Widnes Vikings v Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Betting Preview

Stobart Stadium
Friday February 3rd Start Time: 8.00pm
LIVE ON SKYSPORTS HD

Superleague is back this Friday night and its a chance for the 2011 strugglers Wakefield (11/10 for the match) to make a flying start against the top divisions new boys Widnes (8/11 for the match). Two of the lesser lights on the big stage with the SKY cameras watching.

The Vikings (-2pts on the handicap at evens) have been out of the Superleague for five years having being relegated back in 2005 and then suffering their well publicised financial problems that torpedode their 2009 licence application.

They are lead by former Wigan great Denis Betts aand he has completely overhauled his playing staff from last season with no fewer than sixteen new faces arriving at the Stobart Stadium, well nearly all of them have arrived they’re still waiting fot their most recent acquisitions Cameron Phelps and Sione Kite to enter the country.

They will be without veteran fullback Shaun Briscoe and young half back through injuries but they will still have eleven players making their Wildcats debuts this Friday night.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (+2PTS on the handicap at evens) are the luckiest team in the elite league this season after they retained their licence wholey down to the Crusaders withdrawing their application at the last minute which allowed a collective sigh of relief to eminate from Belle vue.

New Wakefield headcoach Richard Agar has joined from Hull FC in the off-season and has quickly set about turning around the 2011 competitions weakest franchise, Agar has signed no fewer than 13 new players for the 2012 campaign and after the disaster that was 2011 it is not hard to see why he has taken this drastic action. The Wildcats finished bottom of the pile last season whilst having the most ineffective attack and the leakiest defence which is an awful cocktail where team sports are concerned.

Betting Tips

Very difficult to predict the opening round of fixtures in any sport but when its the basement club versus the newbies and both sides have completely new playing staff it is almost impossible but we’ll have a go at it. Home advantage may be key and the atmosphere will be bouncing at the Stobart Stadium and we like widnes by 6-10 points paying out 11/2.