Friday 22nd November 2024

In Across the Leagues today:

• Back Brennan again…
• Ipswich v Man Utd…
• Win & Both Teams to Score picks at 60/1… 

Weekend Preview: Captain Bruno - and a Top Trends Treble…

Okay. This is it. No more International breaks until March. Christmas is coming, and the formbook’s getting fat. The Premier League and domestic divisions return to action this weekend. We’re going full steam ahead for the festive run-up. Let’s get down to business…

Johnson at the double…

Brennan Johnson gave us a nice couple of winners for Wales on Tuesday night - scoring AND getting booked, all within 10 second-half minutes. The 23-year-old returns to club duties for Tottenham this weekend (Sat 5.30pm, Sky Sports). And it’s a big one, with Spurs going to champions Man City…

We can get the same two prices or better again for Johnson here: 3/1+ to Score, and Bet365 once again industry-best for Brennan to get a Card, at 6/1. He’s landed at least one of those options in 11 of his last 16 games for club & country.

Captain Bruno…

Another player I mentioned in the notes this week is Bruno Fernandes. The Man Utd captain has come to life since Erik ten Hag left Old Trafford. Bruno has scored four times in three games, landing three Anytime Scorer payouts. The Portuguese midfielder is also chief penalty taker for the Red Devils. We’ll take odds of 2/1 for the form-surge to continue this weekend, with an added incentive for the captain to lead by example…

Fellow countryman Ruben Amorim takes charge of his first match as Man Utd manager here (Ipswich away, Sun 4.30pm - Sky Sports). The Tractor Boys are yet to win at home in their return to the top tier. Back in 1995, United famously thumped Ipswich, 9-0. In 2020, in his first game as a manager in the Portuguese top-flight, Amorim enjoyed a 7-1 away win with Braga. Ipswich’s biggest defeats so far this season have been by the 4-1 score-line (twice - at West Ham, and Man City).

Top Trends Treble…

With the formbook filling up nicely at this time of year, we can start to really target the top trends on a more regular basis…

I’ve been scouring the Top Performing Teams, League and Team Stats, and Head-2-Head stats on our site. And these three match-ups pass the selection process this weekend, on both the form and prices. The treble pays 5/1…

Aberdeen to win
St Mirren v Aberdeen - Scottish Premiership, Sat 3pm

• The Scottish Premiership’s joint-leaders continue to be chalked up at odds-against prices. The Dons have won 10 out of 11 so far, including 3 out of 4 on the road. Only Sporting in Portugal can beat Aberdeen’s 91% win rate this season - and the Lisbon club have just lost their manager to Man Utd

Top Performing Teams 2024/25 - Match Results:

Swansea v Leeds Utd - Under 2.5 Goals
Championship, Sun 3pm - Sky Sports

• The home v away Head-2-Head comparison on our website highlights this match-up for Under 2.5 Goals: that bet has paid out in 6 out of 7 Swansea home games this season, with the same 86% strike-rate on the road for Leeds. Overall, the Swans are on a run of 8 out of 9 league games going Under 2.5 Goals, with 7 of those actually going Under 1.5 Goals: 0-0, 1-0, or 0-1

Swansea Home - Leeds Away, Season and Last 5 Games:

Celta Vigo v Barcelona - Over 2.5 Goals
La Liga - Spain, Sat 8pm

• 9 of the last 10 meetings between these clubs have gone Over 2.5 Goals. This season, league leaders Barcelona are ranked 1st for that bet, paying out 7 times out of 8 on their travels. While hosts Celta Vigo are 3rd in our overall 2024/25 La Liga standings for Over 2.5 Goals

La Liga - Over 2.5 Goals - Top 5 teams:

Log-in to view all our bet-specific stats for 18 leagues at:

www.acrosstheleagues.co.uk

Win & BTTS Trixie…

And finally for this weekend…

We’re continuing our bold, long-term, big-odds quest by going after three more well-rated and nicely-priced candidates in the Match Result & Both Teams to Score (BTTS) markets in the rollercoaster world of the English Football League...

• Trixie = 3 doubles and a treble, with 2 winning lines needed for a payout

These are all Saturday 3pm kick-offs:

Blackburn to Win & Both Teams to Score
Blackburn Rovers v Portsmouth - Championship

Peterborough to Win & Both Teams to Score
Peterborough Utd v Reading - League One

MK Dons to Win & Both Teams to Score
Fleetwood Town v MK Dons - League Two

The full-house treble comes out at 60/1…

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TODAY’S PICKS & BEST ODDS

See above for full details

Man City v Tottenham:

• Anytime Scorer: Brennan Johnson @ 7/2 (4.5) Bet365, SpreadEx, Sporting Index, 3/1+ (4.0+) in general
• Player to be Carded: Brennan Johnson @ 6/1 (7.0) Bet365, 7/2+ (4.5+) BetVictor, Unibet (and BetUK, BetMGM & LiveScoreBet - same sportsbook), Skybet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook, William Hill 

Ipswich v Man Utd:

• Anytime Scorer: Bruno Fernandes @ 23/10 (3.3) Unibet (and BetUK, BetMGM & LiveScoreBet - same sportsbook), 2/1+ (3.0+) general

Top Trends Treble:

• Aberdeen to beat St Mirren, Swansea v Leeds: Under 2.5 Goals, Celta Vigo v Barcelona: Over 2.5 Goals @ 5/1 (6.0) William Hill, 9/2 (5.5) general

Win & BTTS Trixie:

• Win & Both Teams to Score: Blackburn, Peterborough, MK Dons - best odds William Hill (60/1 the treble), Skybet (59/1), Bet365 (57/1), 50/1+ general

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Champions League Tuesday…

I’ll be back on Tuesday ready for the resumption of the Champions League - with one match in particular already in my sights…

Enjoy the football…

Best wishes,

Oliver Upstone

Across the Leagues