Weekend Betting Round-Up (Week 31): Chelsea vs Tottenham in Sydney, Arsenal's First Run-Out & UFC's First Fight Night in Serbia
The league calendar stays stubbornly quiet this weekend: the Ghana Premier League doesn't return until September, and the English, Spanish, Italian, German and French top flights are all still three weeks out from a ball that counts. That leaves the pre-season friendly circuit and the combat sports calendar to carry this Saturday's action, and Ghanaian punters still have genuine, well-priced fixtures to work with. Chelsea and Tottenham renew their rivalry on the other side of the world in Sydney, Arsenal kick off their own pre-season away to Girona, Hamburg host Everton in Germany, and the UFC lands in Serbia for the first time ever. Top up the MoMo wallet, because there's a full card of value to find even with the big leagues still asleep.
At BetRankGH, we don't tip — we find where the odds don't match the actual probability. That gap is where value lives.
1. Chelsea vs Tottenham — Sydney Super Cup
When: Sat 1 August 2026 | 09:45 GMT (10:45 BST / 7:45pm local) | Where: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Chelsea arrive off a wild 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers, Joao Pedro scoring a second-half hat-trick but the defence shipping four goals in the process, their first outing under new head coach Xabi Alonso. Tottenham are unbeaten through three pre-season games, though their most recent result, a penalty-shootout win over Sydney FC after a 1-1 draw in normal time, is a shakier result than the "unbeaten" tag suggests. The longer history favours Chelsea regardless: they've won 12 of the last 16 meetings between these two clubs.
| Bookmaker | Chelsea (1) | Draw (X) | Tottenham (2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1xBet | 2.00 | 3.30 | 3.70 |
| Betway | 1.95 | 3.40 | 3.80 |
| SportyBet | 2.05 | 3.25 | 3.60 |
Data-Driven Betting Angles
- Both Teams to Score: Chelsea shipped four in their last outing and Spurs have found the net in every warm-up game so far — both defences are visibly behind both attacks this early in pre-season.
- Chelsea Draw No Bet: Backs the deeper 12-of-16 head-to-head edge without needing a clean win from a squad still finding its shape under a brand-new head coach.
- Over 2.5 Goals: Chelsea's last run-out produced ten goals combined, and Spurs have been scoring freely through their own unbeaten run — the shape of both teams' pre-season points the same way.
⚠ Trap Bet: Backing Tottenham purely off their "unbeaten in pre-season" tag glosses over the fact that run includes a penalty-shootout squeaker past a weakened Sydney FC. Chelsea's 12-wins-from-16 head-to-head record against this exact opponent is the deeper, more relevant sample here.
2. Girona vs Arsenal — Costa Brava Trophy
When: Sat 1 August 2026 | 18:00 GMT (7pm BST / 8pm local) | Where: Estadi Montilivi, Girona
Girona have a genuine fitness head start here, having opened their own pre-season on July 8 and already played Olot and Alaves, but they haven't kept a clean sheet in either outing. Arsenal travel without three first-choice defenders — Saliba (back), Timber (groin) and White (knee) are all missing — while Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie are only just back from World Cup duty and expected to be managed on limited minutes rather than played the full 90.
| Bookmaker | Girona (1) | Draw (X) | Arsenal (2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1xBet | 4.20 | 3.40 | 1.85 |
| Betway | 4.00 | 3.50 | 1.80 |
| SportyBet | 4.40 | 3.30 | 1.90 |
Data-Driven Betting Angles
- Both Teams to Score: Girona have conceded in both pre-season outings so far, and Arsenal's attacking options carry more quality than anything Girona have faced this summer, even in a rotated XI.
- Arsenal Draw No Bet: Backs Arsenal's squad depth without needing a clean win from a back-line missing three senior first-choice defenders in one go.
- Over 2.5 Goals: Girona's clean-sheet-free pre-season meets an Arsenal front line light on minutes but heavy on individual quality — the profile of this fixture leans toward goals at both ends.
⚠ Trap Bet: A short price on Arsenal here is trading heavily on reputation. Three first-choice defenders are unavailable and the returning World Cup players are being squad-managed, not thrown in for 90 minutes — treat the price as a name-value premium rather than a form-based one.
