Guess what: nine of the ten teams we picked out in our Both Teams to Score betting tips did exactly what we wanted them to, which means for the second week running we were one goal away from a handsome 13/1 acca win.
Last week’s culprits were Norwich City, who may as well have picked Delia Smith up front in their 0-3 defeat to Leeds.
Still, there were handy 19/20 and 10/11 winners at Wolves and Rochdale, and all-in-all it was a nicely profitable week for the column.
Let’s see if we can keep that run going with this week’s BTTS tips:
| Match | Both Teams to Score Yes/No | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Burnley vs Manchester United | Yes | 21/20 |
| Reading vs Sheffield Wednesday | Yes | 5/6 |
| Angers vs Lille | Yes | 10/11 |
| Gremio vs Botafogo | No | 4/7 |
| Atletico Paranaense vs Bahia | No | 3/4 |
| All Five Results as an Accumulator | 18.73/1 | |
Burnley vs Manchester United – Yes (21/20)
There are, evidently, big problems at Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho is coming under increasing fire – not aided by his bizarre rhetoric in press conferences – and the pressure was such that he switched to a back three against Tottenham.
It didn’t work, and his side conceded three times for the second game in a row.
So that’s Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof on the naught step due to poor performances, and Phil Jones injured. Mourinho’s defensive woes continue to pile up.
But they should be good for a goal or two themselves against a Burnley side that has been hampered by a hectic early schedule, what with Europa League qualifying.
The Clarets can call upon the physical Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes in attack, and they could combine to make Mourinho’s mood even darker.
Reading vs Sheffield Wednesday – Yes (5/6)
After a derisory start to the Championship campaign, Reading have improved lately and taken points from tough away trips to Aston Villa and Blackburn.
Noticeable is how their Expected Goals output has increased, and that has been facilitated by a switch to a 4-4-2 system with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Sam Baldock through the middle and Sone Aluko and Modou Barrow out wide.
But the Royals are yet to keep a clean sheet, and their attacking system does hint at vulnerability.
Sheffield Wednesday will probably match Reading’s 4-4-2, and with Atdhe Nuhiu, Lucas Joao, Fernando Forestieri and Steven Fletcher, amongst others, in the squad they will never want for attacking impetus.
BTTS has landed in four of the Owls’ five outings thus far.
Angers vs Lille – Yes (10/11)
Anyone who watched the game would surely agree that Angers gave an excellent account of themselves against PSG at the Parc des Princes last time out.
The visitors’ slick counter-attacking play caused the champions all sorts of problems; so much so that Thomas Tuchel had to change his formation to cope with their opponents.
Neymar and co would grind out the victory, but with Angers also sticking three past Nimes on the opening day we are confident they can breach the Lille defence this week.</p.
But defending is a problem, and Lille have some excellent attacking players in Jonathan Bamba, Nicolas Pepe and Xeka.
Gremio vs Botafogo – No (4/7)
Here’s a couple of fantastic stats to whet your appetite for a absolute snoozefest in the Brazilian Serie A….
First up, Gremio’s excellent defensive record on home soil shows that they have conceded a remarkably low three goals from open play in eleven appearances.
In contrast, Botafogo have played eleven times on the road this term and scored just five times in open play; a nod to their inability to take care of business away from home.
The visitors’ task is made all the more difficult by the absence of top goalscorer Kieza.
Atletico Paranaense vs Bahia – No (3/4)
It’s off we go again to Brazil for another low-scoring encounter.
Atletico Paranaense, who play two home games in the space of 72 hours, may be a little tired when this contest with Bahia comes around. That will put pressure on an attack that has delivered just 12 open play goals on home soil; their set piece tally of seven is the highest in the division.
At least they don’t yield many open play goals on home soil – four in nine – and Bahia are hardly prolific on the road.
Indeed, their fans must wonder why they bother: they’ve witnessed their heroes score just three times on their travels in nine attempts!