Instead, the St. Louis Blues winger will aim for another winning performance against the Maple Leafs here. Toronto (16-13-3) has posted one of the lowest goal-scoring averages in the league (2.09) during its 3-6-2 stretch and has a combined three goals in back-to-back losses. The Leafs outshot visiting Los Angeles 39-23 on Wednesday, but Cody Franson had the only goal in a 3-1 loss. Toronto gave up two goals in the final 11 minutes and has been outscored 15-3 in the final periods of its last 11 games. Toronto has won the past two meetings in shootouts after losing eight of 10, and Phil Kessel tallied a combined three goals in those games. Kessel, who had the shootout winner in the most recent meeting, had four goals and four assists during a six-game point streak that was snapped in a 5-2 loss to Boston on Sunday, and he was credited with an assist in Wednesday’s defeat.

The Blues (20-6-3), meanwhile, have won two of three after Kevin Shattenkirk scored the tie-breaking goal with 3:02 remaining in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory in Winnipeg. Steen scored his 21st goal in the second period and ended a four-game drought. He is only three goals away from matching his career high set across 68 games in 2009-10 (his first full season in St Louis). Steen, the 24th overall pick in the 2002 draft, had 50 goals and 76 assists in 253 games for Toronto before being dealt to the Blues on November 24, 2008. Steen has amassed 94 goals and 116 assists in the 313 games since, but this is shaping up to be easily his most productive campaign. Steen and the Blues are facing Toronto for the first time since a 3-2 shootout loss in St Louis on November 10, 2011. Before earning its victory in Winnipeg, St. Louis had a season-high five-game home win streak end with a 5-2 loss to Anaheim. The Blues are 12-2-2 at home this season and 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Confirmed bets

New York Islanders @ Phoenix Coyotes -1.5 (one unit @ $2.75) WIN (3-6)

Toronto Maple Leafs @ St Louis Blues -1.5 (one unit @ $2.22) WIN (3-6)

Columbus Blue Jackets @ New York Rangers WIN NT (one unit @ $1.90) LOSE (4-2)

Dallas Stars @ Nashville Predators WIN (one unit @ $1.83) WIN (1-3)

Montreal Canadiens WIN @ Philadelphia Flyers (one unit @ $1.77) LOSE (1-2)

Leans

Montreal Canadiens @ Philadelphia Flyers -5 $2.10 WIN (1-2)

Detroit Red Wings WIN $1.95 @ Tampa Bay Lightning LOSE (1-2)

Toronto Maple Leafs @ St Louis Blues +5.5 $2.00 WIN (3-6)

Buffalo Sabres @ Ottawa Senators -5 $2.13 WIN (1-2)

Dallas Stars @ Nashville Predators +5.5 $2.13 LOSE (1-3)

Colorado Avalanche WIN $1.91 @ Winnipeg Jets WIN (4-3)

Carolina Hurricanes WIN $1.91 @ Calgary Flames LOSE (1-2)

Boston Bruins @ Edmonton Oilers NO LEAN

Minnesota Wild @ San Jose Sharks WIN NT $1.80 WIN (1-3)

NBA for December 13

Los Angeles Clippers (15-8, 7-6 away) @ Brooklyn Nets (7-14, 3-6 home), Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, Friday, December 13, noon

The Brooklyn Nets seek their first three-game winning streak of the season when they host the Los Angeles Clippers in what could be another emotional night for forwards Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The veteran stars will be opposite Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, who guided them to the 2008 NBA title. Rivers' current crew is coming off a 96-88 win in Boston on Wednesday in his return to TD Garden. The victory gave the Clippers a 3-2 mark on their seven-game road trip, during which they have held four opponents to 88 points or fewer. The win featured another standout performance from Jamal Crawford, who scored 21 points in 27 minutes. Brooklyn has won three of five games after a 4-12 start. That may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but if star guard Deron Williams (pictured) can remain healthy there should be better days ahead. Williams returned from a nine-game layoff against the Celtics and instantly provided a boost, scoring a game-high 25 points as the Nets topped the century mark for the first time in seven games. The ‘over’ is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings but the ‘under’ is 4-0 in the Clippers’ last four overall.

Houston Rockets (15-7, 5-4 away) @ Portland Trail Blazers (18-4, 9-2 home), Moda Center, Portland, OR, Friday, December 13, 2.40pm

Portland and Houston are following a similar formula to the top of the Western Conference with strong inside-outside combinations and rapid ball movement leading to three-pointers. The Trail Blazers will attempt to prove they run it better when they host the Rockets on Thursday. Portland holds the top record in the West and is second in the NBA in scoring, behind only Houston. The Rockets are winners of two straight thanks to an improved effort on the defensive end as Dwight Howard (pictured) familiarises himself with Houston’s high screen-and-roll offence. That high screen system between James Harden and Howard should look familiar to the Blazers, who run plenty of the same with Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. Portland did not respond well to that scheme in the first meeting, a 116-101 home loss on November 5. Houston is in the bottom half of the league in scoring defense but is improving after holding its last two opponents to an average of 85.5 points. Portland had a four-game winning streak come to an end with a loss to Dallas on Saturday but bounced right back with a win at Utah. Houston has taken three straight in the series and won five of its last six in Portland.