3. Uros Medic vs Daniel Rodriguez — UFC Fight Night, Welterweight Main Event
When: Sat 1 August 2026 | Main Card from ~17:00 GMT (Prelims from ~14:00 GMT) | Where: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia
Serbia's first-ever UFC event is headlined by Medic, the promotion's top-ranked Balkan fighter, chasing a fifth straight win on home soil. Rodriguez, closing in on 40 and fighting for the first time in over a year in what's also his first bout since being released from prison earlier this year, arrives on a three-fight win streak built on durability rather than power — he's been finished by knockout only once in a career that includes rounds with Kevin Lee, Ian Machado Garry and Kelvin Gastelum. In the co-main, former light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (29-11-2), now 43 and without a decisive win since 2022, meets unbeaten Navajo Stirling (10-0), fifteen years his junior and riding a six-fight UFC win streak.
| Bookmaker | Medic (1) | Draw/NC (X) | Rodriguez (2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1xBet | 1.22 | 26.00 | 4.20 |
| Betway | 1.25 | 24.00 | 4.00 |
| SportyBet | 1.20 | 28.00 | 4.40 |
Data-Driven Betting Angles
- Medic to Win Inside Distance: A home-soil headliner chasing his fifth straight win, with the finishing instincts to close this out before it reaches the scorecards.
- Rodriguez to Go the Distance (prop): Finished by knockout only once in his entire career, durability against elite competition is exactly the path that keeps him live as a heavy underdog here.
- Stirling to Win (co-main): Unbeaten at 10-0, on a six-fight UFC streak and fifteen years younger than a Blachowicz without a decisive win since 2022 — the market has this one right, and it's a firmer read than the raw name value suggests.
⚠ Trap Bet: Backing Blachowicz on former-champion name recognition ignores a run stretching back to 2022 without a decisive win, against an opponent who is unbeaten, younger and finishing fights. The current odds are pricing recent form accurately here, not just reputation — there's no hidden discount to find.
4. Hamburg vs Everton — Pre-Season Friendly
When: Sat 1 August 2026 | 14:00 GMT (4pm local) | Where: Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
Everton have scored in just one of their three pre-season games so far, a win over Dundee, drawing a blank against both Bolton and Stoke, and go into this without midfielder James Garner, who's recovering from groin surgery. Hamburg have the better recent scoring form of the two, following an opening 3-2 loss to Rapid with a 3-1 win over Heidenheim, even with a far quieter transfer window than Everton's, who've spent close to €65m combined on Hayden Hackney, Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George this summer. The two clubs have never played each other before.
| Bookmaker | Hamburg (1) | Draw (X) | Everton (2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1xBet | 2.20 | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Betway | 2.25 | 3.00 | 3.40 |
| SportyBet | 2.15 | 3.20 | 3.25 |
Data-Driven Betting Angles
- Hamburg Win or Draw (Double Chance): Backs the home side's better recent scoring form without needing a clean win against Premier League opposition.
- Under 2.5 Goals: Everton have blanked in two of their last three warm-up games, tilting this toward a tighter, lower-scoring friendly on current shape.
- Everton Draw No Bet: For backers who trust the summer's transfer investment over the early scoring numbers, this hedges against the toothless recent form in front of goal.
⚠ Trap Bet: Backing Everton simply because they're the Premier League side ignores that they've failed to score in two of their last three friendlies and are missing a first-choice midfielder. Hamburg carry the better recent scoring form of the two right now, whatever the badge says.
💰 Weekend Combo — Value Acca
Three angles that hold up independently and combine cleanly for a high-value ticket:
- Medic to Win (UFC Belgrade) — ~1.22
- Both Teams to Score (Girona vs Arsenal) — ~1.65
- Chelsea Draw No Bet (Chelsea vs Tottenham) — ~1.35
Combined odds: ~2.72
Best platform for this: SportyBet. It combines the fastest MoMo settlement of any major Ghanaian bookmaker with deep same-day coverage across both the UFC card and the weekend's club friendlies.
🧠 Recommended Platforms
- 1xBet — widest combined UFC prop markets and pre-season friendly coverage in one app.
- SportyBet — the simplest mobile app for following the UFC prelims and Saturday's friendlies back-to-back with instant MoMo top-ups.
- Betway — sharp Draw No Bet pricing, a good fit for the Chelsea and Arsenal angles above.
- BetWinner — strong acca boost promos, useful for extending this weekend's value combo further.
Note: Odds move. A losing bet at good odds is a better long-term decision than a winning bet at bad ones. Always gamble responsibly.