Port Vale v Bradford City: League Two preview and best bets
After landing 9/2, 2/1, 15/8 and 7/4 winners over the past two weekends, EFL expert Michael Beardmore attempts to keep his hot streak going with two best bets for Port Vale v Bradford.
Football betting tips: Sky Bet League Two
1.5pt Port Vale to win at 5/4 (General)
1pt Port Vale to score in both halves at 3/1 (Boylesports)
There are few hotter teams than Port Vale in English football right now – 10 wins from their last 12 games in all competitions and they have fired in a whopping 17 goals in their past four matches.
Draw specialists Bradford City – five of their past seven games have finished with honours even – are the Saturday lunchtime visitors to Vale Park hoping to puncture that run.
That will be a tough task, though – the Valiants have won their past seven at home and the last time they failed to find the net home or away was on August 17, almost three months ago.
Expected Goals metrics suggest they, not Forest Green, should be topping the fourth-tier table with only Vale’s slow start – two defeats and three draws in their opening six – keeping them off top spot.
Kick-off time: 12:00 GMT, Saturday
TV channel: Sky Sports Football
Port Vale 6/5 | Draw 23/10 | Bradford 21/10
Bradford are always to be respected at this level but things have not quite clicked yet under new boss Derek Adams although they are only two points off the play-offs in 12th and will surely improve.
It’s impossible to ignore the form Vale are in, however, and I can only think Bradford’s ‘name value’ is the reason why the hosts can be backed at odds-against across the board in this one, rather than being odds-on.
You simply cannot pass up 5/4 on a good home side whose aggregate victory across that aforementioned 12-game span is 33-11 so PORT VALE TO WIN simply has to be the recommended bet here.
Away from the outright outcome, things become a bit trickier as Vale have blown some opponents away but can grind out 1-0s, 2-0s or 2-1s too.
They also share the goals around with a mammoth 13 players having found the net in the league already this season which makes the scorer markets a needle in the haystack job.
Darrell Clarke’s side have scored twice or more in 12 of their last 15 games in all competitions but the odds on them to score 2+ are fairly skinny at 6/5 – you might as well just back them to win.
There is some value to be found though in that sort of area thanks to Boylesports’ price boost on PORT VALE TO SCORE IN BOTH HALVES at 3/1.
During their recent scoring spree, the Valiants have netted in both halves in eight of their past 13 matches which makes that price look huge, close to double what it should be.
Port Vale v Bradford City score prediction and best bets
- Port Vale to win at 5/4 (General)
- Port Vale to score in both halves at 3/1 (Boyle Sports)
Score prediction: Port Vale 2-1 Bradford (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
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