Football betting tips: Sunday best bets
2pts Over 2.5 Goals in Burnley vs Aston Villa at 5/6 (General)
2pts Under 2.5 Goals in Villarreal vs Barcelona at 13/10 (BetVictor, Parimatch)
1pt Armand Lauriente to be shown a card in Napoli vs Sassuolo at 17/5 (Unibet, Bet UK)
0.5pt Wesley Hoedt 1+ header on target in Watford v Blackburn at 10/1 (Sky Bet)
Napoli vs Sassuolo
- Kick-off time: 19:45 BST
- TV channel: TNT Sports 1
- Home 3/10 | Draw 19/4 | Away 15/2
James Cantrill (@JimmyThePunt)
A big price, a card-happy referee and an obliging player. It is the perfect storm to tout ARMAND LAURIENTE TO BE SHOWN A CARD on Sunday evening.
The French forward is yet to pick up a caution this campaign but committed two fouls in Sassuolo’s Coppa Italia victory over Cosenza.
He hit double figures for cards last campaign (10 yellow, one red), so, with a cards per 90 average of 0.45, it is easy to see why he is as short as 7/4 to receive a booking in Naples - but that price is, to our delight, much larger elsewhere.
Antonio Giua is the referee and he dished out an average of 5.54 cards per game in Serie A last season, the fourth highest average in the top flight.
All things considered, a Lauriente card looks pretty promising, especially considering he was booked the last time these sides met in Sassuolo and was sent off during his last trip to Napoli.
Score prediction: Napoli 4-3 Sassuolo (Sky Bet odds: 66/1)
Odds correct 1400 BST (25/08/23)
Villarreal vs Barcelona
- Kick-off time: 16:30 BST
- TV channel: Viaplay Sports 1, LaLigaTV
- Home 12/5 | Draw 11/4 | Away 1/1
Liam Kelly (@LiamKellyTTA)
Late goals were required as Barcelona got their first win of the season against Cádiz, a much-needed 2-0 victory following the 0-0 draw with Getafe in their season opener.
Xavi’s side do appear very stagnant going forward thus far, with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal looking the most likely to create something last time out.
If little changes, the 13/10 available for UNDER 2.5 GOALS in their trip to Villarreal will be good value.
Sunday’s hosts have hardly pulled up trees themselves from an attacking perspective, recording just 0.96 xG against Real Betis before struggling to breach the Mallorca backline despite dominating play on the Balearic island.
Villarreal will have much less possession when welcoming Barca, who have an excellent long-term defensive record entering this match-up. Therefore, the visitors’ troubles at the other end makes predicting a low-scoring game a comfortable choice.
Score prediction: Villarreal 0-0 Barcelona (Sky Bet odds: 14/1)
Odds correct 1215 BST (25/08/23)
Burnley vs Aston Villa
- Kick-off time: 14:00 BST
- Home 12/5 | Draw 5/2 | Away 11/10
James Cantrill (@JimmyThePunt)
Last season, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side averaged 2.69 goals per game and this gluttony of goals has seeped into this campaign.
Three games in and there’s already been 15 goals in the Villans' matches. They beat Hibernian 5-0 in the Europa Conference League and thumped Everton 4-0, two results that came after a 5-1 loss at St James’ Park.
Emery’s unwillingness to alter his tactics in the latter match is part of the reason why his side will be the Premier League’s entertainers this campaign.
OVER 2.5 GOALS appeals at Turf Moor where Villa face the highest-ranked side to gain promotion to the top flight last season.
Score prediction: Burnley 2-4 Aston Villa (Sky Bet odds: 40/1)
Odds correct at 1140 BST (25/08/23)
Watford v Blackburn
- Kick-off time: 12:00 BST
- TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
- Home 21/20 | Draw 5/2 | Away 5/2
Michael Beardmore (@MickeyBeardmore)
Two teams who have made identical starts in the Sky Bet Championship – beginning with a win, then a draw and a defeat – meet at Vicarage Road on Sunday lunchtime.
It’s a tough one to call as a result but I’ve found a bet I like the look of in the player markets, namely WESLEY HOEDT TO HAVE 1+ HEADED SHOTS ON TARGET at a tempting 10/1.
The 6ft 2in Dutchman has already registered two efforts on target in his opening three games this term – including one header.
Last season in 29 games for Watford and previous club Anderlecht, he recorded eight efforts on target, a very decent ratio for a centre-half.
You can get 10/3 for a Hoedt shot on target of any kind but given his threat comes from set-pieces I’m drawn to triple that price for it to be with his head.
What I like about this bet is that new Watford boss Ismael’s teams are high pressers, direct attackers and rack up a lot of set-pieces – in the Hornets’ opening two home games alone, they’ve won a whopping 20 corners.
Score prediction: Watford 1-1 Blackburn (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
Odds correct 1730 BST (25/08/23)
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