Betting preview: Glasgow and Saracens to prevail

Ahead of the sixth and final round of this season’s Champions Cup, we take a look at the best bets from two games taking place this weekend.

Sale Sharks v Glasgow Warriors

Glasgow will be hunting a victory at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday that would put the heat on their rivals for a place in the last eight.

Team news is kind to the Warriors as with Sale already out of the running, they have named a largely second-string line-up for this match. In the backline there’s youngsters selected in the form of Thomas Curtis, James Williams and Joe Carpenter, with several others elsewhere. That has led to the bookmakers pricing them as 5/2 underdogs (Unibet and 888sport), while Glasgow are 4/9 with Betfair to pick up the triumph.

While they are at home it is tough to see a Sale victory which is why the Warriors to prevail by 12+ points is tempting at 13/8 with BetFred. Alternatively the visitors are 15/8 (Ladbrokes and Betfair) to win by 1-12 points as they look to give themselves a chance of qualifying.

It is a major boost for Glasgow having Leone Nakarawa in their starting XV and he is 13/2 with Betfair to cross the whitewash at anytime. Elsewhere, deadly finisher DTH van der Merwe is 11/1 to claim the game’s opening try, with Ladbrokes and SportingBet offering those odds.

Saracens v Racing 92

It’s likely to be win or bust for Saracens on Sunday when they take on Racing 92 under a cloud of uncertainty over their Premiership future.

Currently tied on 14 points with Gloucester and Northampton Saints, the race for qualification is going right down to the wire this weekend. However, with Northampton playing on Saturday, Saracens and Gloucester will know what needs to be done on Sunday as they look to book a spot.

Saracens are the 1/5 favourites with William Hill, Betfair and Boyle Sports to overcome Racing at Allianz Park, with the visitors 11/2 with Ladbrokes, Coral and SpreadEx. Those who want Saracens on the half-time/full-time can get them at 4/9 with Bet365, Betfair and Boyle Sports.

Both sides are at full strength for what is a game full of talking points due to what is going on off the field. We expect the players to show their professionalism and put in a determined and ruthless performance, with a victory by 11-20 points priced at 13/5 with Paddy Power.

In contrast, if punters believe the threat of relegation in the Premiership could put them off their game on Sunday then Racing are 6/1 to win by 1-10 points with Ladbrokes and Coral. To increase those odds slightly, BetVictor are at 8/1 for Racing 92 to win by 1-7 points.