Confirmed bets

Los Angeles Clippers @ Brooklyn Nets +2.5 (one unit @ $1.87) WIN (93-102)

Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers +214 (one unit @ $1.91) WIN (104-111)

Leans

Los Angeles Clippers @ Brooklyn Nets -197 $1.91 WIN (93-102)

Houston Rockets +3.5 $1.87 @ Portland Trail Blazers LOSE (104-111)

Football (Europa League Matchday 6) for December 13

The list of 48 Europa League contenders will be reduced to 24 after Matchday 6 tonight with 18 clubs already through to the second round. Those assured of qualification to phase 2 are from Group C (Red Bull Salzburg and Esbjerg fB), Group E: (ACF Fiorentina and FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Group I (Olympique Lyonnais and Real Betis), Group J (Trabzonspor AŞ and SS Lazio), Group K (Tottenham Hotspur and FC Anzhi Makhachkala) and Group L (PAOK Salonika and AZ Alkmaar). The groups yet to be decided comprise:

Group A: Swansea City need only settle for a point in order to book their place in the next round. Valencia will finish top of the group regardless of the result against Kuban Krasnodar. The Russian outfit must not only win in Spain, but are also counting on St Gallen to beat the Swans in Switzerland.

Group B: Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad has been a surprise packet in Europe this season and will finish atop this group. PSV and Chornomorets Odesa are tied on seven points. Should the pair draw, the Dutch side will qualify for the next round as PSV defeated Odesa in the reverse leg.

Group D: This is the only group containing four sides that can all mathematically qualify. Rubin Kazan have already guaranteed they'll be finishing top of the group, leaving Zulte Waregem, Wigan Athletic and Maribor to tussle things out. Wigan can advance if they claim a second victory over Maribor in Slovenia, but need Russians Rubin Kazan to beat Zulte. If Zulte claim a point, their superior head-to-head record against Wigan would dump the English side out. Meanwhile, Maribor can go from zero to hero should they triumph over Wigan, in addition to Rubin beating their opposition.

Group F: Eintracht Frankfurt will finish in top spot, but Maccabi Tel Aviv are hoping that won’t stop the Germans claiming a result against their final group opponents APOEL. The Israeli club need only one more point in order to advance to the next phase of the tournament while Bordeaux’s fate has already been sealed.

Group G: Dynamo Kiev and Rapid Wien are set for an almighty encounter when they clash in Ukraine on Thursday, set just a point apart and only a win being good enough to propel the Austrian visitors through to the next phase. FC Thun will finish bottom while Racing Genk are assured first place.

Group H: Sevilla need a point at Freiburg to finish in first place. The two clubs are currently set three points apart, Freiburg level on points with Czech hopefuls Slovan Liberec. There is a scenario in which Sevilla, Freiburg and Liberec could all finish on nine points. Points amassed between the three sides will determine which sides advances. Liberec only compiled three, while Sevilla already have five so the Spanish side is guaranteed qualification. Freiburg and Liberec are battling to join them.

Confirmed bets

PSV Eindhoven v Chornomorets – double chance (one unit @ $2.10) WIN (0-1)

Real Betis (to nil) v Rijeka (one unit @ $2.00) LOSE (0-0)

Tottenham Hotspur -1.5 v Anzhi Makhachkala (one unit @ $2.00) WIN (4-1)

Dinamo Zagreb v Ludogorets Razgrad BTS (one unit @ $1.73) WIN (1-2)

NK Maribor v Wigan Athletic -2.5 (one unit @ $1.70) LOSE (2-1)

Maccabi Tel-Aviv WIN v Bordeaux (one unit @ $1.62) WIN (1-0)

Sheriff Tiraspol WIN v Tromso (one unit @ $1.50) WIN (2-0)

Leans

St Gallen v Swansea City DRAW $3.25 LOSE (1-0)

Standard Liege WIN $1.60 v Elfsborg LOSE (1-3)

SV Salzburg (to nil) $2.30 v Esbjerg WIN (3-0)

Fiorentina WIN $1.91 v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk WIN (2-1)

Eintracht Frankfurt WIN $1.67 v Apoel Nicosia WIN (2-0)

Dynamo Kiev -1 $2.15 v Rapid Vienna WIN (3-1)

SC Freiburg v Sevilla FC WIN $2.60 WIN (0-2)

Apollon Limassol v Legia Warsaw -2.5 $1.67 WIN (0-2)

Maccabi Haifa -1 $2.15 v Shakhter Karagandy PUSH (2-1)

PAOK Salonika WIN $1.55 v AZ Alkmaar LOSE (2-2)

• Selections are listed in three categories – 1) Suggested (likely bet but yet to be finalised); 2) Confirmed (locked in at the price listed); and 3) Leans (tips, but not recommended bets); all times quoted are Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT); prices with thanks to Centrebet (except where markets are not available), correct at time of publication – for most people gambling is an exciting and fun recreational pursuit. For others it can become a problem with devastating consequences for them, their families and friends. We want you to enjoy your gambling experience. We want you to stay in control of your gambling and not allow your gambling to control you.