The football season is now getting back into full swing, after the Community Shield last weekend and the opening of the Premier League and Football League season is quickly followed by a huge schedule of midweek football, giving us plenty of action over the coming week. After a long summer, seeing wall to wall football is a welcome sight indeed. And winning money from it makes it even more enjoyable!
This week sees the start of the League Cup, with sides from the three divisions of the Football League all in action. On top of that, there’s also the UEFA Super Cup taking place in Georgia (of all places), with Barcelona taking on Sevilla. Here, we’re previewing four matches from midweek, with teams spanning from Barca to Northampton, and we’ve included a betting tip for each.
Tuesday 11th August 2015
Barcelona v Sevilla (19:45) – Both teams to score (4/5 with Coral)
Tuesday night sees the first European trophy of the season handed out, when the Champions League and Europa League winners meet. The all-Spanish Super Cup shows just how dominant La Liga has become, and the Premier League has quite a bit of catching up to do. Sevilla are likely to be lagging behind themselves in this game, as they face a Barca side who won every trophy they entered last season. This is an early chance for the Catalans to add more silverware, and it’s hard to see them passing it up.
Luis Enrique saw his team struggle during preseason, with Barca picking up just one win in their four games on their US tour. Since getting Lionel Messi and Neymar back the European Champions look a lot more like the team from last season, as they beat Roma 3-0 at the Nou Camp. They should have enough to overcome Sevilla here, but they won’t have it all their own way. Those preseason games saw Barca struggle at the back, and that’s why we’re backing both teams to score here. With two attack-minded teams, 4/5 with Coral looks like a great price.
Northampton v Blackpool (19:45) – Northampton win (13/10 with BetVictor)
It’s not often that we move from Lionel Messi and co to Northampton and Blackpool, but that’s the case here as we get into the League Cup previews. The Seasiders may have only been relegated from the Championship last season, but they’re prime contenders for an upset ahead of their trip to the League Two side. Things haven’t gone well on the pitch for Blackpool of late, and that steams from huge off-field problems since their relegation from the Premier League just a few short years ago.
Because of that, it’s not hard to imagine these two sides passing each other in the Football League next year. Northampton are hotly tipped to make the jump up to League One, while Blackpool are one of the favourites for the drop to League Two. That puts this game at Sixfields as a likely venue for an upset, and even the bookies are pricing the Cobblers as favourites to progress to the second round. We’re also backing the fourth tier team to see off the Tangerines and, priced at 13/10, that seems like good value considering how down on their luck Blackpool are right now.
Wednesday 12th August 2015
Oldham v Middlesbrough (19:45) – Middlesbrough to win (20/23 with BetVictor)
Wednesday night sees two of the favourites for promotion to the Premier League in action. First off, Middlesbrough head to Oldham to kick off their League Cup campaign. The men from the Riverside took Liverpool to penalties in this competition last year, and they’ll be hoping for more of the same later on in the campaign. To do that, they’ll need a win at SportsDirect.com Park against the League One side. While promotion will be the main aim for Boro, they’ve had enough good runs in this competition in recent years which justify them taking this game seriously.
Oldham have had their fair share of FA Cup shocks in recent years, but it’s tough to see them getting a result here. Middlesbrough were a game away from promotion last term, losing the play-off final, and that kind of quality should shine through here. Given how lesser Championship sides like Bolton and Blackburn had little trouble here in preseason wins, we fully expect Middlesbrough to make it through and avoid an upset. The visitors come into this game priced close to evens, so they’re very good value despite being quite a bit ahead of their opponents.
Portsmouth v Derby (19:45) – Derby win (Evens with bet365)
The live game on Wednesday night should be a great one, with Championship favourites Derby making the trip to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth. The hosts are widely expected to go on and win League Two this year, after several years toiling in the fourth tier. The supporter-owned club have a fantastic fan base, so just imagine what the atmosphere will be like for an early season cup game against a big Championship side. There’s a lot more enthusiasm around Fratton Park this term, now that they have a manager and squad capable of promotion. That will be their main aim, but they’ll be out for a shock here.
The Rams are under new management this season, as Paul Clement looks to finally get them promoted back to the Premier League. With new signings and a new manger to adjust to, we expect the visitors to take a strong side down south for this game. Derby also have a strong recent history in this competition, given how well they did last term. They made it to the quarter finals last season, going down to eventual winners Chelsea. The promotion hopefuls are probably looking to test themselves against a top flight side again this term, so they’ll be chasing a place in the next round. We’re tipping them to get that win, at a very tempting price of evens.