It was a case of close but no cigar – how often have we said that this season! – for this column last time out.
Four of our five selections landed with relative ease, and the fifth – asking Guingamp to beat or draw with St Etienne at home – ended in dismay when the visitors found an early goal and clung on to win 1-0.
So we were certainly on the right lines with our picks, and with the return of German and Italian football this week we have even more options to work with.
As such, we’re looking forward to converting our football accumulator betting tips into winners this week!
| Match | Recommended Bet | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Fulham vs Tottenham | Fulham +1.50 Asian Handicap | 2/5 |
| Rotherham United vs Brentford | Rotherham +1.00 Asian Handicap | 3/5 |
| Bradford City vs Southend United | Bradford/Draw Double Chance | 2/5 |
| Macclesfield Town vs Oldham Athletic | Macclesfield/Draw Double Chance | 4/5 |
| Eibar vs Espanyol | Eibar Draw No Bet | 4/9 |
| Five-Fold Acca Odds | 6.25/1 | |
Fulham vs Tottenham: Fulham +1.50 Asian Handicap
This next few weeks could well define Tottenham’s season.
They look set to be without frontman Harry Kane until March due to injury, while Son Heung-Min – a revelation of late – has jetted off to the Asia Cup.
Eric Dier is still out, Mo Sissoko has picked up an injury and Mousa Dembele looks set to leave the club in this transfer window.
To make matters worse, Kane’s likely replacement – Lucas Moura – is woefully short of match fitness.
A good time for punters to oppose them then, perhaps, and while Fulham wouldn’t be the most obvious back we can do so with a one-goal headstart with confidence.
They’ve been generally okay at Craven Cottage, with a formline of W3 D3 L4, and were unlucky last time out when going down to two own goals at Burnley.
Remember, Tottenham have scored 46 Premier League goals this term but 30 of those have been contributed by players not able to take to the field on Saturday.
Rotherham United vs Brentford: Rotherham +1.00 Asian Handicap
On the face of it, this looks like a cut-and-dry away win.
Brentford are unbeaten in five (W2 D3 L0), and boss Thomas Frank appears to have finally found a winning formula.
Rotherham, meanwhile, have lost four of their last five.
But the plot does thicken. The Bees are still yet to win on the road this term, while the Milers – despite their lowly league position – have only lost twice at home all term (W5 D6 L2).
The likes of Derby County, Swansea and Preston have all left the New York Stadium empty handed, with points also taken off Sheffield United and Bristol City to name just two.
Bradford City vs Southend United: Bradford/Draw Double Chance
There has been a real upturn in fortunes of late for Bradford City.
They have won four of their last six outings, with the only blemishes coming away from home at Sunderland and Barnsley; third and fifth in League One respectively.
Other than those two matches, the Bantams’ goal difference reads +13 from this halcyon period.
Southend, meanwhile, have been woefully inconsistent of late, as a formline of W4 D0 L4 attests.
The Shrimpers have lost eight of their last twelve, all told, including five of their last six on the road.
Macclesfield Town vs Oldham Athletic: Macclesfield/Draw Double Chance
The Sol Campbell revolution gathers pace at Macclesfield.
Okay, so the Maccs haven’t risen like Lazarus under the guidance of the former England defender, but W3 D2 L3 is an improvement at least.
Perhaps the biggest change he has overseen is on home soil, where his charges once had the worst home record in all the land. Now, they have lost just one of five in front of their own supporters.
Oldham are going along nicely enough – W2 D1 L2 – but it should be said that four of those fixtures have been played at home. On their travels, they lost 0-6 at Carlisle on Boxing Day, as an example of their fragility.
All in all, the Latics have won 4/13 on the road this term.
Eibar vs Espanyol: Eibar Draw No Bet
Here’s a meeting between a side reliably decent on home soil against an outfit who get travel sick rather easily.
Eibar have avoided defeat in 8/10 in front of their own supporters (W4 D4 L2), and they’ve only lost one of their last five anywhere too.
Espanyol, on the other hand, have won just 1/10 on the road, and have lost seven of their last eight La Liga games all told.
To make matters worse, the visitors could be without first team regulars Leo Baptistao, Mario Hermoso and Sergio Garcia.