Bolton Wanderers vs Manchester City
FreeToday’s featured game is the English Premier League game between relegation battlers Bolton Wanderers and moneybags Manchester City. Bolton Wanderers have been struggling more this season than they have for some time now and look to have a genuine fight on their hands to stay in the division. Visitors Manchester City are finally starting to remember what winning games feels like so this bodes ominously for their upcoming opponents!
Hosts Bolton Wanderers are in dire straits currently. The fans are rapidly turning on manager Gary Megson and his defensive tactics as the side have now lost four out of their last five games, leaving them deep in the relegation mire. For a side that are supposed to be difficult to play against, the mere fact that Bolton have already lost four out of seven home games suggests that this isn’t the case anymore. Target man Kevin Davies is supposedly out for this game and will be a big loss for the Lancashire-based club with goals running dry. Bolton are capable of playing good football but their manager simply won’t allow them to do so and as a result the side are suffering a lot in morale, performance, and results.
Visitors Manchester City are back on their feet again after back-to-back wins against Arsenal and Chelsea lifted them back into the limelight. They’ve played good football throughout both of those games and deserved at least something from both games. Although I don’t class Manchester City as the finished article yet, they’re certainly looking more potent and are now starting to make it count, which is obviously the important thing. There’s no denying that Manchester City are the better side here but this time they have the platform to exhibition their talents against their lesser opponents.
This game should be a pretty straightforward away win with Bolton soaking up far too many goals and Manchester City starting to break into a sprint now.
Verdict: Manchester City to win at 4/5.
Saturday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United – home win at 10/11.
Hosts Brisbane Roar have been playing well of late having suffered just one defeat in their last five games, winning twice and drawing twice. They’ve been quite solid at home with three wins already but tend to concede too many goals, which is something they’ll be looking to remedy no doubt. They’re not shy of scoring goals themselves, however, so they’re certainly not a side that will lie down and suffer defeat easily!
Visitors Adelaide United are having a season to forget and are currently bottom of the table. They’ve already lost four out of seven away games this season, winning just once along the way. Adelaide United aren’t big conceders but they simply don’t score enough goals which is largely why they’ve lost three out of their last five games, drawing twice along the way. Their momentum is low as a result and their performances are really starting to suffer.
Although there’s not much difference between these two sides in terms of quality, Brisbane Roar should have enough in their favour to win the game today.
Verdict: Brisbane Roar to win at 10/11.
Excelsior Mouscron vs Lokeren – home win at evens
Hosts Excelsior Mouscron are on a tremendous run of form as they’re now unbeaten in their last five games, winning their last four games consecutively. This run of good form has seen them climb to eight in the Eerste Klasse and leaves them with tremendous momentum to take into this game tonight. Mouscron’s home form hasn’t been particularly consistent this season but their form of late has been extremely consistent, which is why I’m happy to back them to win this game tonight.
Of course, the above on its own isn’t always enough and this selection is no exception. The other half of this bet is that Lokeren are on an atrocious run of form and currently find themselves second from bottom in the table. They’ve lost four of their last five games, drawing the other, and have already lost seven out of eight away games this season. It’s been an odd year for Lokeren because they’re capable of playing so much better but they’re just not managing to achieve their potential level currently. Lokeren are conceding far too many goals and aren’t scoring anywhere near enough. Those facts coupled with the fact that they’re travelling to a very in-form Excelsior Mouscron tells me that the home win tonight has considerable value in it!
Verdict: Excelsior Mouscron to win at evens.
Turnhout vs Beveren – home win at evens.
Hosts Turnhout aren’t having the best of seasons by any stretch of the imagination as they’re currently vying with other Tweede Klasse sides to navigate their way away from the drop zone. That said, however, they’ve been on a decent run of late and have only been beaten once in their last five games, winning twice and drawing twice. Turnhout can at least fall back on some relatively decent home form as they’ve won three out of their eight home games this season and they do at least have some momentum in their favour currently.
Visitors Beveren are having a torrid season, which surprises me because I rate them rather highly, to be honest with you! However, five defeats in seven away games perfectly illustrates just why things are going to badly wrong for them. They’ve managed to score a paltry three away goals this season whilst leaking an average of over two goals per away game. Beveren are without a win in their last three games, losing two of them and generally looking likely to be outdone by any opponent that they travel to face. Beveren’s home form has been semi-decent which is the only reason that they’re not bottom of the table but their away form is some of the worst in the Tweede Klasse.
