It wasn’t the best of efforts with our acca last week, which crumbled partly due to a red card for Rennes at an unfortunate moment and Sunderland winning their first home match since dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Never mind: after a umber of good weeks, it is inevitable that a bad one will come along at some point – that’s the nature of acca betting.
The good news is that we have one last opportunity to bank a nice bonus just ahead of Christmas, so who form our football accumulator betting tips this weekend?
- Brighton vs Watford: Brighton +0.50 Asian Handicap (4/9)
- Swansea vs Crystal Palace: Crystal Palace/Draw Double Chance (2/5)
- Preston vs Nottingham Forest: Preston to Win (4/5)
- Bristol Rovers vs Doncaster Rovers: Bristol Rovers +0 Asian Handicap (8/13)
- Notts County vs Cambridge United: Notts County to Win (8/11)
- Acca Odds: 9.38/1
Brighton vs Watford: Brighton +0.50 Asian Handicap
For this selection to land, all we need is Brighton to avoid defeat. Their form at the AMEX Stadium should give us – and them – plenty of confidence.
The Seagulls’ home form this term reads W2 D5 L2, with those two defeats coming against Manchester City and Liverpool. Otherwise, an ability to avoid defeat in 7/9 matches is a very healthy ratio indeed.
A simple reason to oppose Watford is their list of absentees. Suspended are Troy Deeney, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Marvin Zeegelaar, while Will Hughes, Craig Cathcart, Nathaniel Chalobah and Younes Kaboul are definitely out injured. With late fitness checks needed on Miguel Britos and Kiko Femenia as well, the Hornets are struggling for players – evidenced by their hammering at the hands of Huddersfield last week.
Swansea vs Crystal Palace: Crystal Palace/Draw Double Chance
We have absolutely no qualms in following in Crystal Palace here, who have been excellent in the past few weeks.
The Eagles have claimed 1.63 points per game, on average, in their past eight outings, and stats nerds will note that in the Expected Goals count they sit a very handsome fifth in the table for the same timeframe. Christian Benteke’s goal drought ended last week, and his strike partnership with Wilfried Zaha looks very potent indeed.
You know the drill with Swansea by now. They’ve lost eight of their last ten league outings, and the division’s lowest scorers must also now make do without Wilfried Bony up front. These are dark, dark days for the Swans.
Preston vs Nottingham Forest: Preston to Win
A six-game unbeaten streak, including four wins, has propelled Preston to within two points of the play-off places in the Championship.
Their improvement defensively has been marked – just three goals conceded in some 540 minutes of football, and Alex Neil deserves a lot of credit for overseeing that change.
Forest aren’t a bad side by any means, but their home point haul (21) speaks volumes when compared to their away (9). No team in the division has conceded more goals on the road than the Tricky Trees, and one clean sheet in eleven on their travels tells us all we need to know.
Bristol Rovers vs Doncaster Rovers: Bristol Rovers +0 Asian Handicap
Will the real Bristol Rovers please stand up? Their record this season reads W9 D0 L13, which is remarkable in that they are yet to draw at almost the halfway point of the season.
That suggests, to some extent, that they can be excellent or poor from week to week – rarely average, and the home/away splits tell their own story: 21 of their 27 points this term have come on home soil.
So we can actually back the Gas with confidence at the Memorial Stadium, particularly with Doncaster in town this week. They have scored just one goal in their last six away dates, and there is every chance they will simply be outscored by the hosts here.
Notts County vs Cambridge United: Notts County to Win
Notts County have the best home record in League Two – better than Luton, who are scoring at an average of three goals per game – with 27 points taken from a possible 33. It seems unlikely that Cambridge will impact upon that run here.
Newport, Cheltenham and Colchester had been vanquished in the Magpies’ last three home matches, at a goal difference of +6, prior to the goalless draw with Grimsby on Saturday, although to be fair to the Mariners they have been in decent order of late.
Cambridge have scored four goals in eleven away matches this term; let that sink in for a moment. They have kept clean sheets in 5/11, but have also been beaten 0-7 and 0-2 in two of their last three away days at Luton and Port Vale.