After a successful midweek of trades, we go once again this weekend looking to forge ourselves a profit from this week’s Scottish card. There’s one price in the lower leagues that stands out as an incorrect price, we’ll get to that though after we look at the Scottish Premiership matches.
Any trades recommended I’ll be backing myself. If no trades are to be found I’ll point at what might be the best bet to have if anyone is too keen to stay away from the turf accountants! It all kick off tonight at Firhill…
PARTICK V ABERDEEN (7.45PM, FRIDAY)
The pivotal matches just keep on coming, even at this early stage in the season. Aberdeen can just about kiss goodbye to any faint title hopes they may have held onto; they are now embroiled in what might prove to be a titanic battle for second place. Meanwhile, Partick are finally getting a couple of results that earlier in the season would no doubt have seen them concede a late goal to consign a good day at the office to a bad one. I don’t think Aberdeen are quite motoring the way their results in their winning run suggested, they were sluggish against Hamilton and the 0-1 reverse against Celtic could have been much worse. They’ll have to perform much better here and I wouldn’t be keen to back them at odds on. No trades here for me (unless Aberdeen shorten up even further), but I would be looking at laying Aberdeen (or backing Partick on the Asian handicap) for anyone set on a bet and settling down to watch tonight.
Prediction: Partick 1-1 Aberdeen.
CELTIC V INVERNESS
This looks to me as the usual fare that you can expect from Celtic this season. A comfortable win against vastly inferior opposition. The exertions of a credible midweek Champions League performance should do little to dampen the possibility of a Celtic win. Inverness, to their enormous credit, are the only side to halt the champions winning run with a 2-2 draw in the Highlands a few weeks ago. The price on Celtic is very restrictive at 1/6 across the board so no trades here – I’d expect Celtic to cover the -2 handicap.
Prediction: Celtic 3-0 Inverness CT.
DUNDEE V MOTHERWELL
I make the prices here pretty much in line with what is on offer at the bookmakers, so no trades here either. This is a match though that whatever trade you might want to put forward it couldn’t be made with much confidence… Dundee recording their first win in months to relieve a little pressure on Paul Hartley, whilst Motherwell record credible performances at Celtic Park and a 4-0 romp against Ross County with a 0-3 reverse sandwiched in between those two in a dismal display against Inverness at Fir Park. It’s a match were not even a token bet is recommended, but I’d plump for a share of the spoils if pushed.
Prediction: Dundee 1-1 Motherwell.
HEARTS V ST JOHNSTONE
This could well be the match of the weekend. Two of the sides that are right in the mix for second place taking each other at a packed Tynecastle. Both sides are in and out of form in recent weeks – I think we can expect a cracker and a few goals to boot. As for betting – Hearts look a little short to me at odds on, but I’d like to see the St Johnstone midfield before investing in anything, the performance against Thistle last week was very poor. If we see changes there though then we can think about taking on that Hearts price. For those looking for goals betting, I think this is the match most likely to deliver.
Prediction: Hearts 2-2 St Johnstone.
KILMARNOCK V HAMILTON
Another huge game on the fixture list. Perhaps not in terms of stature, but certainly in terms of both these sides immediate concerns over relegation. Kilmarnock have impressed me of late and I thought they would put up a better show at Ibrox last Saturday. The manner of that collapse isn’t quite as easy to shrug off as one would like it to be if investing your hard earned in that same team the following week, but Lee Clark will see this as the perfect opportunity to right that wrong. Looking back to less than two weeks ago, Kilmarnock put in an excellent performance to outplay and outfight a decent Hearts side. They look slightly overpriced to me at present, but would hope for a little more of a drift before getting involved in backing them, or indeed thinking of laying Martin Canning’s charges on the exchange. Canning is not quite as adventurous as I would like and almost always strikes me a happy to settle for not getting beaten, I think this will again be their undoing here and don’t see their price as representative of chances of taking the three points back home with them.
Prediction: Kilmarnock 2-1 Hamilton
ROSS COUNTY V RANGERS (SUNDAY)
I would suggest there hasn’t been a better time for Rangers to visit Dingwall than this weekend. The home side have been unusually generous in giving away goals, and very blunt up front too. Despite Liam Boyce’s return to the side, I think they will struggle to correct that issue here. Unfortunately from a trading point of view the prices are close to what I too think the line should be, but I wouldn’t put anyone off backing Rangers as I think they will come back down the road with the three points and the price isn’t overly restrictive. Mark Warburton hasn’t had his troubles to seek since Rangers’ promotion to the top flight, but he might be able to relieve a little strain this weekend. Anything else other than three points though and it could be a very different story though…
Prediction: Ross County 0-2 Rangers.
LOWER LEAGUES
3PTS – DUNDEE UNITED @ 17/10 – MATCH BETTING – (vs. Queen of the South).
1PTS – DUNDEE UNITED @ 19/20 – DRAW NO BET – (vs. Queen of the South).
This price is incorrect, Dundee United should be favourites to win a match against an injury hit and out of form QOTS side.
Follow @FootballAnd147 for daily updates and tips – this midweek included Edinburgh City at 7/1. We have been running for only two weeks and involve professionals that were involved in the industry for over 25 years. Currently we are running at an impressive 20% return on investment, with just over a 10 point profit. That means if you stake £100 for every point stake advised you would be in profit to the tune of £1,000 in the last two weeks.
Written by Tommy O’Donnell