Happy New Year! After a restorative break during the festive period we’re back and ready to sink our teeth into some juicy BTTS-led profits in 2019.
We signed off in our last column prior to Christmas with a respectable three out of five selections landing, including juicy 4/5 and 8/13 wins at the most obvious of bedfellows: Crawley and Empoli.
We have a fixture card reduced somewhat this week by the winter break in some of Europe’s key leagues, as well as the FA Cup third round to contend with.
So these aren’t easy punting conditions, so we head with caution into this week’s both teams to score betting tips.
| Match | Both Teams to Score Yes/No | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa vs Swansea City | Yes | 4/6 |
| Preston North End vs Doncaster Rovers | Yes | 7/10 |
| Eibar vs Villarreal | Yes | 7/10 |
| Raith Rovers vs Stenhousemuir | Yes | 4/5 |
| Annan Athletic vs Elgin City | Yes | 1/2 |
| All Five Results as an Accumulator | 12.29/1 | |
Aston Villa vs Swansea City – Yes (4/6)
If this was a run of the mill Championship game, we would be very sweet on BTTS and so we have to use the prevailing logic for an FA Cup tie between the sides.
Aston Villa continue to deliver goals under Dean Smith – seven of their last nine has covered the BTTS line, and with a strong squad they can still field an excellent starting eleven even if the manager decides to make changes.
Incredibly, the Villains have only failed to score in one of their 26 Championship outings this term, while defensively they have shown plenty of vulnerability, conceding in seven of their last ten and two or more goals in six of those matches.
Swansea have scored 13 goals in their last half-dozen league games, and most impressively that spell has witnessed nine different scorers, so they aren’t reliant on just one goal-grabber.
As if to whet the appetite further, BTTS has landed in eight of the Welsh side’s last ten outings.
Preston North End vs Doncaster Rovers – Yes (7/10)
Only Ipswich Town have conceded more goals in the Championship than Preston, and while the Lancashire outfit have tightened their belts somewhat in recent times they have sill shipped two or more goals in four of their last seven outings.
Mind you, they are no slouches at the other end of the pitch: only six sides in the division have scored more than them.
Having suffered three defeats in their last four, Preston fans might just be fearing an upset is on the cards when goal-hungry Doncaster visit Deepdale.
The League One outfit have bludgeoned 17 in their last six outings, the highlight of which was the 5-0 demolition of Rochdale on New Year’s Day.
That being said, they have shipped more goals than eight of the division’s top ten sides, and so something of a slobberknocker could unfold up north on Sunday.
Eibar vs Villarreal – Yes (7/10)
Seven of Eibar’s nine home matches in La Liga have delivered BTTS verdicts, and six of those resulted in three or more goals hitting the back of the net.
That gives a great indication as to how they operate on home soil; attacking with gusto and yet leaving themselves open at the back into the bargain.
There was a lovely symmetry to Villarreal’s form immediately prior to the festive break. They have scored two or more goals in four of their last five outings, and conceded a brace in the same number. Hopefully there’s more to come this weekend.
Raith Rovers vs Stenhousemuir – Yes (4/5)
They may be flying high in Scotland’s League One, but Raith Rovers continue to concede goals at a fair lick, and that makes them promising BTTS fodder.
They shipped two each against Montrose, Dumbarton and East Fife over the festive period, and while we expect them to beat lowly Stenhousemuir here we shouldn’t completely write off the visitors.
In December alone, they stuck two past leaders Arbroath and a brace apiece against Brechin and Dumbarton, so they know where the goal is despite propping up the table.
Annan Athletic vs Elgin City – Yes (1/2)
The chaotic formline of Elgin City is one for goals-based punters to savour.
The Scottish League Two outfit’s last six games have finished thus: 1-3, 2-5, 4-2, 1-4, 4-0 and 0-3.
There might be qualms about their abilities on the road, but don’t worry: they have scored in 8/9 away from home, and concede at a pleasing rate of two goals per game.
As for Annan, their nine home games have yielded an eye-catching 30 goals (16 for, 14 against), and their season-long stats reveal a team that has scored in 78% of matches while conceding in 83%.