Showing posts with label Loftus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Loftus. Show all posts

Sunday, February 26, 2012

The Two And A Half Goals Column: Loftus Road goal glut

Daily Tipping RSS / / 25 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

Clint Dempsey has been Fulham's go-to man when it comes to goals

Clint Dempsey has been Fulham's go-to man when it comes to goals

"Martin Jol’s team are unrecognisable from the clean-sheet wonders of early season, and instead now choose to slug-it-out with teams ‘ala’ Rocky versus Apollo Creed. "

The Inside Man continues to use his inside knowledge to find the best bets from this weekend's over/under 2.5 goals markets.

Saturday

QPR v Fulham

This London derby stands-out as the place to find Premier League goals on Saturday, with both sides likely to get on the score-sheet.

Since taking over at QPR on January 10, Mark Hughes has brought in forwards Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora. Hughes clearly recognised QPR's lack of firepower and looked to remedy the problem quickly. As a result, four home games, out of the five since his arrival, have produced more than two and a half goals. The only cagey affair was, quite understandably, his first game in charge.

That doesn't bode well for a Fulham side who haven't kept a clean sheet in their last nine. Martin Jol's team are unrecognisable from the clean-sheet wonders of early season, and instead now choose to slug-it-out with teams 'ala' Rocky versus Apollo Creed. Five of Fulham's last six games have gone over on goals, with Clint Dempsey's efforts fuelling a team who've netted in eight of their last nine games.

Goals look set to be the main course here, in what should be a healthy serving of attacking football.

Recommended Bet

Back Over 2.5 goals @ [2.12]

Charlton v Stevenage

Charlton sit top of the League One table, and continue to rumble towards the title despite a conspicuous lack of goals. It's seven games since Charlton scored more than once. Luckily for manager Chris Powell though, his defense has been on top form.

This is evident from Charlton's last seven matches at home. Only one of those games went over two and a half goals, yet amazingly the Addicks were unbeaten in that time, taking 15 points from a possible 21.

As for Stevenage, well they look unlikely to spoil this low-scoring run. Of their last 12 matches, four were goalless, with a further four ending 1-0. Meanwhile, their road form has been especially prudent, with six of their last eight away games going under the goals mark.

It's important to note, that from their last 17 matches, the only ones to go over two and a half goals were those won by Stevenage. So with a Stevenage win at the Valley available at large odds-against, the chance of goals should be considered equally unlikely.

Recommended Bet

Back Under 2.5 goals @ [1.81]

Sunday

Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Rangers

Short on money, form, points and luck, it looks like being a surprisingly rough end to the season for Rangers.

Surprises, they say though, only come to those who aren't looking. And just as Rangers' financial strife could have been seen coming a long time ago, if you look carefully, you'll also see that a lack of goals shouldn't be a surprise for their trip to Inverness.

The signs are there. More than half of Rangers' away games have gone under two and a half goals, including their match at the Caledonian Stadium earlier this season, which Rangers won 2-0.

Indeed there's no reason to think Ally McCoist's team, nor any other side, should have it easy against Inverness at present. Caley's last six games have produced a total of just seven goals. Even a rampant Celtic side could only manage a 1-0 victory, despite having home advantage.

And with top-scorer Nikica Jelavic having been recently sold, the Rangers attack looks less potent now than it has at any time this season, making a low-scoring encounter the confident call here.

Recommended Bet

Back Under 2.5 goals @ [1.87]

Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao

Here are two teams that have every reason to go for the win, and hence goals, on Sunday.

Villarreal lie just three points above the relegation zone, and will understand that getting as many wins as possible from their remaining home games will be crucial to their survival hopes. As for Athletic Bilbao, they lie fourth in the table, seven points behind the pot of gold that would be an automatic Champions League position. For them to close that gap, only wins will do.

