It’s a case of ‘on we go’ for this vintage of the £10 to £1000 Challenge, with all four of our selections landing last week with relative comfort.
We have £38.99 in our hand at the moment, and by the end of this week’s selections we should – all being well – have broken the £80 barrier and our first banking point. If all four wagers land, take your £10 back and then everything else is sweet, sweet profit.
Let’s refresh our memories of last week’s wagers, and then get straight into our quartet of picks for the continuation of our £10 to £1k Challenge:
- Bet 5: Rotherham vs Norwich City: Norwich Over 0.5 Goals – the Canaries bagged our all-important goal despite going down to a surprise 1-2 defeat to bottom club Rotherham.
- Bet 6: John Higgins vs Mark Allen: Higgins +2.5 – the Scot would have been disappointed to lose this match, but the silver lining for us was that his 5-6 loss covered our handicap wager.
- Bet 7: Malaga vs Real Sociedad: Over 1.5 Goals – a comfortable 2-0 win for Sociedad ensured Bet 7 was a winner.
- Bet 8: Judd Trump vs Marco Fu: Over 7.5 Frames – this match went to an eleventh frame decider, so our 7.5 mark landed with ease.
Bet 9: Port Vale vs Bury: Bury Over 0.5 Goals – £38.99 at 2/7
Friday January 20, 19:45
Port Vale’s last two league matches have both been postponed, which means their last outing came back on January 7 in the FA Cup; a match they lost 0-4 to Huddersfield. There is a chance they could be caught cold here by a Bury side fresh from a 5-1 demolition of Peterborough at the weekend.
Yes, you read that correctly, beleaguered Bury thumped Posh on Saturday, but even though the Shakers’ form has been terrible there has been mitigating circumstances. Their prior four matches had all come against sides in the top six of League One, and 0-0, 1-1, 1-3 and 2-3 scorelines don’t suggest they were completely played off the park.
Port Vale have conceded in 18 of their last 22 matches, and their four clean sheets came against sides residing in the bottom six of the division. Admittedly, Bury are also languishing there, but they have only failed to find the net in four of their last 23 starts. This is a side that is performing better than their present league position suggests.
Bet 10: Leyton Orient vs Morecambe: Over 1.5 Goals – £50.13 at 1/4
Saturday January 21, 15:00
Rumours of unrest in the Leyton Orient camp have not been aided by the news that four of their senior players have been placed on the transfer list this week, and three defeats in as many starts in 2017 perhaps confirms the Orient supporters’ worst fears.
The hosts have been abysmal at home this term (W3 D1 L10) but have at least scored in their last four outings at Brisbane Road, and all-in-all the Over 1.5 mark has landed in 18/25 for them this term, but – most crucially – since Christmas their results read 3-2, 1-1, 0-4, 1-3 and 1-2.
Morecambe, for whom 22/25 have witnessed two or more goals, will truck on. They have scored in seven of their last eight and kept just two clean sheets since August. The omens are good for goals here.
Bet 11: AZ Alkmaar vs Sparta Rotterdam: Over 1.5 Goals – £62.66 at 2/13
Saturday January 21, 17:30
Hosts AZ have scored in 15/18 outings this season, with their only blots being against elite Dutch outfits PSV and Feyenoord and, surprisingly, Groningen. Over 1.5 Goals has landed in 16/18, and their last clean sheet came on October 30. Their last five outings have witnessed a total of 23 goals.
Sparta are rather more circumspect, but their last clean sheet came on September 18; plus they have score in 14/18 starts. The Over 2.5 Goal mark has landed in 70% of their last ten matches.
Bet 12: Monaco vs Lorient: Over 1.5 Goals – £72.30 at 1/7
Sunday January 22, 14:00
With Monaco scoring an average of 3.40 goals per 90 minutes at home this season and Lorient conceding an average of 2.40 on the road, a goal-heavy encounter has to be the smart conclusion here.
The hosts kicked off the second half of the campaign following the festive break in the same vein they had ended 2016: with a resounding victory, this time 4-1 against Marseille. Incredibly, that means 17 of their 20 Ligue 1 starts have witnessed three or more goals; with only one failing to land at this Over 1.5 Goal mark.
Visitors Lorient are no mugs in this market either, although not always for the right reasons as far as they are concerned. They have lost 8/10 on the road this term with their last five away scorelines reading 1-2, 3-3, 2-2, 2-3 and 0-5. Eleven of their last twelve Ligue 1 outings have witnessed Over 2.5 Goals.