Well the Christmas period is behind us and the rush seems to have returned to calm. It’s great having football tips coming out of your ears but when you’re trying to put solid research in it can become rather overwhelming when the games are coming so thick and fast.
This week I’ve had plenty of time to study up on Saturday’s games so I’m hoping for at least a continuation of my current form which has seen just 6 losing bets from the last 24. Here are my selections for Saturday:
Wolves v Preston 3.00pm
Advised Bet: Preston double chance (draw or Preston) – 17/20
Despite their lofty position in the league table, Wolves (3rd) are really going through it at the moment and have picked up a measly 6 points in their last 6 games which makes them one of the coldest teams in League 1. On the other side of the coin, Preston North End are having a whale of a time in recent weeks and have picked up 13 points in their last 6, making them the 2nd most inform team behind Brentford.
Wolves latest defeat at Gillingham was a bitter pill to swallow. They actually dominated the game but just couldn’t bury their chances. Gillingham then grabbed the winner in the 1st minute of injury time. There’s definitely been a big drop in confidence at Molineux, and a buoyant Preston side will fancy their chances.
Just 2 points separate these two teams, and I think that come 5.00pm on Saturday, Preston would’ve leapfrogged their opponents into 3rd position. In my opinion the 17/20 odds hold plenty of value for the visitors to collect a draw or better.
Mansfield v Scunthorpe 3.00pm
Advised Bet: Scunthorpe (draw no bet) – 8/11
Scunthorpe’s run of 6 wins and 2 draw in their last 8 games has seen them climb all the way to the top of League 2. After their terrible spell under Brian Laws which eventually saw him sacked, new boss and former assistant Russ Wilcox has really pushed the club on.
Since losing 2-1 to Grimsby in the 2nd round of the FA Cup in November, The Iron have picked up 20 points in 8 games and scored 19 goals, conceding just 5.
Although they’ve improved their fortunes since Boxing Day (7 points in last 3 games), Mansfield haven’t come up against a team in the rich vein of form Scunthorpe are in and I think they’ll really struggle to cope.
Looking at the stats, 16th placed Mansfield have played 13 games against top half teams this season, winning just 3 times. This makes me very confident that backing Scunthorpe draw no bet is the correct decision.
