In this feature Spreadex Sports look at five bets/markets to look out for in the week ahead. This week, we will look at the latest football, cricket, and NBA action.

Note – the below prices are indicative and may be subject to fluctuation

FOOTBALL

1. Man Utd take on Real Sociedad in their final Europa League group match, aiming to secure the top spot in the group and avoid a potential banana skin against a more difficult opponent dropping down from the Champions League in the knockout stages. The Red Devils fell to a disappointing defeat at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture and will now need to win the match by two clear goals to overtake the Spanish side. Can Erik ten Hag's resurgent side produce the required result? We have Man Utd Goals available at 1.4 - 1.6, with Man Utd TGMs at 72 - 80. Some statistics do present a favourable outlook for Utd, as Sociedad fell to a 2-0 defeat against Betis in the league at the weekend and lost 4-0 to Utd in this competition back in 2021, including a brace from Bruno Fernandes. 

2. We have the latest 'Spreadex Derby' on Wednesday night as Huddersfield host Sunderland in the Championship. The Terriers seem to be turning a corner and looking to move out of the relegation zone, while the Black Cats will be looking to halt their own slide down the table. We have several special price boosts ahead of the game - Danny Ward to score anytime has been BOOSTED from 7/4 to 2/1, while Sunderland's Ellis Simms has been BOOSTED from 21/10 to 5/2! And finally, Huddersfield to win with both teams scoring has been BOOSTED from 4/1 to 5/1!

3. Man City are already assured of top spot in their group and as such have secured qualification for the knockout stages, but history suggests another high-scoring affair as they take on Sevilla. The sides have met only thrice, but two of those matches have seen four total goals, with the other seeing three netted. Sevilla's former Spurs winger Erik Lamela has made a joint-personal high 12 appearances against the Cityzens and grabbed a goal and assist from his last two away contests against City - could he do so again?

Rugby league

4. The Rugby League World Cup action continues this week with several quarter-final matches scheduled - with one of these including England taking on Papua New Guinea on Saturday. England do come into this one as huge favourites to progress, and it is thought that the question will be more about the points margin of victory, rather than the victory itself. However, of course, nobody knows in the world of elite sport, and this promises to be an intriguing match-up nonetheless. PNG completely dismantled Wales without conceding a point in their 36-0 victory last time out, so will surely be full of confidence ahead of this challenge. However, England have been in formidable form themselves and demolished Greece 94-4 in their last match. They have also beaten PNG both times they have previously clashed, by 36-6 and 32-22. We have the England/PNG Points Difference spread at 23 - 26 pre-match. Will you buy or sell?

CRICKET

5. This week sees more action from the T20 World Cup, with one of the key matches seeing Pakistan take on group 2 leaders South Africa on Thursday, knowing a victory is imperative for any hopes of progressing further. In their last match, Pakistan kept their hopes of making the T20 World Cup semi-finals alive with a routine six-wicket victory over Netherlands in Perth. Babar Azam's team suffered successive last-ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe in their first two matches but outclassed the Dutch on Sunday, restricting their opponents to 91-9 from their 20 overs and then coasting to their target with 37 balls to spare to earn a first T20 international victory on Australian soil. They are considered underdogs against the South Africans, at 11/8 on the fixed odds, and with a pre-match margin of victory spread of South Africa/Pakistan at 8 - 16. Will they be able to negotiate the win and reach the semis?

Note - Spread Betting losses can exceed deposit