The Sports Roundup Week 10: Upcoming Sports Predictions!

Top 5 Sporting Moments of the Week:

5. Miami Heat win game 3 of the NBA Finals. After a dominant performance by the LA Lakers in Game 1, many were fearing that the Lakers could sweep the series 4-0. However, Jimmy Butler had a different idea. He scored a 40-point triple-double without two of his key starters due to injury. After the game, he was interviewed about his career-best performance. All he said was, “I just want to win”. What a competitor and bring on game 4!

4. Shane Watson keeps getting better with age as he steers the Chennai Super Kings to a dominant victory in the IPL. Shane Watson finished 83 not out off 53 balls, scoring 11 fours and 3 sixes as the Chennai Super Kings beat the Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets with 14 balls left. At 39 years of age, Watson continues to show his class and value, 14 years after his international T20 debut.

3. Liverpool suffer record defeat on miserable night at Villa Park. Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool were outclassed by Aston Villa, losing 7-2 courtesy of a hat-trick from summer signing Ollie Watkins and a Jack Grealish brace. It certainly isn’t time to worry yet for Liverpool fans, but this result is definitely a shock and how they respond will be fascinating.

2. The women’s draw at the French Open bursts as seeded player after seeded players are sent home. Predicting the results of women’s tennis matches at major tournaments is almost as impossible as finding a needle in a haystack, but this year’s French Open has been more extreme than ever. In the fourth round, both the number 1 and 5 seed were upset by unseeded players and knocked out of the tournament. There are now only 4 out of 30 seeded players left in what will be a fascinating final stage of the tournament.

1. The first week of the AFL finals were filled with drama and thrills. It began with a classy performance by Port Adelaide who weathered the Geelong storm to secure a place in the preliminary final. Brisbane than produced a stunning upset of title favourites Richmond after a scintillating performance by Charlie Cameron. St Kilda than survived an incredible comeback by the Western Bulldogs to stay in the competition, followed by huge underdogs Collingwood holding on to beat the West Coast Eagles.

Feature Article: Upcoming Sports Predictions!

There are always so many different sporting competitions starting and ending, but I felt now was a good time to make some predictions on current sports and who I think will win. We’ll come back to these predictions in a few months and see how I went!

NRL

It’s so hard to look past the Penrith Panthers who are on a 16 game winning streak. I think it will be a Penrith Panthers vs Melbourne Storm grand final. Who wins? I’m going to give it to the experience of Melbourne Storm under the eye of Craig Bellamy.

AFL

The Brisbane Lions looked incredible against Richmond. I think they can reach the grand final and I think Port Adelaide will be waiting from them there. I think Port Adelaide have more class all over the field and will win the Premiership.

Bathurst 1000

The Bathurst 1000 is an iconic V8 Supercar race in Australia that is consistently dramatic, exhilarating and wildly entertaining. The race will take place on the 18^th of October, and I believe the proven partnership of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes will win the great race.

Formula One

Arguably, the race for the title is already over. Lewis Hamilton is 44 points ahead of his closest rival and teammate Valtteri Bottas which will be almost impossible to overcome unless Hamilton fails to finish multiple races. However, the constructor’s standings are very close, and I believe it will finish Mercedes, Red Bull, Renault, Racing Point, Mclaren, Ferrari and the remaining teams.

MotoGP

This year’s MotoGP season has been crazy! So many different race winners and almost every race has seen a title contender crash out. The Yamaha’s have looked strong in recent races, so I predict Fabio Quartararo will be able to hold onto his current lead and win the title.

NBA

I would love for the Miami Heat to win the NBA Finals. But, I think the LA Lakers are too strong over a 7-game series. I think Miami might win 1 more game, but the Lakers will win the NBA Finals in 6.

NFL

We are still in the first few rounds of the new season, but already, the Super Bowl contenders are starting to stand out. The Chiefs, Packers, Seahawks and Ravens all seem like serious contenders. I like the Seahawks, so I think they can get the job done. If Russell Wilson continues to play like he is right now, I believe they can win the Super Bowl.

IPL

The start of the IPL has been very unpredictable with no undefeated teams halfway through the competition. The Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals are both looking strong, but you can never rule out the star power of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. I think the Delhi Capitals have the most balanced team, so I will think they will win the competition.

French Open

Unsurprisingly, I believe Rafael Nadal will win another French Open in the Men’s draw, and I think Petra Kvitova can overcome the seeded players curse to win the French Open in the women’s draw.

Soccer

It is probably too early in the season to be predicting the results of different soccer leagues, but here are some early predictions:

Premier League: Manchester City

Ligue 1: PSG

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich

Serie A: Inter Milan

La Liga: Barcelona