Focus shifts back to the Premier League on Saturday following an unexpectedly intriguing mid-season international break.
Lee Carsley’s bid for the England manager’s job has captured fans’ attention, especially during the matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland. The general consensus is that the job is now his to lose.
The bookmakers seem to agree. Carsley, who was priced at 2/1 last week, was shortened to 7/4 after the comfortable win in Dublin. Now, following the victory over Finland, Betfred has him at a commanding 1/2 ON.
While the race for the England job seems nearly decided, the competition to see which Premier League manager will be the first to leave their post this season is heating up.
Three matches into the 38-game campaign, the main contenders for the sack are emerging. Erik ten Hag is currently the favorite to go first, with Manchester United picking up just three points from their opening three games—a 1-0 win against Fulham, a 2-1 loss to Brighton, and a 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool.
Ten Hag’s next game is away to Southampton on Saturday. The pressure will only increase if United can’t win against a side that hasn’t earned a point in three games under manager Russell Martin.
Everton is the only other team with three losses to start the season. Their shocking 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth, after leading 2-0 with minutes remaining, puts Sean Dyche under pressure, despite his usual resilience.
Everton faces a tough test at Aston Villa on Saturday, while Wolves boss Gary O’Neil will be eager for his first win at home against Newcastle on Sunday before facing Villa in a derby next weekend.
Russell Martin, however, seems the likeliest to be the first to go. His team might just be what United needs to relieve some pressure off Ten Hag. With upcoming matches against Ipswich and Bournemouth, Southampton’s board may act if they don’t see positive results. Martin is as short as 6/1 with Bet Victor, but looks like good value at 14/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair to be the first manager sacked.
Meanwhile, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill finds himself at the center of a national controversy after being pulled from his car by police over a minor traffic issue just before his team’s 20-17 opening day win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Despite the off-field drama, Hill still managed to rack up 130 yards and a touchdown from seven receptions. He’s priced at 13/2 with Sky Bet to score the first TD in Thursday night’s NFL game against the Buffalo Bills, and 17/20 with William Hill to score at any time against a shaky Bills defense that conceded 28 points to the Arizona Cardinals.
In the Championship, Sunderland tops the table with 12 points from four matches, having conceded just once—a late own goal against Portsmouth—while scoring ten. They are the banker of the week at 5/6 with Ladbrokes and Coral to win at Wayne Rooney’s struggling Plymouth. QPR, Stockport, and Barrow round out Saturday’s Football League accumulator.
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