It’s the first weekend of the month, it’s FA Cup weekend, and there’s plenty of mouth-watering fixtures across the Premier League and Championship too. It looks like being a great Saturday, and the only ingredient missing is a winning bet. Hopefully our BTTS selections can overcome that particular issue.
We’ve picked six teams to all find the net in a treble that pays out at just under 9/2. Here are our selections.
Bournemouth v Sunderland
Sunderland’s start to the season has been nothing short of abysmal, but David Moyes has got to maintain faith in his side’s ability to finally grab a win as they head to Bournemouth. However, the only way they will break their duck is by being positive, which is why we think this will be a BTTS winner.
The Black Cats aren’t unlucky; they’re just not very good. The one thing they do boast, however, is a proven goalscorer in the form of Jermain Defoe. Moreover, seeing Bournemouth concede twice at Middlesbrough should show Sunderland that there is an opportunity to score.
Having said that, it’s hard to see the visitors keeping a shutout. Bournemouth scored six against Hull not too long ago, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if they hit another three or four against an away team that doesn’t even get the basics right.
Sunderland have got to end their torrid run at some point, which is why we won’t back the result. Even if they do grab that elusive win, a clean sheet seems very unlikely indeed. At the same time, we do think they’ll find the target.
Nottingham Forest v QPR
The goals simply haven’t stopped flowing at the City Ground as all seven of Forest’s home league matches have ended in BTTS winners, bringing a total of 17 goals for and 13 against. We have no reason to think that trend will end as they take on QPR.
Form has eluded the hosts, who hover dangerously just above the drop zone right now. However, they have registered four win from those seven home games, and will fancy their chances against an R’s side that also sits in the bottom half.
QPR have lost each of their last two without scoring, but Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink’s men boast nine goals on the road and are more than capable of hitting double figures with a goal here. The visitors have also shipped eight on their travels, though, so they may need more than one goal to grab the win.
Whether they get the victory or not isn’t of any interest to us. As long as both teams score, we’ll be happy.
Bury v AFC Wimbledon
It’s also FA Cup weekend, and David Flitcroft’s Bury will be desperate to end their run of seven straight defeats with a big result against League One rivals Wimbledon.
But the hosts certainly won’t expect to have things their own way against a team that beat them 2-1 in the league less than three weeks ago. In addition to that result, it’s worth noting that Bury haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last 15 competitive matches. If they are going to win this one, they may have to do it the hard way.
The hosts do tend to score, though, with 12 of their last 15 ending in BTTS winners. Given that the visitors enter this clash on the back of a 3-2 defeat too, the home crowd at Gigg Lane should expect their team to score.
Unfortunately, one goal probably won’t be enough to secure their place in round two as the Dons boast a number of different goalscoring outlets. The smart money has to be on goals.
