A rare Birmingham City victory – their first in five games – scuppered our acca last week, and was particularly frustrating given that our selection, Nottingham Forest, had beaten QPR 4-0 last time out. Ain’t that always the way?
We’re going to try something a bit different this week: scouting across Europe for the very best value, rather than simply restricting ourselves to the English game. Hopefully, we can unearth some gems to add to the coupon.
So who makes up our continental football accumulator betting tips this week?
- Huddersfield Town vs Manchester City: Man City -1 Handicap (1/2)
- Sheffield United vs Birmingham City: Sheffield United to Win (4/7)
- Blackburn Rovers vs Bristol Rovers: Blackburn to Win (8/11)
- Rennes vs Nantes: Nantes/Draw Double Chance (3/5)
- FC Koln vs Hertha Berlin: Hertha/Draw Double Chance (8/13)
- Acca Odds: 9.52/1
Huddersfield Town vs Manchester City: Man City -1 Handicap
You can forgive Huddersfield fans dining out on their 2-1 win over Manchester United; for a cub making their debut in the Premier League this term, it was the stuff that dreams are made of.
But in their last six games there have been signs of concern for the Terriers’ supporters, who have witnessed their side lose 0-4 against Tottenham and Bournemouth and 0-3 against Liverpool.
Indeed, their goal difference for their last half-dozen outings is -11, and overall they have failed to find the net in seven of their last ten.
Pep Guardiola has an embarrassment of riches to call upon at Manchester City, especially in attack where he can select from Aguero, Gabriel, Sterling, Sane, De Bruyne, Silva and Bernardo, amongst others.
Even just writing those names down confirms that City will probably win on Saturday rather handsomely.
Sheffield United vs Birmingham City: Sheffield United to Win
It’s been a strange old week for Sheffield United, whose 3-1 win at Burton last Friday was soured by witnessing midfielder Paul Coutts carried off on a stretcher after breaking his leg.
And then on Tuesday a bizarre 4-5 defeat against Fulham followed, in which the Blades appeared to miss Coutts steady influence in the middle of the park.
At least on Saturday they face a Birmingham side who won’t attack them like the Cottagers did. The evening kick off time will also help the home fans create a rousing atmosphere.
Birmingham play Middlesbrough away on Wednesday, and that means they have a good 24 hours less to recuperate before another trip north on Saturday. They are also likely to be without the injured Isaac Vassell, Maxime Collin and Craig Gardner.
Blackburn Rovers vs Bristol Rovers: Blackburn to Win
Blackburn were expected to take to life in League One rather well by most this season, and while it hasn’t necessarily panned out tat way they have saved some of their best football for the past few weeks.
Victories over Portsmouth (3-0), Bury (3-0) and Oxford (4-2) have followed a creditable point at Wigan (0-0), and what those scorelines tell us is that the Lancashire outfit are defending well and attacking with gusto too.
That is a cocktail which should prove too strong for Bristol Rovers, who after a positive start have now lost five of their last six games.
The Gas’ woes are summed up by their away form, with seven defeats in nine and an average goals conceded rate of some two per 90 minutes.
Rennes vs Nantes: Nantes/Draw Double Chance
There is a minor defensive injury crisis at Rennes, with key personnel in Faitout Maouassa, Ramy Bensebaini and Ludovic Baal all out and midfielder Ismaila Sarr joining them on the sidelines.
Rennes beat Lille, Montpellier and Bordeaux by 1-0 margins in late October/early November, but a couple of those victories were serendipitous and their last outing, a 1-2 defeat against bottom-but-one Strasbourg, is more reflective of their qualities.
Nantes have been excellent this term under Claudio Ranieri, and don’t let their 1-4 defeat at the hands of PSG last time out fool you. They had lost just one of their previous ten outings, and have only conceded more than one goal in just two of their thirteen starts.
FC Koln vs Hertha Berlin: Hertha/Draw Double Chance
It has been a disastrous campaign so far for Koln, whose formline of W0 D2 L10 goes a long way towards highlighting their problems.
Those issues have been exacerbated by a thin squad and Europa League participation, which has put extra pressure on the already limited personnel. Now, the likes of Hector, Heintz, Clemens, Zoller, Hoger and Sorenson – all first teamers, by and large – are sidelined.
Hertha haven’t hit the heights this season either, but they have shown flashes: draws with Bayern, Hoffenheim and an improving Wolfsburg showing that on their day they are capable. They seem to have no problem socring either, finding the net in 9/12, and that will be key against a Koln outfit that has scored just four times this term.