Is it wrong to be looking forward to Boxing Day more than Christmas Day? I don’t think so. It’s a tradition to sit down in front of Sky Sports News with a beer in hand still nursing a hangover from the day before and flying a drone around your living room that will never see the light of day again. So what better way to compliment this than with a cheeky bet? I’ve been looking over the fixture list like a kid on Christmas morning and here are my best 3 bets for a team goals treble on Boxing Day.
Brentford vs Brighton
I’m starting with an early kick off in The Championship as 3rd placed Brighton travel to 10th placed Brentford in a 1PM kick off. The visitors may have had it handed to them by Middlesbrough on home soil last time out, but don’t write them off quite yet. That was their first defeat of the season and although their undefeated run crashed rather than stalled in that 0-3 loss, they still remain strong title contenders in my opinion and should be considered favourites against Brentford not 2/1 outsiders.
Before their loss against Boro, Brighton had scored 2 or more goals in their previous 4 games in a row and against some tough opposition with the away trips to both QPR and Derby, both of which ended in 2-2 draws. It’s been a bit of a tough run for the visitors and though Brentford are no mugs, this has to be considered one of their easiest away games in December.
Brentford haven’t had as bad of a season as many may have predicted, but their form has been inconsistent at times and they have been susceptible to leaking a few goals. They’ve actually conceded more goals than any other side in the top 16 of The Championship and here at home they have the 5th worst defensive record in the league. The hosts have conceded 2 or more goals in each of their last 3 games and all of those sides sit below Brighton in the table (Fulham 18th, Cardiff 10th and Huddersfield 19th).
Brighton have scored 2 or more goals in their last 2 visits to Griffin Park and I expect them to bounce back from their defeat to Middlesbrough in style on Boxing Day.
Brighton to Score 2+ Goals at 13/8 with SkyBet
Accrington vs Carlisle
This is one of those games where in all honesty I’d fancy both teams to score 2 or more goals, but I’m going to settle with the hosts here to bag a few in this 6-pointer between 5th and 6th in League Two.
Accrington have scored more goals in their last 6 games than any other side in League Two and come into this game on Boxing Day with a run that sees them without loss in 6 games. They’ve scored 2 or more goals in 4 of those 6 games, but it’s here at home where they really have been impressive this season. They’ve found the net in all 9 of their home league games this year and have scored 2 or more in 5 of the last 6 of those. Their average here at home this season is exactly 2 goals per game and though they face a Carlisle side who are hardly out of form this Saturday, they should be able to bag a few goals in my opinion.
The visitors come to the Score First Stadium with an undefeated run stretching 5 games in the league, but they have conceded in 4 of those games, a 3-0 win over an out of sorts Notts County the only exception. Carlisle have managed only 3 clean sheets in their 22 games this season and only 2 in their 11 away league games.
Only 1 point separates these two sides in the table, but Accrington have played 2 games fewer than their opponents this weekend and I can’t ignore their goalscoring form.
Accrington to Score 2+ Goals at 10/11 with SkyBet
Bromley vs Eastleigh
Down to the Conference now for my final selection as two teams heading in completely opposite directions face off at The Courage Stadium.
Bromley come into this game with just 1 win in their last 10 games and 5 losses on the bounce, a run which has seen their promising start to their first season in The Conference disappear quicker than Santa up a chimney. In the league their last 5 losses have been against 21st, 19th, 6th, 17th and 18th – hardly strong opposition. And throughout that run of 5 losses in a row they have shipped an incredible 14 goals, an average of just under 3 per game, including conceding 5 goals in their last league outing against Southport.
The visitors on the other hand come into this with just 1 loss in their last 10 league games in all competitions, and that was against Grimsby who are widely expected to achieve promotion this year. In the league it’s 6 wins from their last 7 games including wins against Guiseley, Macclesfield and Southport, all sides who have beaten Bromley in recent weeks. Their goalscoring form away from home this season has been admirable, scoring in 10 of their 12 away league games and scoring 2 or more in 8 of those 12.
The two sides met in the FA Cup back in October on this very ground and Eastleigh walked away with a 1-2 win. Given the recent form of both sides, I would expect that margin to be greater this Boxing Day and this is the pick of the bunch in my eyes.
Eastleigh to Score 2+ Goals at 5/6 with SkyBet
A £10 bet on the treble returns £91.88 with SkyBet
