Tuesday 21st November 2023

In Across the Leagues EXTRA today:

• It’s time for some proper football…
• A pat on the back for San Marino…
• The 100% Club – Part I…

The 12 top bets in the Premier League this season…

Good afternoon. It got dark pretty quick as I was writing this email…

These short days and long nights mean just one thing: we’re heading into the PROPER part of the football season…

It’s time for some proper football…

Wet Tuesday nights at Stoke. Muddy Saturday afternoons in Mansfield. Floodlights. Deep Heat. Magic sponges. Midweek AND weekend fixtures…

Champions League. EFL Cup. As well as all the leagues covered by the stats on our members-only Across the Leagues website.

And an unbroken, full-tilt, top-flight schedule taking us up to Christmas and New Year, before the annual FA Cup 3rd Round weekend in January…

With the Premier League set to return with a bang this weekend: Man City v Liverpool on Sky Sports on Saturday lunchtime. League games don’t come much bigger than that…

There’s also the small matter of Everton v Man Utd on Super Sunday. A classic Premier League fixture, made all the more intriguing in light of recent events. Points deductions and proposed takeover bids dominated the off-pitch talking points, as endless column inches were filled during the International break…

Mercifully, we’re about to put the International mismatches to bed for a while. Allowing us to pencil in some serious DAILY Across the Leagues action for Euro 2024 next summer (14th June – 14th July). More on that nearer the time…

• This time last year, we were just a day or two into the Qatar World Cup. Strange times. But that major tournament ended in profit for members, courtesy of a last-gasp 45/1 winning Bet Builder in the final. And we’ll be strapping in for more excitement in Germany next summer…

Yes, there are some important qualification matters to be sorted out this evening. Wales v Turkey has a lot riding on it for the hosts (tip: you can watch the game free-to-air on the Welsh-language channel S4C. Or with a Viaplay subscription.)

But to be honest, much of this International break has had me pining for the league football to resume…

Granted three wishes…

Wishes will be granted on Friday night, with Rotherham v Leeds Utd on Sky Sports. We could get floodlights, mud AND rain in that one…

And for the more glamourous fixtures, the TV cameras will also be at PSG v Monaco on Friday evening (TNT Sports), and FC Cologne v Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich (Sky Sports).

• My members-only Friday email will deal with the weekend business. Including bet opportunities and standout stats for Man City v Liverpool. I’ll be giving that game a good hard look, for sure. Find out how to become an Across the Leagues member here

Before we get into our next round of our free Premier League Predictor game. Over the next couple of days, you and I will be limbering up for the November/ December smorgasbord of fixtures… the upcoming feast of festive football… the jam-packed weekly programme…

As I say, we are now heading into the PROPER part of the season. And as well as loads of games, that also means: the stats on our website are maturing like a very fine wine…

We’ve got 17 leagues covered on the site. All from a dedicated, market-specific, betting perspective. Everything from Match Results and Win & Both Teams to Score… to Corners, Cards, Half Times… Referees, and Player Stats…

The latter gave members two out of two First Goalscorer winners over the weekend. Jordan Rhodes (Blackpool) and Jamie Reid (Stevenage) are now out in front as the no.1 ranked First Scorers in our League One chart for 2023/24. They’ve got six payouts each in that market.

What’s the point?

One final rant from me on the recent Internationals. France beating Gibraltar by a record score-line of 14-0 (FOURTEEN-NIL) might give headline writers something to giggle about. But it doesn’t do much for the idea of competitive football on the global stage.

A much better ‘minnows’ story for me – and this headline is my own:

San Marino can’t stop scoring…

They may have lost again (and again, and again). But – drumroll please – San Marino have now scored in three games in a row! Have a bit of that. A 97th-minute penalty giving the tiny footballing state something to cheer about, before the beatings inevitably resume.

San Marino last 3 games formbook:

San Marino 1 Finland 2
Kazakhstan 3 San Marino 1
San Marino 1 Denmark 2

Prior to that recent free-scoring run, San Marino had managed just one goal in 16 games.

The 100% Club: Premier League Edition…

Back to the stats on our website now. And we’re kicking off this week’s big Premier League build-up with a look at some of the very best stats & trends currently showing in the English top-flight…

These are bets that, so far in 2023/24, have paid out EVERY time. That’s the criteria for being in The 100% Club, pure and simple.

Here’s the hit-list…

HOME WINS:

• Man City (5 out of 5), Aston Villa (6 out of 6), and Liverpool (6 out of 6) have all won 100% of their home games

• Villa are actually on a run of 13 straight home wins in the Premier League, going back to March last season

OVER 2.5 GOALS:

• There are just two teams in the division with 100% records for Over 2.5 Goals payouts this season: Aston Villa (6 out of 6 at home), and Bournemouth (5 out of 5 away)

BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE:

• Brighton are flat-out 100% overall for Both Teams to Score. With 12 out of 12 games seeing goals at both ends. No Clean Sheets for the Seagulls, but they have Scored in every game…

UNDER 10.5 CORNERS:

• Brighton are also the only team with a 100% stat for Under 10.5 Corners – that bet paying out in all 5 of their away games

OVER 10.5 CORNERS:

• Luton are the only side with a 100% feather in their cap for Over 10.5 Corners bets. The Hatters have paid out for ‘high corners’ bettors in 5 out of 5 home games. Following right on from their form last season, where Luton had the best home record in the Championship for Over 10.5 Corners (70%)

MOST CORNERS:

• Arsenal are out on their own in 1st place for Most Corners payouts. Landing the Corners Match Bet in 11 out of 12 league games overall this term (92%), and 100% at home (7 out of 7)

OVER 3.5 CARDS:

• In the Total Cards department, Chelsea are the boys to follow for ‘Over’ bets. As it stands, the Blues are 100% for Over 3.5 Cards. And the only team in the Premier League to also be running at 100% for the higher, Over 4.5 Cards line – a complete ‘dirty dozen’ of 12 out of 12 payouts in that market

HALF TIME:

• Man City are the only outfit able to boast a 100% record for being ahead at Half Time. Going in at the break in front on the scoreboard in all 5 home games

And finally…

REFEREE:

• Robert Jones is the no.1 Referee for Over 3.5 Cards bets in 2023/24. Jones has taken charge of 9 Premier League games – and all 9 have gone Over 3.5 Cards. He’s got the whistle for Tottenham v Aston Villa this Sunday. View the latest Referee Appointments on the Official Premier League website here

I’ll be back tomorrow with Part II of the The 100% Club. As we delve into the stats for the English Football League. Before taking a trip to Scotland and Europe on Thursday…

Lots to come. Stay tuned!

P.S
Get instant access to all our bet-specific stats for 17 leagues with a one-month trial to my full Across the Leagues service here.

Enjoy the football…

Best wishes,

Oliver Upstone

Across the Leagues Extra