Although both of these sides are about par, far more favours Turnhout in this game than Beveren so we should see a fairly straightforward and money-making home win!
Verdict: Turnhout to win at evens.
Stoke City vs Wigan Athletic – home win at 21/20.
Stoke City have been their usual imposing selves at home this season with four wins in seven games, conceding and scoring very few goals but usually getting the job done! The only sides to win here so far this season have been Manchester United and Chelsea so that tells you the difficulty that is always present when travelling to the Britannia Stadium. Stoke don’t play good football although they’re capable of it. Stoke’s general tactical approach is to stop other sides scoring goals whilst attempting to poach a goal on the counter-attack or via set pieces. Stoke’s recent form has been a tad disappointing but they’re always motivated and are usually efficient enough to grind out a win when playing at home.
Visitors Wigan Athletic are a really bizarre side this season under Roberto Martinez. They either turn up and beat sides like Chelsea or go and lose 9-1 to Tottenham Hotspur! One thing that does remain entact, however, is the fact that no side in the Premier League has conceded more goals than they have although Hull City can match the figure. Wigan average conceding over two goals per game and average conceding over three goals per away game, which is frankly shocking. Wigan have already lost five out of seven away games and the nightmarisht trip to Stoke looks to be yet another nail in their coffin lid of away form!
Verdict: Stoke City to win at 21/20.
Sheffield United vs Crystal Palace – home win at 5/6.
Sheffield United have finally started playing football again and are now unbeaten in their last five games, winning three times along the way. Sheffield United enter this game with a good level of momentum as a result of their recent form and now look in good stead to beat a topsy-turvy Crystal Palace. Sheffield United’s home form this season has been unconvincing but I’m banking on the idea that the hosts’ momentum will suffice for a home win to occur here as we all know already that Sheffield United are the better side out of these two outfits!
Visitors Crystal Palace enter this game on the back of some very strange results indeed. They’ve managed to beat an in-form Watford 3-0 and overcome promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough 1-0 and yet also managed to somehow lose 3-0 at home to Doncaster Rovers. To say that this side is inconsistent would be a massive understatement! Neil Warnock’s cash-strapped side do have a lot of heart and are always motivated for each game though so we can only respect that in them. However, the fact remains that they’re not as good as Warnock’s old club Sheffield United so it’s hard for me to look beyond the home win for a rejuvenated Sheffield United today!
Verdict: Sheffield United to win at 5/6.
Yeovil Town vs Norwich City – away win at 5/6.
Yeovil Town are in a patch of bad form with no wins in four games, drawing twice and losing twice. Although their home form tends to be reliable, their recent form suggests that they’re going to struggle in this game, particularly as they’re currently averaging nearly two goals conceded per game before they host an in-form Norwich City. Yeovil aren’t a particularly good side and look to have everything against them for this particular match today.
Norwich City are still flying high with four wins in their last five games, scoring thirteen goals along the way. Norwich currently average scoring nearly three goals per home game as well as having already won seven out of ten home games this season. Norwich are without a doubt one of the best sides in League One and their performances and results indicate this perfectly. Only Huddersfield Town have scored more goals than Norwich City have this season and the promotion hopefuls should have more than enough in the tank to secure a win against an out-of-sorts and weaker Yeovil Town today.
Verdict: Norwich City to win at 5/6.
Bari vs Juventus – away win at 5/6.
Bari have had a tremendous season so far but a lot of that start has been down to sides being unable to break them down. However, Bari have now lost twice in their last three games and are starting to look somewhat human again. Bari have been particularly good at home with four wins, two draws, and just one defeat in their seven home games in Serie A this season. Bari have only scored nine goals along the way but their main boast is that they’ve only conceded three at home all season, which is less than any other Serie A side currently.
Visitors Juventus will enter this game with mixed feelings, no doubt. They managed to overcome bitter rivals Internazionale in their last Serie A encounter, thus cutting the gap between the two sides to five points. However, since then Juventus have suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat at home to Bayern Munich in the UEFA European Champions League, a result which has seen them crash out of the competition and enter the UEFA Europa League instead. It remains to be seen just how Juventus deal with this hefty blow but my bet hinges upon their professionalism and ability to overcome weaker opponents, even if they are hard to break down like Bari. Juventus have already won four out of seven away games this season and certainly have the ability to unlock a stubborn Bari defence.
