We were a whisker away from completing a full house of winning both teams to score betting tips last week, although it must be said the one selection that did let us down did so in spectacular fashion.
Goals rained in at Tottenham, Bournemouth, Carlisle and Cheltenham to take us close to the 11.44/1 prize pot.
Unfortunately, we had backed BTTS (No) in the Stoke City vs QPR game, in which both sides decided to chuck their normal gameplan in the bin and play out a 2-2 thriller!
Still, 4/5 isn’t a bad return by anybody’s measure, and if backed in singles would have ensured a handsome return.
Without further ado, let’s get stuck into this week’s BTTS tips.
| Match | Both Teams to Score Yes/No | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal vs Tottenham | Yes | 4/9 |
| Birmingham City vs Preston | Yes | 4/6 |
| Wrexham vs Newport County | Yes | 4/5 |
| Tranmere Rovers vs Southport | Yes | 19/20 |
| Rayo Vallecano vs Eibar | Yes | 7/10 |
| All Five Results as an Accumulator | 13.36/1 | |
Arsenal vs Tottenham – Yes (4/9)
Give that millions of neutral observers will tune into this game on TV on Sunday, we certainly don’t want to tempt fate. But this one appears to have goals written all over it.
Arsenal’s defensive woes continued at Bournemouth last time out, with injuries forcing Unai Emery to switch to a back three. It didn’t work, really, and the Cherries could have netted three or more times in a frenetic first half.
He could have Stephan Lichtsteiner back on Sunday and possibly even Laurent Koscielny, who is working his way back to full fitness, but that could be scant consolation for a Gunners side that has kept just two clean sheets in the league this term.
Tottenham will offer what Bournemouth didn’t have last time out: quality in the final third of the pitch.
Spurs’ defensive woes could be eased by the return of Jan Vertonghen, Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose, but it still takes an awesome effort to keep this Arsenal attack at bay; only Manchester City have notched more Premier League goals than the Gunners.
Birmingham City vs Preston – Yes (4/6)
There are many variables that go into determining whether a fixture has BTTS potential or not, but a leaky home side hosting an in-form away team is often a decent place to start.
And that’s what we have here, with Garry Monk’s Birmingham seemingly abdicating their defensive responsibilities at the moment; shipping ten goals in their last three games an with just one clean sheet since mid September.
That will likely precipitate a change in personnel and tactics, but with a midweek round of fixtures in the Championship the manager won’t have much time to work on any new system.
The Blues are typically good for a goal though (15 in their last seven), and that makes them an intriguing proposition ahead of this clash with Preston.
It’s been a season of two halves for the Lancashire outfit: poor in August-September (W1 D2 L7) but excellent since (W4 D5 L0), the Lilywhites are also excellent value at present to trouble the scoreboard operator.
Wrexham vs Newport County – Yes (4/5)
The powers that be have decided that this all-Welsh FA Cup tie should be played at 8pm on Saturday night….ensuring a, ahem, ‘lively’ atmosphere by the time the game kicks off.
That should hopefully lead to a good old-fashioned cup tie between two sides that, on paper at least, look evenly matched.
Newport sit fourth in League Two despite have a negative goal difference, and that highlights their weakness defensively: since the start of October, they have kept just one clean sheet in ten appearances.
But they are no slouches at the other end, scoring in 18/20 this term and two or more in a trio of their last four outings.
Wrexham will play with the freedom that these ‘free hit’ cup ties afford, and a side with a formline of W5 D4 L1 is always likely to be dangerous.
Tranmere Rovers vs Southport – Yes (19/20)
Whoever drew the FA Cup second round balls has delivered some cracking fixtures, with just 20-odd miles separating Tranmere and Southport.
So we can expect another raucous cup tie here, with recent results suggesting that goals should be in the offing.
Tranmere have been excellent in League Two so far this term, but of late a defensive wobble has left them reeling: 2-3, 1-1 and 2-5 scorelines indicate trouble afoot at the back.
Southport won’t care, and just lately they have found a spark in attack. Victories of 4-1, 3-0 and 2-1 in the National League North have been joined by a 2-0 victory over Boreham Wood – who are in a division higher remember – in the first round of this competition and a 2-0 win over near neighbours Chester in the FA Trophy. Confidence a-plenty, then.
Rayo Vallecano vs Eibar – Yes (7/10)
Eibar sent shockwaves through Spanish football with their 3-0 demolition of Real Madrid last time out, and assuming they don’t suffer a case of ‘after the lord mayor’s show’ here they can be expected to nick another high-scoring contest on Friday night.
Rayo Vallecano haven’t won since September and are deep in the relegation mire, and worst still they have conceded two or more goals in 9/13 La Liga starts this term.
And yet they have scored in all seven of their home outings, and indeed have found the net in 10/13 in all matches.