After a fairly quiet week of League Cup action which saw Sunderland grab an extra time winner against Mourinho’s Chelsea, we are back with a full complement of league action.
Here at Goals Galore we have picked up a tidy both teams to score treble involving one fixture from each of the top three divisions. Take a look…
Fulham v Manchester City – 3.00pm Saturday
Both teams to score odds – 4/6
Two sides meet at Craven Cottage who are settled at either ends of the table with most expecting another City rout as they go for their second Premier League title. Although Fulham will hoping for a draw or a consolation or maybe even more as they fight for survival in the league everyone wants to be in.
Fulham need points to further close in on those teams just above the drop zone and even though they’re up against one of the divisions best, they will need to get some sort of result. Last week we predicted BTTS when the Lilywhites travelled to Everton and they duly obliged we expect another game of goals on Saturday. Since the arrival of Rene Muelensteen performances have been greatly improved and even though a win will be too much to ask, I can see another Berbatov goal.
It is not too difficult to write up why City are likely to score in any given game. The Citizens stuck SIX past league leaders Arsenal last week, so against a side in the bottom three it could be 12. Fulham have conceded the joint most goals in the division along with Sunderland and will be fearing the worst. Realistically though, the Sky Blues have not found it easy travelling this campaign having won just twice in eight games. They have however failed to score in just two of those ties. Top scorer Aguero is also out for at least six weeks through injury, but there won’t be too much panic at The Etihad as they can still rely on the likes of Yaya Toure, Silva and Alvaro Negredo to ripple the net.
Rotherham v Wolves – 3.00pm Saturday
Both teams to score odds – 8/11
Sixth placed Rotherham play hosts to league favourites Wolves who currently sit in second place behind surprise package Leyton Orient. Rotherham though are another side who have been another mini revelation. After winning promotion last season they were expected to fight off relegation from day one but are currently holding onto a Play Off place which is a position way beyond all expectation. Can they pull off another shock win against the midland giants?
Rotherham have won four of their last five games and will be full of confidence in what is their biggest game of the season so far. Four of those previous five fixtures have also seen both teams score which is great news for our bet. The Millers also have a home record which has seen them hit the back of the net 15 times already this season and having been victorious in so many games recently I am positive they will continue to score on Saturday.
Visitors Wolves are just a point off top spot and know that every game is one they must win, with this weekend being no different. Form is not looking great, having won just once in five and they come into the tie off back to back defeats. The rot must stop and Kenny Jackett will be looking at this game as the one where they turn that form on its head with three points. On their travels in League One, Wolves have failed to score just once and I cannot see that being doubled at Rotherham.
Millwall v Middlesbrough – 5.30pm Saturday
Both teams to score odds -8/11
A lower mid-table clash at the Den sees Millwall take on Middlesbrough in Saturday’s late kick off. Both sides are in danger of dropping into the relegation zone with a couple of losses and will view this fixture as a game they can gain an important three points from.
Steve Lomas is continuously under pressure from the fans and he is probably never more than three losses away from the sack. At home their form has been mixed and it is difficult to predict which way the game will swing however goals are usually guaranteed. 28 of them have been struck in the last eight games which is quite incredible. In a match which should be open as both teams go for the win I expect plenty more to tally up.
Middlesbrough have a dreadful away record which has seen them win just one game from ten despite scoring 12 goals along the way. New manager and first non-Brit in charge at The Riverside, Aitor Karanka, has yet to make the impact which was expected when he turned down Crystal Palace for the North East club. On the road ‘Boro have scored in all but two ties this season which were against Blackburn and League favourites QPR. I am predicting a rare away win.