Although this should be a tight and low-scoring affair, it’s hard to look beyond a Juventus win at bargain odds when you consider just how much better they are than their opponents tonight.
Verdict: Juventus to win at 5/6.
Ancona vs Brescia – home win at 6/5.
Ancona have struggled in their last couple of games, drawing once and losing once. However, they still possess one of the best home records in the division due to their consistency when playing on their own turf. Ancona have already won six out of eight home games this season, drawing the other two, and averaging nearly two goals scored per home game. Ancona rarely concede at home with an average of just over a goal per every two home games conceded. Only league leaders Lecce have scored more goals in Serie B this season than Ancona have and their potency tends to cause other sides a great deal of problems, naturally.
Visitors Brescia have a bad handicap despite being one of the better sides in Serie B and that is that they simply cannot perform away from home. Brescia have already lost five out of eight away games this season, conceding an average of nearly two goals per away game. Brescia have only won once away from home this season and that is looking increasingly unlikely to change against a rampant Ancona side, particularly as Brescia enter this game with just one win in their last five games, losing two out of their last three. Brescia simply concede too many goals on the road and I suspect that’s going to do them a lot of damage today!
Verdict: Ancona to win at 6/5.
Modena vs Mantova – home win at 5/6.
Modena have played very well lately with a three game run without defeat seeing them win twice and draw once, a run of form which has seen them climb to sixth in the Serie B table. Modena don’t score many goals, which is their handicap, but they don’t concede many either so it tends to balance out rather well. Modena have been good at home this season, not great, with four wins in eight home games, drawing once and losing three times. Only little Gallipoli have scored less goals at home than Modena this season but only a handful of sides have conceded less goals at home than Modena have too. Modena like to play compact football at home and win by a narrow margin, tactics that have served them well thus far in this campaign.
Visitors Mantova are a side I quite like for reasons I simply can’t explain but it’s an undeniable fact that this side is atrocious away from home. They’ve already lost four out of eight away games, drawing three times and winning just once on the road this season. Like Modena, Mantova don’t score or concede too many goals but their main handicap tends to be that they do concede more than their opponents, hence so many defeats! Mantova haven’t won any of their last four games, drawing twice and losing twice, results which will have sapped all of their momentum undoubtedly. Mantova aren’t playing well enough to get a result off a very in-form Modena today so the home win looks good value to me!
Verdict: Modena to win at 5/6.
Omniworld vs Cambuur Leeuwarden – away win at 5/6.
I’ve mentioned before that I consider Omniworld to be the worst side in the Eerste Divisie and my opinion hasn’t changed since then. Despite going unbeaten in their last three games, Omniworld are now taking on one of the best sides in the division and don’t have anywhere near enough ability to match them. Omniworld have only won three out of nine home games this season and few sides have conceded as many goals as they have.
Visitors Cambuur Leeuwarden have won more away games and scored more away goals than any other Eerste Divisie side has this season. They’ve been disappointing in their last three games, failing to win any of them, but now have the perfect opportunity to rediscover their form against lowly Omniworld. Cambuur’s seven away wins in ten games is impressive enough in itself, as is the fact that they average nearly three goals scored per away game, but when you consider that their actual quality is twice that of Omniworld then you have to start wondering just why the odds for the away win here are so good. I’ve tried to think of a reason why this could be but I simply can’t find one so I can’t only recommend that you jump on this bet before the odds inevitably drop for what should be a comfortable away win, with or without momentum entering this game!
Verdict: Cambuur Leeuwarden to win at 5/6.
Accumulator fodder – Germinal Beerschot, Club Brugge, KVSK United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Charlton Athletic, Lecce, Twente, PSV Eindhoven, Lech Poznan, SL Benfica, CFR Cluj, Rangers, Partizan Belgrade, Red Star Belgrade, Borac Cacak, Maribor, Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk
Recommended accumulators in no particular order:
Club Brugge, KVSK United, Germinal Beerschot, Excelsior Mouscron – 6/1.
Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Stoke City – 6/1.
Sheffield United, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Charlton Athletic – 8/1.
