What to bet on this weekend: Soccer, hockey, rugby, and more
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Where there's a will, there's a way.
People complaining about having nothing to bet on need to broaden their horizons and check their egos at the door. I'm overwhelmed by all the sports scheduled this weekend.
Between basketball in Sudan, soccer in Burundi, women's youth volleyball in Russia, Aussie Rules Football in Australia, and everything in between, we've got a buffet of sports to bet on this weekend.
After nailing our floorball play of the season last weekend, we're back at it with our bandy play of the year Saturday in Sweden, so make sure you read to the end.
Basketball
All of your basketball cravings can be satisfied by Russia this weekend. There are a pair of games in the MLBL, while the Russian Nevskaya is in full force with a wealth of matches through division one to five. If betting on fifth division Russian basketball isn't for you, this article probably isn't either.
The game of the weekend goes on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET with a rivalry for the ages. Dynamo Rostov on Don (-4.5) takes on Shakhtyor Rostov on Don, and you best believe I'm riding with the home dog on the moneyline at +150. Anything can happen in a derby.
If that's not enough, Al Maktabah (-7.5) visits Al Hilal in the Sudan Premier League.
Hockey
Russia continuing with basketball but temporarily suspending all hockey and soccer leagues is certainly one of the more puzzling decisions of the week.
It means our focus shifts to Belarus' Extraliga. Game 5 of the semifinal between Neman Grodno and Soligorsk goes on Friday, with Game 6 set for Sunday. The series is currently tied 2-2, and I like Soligorsk to pick up a massive win on the road at +110 in Game 5, because they've been the better team in this series, and because their logo is some sort of wildly aggressive rodent with a miner's hat and Rudolph nose chomping down on a hockey stick.
Soccer
Realistically, the bulk of anyone's betting this weekend will be on obscure soccer, for which we have you covered.
Despite Europe and South America mostly shutting down their leagues, there's still plenty to offer. If you miss capping games, my suggestion would be to head to Soccerway for standings, fixtures, and results.
There you can break down all the games happening this weekend in the Belarus Premier League, Australia A-League, Angola Girabola, Bhutan Super League, Burundi Premier League, Hong Kong Cup, Malawi Super League, Palestine West Bank League, Nicaragua Clausura, and Saint Kitts & Nevis Premier League.
In Nicaragua, give me Real Esteli -1 over Real Madriz, who are almost definitely not as good as Real Madrid. And in Burundi, let's start the weekend right with a draw (+210) between Bujumbura City and Kayanza United early Saturday morning.
Rugby
Week 2 of the NRL (that's the National Rugby League, folks) continues this weekend with five more matches. Sharp money (read: my money) is on the Sydney Roosters -5.5 over the Manly Sea Eagles, who are clearly overcompensating for something with that name.
Cricket
The list keeps going, people. Don't ever let someone tell you there's nothing to bet on. Bless the Hapur Premier League that's basically got games straight through the entire weekend starting with a Friday night showdown between Razees Yodhas and The Rising Stars Hapur. Sounds like the Rising Stars are getting better by the week. They're a live 'dog at +137.
Volleyball
Just to be completely clear, Russia said no to soccer and hockey, but yes to basketball and volleyball. The top division runs a full schedule on Friday, while their men's and women's youth leagues go on Saturday. You don't have to ask me twice to pound over 179.5 in the Dynamo Krasnodar Youth Women vs. Leningradka Youth Women match.
Table tennis
Moscow table tennis is also a full-go Friday, as is the illustrious Setka Cup. However, I'll forgo those for some TT Cup action in Ukraine, where Ivan Kozyr (-138) is being offered at far too short a price over Vitalii Vovk. Let's ride with the favorite?
Aussie Rules Football
It's opening weekend in the AFL as Week 1 continues through the weekend. There are seven matches still to come over the next three days and I'm leaning toward blindly betting the over in all of them.
Bandy
Game 1 of the Sweden Elitserien final goes on Saturday as Edsbyns hosts Villa Lidkoping. Edsbyns blew through the first two rounds, sweeping both Vetlanda and Sandvikens in their best-of-five series, while Villa Lidkoping swept AIK and beat Bollnas 3-1 in the semifinal.
Edsbyns may appear unbeatable to the untrained eye, but they've lost each of their last three games at home to Villa Lidkopinga and I'm all for riding with the visitors to spring a shock to open the series at +150. It's my bandy play of the year, folks.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.