While punters in Great Britain and Ireland have been spoiled for choice with sporting events during difficult circumstances, there will be a bigger audience looking to take advantage of betting odds in various sports over the Easter weekend. With the League of Ireland now back in full flow and four horse racing cards at Cork and Fairyhouse, punters have their pick of markets, but now may also be the right time to take a punt on the next manager of Republic of Ireland given the nation's recent struggles. With that in mind, which bets should be placed on Irish sport over the coming days?
Just like punters can take advantage of free bets ireland on Saturday and Sunday, Finn Harps will be eager to build on their perfect start to their League of Ireland campaign. Despite only finishing a point above the relegation zone last season, Finn Harps have recorded back-to-back wins over Bohemians and Dundalk, teams who ended last season in second and third spot. Whether Ollie Horgan's side can maintain their current form in the long term remains to be seen, but you cannot ignore the 6/4 which is on offer for them to defeat Drogheda. Adam Foley has scored each of Finn Harps' three goals this season, meaning that there is value in the 5/1 on offer for the 31-year-old being first goalscorer.
The other game which interest us is Bohemians against St Patrick's Athletic. As a result of failing to win either of their opening two fixtures, Bohemians are regarded as the outsiders to prevail in this contest, but we are prepared to take a risk on last season's runners-up at betting odds of 19/10. They have faced the top two in Finn Harps and Longford Town, whereas St Patrick's have scored twice in the closing stages of games to secure their points during the opening two weekends.
Punters will be interested in betting sites ireland when assessing the horse racing action at Cork and Fairyhouse over the weekend. The Class 1 races at each venue will gain the attention of punters, particularly the 2.35pm race at Cork on Saturday. Make A Challenge could go off as the favourite, but the six-year-old has failed to land a top three in his last three appearances, all at betting odds of 9/2 or lower. For us, Downforce is the more attractive bet, the nine-year-old a former course and distance winner who returned from an extended layoff to land at Curragh last month.
Gaming with free slots ireland will also prove popular among the betting industry, but the competitive 4.40pm at Fairyhouse on Saturday is an opportunity to benefit from some bigger betting odds. Bookmakers could show preference to the more experienced runners in this race, but we like the potential of Limerick Lace. On debut at Punchestown last month, the four-year-old powered home by nine-and-a-half lengths on heavy ground, and that simply cannot be ignored. While this horse could be available at 5/1, do not be put off if those odds shorten ahead of the race.
Despite an 11-match winless streak, Stephen Kenny insists that he remains the right man to lead Republic of Ireland, but the 49-year-old will be fortunate to still be in a job when their World Cup qualifying campaign resumes in September. Roy Keane and Neil Lennon are both priced in the region of 6/1 to replace Kenny, and both should seem attractive to punters with both men on the market and looking for new jobs.
