Racing Post's team of experts with their best sporting bets for 2021

Racing Post's team of experts are here to deliver their best bets for the 2021 New Year specials.

Snooker

Dave Clark

Mark Selby to win the 2021 World Championship
10-1 Paddy Power

Prediction

Three-time Crucible king Mark Selby has burst back into life under the tutelage of new coach Chris Henry and his return to form has been underestimated by layers.

The Jester from Leicester spent seven seasons as world number one between 2012 and 2019 and over the last few months he has started to show some of his old sparkle.

They began working together in July, just six weeks before the 2020 World Championship, where Selby lost out in a decider against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final.

Now brimming with confidence, Selby has won twice already this season and is playing noticeably more attacking and fluent snooker.

Coupled with his unrivalled determination to win, he ticks every box for the marathon event scheduled for April.

The 19-times ranking event winner is a monster price at double figure odds to win in Sheffield.

Rugby League

Alex Hilton

England to win the World Cup
8-1 each-way general

Prediction

England were just a converted try away from winning the 2017 World Cup in Australia but Shaun Wane's men can go one better in 2021 on home soil.

That heart-breaking 6-0 defeat to Australia in Brisbane was another crucial step for an English side who had been eliminated in the semi-finals at the previous three tournaments.

Wane has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, and hopefully able to be backed by vocal home support at venues such as St James' Park, the Emirates and Old Trafford, the tournament hosts could finally get the better of dominant nations Australia and New Zealand.

Cricket

Liam Flin

England to win the T20 World Cup
7-2 bet365, Betfred

Prediction

Originally set to take place in Australia in 2020, the latest edition of the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup is now set for India in October 2021 and it is no surprise to see the new hosts installed as market leaders.

And while home conditions and a wealth of top Indian Premier League players make the Men In Blue key contenders, second favourites England offer more value.

Skipper Eoin Morgan led his side to World Cup glory as recently as 2019, albeit on home soil, and England made the final of this competition only three years before that.

An explosive top order featuring Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes saw England win three of their four T20 series in 2020, including a 2-1 defeat of rivals Australia.

The T20 side will get a taste of Indian conditions in February and March and are number one in the ICC world rankings.

Tennis

Adrian Humphries

Felix Auger-Aliassime to be ranked in the top ten at end of 2021
15-8 Betfair, Paddy Power

Prediction

There are good grounds for thinking that Felix Auger-Aliassime could rise from an ATP chart position of 21st to claim a top-ten ranking by the end of 2021.

The brilliant and versatile Canadian, 20, has shown a willingness to learn from the best and spent some valuable time at Rafael Nadal's academy in Majorca earlier this month.

Auger-Aliassime's rate of going deep in tournaments is streets ahead of any other youngster on the ATP Tour and it may only be a matter of time before he tastes Grand Slam glory.

With Covid-19 still a major issue, some of the sport's veteran stars could choose not to attend some big tournaments, which would help the chances of burgeoning talents such as Auger-Aliassime rising up the ladder.

Formula One

Phil Agius

Max Verstappen each-way for F1 World Championship
5-1 general

Prediction

The 2021 F1 world championship was supposed to bring major technical changes but due to Covid-19 they have been pushed back to 2022.

The established pecking order should remain relatively intact, but towards the end of a period of fairly consistent regulations the pack do tend to catch up.

Red Bull won the final race of 2020 with Max Verstappen, who matched the two-win tally of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas to finish second.

The daredevil Dutchman looks a solid each-way bet again with Sergio Perez having arrived from Racing Point to provide competition and in-race back-up. The Mexican is expected to be a decent upgrade on the disappointing Alex Albon.

Mercedes didn't seem to get the huge boost from their DAS steering system but that has been banned now and they may not have things quite so much their own way next season.

Golf

Steve Palmer

Rory McIlroy top-five finish in every Major
150-1 BoyleSports

Prediction

Rory McIlroy is well suited to the 2021 Major venues and the 150-1 that he finishes in the top five in each of them is well worth an interest.

McIlroy, a leaderboard regular at Augusta, should be in the thick of things in the Masters in April, while he will start the US PGA as a course winner, having triumphed by eight shots in the only previous Major at Kiawah Island.

The Northern Irishman's form figures at Torrey Pines - the US Open venue - are 5-3. And the 2014 Open champion will be comfortable at Sandwich for the final Major of the season.

Football

Dan Childs

Holland to win Euro 2020
11-1 Betway

Prediction

Virgil van Dijk's absence does not seem to be having a massive impact on Liverpool's title defence but the dominant defender is hopeful of being fully recovered from injury during the first half of 2021 and could have a major part to play in Holland's Euro 2020 challenge.

The Oranje failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 but have made huge strides forward, losing one of their last 12 competitive matches, and should be strong contenders.

Frank de Boer's side should overcome Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia in Group C and their defensive prowess will ensure they are a tough nut to crack in the knockout stages.

Sports Personality of the Year

Mark Langdon

Dina Asher-Smith
10-1 Ladbrokes

Prediction

Being the fastest British women in history in an Olympic year means Dina Asher-Smith should go close to landing the honours in the Sports Personality of the Year and at double figures looks an attractive each-way option.

Asher-Smith collected the SPOTY place money in 2019 after claiming gold in the 200 metres at the World Athletics Championships, days after earning silver in the 100m sprint.

Dina dominated the European Championship in 2018 and if Tokyo goes ahead this summer she will surely go close.

Football

Aaron Ashley

Bayern Munich to win the Champions League
11-4 general

Prediction

Bayern Munich swept aside the opposition on their way to Champions League glory last season, winning all 11 matches and firing home 43 goals, and the brilliant Bavarians are back to defend their crown.

Hansi Flick was the mastermind behind their European triumph and any defensive flaws they may have are successfully cancelled out by a star-studded attack which consists of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry.

Flick's free-flowing Bayern eased through the group stages, collecting 16 points from a possible 18 in a section containing La Liga title contenders Atletico Madrid, and should hold few fears from Lazio in the last 16.

Over the course of two legs, no team in Europe can contain the scoring power of the German giants, who have notched 39 times in 13 Bundesliga outings this season and scored an average of three goals per game on their way to topping Group A.

Boxing

Henry Hardwicke

Tyson Fury to beat Anthony Joshua via stoppage
9-4 Betfair, Paddy Power

Prediction

There is real hope that one of the biggest fights of all time could be staged in 2021 if Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua get it on.

There's the opportunity to unify the heavyweight division for one of the British fighters and that is incentive enough before you consider the mega payday for both.

Fury deserves to be favourite and his chances of stopping AJ look to have been underestimated. The Watford man was knocked down by Wladimir Klitschko, stopped by Andy Ruiz and rocked by an inexperienced Dillian Whyte.

Fury doesn't have huge one-punch power but he has the skills, movement and size and it's not difficult to see him finding Joshua's suspect chin and overwhelming him.

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