Ben Ainslie Goes Blue

As one of Britain’s most successful Olympians ever, Ben Ainslie has ruled the waves for nearly two decades. A sailing World Champion in his early twenties, all the way back in 1993, he then became a household name with a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, before a hat-trick of golds at Sydney, Athens and Beijing.

Ben’s also a big football fan and has turned his attention to this weekend’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. He’s been very precise with his prediction too; let’s see how he gets on:

“Chelsea’s the team I support and this weekend’s game against Arsenal is a massive match. Earlier this year at the Emirates it was very much men against boys and Chelsea totally took Arsenal apart.  The game will be closer on Sunday, though, as Arsenal have something to prove after they were ripped apart by Man United last week, however I think Chelsea will win 2-1 with both their goals scored by Drogba.”

Ben's Charity Choice is The Princess Trust
Around one in five young people in the UK are not in work, education or training. Youth unemployment costs the UK economy £10 million a day in lost productivity, while youth crime costs £1 billion every year.

The Princes Trust address this by giving practical and financial support to the young people who need it most. They help develop key skills, confidence and motivation, enabling young people to move into work, education or training.
www.princes-trust.org.uk

Mr Betdaq
Ben’s not the first Celebrity Punter to turn his attention to his favourite football team. Paul Sackey backed Liverpool and Liam Tancock got with Exeter City, but neither man managed to make a profit from their biased bets.

This time, though, I expect Ben to have called the outcome of the game correctly with a Chelsea win. For all their beautiful football, Arsenal just seem a little short at the moment.

Furthermore, the Blues’ record at Stamford Bridge has been nothing short of extraordinary over the last few years where since the start of the 2004/5 season, they’ve lost just twice at home in the Premier League. Both defeats came last year and Arsenal were one of the two teams to win there, but after the recent performance against Manchester United, the bookies are giving the visitors little hope – it’s 4/1 for the away victory.

The 5/6 on Betdaq for the home win is decent value in itself, but Ben’s lumped his stake on the correct score market. With odds of 15/2, the payout would be a handsome one if the 2-1 win is recorded.

Ben also reckons that Didier Drogba’s going to bang the goals in for Carlo Ancelotti’s men on Sunday, and there’s little to put me off agreeing with him on that either. He got two against the Gunners in a 3-0 win in the reverse fixture at the Emirates and scored midweek in his first game back from the African Nations against Hull. He’s also netted ten from 11 games against Arsène Wenger’s boys so seems a prime candidate to net the first goal at around 4/1.

Latest odds on Betdaq:
Ben’s Celebrity Punt:
Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal correct score:     15/2

Chelsea v Arsenal game odds:
Chelsea:                5/6
Draw:                     13/5
Arsenal:                4/1