- Follow @MarkOHaire
Football betting tips: Weekend best bets
Saturday
2.5pts Forfar to beat Bonnyrigg Rose (15:00) at evens (Betfair)
Sunday
2.5pts Sturm Graz to score 2+ goals vs Blau-Weiss Linz (13:30) at 3/4 (Unibet)
Already advised
3pts Wrexham to beat Bristol Rovers and under 3.5 goals (15:00) at evens (Sky Bet)
Wrexham vs Bristol Rovers
- Kick-off time: 15:00 BST, Friday
- Home 2/5 | Draw 16/5 | Away 11/2
WREXHAM can take a step closer to an unprecedented third successive promotion by beating relegation-threatened Bristol Rovers at the Racecourse on Good Friday.
The Dragons have won 15 of their 21 home fixtures this season, winning 12 of 14 when hosting sides in 10th and below – 11 of those victories included UNDER 3.5 GOALS. That’s my angle of attack here with Wrexham notching four goals or more just once across their League One campaign, though Phil Parkinson’s posse have accumulated a league best 21 clean sheets.
Backing WREXHAM TO WIN AND UNDER 3.5 GOALS gives us an even-money play with the wager already paying-out in 62% of the Dragons’ home dates.
Bristol Rovers arrive following a hugely underwhelming home reverse to Exeter last weekend, a result that saw the Gas slide into the bottom four.
It’s now six successive defeats for a team beaten in 16 of 21 away games this season, scoring only four goals across their last 15 road trips.
When travelling to the sides currently sitting in 17th and above, Rovers have returned one point from 15 matches and in 12 trips to top-14 teams they have scored only twice.
Forfar vs Bonnyrigg Rose
- Kick-off time: 15:00 BST, Saturday
- Home 4/5 | Draw 11/5 | Away 29/10
Bonnyrigg Rose are on the brink of a relegation play-off, putting their SPFL status in jeopardy.
The Rosey Posey are rock-bottom of Scotland’s League Two following a horrendous run of form since early February (W0-D2-L9) and Jonny Stewart’s threadbare side could have their fate sealed on Saturday when they head to second-bottom Forfar.
Forfar are W5-D3-L2 across their past 10 to climb clear of danger with the Loons also picking up maximum points in all three of their previous meetings with Bonnyrigg this term. Another FORFAR WIN is offered at evens on Saturday and holds plenty of appeal considering the plight of their opponents, who have failed to land a single shot on target in their last two matches.
Bonnyrigg have managed a solitary point across their past nine away days and are conceding 2.56 goals per game on their travels. The visitors head to Station Park without suspended Ryan Porteous and also picked up a few more injuries in their 2-0 loss to East Fife last weekend, a third successive match without a goal.
Sturm Graz vs Blau-Wiess Linz
- Kick-off time: 13:30 BST, Sunday
- Home 4/7 | Draw 13/5 | Away 4/1
Sturm Graz are on course to successfully defend their Austrian Bundesliga title.
Die Schwoazn topped the charts in the regular season and have picked up seven points from their first three Championship Round efforts (W2-D1-L0), including an eye-catching 2-1 success away at a resurgent RB Salzburg last time out.
Sunday’s home showdown with BW Linz should be much more straightforward for Jurgen Samuel’s side. Sturm Graz have posted W9-D2-L1 at their fortress Merkur Arena base with the hosts scoring three goals per game during that same sample – in 10 of those matches, STURM GRAZ have scored 2+ GOALS and a repeat appeals at 3/4 (1.75) here.
BW Linz have lost each of their three Championship Round games, shipping twice or more on each occasion. The visitors leaked multiple goals in six of their 11 regular season away days, including nine when travelling to the breakaway top three, while also suffering home and away defeats against Sturm Graz, the most recent of which was in February.
Odds correct at 0925 GMT (17/04/25)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