Not that either side needs much motivation to go on the attack. The goals have been flowing freely for both sides, at either end of the pitch, as of late. Seven of Villarreal's last eight games have gone over two and a half goals, with only an understandable parking of the bus, to achieve a 0-0 draw against Barcelona, having blotted their copybook. Bilbao meanwhile have been unrelenting, with their last six matches all going over the goals mark, at an average of four goals per game.

Recommended Bet

Back Over 2.5 goals @ [2.04]

Jonno Turner anticipates a disappointing conclusion to the week for Reggina and Angers, with Pescara and Bastia helping him to end it on a high......

The Europa League is dominating Jonno Turner's thoughts on Thursday, as he backs first-leg blank-firers Anderlecht and Udinese to deliver at the second attempt......

Ligue 1 and Serie A are the two leagues featured in today's column. But who is the good thing to win at home and who should we back to win away?...


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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Opta Stats: Man City goals to keep flowing at Loftus Road

Opta RSS / Michael Lintorn / 04 November 2011 / Leave a Comment

Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli both scored for Manchester City in midweek

Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli both scored for Manchester City in midweek

"Manchester City have scored four more goals than any previous team has managed after 10 games of a Premier League season ."

Michael Lintorn has picked out four of his favourite Opta trends for this weekend's Premier League games, identifying ways to use them to try to boost your Betfair balance...

Aston Villa v Norwich (Saturday, 15:00)
The Canaries are one of two Premier League teams (with Blackburn) yet to keep a clean sheet this term
Norwich's defensive shortcomings could cause problems further down the line - although their 15 conceded in 10 games puts them on a par with title hopefuls Chelsea - but for now it isn't an issue because they continue to score. Paul Lambert's side have been shut out just twice, and as Aston Villa have shipped eight in their last three encounters, the likelihood is that both teams will find the net.
More stats

QPR v Manchester City (Saturday, 17:30)
Manchester City have scored four more goals than any previous team has managed after 10 games of a Premier League season (Arsenal netted 32 after 10 games in 2009/10)
Even those optimistic about Manchester City's prospects in pre-season can't have imagined a start quite so stunning. Roberto Mancini's men have averaged 3.6 goals per Premier League game without even factoring in the opposition's contribution and hit a ridiculous 18 in their last four away outings in all competitions, and with QPR firing in their last three at home, another goal-heavy match awaits.
More stats

Wolves v Wigan (Sunday, 13:30)
There have been three red cards in the last three Premier League games between Wigan and Wolves
The above Opta snippet reveals that this is a surprising ill-tempered fixture and there is even more chance of conflict in their latest collision given the desperation that both sides will feel to get a result after miserable recent runs. Wolves are winless in eight, with a section of the crowd turning on boss Mick McCarthy as a result, while Wigan are bottom of the pile after seven successive defeats.
More stats

Bolton v Stoke (Sunday, 15:00)
Stoke have lost their last three away league games, conceding nine goals and netting just once
Bolton have lost seven in a row at the Reebok Stadium, but the above Opta pearl gives Owen Coyle's men hope of a much-needed win. An FA Cup semi-final thrashing to the Potters started their malaise in many ways, however that success brought about Europa League football for Stoke and they have struggled to fight on two fronts, being beaten in their last three matches to have followed European ties.
More stats

Recommended Bets:
Both teams to score in Aston Villa v Norwich @ [1.79]
Over 3.5 goals in QPR v Manchester City @ [2.48]
A sending off in Wolves v Wigan @ [5.0]
Bolton to beat Stoke @ [2.46]

Click here to access dozens more priceless Opta statistics

Demba Ba, Peter Odemwingie and Danny Graham are among the players that the Opta stats indicate could be amongst the goals this weekend......

Both Liverpool and Manchester United host clubs below them in the table on Saturday, and whilst both should win, one of them might have to fight harder than anticipated says Mike Norman....

The Opta stats augur well for Tottenham ahead of their Sunday afternoon trip to Craven Cottage to face former boss Martin Jol, as Michael Lintorn explains......


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