HERE’S HOW IT works. Every week, we choose six of the weekend’s biggest sporting events. Then we ask six of TheScore.ie’s finest minds to have their say. Come Monday, everybody looks and feels a little bit sillier than usual.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the Pick 6.
Meet this week’s pickers *drumroll*:
- Steven O’Rourke: got owned by this guy on Twitter today.
- Tony Cuddihy:a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
- Sean Farrell: picking his Desert Island Discs.
- Patrick McCarry: has bike, will travel.
- Paul Fennessy: a big fan of Silver Linings Playbook.
- Ben Blake:will be glued to the O’Byrne Cup on Sunday.
Heineken Cup: Ulster (-17) v Glasgow Warriors
SOR: That’s a big ol’ spread isn’t it? That said, Glasgow have been awful in this year’s competition so the Ulstermen should comfortably win. However, at that spread, I’m backing Glasgow to beat it.
TC: Going for an Ulster win by four points, taking the spread into account.
SF: Yeah, why not? The Warriors will be a nightmare to break down and if you’ve money on the handicap Ulster will make you sweat. But they’ll have a period in the second half when they just ratchet up the intensity and Glasgow won’t be able to live with the angles…. either that or Nick Williams will just barge through four Scots and touch down over and over again.
PMC: I’m going for Glasgow here. No doubts that Ulster will win but Glasgow have won three in a row and tonked Treviso last week. They’ll put up a decent challenge.
PF: I expect Ulster to win this game, but it won’t be easy. Glasgow are second in the RaboDirect PRO12 table and have played some good rugby at times this year, so I think it’ll be less than a 17-point victory for the Irish side.
BB: I’m backing an UIster win but they’ll be a couple short of a 17-point margin.
NBA: Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks
SOR: Now that the football season is nearly over and basketball will soon be (legally) available on this side of the Atlantic, I have to pick a team to support. I think I’ll start with the Knicks who have a decent shot this year.
TC: I’m going for the Bulls here, form be damned.
SF: Derrick Rose is back. Bulls win.
PMC: The Knicks to get this one. It’s at MSG and the Knicks finally look like a team that could go deep into the playoffs. The Bulls are doing ok but have lost that spark of two seasons ago when Derrick Rose had them humming.
PF: The Knicks could be set for a three-game losing streak if they lose this one, and they’ve a pretty poor recent record against the Bulls, so I reckon they’ll be dancing on the streets of Chicago tonight.
BB: With Carmelo Anthony returning, I’m going for a Knicks win.
Heineken Cup: Edinburgh v Munster
SOR: Last week’s loss to the Cardiff Blues in the Pro12 left many in Munster scratching their heads wondering how long this rebuilding phase they’ve been going through for nearly two years is going to last. Despite that, I still expect a Munster win.
TC: Munster win, but this is based more on the ills of their opponents than anything else. I’m still quite angry with the Irish after losing 80 perfectly good minutes of my life last Saturday. Were this football, I’d be saying scoreless draw.
SF: Edinburgh are playing for pride only, but when has that made them any better? Munster will win, question is whether they can score four.
PMC: I’ll go with Munster here, purely due to the fact that Edinburgh have been a disinterested abomination for the majority of the season.
PF: Munster are coming back into this game on the back of a poor performance against Cardiff and they haven’t won away in the Heineken Cup yet. However, Edinburgh themselves look like a team in transition and are thus, the ideal side for them to play at the moment. With Donncha O’Callaghan and Simon Zebo returning, the visitors should just about prevail.
BB: Munster to take this one as their Scottish opponents have been awful this season.
Premier League: Manchester United v Liverpool
SOR: Given how easy a victory this will be for Machester United, it probably would have more sense to ask which of Suarez or Evra will refuse to shake hands or how many tweets, to the nearest million, will contain Howard Webb’s name.
TC: Liverpool to score first, but United to break my heart and come back through Hernandez and RvP.
SF: Though Liverpool are in good form, I just can’t see Just can’t see this team having the steel to get a result at Old Trafford. Not with Van Persie and Hernandez playing the way they are…. United to win, 2-1.
PMC: United to hold sway here and get a home win but not without conceding. United are unbeaten in the league since mid November and are getting defenders fit again. Handshakes all-round too.
PF: To Brendan Rodgers’ credit, Liverpool have improved considerably in recent times. But United at home, with the mood their attack is in at the moment, is a tough game for any side, let alone one that is still getting accustomed to a new way of playing.
BB: Man United to fall behind before prevailing 3-2 at Old Trafford.
Premier League: Arsenal v Man City
SOR: Inconsistency will be the real winner here. Well, that and a score draw.
TC: Arsenal. Going with my gut, and against Mario’s hair.
SF: Sunday afternoon at home to the champions, Arsenal love this scenario and the absence of Yaya Toure is an added bonus. Still, they’re an impossible team to back. 2-2.
PMC: Sunday is looking super – some good fixtures in there. Arsenal have only lost once in the last 10 games but it was a home tie against Swansea. Draw.
PF: The 8-2 hammering against Man United last season aside, Arsenal have rarely looked out of their depth against other top Premier League sides. Even though their last two games have been unconvincing performances, they should do enough get a draw at the Emirates this weekend, especially as City themselves have stuttered a little recently.
BB: Fancy an away win for the Citizens - 2-0 Man City.
NFL: Seattle Seahawks @ Atlanta Falcons
SOR: The Atlanta Falcons have never won a playoff game as number one seeds and Matt Ryan is 0-3 in the postseason. Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks could win it all this season and will have more than enough for the Falcons.
TC: Seahawks (unless Steven O’Rourke says differently).
SF: It’s the old week off to rest, against battle-hardened on a roll. The Falcons take a brilliant record from the regular season and, though the Seahawks won on the road last week, it’s time for the last rookie QB to step aside and let the auld lads take centre stage again. Old man Matt Ryan, 27, will send Falcons into the semi-final.
PMC: Seattle are on fire in recent weeks and have almost outscored opponents three to one. Falcons have dropped the ball at home in recent playoffs so I’ll go Seahawks.
PF: The Seahawks are in excellent form at the moment, so I can’t envisage any outcome other than them winning it.
BB: Sod it, Mike Smith and the Falcons will turn their winless run in the playoffs on its head by overcoming the Seahawks.
