We took on the first weekend of the Football League season last week in our football accumulator betting tips….and lost, mostly.
We enjoyed 3/5 successful legs, with the other two losing by a solitary goal, but until more rounds of matches are played we won’t know whether that was due to variance, bad luck or simply bad picking!
The Premier League returns this week – rejoice – and here are this week’s selection of tips.
| Match | Recommended Bet | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal vs Manchester City | Arsenal +1.00 Asian Handicap | 11/20 |
| Blackpool vs Portsmouth | Portsmouth/Draw Double Chance | 1/2 |
| Macclesfield vs Grimsby Town | Macclesfield/Draw Double Chance | 21/50 |
| Columbus Crew vs Houston Dynamo | Columbus to Win | 4/7 |
| Bahia vs America MG | Bahia to Win | 4/5 |
| Five-Fold Acca Odds | 7.73/1 | |
Arsenal vs Manchester City: Arsenal +1.00 Asian Handicap
For this leg to completely fail, Manchester City would need to win by two or more goals.
That’s perfectly possible of course, but it has been noted that Pep Guardiola’s preparations for the season have been hampered by having to give extended breaks to a number of his World Cup stars.
Arsenal are in a similar, albeit less significant, boat, but you can almost sense the palpable feelings of a new dawn at the Emirates now that Arsene Wenger has gone.
It’s worth reminding ourselves that Arsenal’s front four of Ozil-Lacazette-Aubameyang-Mkhitaryan is as good as any in the division, and you can expect a much better showing from the Gunners this season.
If they score here, the selection will surely land.
Blackpool vs Portsmouth: Portsmouth/Draw Double Chance
It’s just one thing after another at Blackpool, with the Oyston family still finding ways to alienate everyone associated with the club they own.
The latest casualty is Gary Bowyer, the popular manager who was working wonders at the club on a miniscule budget. But promises made to him about transfer targets and improvements to the training ground have not been forthcoming, and so he has decided to walk away from the Tangerines.
More chaos at the northern outfit then, and Pompey are the kind of opponent that can profit.
Winners on the opening day against Luton, Portsmouth will be looking to get promotion this season, and another three points here will get them off to the perfect start.
They weren’t the best away from home last season, but given the turmoil at Blackpool they won’t need much encouragement on Saturday.
Macclesfield vs Grimsby Town: Macclesfield/Draw Double Chance
Context is everything in football, and by that token Macclesfield’s opening day defeat was better than Grimsby’s….despite both leaving empty handed.
Macclesfield twice took the lead against a Swindon side quietly fancied to do well this term, and were unlucky to lose considering their opponents were gifted a pair of injury time penalties.
Grimsby, meanwhile, were trounced 1-4 at home by Forest Green, and so there is very little to really promote the cause of the visitors here.
If the hosts can cling onto the positives of their opening day defeat, they could get on the board against the hapless Mariners on home soil.
Columbus Crew vs Houston Dynamo: Columbus to Win
Last time out Houston had an incredible three players sent off, which means Alberth Elis (who has scored nine and assisted seven goals), Darwin Ceren and Alejandro Fuenmayor will all sit this game out.
Add into the mix an injury to Philippe Senderos, and it’s bad times all round for a side who has failed to win in five attempts.
No such problems for Columbus, who have won their last pair; netting six times in the process. They actually had a blank gameweek last time out due to the odd numbers in the MLS, and so they will be well rested and raring to go against a patched-up Houston.
Bahia vs America MG: Bahia to Win
Since the start of June, we’ve been collecting Expected Points data on the Brazilian Serie A based on match-by match xG ratings, and as far as these two teams are concerned the results are clear.
America MG have been one of the worst performers in our ratings, ‘losing’ their last four matches and five in a row on their travels.
Bahia are better than their league position suggests, according to our data anyway, and claim an average of 2.40 points per game on home soil.
It’s all theory and conjecture, of course, but Bahia should be shorter than their 4/5 price here.