Ok punters, I hope you’ve all been enjoying the profits from my Carling Cup tips earlier in the week. However, don’t rest for too long, because a jam-packed weekend of footballing action is just one day away! The Premier League fixtures start as Man Utd look to defend their title, whereas all the Football League clubs play their second matches of the season. I’ve been looking at the betting markets for some games, and I think I’ve found some potential upsets in the programme.
Let’s start with the Premier League markets. Three of the Big 4 teams are playing at home against lesser opposition, so them dropping points seems highly unlikely. The best thing here is to look at the Correct Score markets. Chelsea and Man Utd have always prided themselves on strong defensive ability, so scores of around 3-0 or 4-0 when they play Hull and Birmingham respectively are possible. You can get 6/1 and 8/1 for Chelsea to put 3 or 4 past The Tigers without reply, and 6/1 and 9/1 for Man Utd to do one of the same to Birmingham. One game that has caught my attention is Portsmouth vs Fulham. Pompey have been tipped to struggle this season, whereas Fulham’s fortunes seem to be on the upturn. You can get The Cottagers at 17/10 to win, however take into consideration their poor away record last season, where they only won 3 out of 20 games. I’m liking Bolton to beat Sunderland at home, so odds of 13/10 are quite generous here. The bold punter might fancy a Burnley Or Draw bet, as they travel to Stoke. You can get 4/5 on this outcome.
Into The Championship, and there are a couple of games here that have tempted me. Swansea will certainly fancy their chances at home to Middlesbrough, with bookies offering them at 8/5, a very good price considering last weekend’s results. QPR will be riding the crest of a wave after seeing off League One Exeter 5-0 in the Carling Cup midweek, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them bag a few goals away at Plymouth Argyle, who fell at the hands of Gillingham. There aren’t many other decent 1X2 odds in The Championship this week, so you may have to look at the extended market for good bets.
Moving onto League One now and one game has caught my eye - Exeter vs Norwich. Both teams have suffered heavy defeats lately, however Norwich made up for their 7-1 crushing by Colchester last week by beating Yeovil 4-0 in the cup at Huish Park. Exeter, on the other hand, put up a brave fight against Leeds last weekend, losing by a single goal; however their performance in the Carling Cup left a lot to be desired as they were beaten 5-0 by QPR. In my opinion - you should avoid this game like the plague! If you want a safe bet in this division, go for Millwall at home to Carlisle, though you will get odds at less than evens. Leeds are away to Wycombe but might struggle to pick up 3 points - a cheeky draw here is possible.
Finally, a quick look at League Two and a couple of matches are standing out for me. Bradford have suffered two bad defeats in the past week (5-0 to Notts County then 3-0 to Nottm Forest) so will be looking to make amends tomorrow as they face Port Vale on home soil. You can get them to win at just less than evens, however Port Vale knocked Sheff Utd out of the cup on Tuesday and may carry this momentum into Saturday’s game. A draw is not a bad bet here, at 5/2. Another fancied bet is Morecambe to get a result at Burton Albion. The Shrimps picked up a point last weekend, whereas Albion were beaten 3-1 away at Shrewsbury.
Those are my betting tips for the weekend, and although I don’t expect every single one to come off, you may be wise to have a good read through and pick those you fancy the best! Good luck!