With no Premier League this weekend, @bobreaksbookies is focusing on the European action and we have 7 games covered from 4 different leagues this Saturday. Read more... Saturday
14:30 FC Cologne vs Hannover 96 - Prediction 1.1 Current Form * Koln have seen BTTS in 4 of their last 5 home league matches * Koln have seen BTTS in 4 of their last 5 league matches including each of the last 3 * Koln have scored 9 goals in their last 5 home league matches. They had only scored 2 goals in their previous 6 home league matches * Koln have scored 2 goals or more in 4 of their last 5 league matches * Koln have taken 10 points from their last 6 league matches. They had taken only 3 points from their previous 16 league matches * Hannover have taken 9 points from their last 6 league matches. * Hannover have seen BTTS in 12 of their last 14 away league matches including each of the last 4 * Hannover have scored in 20 of their last 25 away league matches including 13 of the last 14 * Hannover have won only 1 of their last 10 away league matches (5 losses, 4 draws) Past Meetings * None of the last 3 meetings saw BTTS * Hannover have won 3, drawn 3 and lost only 1 of the last 7 meetings Best Bets - BTTS @4/6 - 2.5 stars Final Verdict I don't expect a river of goals in Koln on Saturday but BTTS has a decent chance with Hannover rarely failing to score on their travels and Koln improving their recent form having endured a miserable first half of the season in the Bundesliga. At the half-way stage of the season, Koln had taken only 3 points from 17 fixtures but 10 points from their next 6 matches has lifted the former European giant to within 7 points of a relegation play-off spot and while their situation is still perilous, relegation is not yet a certainty and I expect Koln to put in another decent showing having scored 9 goals in their last 5 league outings. Hannover themselves aren't the best on the road, only winning 1 of their last 10 but they have a habit of scoring at least 1 goal, having achieved that feat in 13 of their last 14 away league matches. Both sides are in decent form though, collecting 10 and 9 points respectively from their last 6 matches and I fancy BTTS, priced @3/4 and while I don't expect lots of goals, I do feel both have enough about them to score at least once and a draw could be the final outcome here with 3 of their last 7 meetings also finishing all square. 17:30 Schalke 04 vs Hoffenheim - Prediction 1.1 Current Form * Schalke have seen BTTS in 7 of their last 10 home league matches including each of the last 4 * Schalke have seen BTTS in 9 of their 10 league matches. 7 of those 9 also went over 2.5 goals * Schalke have scored at least 1 goal in 17 of their last 18 home league matches * Schalke have only won 3 of their last 9 home league matches * Schalke have lost 3 of their last 5 league matches * Hoffenheim have seen BTTTS in 17 of their last 20 away league matches including each of the last 4 * Hoffenheim have seen BTTS in each of their last 6 league matches. 4 of those also went over 2.5 goals * Hoffenheim have won only 1 of their last 9 away league matches and none of the last 6 * 3 points separate these two sides in the table * Both sides have taken only 11 points from their last 10 league matches * Schalke have drawn 4 of their last 8 at home in the Bundesliga * Hoffenheim have drawn 3 of their last 8 away from home in the Bundesliga Past Meetings * 7 of the last 10 meetings saw BTTS. 6 of those 7 went over 2.5 goals * 3 of the last 5 meetings in Schalke saw BTTS * Hoffenheim won 2.0 in their most recent meeting while last season's corresponding fixture at Schalke finished 1.1 Final Verdict Perhaps the most entertaining fixture of the day in Germany comes from Gelsenkirchen as Schalke entertain rivals Hoffenheim with both sides still harbouring ambitions of finishing in the top 4 and the resultant Champions League positions. I expect BTTS with Hoffenheim seeing that outcome in 85% of their away matches for over a year now and with Schalke seeing BTTS in 9 of their last 10 in the league as well, this selection looks as strong as any other in the market on Saturday. BTTS @8/13 is the main selection here although it wouldn't surprise me if this one went over 2.5 goals but I do also fancy a share of the spoils with neither side in top form and both drawing a fair number of their recent league matches. Best Bets BTTS @8/13 - 3.5 Stars Draw @5/2 - 1.5 Stars 14:00 Udinese vs Roma - Prediction - 0.1 Current Form * Udinese have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 5 of their last 6 home league matches * Udinese have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 5 of their 6 most recent league matches * Roma have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 8 of their last 9 away league matches * Roma have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 8 of their 10 most recent league matches * Only 6 goals have been scored in Roma's last 5 away matches * Roma have scored only 4 goal in their last 6 away matches * Udinese have won 5, lost 5 and drawn 2 of their 12 home league matches this season * Roma have won only 1 of their last 6 away matches. 4 of those finished as draws * Roma had won their previous 12 away league matches * Roma have won 15 league games this season. 