All good things come to an end, and that unfortunately was the fate that befell Attempt 9 of the £10 to £1000 Challenge when Luton, League Two’s best attacking unit on home soil, failed to find the net against a Stevenage side that had conceded in 13 of their prior 16 matches.
That’s the nature of this bet type unfortunately; when a team has a bad day at the office it typically brings our hopes down, and so we bow out after quadrupling our initial stake but no more.
There was a punter who tried his own system of rollover betting: backing one game in the over 0.5 goals each week. His theory was that, even though the odds were terrible at, say, 1/20, so few games finish 0-0 that he would surely be able to duck and dive his way to a healthy sum.
But, after ten attempts, he hadn’t gotten anywhere near a huge sum of money because he would always run into trouble. And that shows that, even in your most confident bets, the unexpected can still jump up and bite you on the behind.
So we must be patient in our quest for the big money, and realise that these little speedbumps are going to bring us down to earth occasionally. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and before we run out of clichés it is worth remembering exactly that.
So let’s continue undiminished with this week’s £10 to £1000 Challenge betting tips:
Bet 1: Metz vs Bastia: Metz +1.00 Asian Handicap – £10 at 1/9
Friday March 17, 18:00
They may be separated by just three places in Ligue 1, but there is lightyears of difference between Metz at home and Bastia away.
The host are unbeaten in eight on home soil dating back to October, and while they were twice trounced by Monaco and Lyon in February it is clear that Metz fancy the job in front of their own supporters against the weaker sides. Indeed, they are yet to be beaten by any team from outside the top six at home.
Can Bastia be the ones to break the duck? It seems unlikely; they haven’t won since December 17. They’ve won just two away games all season, and one of those was way back in August, and last time out they lost 0-5 to the distinctly average Guingamp.
We’re even gaining a one-goal headstart with this handicap bet!
Bet 2: Norwich vs Barnsley: Over 1.5 Goals – £ at 1/6
Saturday March 18, 15:00
The Canaries dispensed with the services of manager Alex Neil this week, and that’s a shame – particularly for BTTS punters, given that the mark has landed in each of their last eight outings.
Will a new manager change things? Possibly, but we still expect goals at Carrow Road; 12/18 games there have witnessed three or more this season.
As for Barnsley, both teams to score has landed in five of their last six outings, and Over 1.5 has scored in 31/37 of their matches, so we have no real qualms there.
Bet 3: Frankfurt vs Hamburg: Hamburg +2.00 Asian Handicap – £39.56 at 1/9
Saturday March 18, 17:30
With football betting you have to move with the ebbs and flows of the teams involved and not get caught up too much in league position and the like.
That’s certainly the case here with sixth-place Frankfurt hosting Hamburg, in sixteenth. The hosts have lost five games in a row, scoring once in 450 minutes of football, and not helped by the injuries suffered by the likes of Meier, Stendera, Vallejo, Varela, Tarashaj and Hasebe, plus the suspended Haris Seferovic, who will all miss this game.
Here’s the funny thing: ignore Hamburg’s 0-8 crushing against Bayern. Why? Because their form reads W4 D1 L0 without that, with victories over Leipzig, Leverkusen, M’gladbach and Hertha Berlin al testament to their improvement. Even if they lose by two goals here, our stake will be refunded and the Challenge can continue.
Bet 4: Empoli vs Napoli: Napoli Draw No Bet – £51.94 at 1/10
Sunday March 19, 11:30
There are no heroics with this last selection as Napoli, with 11 wins in their last 14 Serie A matches including five in their last six, take on an Empoli side that has lost five on the bounce with a goal difference of -11.
The hosts here haven’t kept a clean sheet in seven attempts and have failed to score in four of those, so you don’t need to be a genius to see that they are struggling, big time, at present.
Can they stop Serie A’s leading goalscorers? It seems highly doubtful, but we’ll add the Draw No Bet kicker all the same.