Nadal and Konta in 1st round, West Brom host Stoke

Can West Brom extend their lead at the top of the Championship? And will Rafa Nadal and Johanna Konta both reach the next round at the Australian Open? It’s the Spread Bets of the Day!

1. West Brom v Stoke – Charlie Austin SMM, 44-51
Somehow West Brom are without a win in their last 5 league games, with 4 draws and a loss to Boro. Stoke, at least, have 2 victories across that same period, even if they are just one point above the relegation zone in 21st.

And yet, in a sign of just how much Leeds have also dropped the ball recently, the Baggies will go 4 points clear at the top of the table with a win on Monday night, at 8pm on Sky Sports Football.

That aforementioned wobbly period has coincided with a dry spell for Charlie Austin, who was last on the score sheet on December 14th, when West Brom beat Birmingham 3-2 courtesy of the 30-year old’s late brace. Does that make backing him a risk? He heads into the game at a chunky SMM spread of 44-51, compared to teammate Kenneth Zohore at 32-36, and Potters’ forward Sam Vokes at 18-22.

2. Rafael Nadal v Hugo Dellien – Dellien 25:0, 0.1-1.1
Entering the competition as the no. 1 seed, Rafael Nadal nevertheless takes 2nd place to Novak Djokovic in Spreadex’s Outright Index. The defending champion – already through to the 2nd round – is at a spread of 36.5-39.5 to Nadal’s 23-26, with fixed odds of 11/10 and 17/4 respectively.

He shouldn’t have any issues with his 1st round opponent, at 2am on Eurosport 1. But this is Hugo Bellian’s debut Australian Open – what better way for the Bolivian to kick things off than with the luscious scalp of Rafa Nadal? The 26-year old sits at a teensy 25:0 spread of 0.1-1.1, where the winner gets 25 points and the loser 0.

3. Johanna Konta v Ons Jabeur – Konta/Jabeur Match Supremacy, 2.5-5.5
In 2016, her debut in the competition proper, Johanna Konta reached the Aussie Open semi-finals. The year after it was the quarters. And then back-to-back exits in the 2nd round. Can the Brit, who enters the tournament as the 12th seed, do any better in 2020?

She’s up against Ons Jabeur on Monday night, at 11.30pm on Europsport 1. The Tunisian 25-year old has never gotten beyond the 1st round in Australia, which should made it a comfortable win for Konta. Yet she isn’t guaranteed victory, with Spreadex offering a relatively tight Konta/Jabeur Match Supremacy spread of 2.5-5.5. That’s where the winner gets 10 points plus a further 3 points for every set won by.

Disclaimer: quoted prices are subject to change.