As ever, if there are any questions/explanations required then feel free to post a comment! For the complete picks listing, see below!
FIFA World Club Cup:
Auckland City vs Atlante (8) 1-2
Australian A-League:
Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney FC (6) 0-0
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory (6) 1-2
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United (7) 2-1
Austrian Bundesliga:
Wiener Neustadt vs LASK Linz (8) over 3.5 goals
Kapfenberg vs Mattersburg (6) 2-1
Rapid Vienna vs SV Ried (8) 2-0
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Germinal Beerschot vs Charleroi (8) 2-0
Sint-Truiden vs Kortrijk (5) 0-0
Excelsior Mouscron vs Lokeren (8) 2-0
Club Brugge vs Mechelen (8) over 2.5 goals
Standard de Liege vs Roeselare (7) 2-1
Belgian Tweede Klasse:
Eupen vs Brussels (7)
Red Star Waasland vs Lierse (7)
Turnhout vs Beveren (6)
KVSK United vs Tienen (8)
Tubize vs Tournai (7)
Dender vs Standaard Wetteren (5)
Cypriot Division 1:
A.E.Paphos vs AEL Limassol (6) 1-1
Apollon Limassol vs APOP/Kinyras (6) 1-0
Anorthosis Famagusta vs Enosis Neon Paralimni (7) 2-1
English Premier League:
Stoke City vs Wigan Athletic (7) 2-1
Birmingham City vs West Ham United (7) 1-0
Bolton Wanderers vs Manchester City (7) 1-2
Burnley vs Fulham (7) 0-0
Chelsea vs Everton (9) over 2.5 goals
Hull City vs Blackburn Rovers (5) 1-2
Sunderland vs Portsmouth (7) 2-1
Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (9) -1.75 handicap
Manchester United vs Aston Villa (7) over 2.5 goals
English Championship:
Barnsley vs Newcastle United (6)
Coventry City vs Peterborough United (5)
Doncaster Rovers vs Bristol City (7)
Ipswich Town vs Blackpool (7)
Leicester City vs Sheffield Wednesday (7)
Preston North End vs Plymouth Argyle (7)
Reading vs Scunthorpe United (7)
Sheffield United vs Crystal Palace (8)
Swansea City vs Nottingham Forest (8)
Watford vs Derby County (7)
English League One:
Brentford vs Leeds United (8)
Bristol Rovers vs Swindon Town (4)
Carlisle United vs Wycombe Wanderers (7)
Huddersfield Town vs Gillingham (8)
Leyton Orient vs Milton Keynes Dons (5)
Millwall vs Walsall (6)
Oldham Athletic vs Exeter City (7)
Southampton vs Tranmere Rovers (7)
Southend United vs Hartlepool United (5)
Stockport County vs Charlton Athletic (8)
Yeovil Town vs Norwich City (8)
English League Two:
Barnet vs Crewe Alexandra (5)
Bradford City vs Rotherham United (6)
Burton Albion vs Aldershot Town (5)
Chesterfield vs Cheltenham Town (6)
Dagenham & Redbridge vs Bury (7)
Lincoln City vs Rochdale (7)
Macclesfield Town vs Hereford United (5)
Morecambe vs Bournemouth (7)
Northampton Town vs Port Vale (6)
Notts County vs Accrington Stanley (7)
Shrewsbury Town vs Grimsby Town (7)
Torquay United vs Darlington (7)
French Ligue 1:
Le Mans vs Valenciennes (6) 1-1
Racing Club Lens vs OGC Nice (6) 2-1
Olympique de Marseille vs Boulogne (9) -1.75 handicap
AS Nancy-Lorraine vs Stade Rennais (7) 1-1
Lorient vs Auxerre (5) 1-0
German Bundesliga:
Hoffenheim vs Eintracht Frankfurt (6) over 2.5 goals
VFL Bochum vs Bayern Munich (8) 1-2
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Hannover 96 (6) 1-0
Freiburg vs Koln (5) 1-2
Nurnberg vs Hamburger SV (6) 0-0
Werder Bremen vs Schalke 04 (5) 1-1
German Bundesliga 2:
