Stan James' March Betting Preview

There is a mouth-watering month of sport ahead. The last sixteen Champions League teams are whittled down to eight, and all eyes will be on a feisty second leg tie between Chelsea and Barcelona. The war of words between the two clubs has only heightened the tension and it should be a memorable night at Stamford Bridge. Man United and Arsenal have a lot of work to do to progress whereas Liverpool will kick themselves if they don't make it through after a convincing first leg against Leverkusen. March is also famous for the Cheltenham Festival, four days of riveting National Hunt racing between the 15th and the 18th. The highlight will be Best Mate going for four consecutive Gold Cups, but there is also a fascinating clash in the Queen Mother Chase between Azertyuiop, Well Chief and Moscow Flyer.The Irish will then be heading to Cardiff on the 19th with Wales v Ireland being potentially the Six Nations Championship decider. Before that however the Irish have to dispose of the French and the Welsh will have to defeat the Scots at Murrayfield. Formula One returns in early March, with the season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Ferrari and Schumacher will be strong favourites to retain their titles again this year, but all good things must come to an end and I'm sure there'll be new pretenders to the throne emerging during the year. The Malaysian Grand Prix, the second race of the season is on the 18th of March. Snooker fans can enjoy The Irish Masters in Dublin from the 5th to 13th and The China Open from the 27th to 3rd April. The outcome of these two will shape the market for the Embassy World Championships in mid April. The highlight for tennis tour aficionados is the Nasdaq-100 Open on the 21st with one of the richest prize funds in tennis on offer. Last but not least is The Players Championship at Sawgrass, on the last weekend of March. Dubbed the "Fifth Major" the event is held in esteem by the players and the fans alike. The renowned 17th hole, an island green surrounded by water, will be the focus of attention as usual. It is capable of humbling the world's finest and no leader is safe until they have passed through it. It promises to be a great sporting month and Stan James Sportsbook will guide you through it all and we'll even give new clients a free £25 bet. Log on to www.stanjames.com and join in the fun.