Mark O'Haire's football betting tips, best bets and nap: Chaos at the bottom
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Football betting tips: Weekend
2.5pts Everton vs N Forest – 50+ Booking Points 11/8 (Sky Bet)
2.5pts Cove Rangers vs Alloa – Over 2.5 Goals and BTTS 10/11 (Sky Bet)
3pts Luton vs Brentford – BTTS and Both Teams 10+ booking points evens (Sky Bet)
- The above are enhanced prices with a £25 max stake
Everton vs N Forest
- Kick-off time: 13:30 BST, Sunday
- Home evs | Draw 5/2 | Away 13/5
Everton and Nottingham Forest cross swords on Sunday with the pressure mounting on both clubs to preserve their top-flight status. Just a point separates the two teams coming into this clash with both sides in grave danger of dropping out of the Premier League – relegation could have catastrophic effects on either club.
I’m therefore expecting a competitive and fiery fixture from Goodison Park considering the magnitude of the match. Chris Kavanagh isn’t the most eye-catching refereeing appointment, though the arbiter has still produced an average of 40.00 Booking Points through his 21 dates thus far, hitting at least four cards in 52% of those match-ups.
The 50+ Booking Points angle at 11/8 stands-out – we’re only asking Kavanagh to flash one extra card compared to his seasonal averages and taking into account the importance of this particular match, that should be well within range as each side has displayed a penchant for picking up punishment.
Everton have been booked at least twice in 69% of their top-flight tussles this term, averaging 2.19 cards – Nottingham Forest have collected two cards or more in 73% of showdowns, averaging 2.39 cards.
Luton vs Brentford
- Kick-off time: 15:00 BST, Saturday
- Home 11/5 | Draw 11/4 | Away 11/10
The Premier League’s basement battle takes centre-stage this weekend with two relegation six-pointers on the agenda, starting with Luton’s clash against Brentford on Saturday. Seven points separate the two sides before kick-off and the Hatters know victory could give them an enormous boost in their quest for top-flight survival.
Luton remain obdurate opposition at Kenilworth Road, yet it’s Town’s knack of getting on the scoresheet that commands most respect. The Hatters have scored in 28 of 33 EPL encounters, though Rob Edwards’ outfit have also recorded only two clean sheets along the way – that’s led to a league-leading 26/33 (79%) winning Both Teams To Score selections.
I’m therefore happy to back a repeat when Brentford arrive. The Bees have scored in 12 of their 16 away days and managed only six shutouts of their own across all venues, with just one on their travels since October. However, with BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE too short to support as a single, we can top it up by backing BOTH TEAMS 10+ BOOKING POINTS.
Luton have been booked in 82% of their outings this season with Brentford collecting a caution in 97% of encounters. Jarred Gillett oversees proceedings with the referee averaging 4.68 cards per-game, brandishing Over 3.5 Cards in 74% of 19 league assignments.
Cove Rangers vs Alloa
- Kick-off time: 17:30 BST, Saturday
- Home 29/20 | Draw 5/2 | Away 29/20
With three rounds of regular season action to play, both Cove Rangers and Alloa are looking to secure their place in the promotion play-offs. Cove begin the weekend a point outside of the top-four and will therefore be targeting top honours against an Alloa side six points above the dotted line in third. However, it’s goals-based approach that catches the eye.
The duo have proven especially reliable in their respective home/away outings with the pair having scored in 28 of their combined 32 Scottish League One fixtures thus far. But with only three clean sheets between them in that same sample, a tasty 25 of those tussles have paid-out for BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE backers with 25 also delivering OVER 2.5 GOALS rewards.
Across all venues, Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score has banked in eight of Cove’s past 11 matches with the same selection copping in seven of Alloa’s most recent 11 games.
Odds correct at 1240 (18/04/24)
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