We were a gnat’s whisker away from a winning acca last week!
Four of our five selections landed with abundant ease, and so we were left with baited breath waiting for our Draw No Bet pick for Empoli against Frosinone in the Italian Serie A to come home.
As it was, they ended up drawing 3-3, and so that part of our coupon was refunded and we were paid out on the four winners at reduced terms.
Still, profit is profit in this game, and we can head into this week’s football accumulator betting tips with confidence.
| Match | Recommended Bet | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Burnley vs Chelsea | Burnley +2.00 Asian Handicap | 2/5 |
| QPR vs Aston Villa | QPR/Draw Double Chance | 8/15 |
| Bolton Wanderers vs Hull City | Bolton/Draw Double Chance | 4/7 |
| Norwich City vs Brentford | Norwich Draw No Bet | 8/11 |
| Northampton Town vs Oldham Athletic | Northampton/Draw Double Chance | 12/25 |
| Five-Fold Acca Odds | 7.62/1 | |
Burnley vs Chelsea: Burnley +2.00 Asian Handicap
Burnley got torn a new one at Manchester City, but let’s face it: they won’t be the only team to get a towelling from Pep Guardiola’s men this term.
But it has wavered the bookies’ confidence in the Clarets, and they are a staggering 7/1 against Chelsea on Sunday.
It will be cold at Turf Moor, and Chelsea – who play in the Europa League on Thursday – don’t strike us as the kind of team that will blow others away; their possession-based system is not designed for that.
Indeed, only 50% of their wins this season have come by more than one goal.
Prior to the City debacle Burnley had hammered Bournemouth, beaten Cardiff and drawn with Huddersfield, so there are bits of form of there. And this is the kind of game where Sean Dyche will really get under his players’ skin and elicit big performances from them.
Even if the Lancashire outfit lose by two goals here our stake is refunded; lose by one, draw or win and we’re golden.
QPR vs Aston Villa: QPR/Draw Double Chance
Given what we’ve seen from him so far in management, the chances are that Dean Smith will turn Aston Villa around soon enough.
The West Midlanders have been in freefall for a while, on and off the pitch, and Smith will provide a stabilising influence and, presumably, get the Villains playing attacking, enterprising football.
But these changes take time, and at the moment the Villa are still not quite at the races.
There’s no such problems at QPR, where Steve McClaren has crafted a decent unit.
A poor start to the campaign is now forgotten, as a decent run of form (W3 D1 L0) has given Hoops fans plenty of reasons to be cheerful.
Villa have only won once on the road all season, while QPR have only lost once on home soil since August. There seems to be plenty of mileage in this particular selection.
Bolton Wanderers vs Hull City: Bolton/Draw Double Chance
We wouldn’t, ordinarily, be rushing out to back Bolton in a hurry.
But really, there’s no reason why they are an underdog at home against a Hull side ensconced in the Championship relegation zone.
The Trotters’ formline against sides in the bottom half of the table (W1 D4 L1) at least hints at an ability to make things happen, and of their five defeats three have come against sides in the top seven of the division.
Hull’s away form (W1 D1 L4) tells no lies, and indeed a wider angle lens reveals just 2/13 this term have ended in victory for the Tigers.
A run of form reading W1 D2 L6 should be enough to deter any notion of backing them against Bolton.
Norwich City vs Brentford: Norwich Draw No Bet
Norwich have fashioned ways to win well and to win ugly under Daniel Farke this term, and it’s no coincidence that each of their last four wins have come by a single goal.
It’s not pretty, at times, but the Canaries are grinding out victories.
Brentford are pretty wretched on the road – W0 D4 L2 prior to the trip to Preston on Wednesday, and they will cover some miles this week: up to Lancashire in midweek followed by a trip to the east coast on Saturday.
Norwich, with an extra 24 hours of recovery time, are deserved favourites in front of their own supporters.
Northampton Town vs Oldham Athletic: Northampton/Draw Double Chance
The Cobblers’ revival continues. After morale-boosting draws against Swindon and Bury, Northampton have embarked on an impressive three-match run in which they have beaten Forest Green, hammered Macclesfield 5-0 and given a decent account of themselves at high flying MK Dons, losing by solitary goal.
Don’t be fooled by Oldham’s 2-0 win against Cheltenham on Tuesday, because the Latics are still a very ordinary side.
Their opponents, sitting bottom-but-one in the table, were going okay in the first half, but the game was ultimately ended as a contest when Cheltenham frontman Sam Jones was sent off on the stroke of half-time.
It was Oldham’s first win in seven, and not necessarily a sign of renaissance given the indiscipline of their opponents.