1860 Munich vs Augsburg (7)
FSV Frankfurt vs Rot-Weiss Ahlen (6)
Greek Super League:
Aris Salonika vs Asteras Tripolis (7) 1-0
PAS Giannina vs Ergotelis (5) 0-1, draw no bet
Iraklis vs Panathinaikos (7) 1-2
Greek B Ethniki:
Diagoras Rodos vs Ionikos Nikaias (5)
Italian Serie A:
Cagliari vs SSC Napoli (6) 2-1
Bari vs Juventus (8) 1-2
Italian Serie B:
Ancona vs Brescia (7)
Crotone vs Gallipoli (6)
Empoli vs Vicenza (8)
Frosinone vs Cittadella (6)
Lecce vs Ascoli (9)
Modena vs Mantova (8)
Piacenza vs Grosseto (6)
Salernitana vs Albinoleffe (5)
Torino vs Sassuolo (6)
Dutch Eredivisie:
VVV Venlo vs RKC Waalwijk (7) over 2.5 goals
Twente vs NAC Breda (9) 2-0
Heerenveen vs Feyenoord Rotterdam (7) 1-2
PSV Eindhoven vs AZ Alkmaar (8) over 2.5 goals
Dutch Eerste Divisie:
Omniworld vs Cambuur Leeuwarden (8)
Polish Ekstraklasa:
Lechia Gdansk vs Cracovia Krakow (7) 1-1
Lech Poznan vs Korona Kielce (8) over 2.5 goals
Polonia Bytom vs Odra Wodzislaw (7) 2-0
Slask Wroclaw vs Polonia Warsaw (6) 1-1
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Sporting Clube de Lisboa vs Uniao de Leiria (7) 1-0
Olhanense vs SL Benfica (8) -1.75 handicap
Portuguese Liga de Honra:
Desportivo Aves vs Estoril (6)
Romanian Liga:
Otelul Galati vs Universitatea Craiova (5) 1-2, draw no bet
CFR Cluj vs Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt (9) under 2.5 goals
Scottish Premier League:
Motherwell vs Celtic (7) 1-2
Aberdeen vs Hamilton Academicals (7) 1-0
Hearts vs Dundee United (6) 1-2
Kilmarnock vs Hibernians (7) 0-1
Rangers vs St.Johnstone (8) 2-0
St.Mirren vs Falkirk (6) 1-0
Serbian Super Liga:
Metalac GM vs Rad Belgrade (6) 1-0
Smederevo vs Jagodina (6) 2-1
OFK Belgrade vs BSK Borca (8) 2-0
Mladi Radnik vs Partizan Belgrade (9) 1-3
Borac Cacak vs Cukaricki (8) 2-0
Javor Ivanjica vs Hajduk Kula (7) 2-1
Red Star Belgrade vs Spartak Subotica (8) 2-0
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Koper vs Celje (7) 2-1
Maribor vs Interblock Ljubljana (8) 2-0
Spanish Primera Liga:
Real Zaragoza vs Athletic Club de Bilbao (6) 1-1
Barcelona vs Espanyol (8) 2-0
Valencia CF vs Real Madrid (7) over 2.5 goals
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Castellon vs Real Sociedad (6) 1-1
Hercules Alicante vs Girona (8)
Recreativo de Huelva vs Cordoba (7)
Albacete vs Levante (6)
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid vs Numancia (7)
Villarreal II vs Real Murcia (5)
Spanish Segunda B:
Group 1:
Osasuna II vs Eibar (7)
Group 3:
Barcelona II vs Terrassa (8)
Turkish Super Lig:
Fenerbahce vs Ankaragucu (7) over 2.5 goals
Ukrainian Premier League:
Zorya Lugansk vs Obolon Kiev (6) 2-1
Arsenal Kiev vs Chernomorets Odessa (6) 1-0
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Illichivets Mariupol (9) -1.75 handicap
Metalist Kharkiv vs Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk (6) 1-1
Vorskla Poltava vs Zakarpattya Uzhhorod (7) 1-0
Uruguayan Primera Division:
Atenas vs Penarol (7) 1-2
Rampla Juniors vs Danubio (6) 2-2
Welsh Premier League:
Bala Town vs Port Talbot Town (6) 1-2
Caersws vs Haverfordwest County (6) 0-1
Newi Cefn Druids vs Carmarthen Town (7) 0-1
Newtown vs Bangor City (6) 0-0
Porthmadog vs Connah’s Quay Nomads (6) 1-1
Rhyl vs Welshpool (8) 3-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!