Daily tips for December 12

What’s on today

Groups E-H take centre stage in today’s UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 fixtures, while the abandoned Group B match featuring Galatasaray and Juventus is also scheduled to be completed today; nine games will be played in the NBA with the battle of the Western Conference cellar dwellers Utah and Sacramento among the more intriguing match-ups; there are just three games in the NHL with Minnesota’s trip to Anaheim the pick of the games; there’ll be racing & more to follow throughout the day.

Racing for December 12

Horse racing: Kyneton (Vic – slow 6), Goulburn (NSW – good 3), Gold Coast (Qld – heavy 8), Geraldton (WA – good 3). Harness racing: Melton (Vic), Redcliffe (Qld), Tamworth (NSW), Penrith (NSW), Bendigo (Vic), Narrogin (WA). Greyhound racing: Warragul (Vic), Dubbo (NSW), Traralgon (Vic), Maitland (NSW), Warrnambool (Vic), Sandown Park (Vic), Angle Park (SA), Dapto (NSW), Hobart (Tas), Albion Park (Qld), Mandurah (WA).

There’s light at the end of the tunnel – Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey’s trip to Hong Kong earlier in the month reinforced his view that the current track rating system needed to be overhauled. Bailey, who met with his peers from around the globe according to Racing Network, believes the policy of placing a number next to a track category serves littler purpose other than confuse punters. He also would like to see the ratings of the tracks change to incorporate categories of firm, good, yielding, slow and heavy.

“It’s clear we are poles apart from the rest of the world. We went right around the table and everyone else was on the one page and we are one out on this 1-10 (track) rating. We argue whether it is a Slow 6 or a Slow 7. A slow track is a slow track, why complicate it? And, the numbers next to the track rating still don’t appear in the form and how long have we had it in for?” he said. Bailey said he would meet in the coming days with track managers then gauge the support for change at Racing Victoria Board level.

Confirmed bets

Kyneton R1 #3 Go Dreaming (win) 1st ($2.10)

Goulburn R3 #1 Kazoom (win) 1st ($1.70)

Goulburn R6 #3 De Nederlanden (win) LOSE (U/P)

Leans

Kyneton R7 #3 Sommelier Pete (win) LOSE (U/P)

Kyneton R8 #11 Quick Trip (E/W 1x2) 3rd ($2.40)

Goulburn R5 #9 Phantom’s Fancy (win) 1st ($2.10)

Goulburn R7 #7 Heyson (E/W) LOSE (U/P)

Goulburn R8 #3 Sansui Drawing (win) 1st ($1.80)

Gold Coast R5 #3 Storm Fighter (win) LOSE (U/P)

Gold Coast R7 #7 More Colours (E/W 1x4) 3rd ($1.50)

Harness racing tip: Penrith R5 #1 Usane Flash (win) 1st ($2.10)
Greyhound racing tip: Dapto R5 #8 Pantone Green (win) 1st ($2.30)

NHL for December 12

Minnesota Wild (18-9-5, 41 pts) @ Anaheim Ducks (21-7-5, 47 pts), Honda Center, Anaheim, CA, Thursday, December 12, 2.40pm

The Anaheim Ducks have risen to the top of the Pacific Division largely due to the stellar play of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf (pictured). An outstanding home record has played a role, too, and that may not bode well for a Minnesota Wild team that has struggled on the road recently. Anaheim seeks a fourth straight victory and sixth in a row over Minnesota, which begins a stretch playing seven of eight away from home. Anaheim, the only team without a regulation loss at home, struggled early after facing two of the Western Conference’s best clubs. Perry had two goals and scored for a career-high sixth straight contest, which matches the longest streak in the NHL this season. Getzlaf had an assist to extend his point streak to 14, tallying 10 goals and 11 assists. His streak is officially 12 according to the NHL (one shy of the Blues’ Alexander Steen for longest in the league this season) because Getzlaf missed three games November 10-14 due to injury.

Getzlaf and Perry assisted on Nick Bonino’s power-play goal in a 4-3 overtime win at Minnesota on October 5 in the teams’ only meeting this season. Wild points leader Zach Parise scored twice in that contest and also had two goals in Sunday’s 3-1 home win over San Jose. Minnesota (18-9-5) picked up its third victory in four tries despite recording a season-low 13 shots. The Wild, though, have lost three straight away from home while getting held to two goals. They’re among the league’s lowest-scoring teams on the road at 1.86 per game while posting a 5-6-3 record. Josh Harding made 37 saves on Sunday and ranks among the league leaders with a 1.50 goals-against average, including 1.86 in 10 road games. It’s unclear if Harding or Niklas Backstrom will start against Anaheim, which could counter with Jonas Hiller. After a horror day for the favourites yesterday, I’m confident the three obvious picks will salute today, with all three games likely to go ‘over’ the respective totals.

Confirmed bets

Grand Salami +15.5 (1.5 units @ $1.77) WIN (16)

Minnesota Wild @ Anaheim Ducks WIN NT (one unit @ $2.10) WIN (1-2)

Philadelphia Flyers @ Chicago Blackhawks TT +2.5 (1.5 units @ $1.60) WIN (2-7)

Leans

Los Angeles Kings -1.5 $3.35 @ Toronto Maple Leafs WIN (3-1)

Philadelphia Flyers @ Chicago Blackhawks -1.5 $2.65 WIN (2-7)

Minnesota Wild @ Anaheim Ducks +5 $1.83 LOSE (1-2)

NBA for December 12

Orlando Magic (6-15, 1-10 away) @ Charlotte Bobcats (10-11, 6-6 home), Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC, Thursday, December 12, 11.10am

Here’s a line you won’t hear everyday – the Charlotte Bobcats (10-11 SU, 13-7-1 ATS) are the most profitable team in the Eastern Conference, cashing five times in a row. They’ve also won back-to-back games at home over Philadelphia (+7) and Golden State (-6). Kemba Walker (pictured) proved in the Bobcats’ last contest that he's more than capable of succeeding against top-notch competition. He's done so against the Orlando Magic too. Charlotte seeks a third straight victory while looking to deal visiting Orlando a seventh consecutive defeat. Walker came out with the upper hand in Monday's duel with Stephen Curry, hitting 10 of 18 from the field and matching his season high with 31 points in the Bobcats’ 115-111 victory over Golden State. He scored 27 points in the second half and the final 15 for Charlotte (10-11), which will be trying to win three straight for the first time this season.

