The football season is well and truly up and running. The Championship into its third round of matches with some top midweek action, the Premier League has started and the decisive final qualifiers for the Champions League are getting underway this week. We’ve got loads of betting tips for the best of the midweek action so let’s go and make a tidy profit!
Tuesday 19th August 2014
Besiktas v Arsenal (19:45) – Arsenal to win to nil (15/8 with Bet365)
Arsenal will come into this one full of confidence (assuming they beat managerless Crystal Palace on Saturday) and having won the FA Cup to end their trophy drought they will be hoping for a silverware upgrade this year. Signing the Chilean star Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona in the summer will have boosted them further whilst beating Man City 3-0 in the Community Shield could be an indication that they now have the quality and belief to mix it with the big boys.
No trip to Turkey is ever easy but given Arsene Wenger and his side have masses of experience when it comes to these play off games and are yet to taste defeat in one, we think Arsenal can get a very positive result in Istanbul. Wenger will want to get an away goal on the board but equally we don’t expect him to take too many chances and we think an Arsenal win by 1-0 or 2-0 offer the most likely correct scores. However, odds of 15/8 for them to win to nil look too good to ignore and this is our main betting tip, despite Besiktas’ fine win over Chelsea in pre-season.
Cardiff v Wigan (19:45) – Cardiff to win (6/5 with Bet365)
Cardiff host Wigan as two sides who will fancy their chances of promotion go head to head in Wales. Both sides opened their campaigns with score draws against two other sides aiming for the Premier League, with the Bluebirds drawing 1-1 at Blackburn and the Latics being held 2-2 at home against Reading. They play Huddersfield and Charlton respectively prior to this and there is every chance both could get wins at the weekend making this one even more important.
Cardiff have made one or two solid signings in the summer and a draw at Blackburn was a good result. We fancy they can get the win here though, home advantage being just enough to steer things their way and 6/5 a very solid price.
Leeds v Brighton (19:45) – Leeds to win (9/5 with Coral)
Leeds have had a tumultuous time of things since relegation from the Premier League back in 2004 and the latest chapter in their history under eccentric (we’re being very kind) owner Massimo Cellino looks like adding to the drama. The former Cagliari supremo may be helping get the club back on a sound financial footing but he is also alienating fans and players with his decisions and demeanour. Leeds started with a 2-0 loss at Millwall but then scraped to a 2-1 home success in the League Cup against minnows Accrington Stanley and face a televised home game against Middlesbrough prior to this.
Brighton also lost their first game, at home to Sheffield Wednesday, and having sold a number of their best players, notably Will Buckley and Leonardo Ulloa, both to Premier League sides, morale will not be great. They are the favourites to win here at odds of 11/8 but Leeds have long been very strong on home soil and so 9/5 looks a cracking price here.
Bolton v Middlesbrough (20:00) – Bolton to win (8/5 with Sky Bet)
With both sides priced at odds of 8/5 by many bookies this is a game that could clearly go either way but we fancy that home advantage will, as with the two games above, prove decisive here. Bolton started their campaign with a 3-0 loss at Watford but then beat local rivals Bury 3-2 in the League Cup and face a home game with Forest three days prior to this. This game is sure to be a close affair but given Bolton’s superb home record against their North East opponents we fancy them to do the business here.
Wednesday 20th August 2014
Maribor v Celtic (19:45) – Draw (23/10 with Ladbrokes)
Slovenian side Maribor saw off Maccabi Tel Aviv in the last round and with them having beaten Zrinjski Mostar prior to that they have a little momentum coming into this one. Both of those wins were earned at home and so they will fancy their chances here against a Celtic side that was hammered by Legia Warsaw in the last round, only making it this far on a technicality after Legia were thrown out of the competition.
Celtic are suffering a little from a lack of real domestic competition, with key rivals Rangers having been absent from the top flight the last two seasons after their financial problems meant they had to start again from the fourth tier of Scottish football. Celtic cannot attract the sort of players they need to compete at this level and whilst Maribor are a weaker side than the Hoops faced in the previous round, they could struggle again. Having been humiliated 4-1 in Poland (and it could have been worse given the home side missed two penalties!) Celtic will look to keep things tight and so our betting tip is for the draw at very nice odds.