What a week it has been! There didn’t appear to be too much going to bet on when scraping the surface but both of my midweek bets came good and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.
There’s plenty of options this Saturday but I’ve had to narrow them down to just what I consider the very best bets. Here’s what I’ve come up with. Good luck if you follow!
Before I go into my selections I’ve got to recommend the bet Raymond has on Dundee United in his article. They need to be followed as they are in blistering form. I would’ve advised exactly the same bet as Raymond.
Crystal Palace v Newcastle – 3.00pm
Advised Bet: Newcastle win – 7/5 Paddy Power
Newcastle’s only real negative for the last two months has been that 0-3 loss at the Liberty against Swansea a few weeks ago, and I’m taking them to do the business on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The Toon have picked up 16 points in their last 7 games; form which has seen them power up to 6th place in the league. Since the beginning of November they’ve taken the scalps of Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United on their current run of good form and will be full of confidence for their trip to South London, although they may be smarting a little from not being able to finish Southampton off last weekend (1-1).
Palace have upped their game in recent weeks and have managed to secure three victories in under a month, although Newcastle are likely to be much tougher to beat than Hull, West Ham and Cardiff were.
The Eagles are still struggling with injuries (Dikgacoi, O’Keefe and Williams are all doubts). A big positive for Newcastle is that Yohan Cabaye returns after a 1 match ban. In fact, Newcastle have a completely fit squad apart from Ryan Taylor.
Newcastle should have too much quality for Crystal Palace and at 7/5 with Paddy Power I rate them a solid bet.
Burnley v Blackpool – 3.00pm
Advised Bet: Blackpool double chance – 10/11 SkyBet
Burnley are rightful favourites if you look at the league table (2nd play 9th) but I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that the Seasiders will make it very hard for Sean Dyche’s side.
Despite their lofty position in the league, Burnley have won just 1 of their last 8 games; a 1-0 home win over bottom of the table Barnsley. Not exactly awe inspiring stuff, and their early season attack which saw them win game after game seems to be a distant memory now.
Blackpool have disappointed in their last couple of games. They were annihilated 5-1 by a red hot Derby County side and lost 1-0 to struggling Yeovil. We can excuse them for their 2-0 loss to QPR though.
Generally Blackpool have been very solid on their travels this term; losing only 3 of 10 games played. It’s true that they don’t have a great record when visiting Turf Moor (they haven’t won there since 1998), but by backing them ‘double chance’ we also get paid for the draw; a bet I’m more than happy to take.