The Magic (6-15 SU, 10-11 ATS) are focussed more on the draft than the playoffs. Orlando has lost six games in a row at 2-4 ATS; SF Tobias Harris (17.0 PER) remains out with an ankle sprain, and he’s been joined on the sidelines by center Nikola Vucevic, who is averaging 14.7 points and 10.9 rebounds. Charlotte has won the last three match-ups, including a 114-108 victory on March 27 in which Walker scored 34 points (one off his career high) and added nine assists. Gerald Henderson also fell one shy of his career best by matching Walker's total in that contest. Orlando has scored an average of 92.0 points in that stretch while giving up 107.7, and it fell 94-85 to Memphis on Monday. It trailed by as many as 23, but outscored the Grizzlies by 12 in the second half. I have to go with the form side here against the beat-up Magic.

Confirmed bets

Orlando Magic @ Charlotte Bobcats -5 (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE (92-83)

Dallas Mavericks +5.5 $1.91 @ Golden State Warriors WIN (93-95)

Detroit Pistons @ New Orleans Pelicans -203.5 (one unit @ $1.91) LOSE OT (106-111)

Oklahoma City Thunder -5.5 @ Memphis Grizzlies (one unit @ $1.87) WIN (116-100)

Leans

Orlando Magic @ Charlotte Bobcats -192 $1.91 WIN (92-83)

Los Angeles Clippers -5.5 $1.87 @ Boston Celtics WIN (96-88)

San Antonio Spurs @ Milwaukee Bucks +191 $1.91 WIN (109-77)
Utah Jazz @ Sacramento Kings -6.5 $1.91 LOSE (122-101)
Philadelphia 76ers +13 $1.95 @ Minnesota Timberwolves WIN (99-106)
Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors +209 $1.91 LOSE (93-95)
Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks -183 $1.91 WIN (78-83)

Football (UCL matchday 6) for December 12

Another eight spots in the round of 16 will be decided in the completion of the first phase of the UEFA Champions League, while the crucial Group B fixture between Galatasaray and Juventus will also be completed after it was abandoned at the 31-minute mark yesterday after heavy snow swept across Istanbul making the pitch dangerous (pictured below). A draw is enough for the Italian club to join Real Madrid in the next round.

Group E: Chelsea will be expected to finish top of Group E when they host Steaua Bucharest at Stamford Bridge. The Romanian side has not won in 22 Champions League outings and was on the receiving end of a 4-0 drubbing at home to the Blues. Basel and Schalke, who sit on eight and seven points respectively, will battle it out in Germany for second spot. Schalke defeated Basel in Switzerland on Matchday 2 and they will expect a similar outcome when they clash in front of their home fans at the Veltins-Arena.

Group F: Arsenal sit top of the group on 12 points with Napoli and Dortmund tied for second with nine points apiece. Arsenal advances with a win or draw in Naples, which would also pave the way for an injury-riddled Dortmund to finish second if they can overcome Marseille on the road. If Dortmund wins, the Italian side will need to defeat Arsenal by three clear goals to secure their passage to the next round. Stranger things have happened but it’s a tough spot for Napoli. Their last five games have resulted in three defeats and a draw.

Group G: Atletico cruised into the round of 16, scoring 13 goals and conceding just three in their opening five games. The La Liga outfit host Porto, with the Portuguese side looking to leapfrog Zenit, who sit one point above them in second spot. If Zenit are to advance, they will need to better or equal Porto’s result when they take on winless Austria Wien at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. If both sides finish on the same points then Zenit will advance due to their superior head-to-head record. Zenit have scored just four goals in their five games.

Group H: With Barcelona entertaining Celtic at Camp Nou, the battle for the second qualification spot will be a straight shoot-out between AC Milan and Ajax at the San Siro. The Italian side currently sits second on eight points, with Ajax in third on seven. The Dutch side remained in contention with a dramatic win over Barcelona on Matchday 5, but they will face an uphill task in Italy. Ajax has lost both their away games in Group H. They fell 4-0 away to Barcelona and 2-1 against Celtic in Glasgow.

Confirmed bets

Chelsea -1 v Steaua Bucharest (three units @ $1.55) PUSH (1-0)

Atletico Madrid (to nil) v FC Porto (one unit @ $3.10) WIN (2-0)

Austria Vienna v Zenit St Petersburg WIN (one unit @ $1.62) LOSE (4-1)

AC Milan v Ajax Amsterdam – double chance (one unit @ $2.25) WIN (0-0)

Leans

Schalke 04 v FC Basel -2.5 $2.25 WIN (2-0)

Marseille +1 $2.60 v Borussia Dortmund PUSH (1-2)

Napoli v Arsenal -2.5 $2.25 WIN (2-0)

Atletico Madrid v FC Porto -2.5 $1.70 WIN (2-0)
FC Barcelona v Celtic BTS $2.15 WIN (6-1)

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