6 of those wins finished 1.0. Past Meetings * Roma have won their last 9 matches against Udinese * Roma won by 1 goal in 6 of those 9 matches * Roma have won on 5 of their last 6 trips to Udinese * 5 of the last 6 meetings in Udine finished under 2.5 goals * Roma won 1.0 on their last trip to Udine in January * Roma won 3.1 in this season's first meeting between these two sides Final Verdict I expect a low scoring encounter in Udine on Saturday with Roma heading north to take on an Udinese side that they have vanquished in each of their last 9 meetings. Both sides recent fixtures have been low scoring, with Roma suffering a poor run of form which saw them go 6 matches without a win before an away success at Verona and a home win over Benevento got them back on track while Udinese have only won 1 of their last 6 in the league having won the previous 5. Given both sides relatively mediocre form, I don't expect a classic and with Roma having a midweek Champions League fixture in Ukraine, they may take a fairly cautious approach here, so I'll take a chance on under 2.5 goals @19/20 with both sides seeing that outcome in most of their recent fixtures and in most of their recent meetings in Udine. Roma have only won 2 of their last 8 in the league, but with such a good recent record over Udinese, you would fancy them to perhaps just edge to victory here but 5/6 is a bit slim for me on that outcome. Roma to win by 1 goal is 11/4 and has every chance with Roma seeing that outcome in 7 of their 9 meetings with Udinese while the Romans have won 6 of their 15 matches this season by a 1.0 scoreline and that's the outcome that seems the likeliest here. Best Bets - Under 2.5 goals @19/20 - 2.5 stars Roma to win by 1 goal @11/4 - 1.5 stars 17:00 Chievo vs Cagliari - Prediction 1.0 Current Form * Chievo have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 4 of their last 5 home league matches * Cagliari have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 5 of their last 6 away league matches * Chievo have seen BTTS in only 3 of their last 10 league matches * Cagliari have seen BTTS in only 3 of their last 8 league matches Past Meetings * 10 of the last 11 meetings saw under 2.5 goals scored. NONE of those 11 matches saw BTTS * An average of 1.3 goals were scored in those 11 matches * Chievo won 5 of the last 6 meetings * Cagliari have failed to score in 8 of their last 9 matches against Chievo * Cagliari have failed to score on their last 6 visits to Chievo * Cagliari have NEVER won any of their 13 matches at Chievo * Chievo won 2.0 in Cagliari in their most recent meeting * Chievo won 1.0 in last season's corresponding fixture Final Verdict Goals should be at a premium here with both sides struggling near the bottom end of the table and with much at stake, we should see a tight and closely fought contest to mirror the majority of these sides recent meetings. Cagliari have a dismal record against Chievo, never winning in the north of Italy in 13 previous attempts, and failing to score on any of their last 6 games at their fellow strugglers. Indeed, Chievo have actually won 5 of the last 6 contests and a repeat here is priced @7/5 but considering their form, it's hard to make a big case for the home side, except for those past meetings so goals, or the lack of them, seems the way to go here. Under 2.5 goals is priced @4/6, an outcome seen in 11 of the last 12 meetings and in over 80% of both sides recent league fixtures so I'll take a chance on a similar result here with BTTS NO also having a good chance @19/20 with none of the last 11 producing that outcome. Best Bets Under 2.5 goals @4/6 - 3 stars BTTS - NO @ 19/20 - 2 stars 19:45 Genoa vs Inter - Prediction 1.0 Current Form * Genoa have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 7 of their last 9 home league matches including 5 of the last 6 * * Genoa have seen under 1.5 goals scored in 8 of their last 10 league matches * Genoa have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 12 of their last 14 league matches * Genoa have lost 7 of their last 11 home league matches although they have won 2 of their last 3 * Genoa had won only 2 of their previous 19 home league matches * Inter have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 7 of their last 10 away league matches including each of the last 4 * Inter failed to win any of their last 4 away league matches * Inter have seen under 2.5 goals in 6 of their last 7 league matches * Inter's narrow 2.1 win over Bologna in their last league outing was there first win in 10 league matches * Genoa have taken 14 points in their last 9 league matches. Inter have taken only 9 points in the same period Past Meetings * 9 of the last 11 meetings have seen under 2.5 goals scored including each of their last 5 contests * Each of the last 5 matches between these two sides saw the home team winning to nil * Each of the last 9 matches between these two sides saw the home team win * 6 of the last 10 meetings saw under 1.5 goals scored * 6 of the last 7 meetings in Genoa saw under 1.5 goals scored * Genoa are unbeaten in their last 5 home league meetings with Inter, winning 4 and drawing 1 Final Verdict Current form and past meetings suggest we should be in for a low-scoring encounter in the late kick-off from Serie A this Saturday evening as Genoa host Inter with the visitors desperate for another 3 points having ended their winless streak at home to Bologna last weekend. 10 of the last 12 meetings between these two outfits have gone under 2.5 goals with matches in Genoa proving particularly tight with 6 of the last 7 in the Stadio Ferrari going under 1.5 goals and a similar outcome seems likely here with Inter struggling for form and both sides seeing low numbers in the goal departments in recent weeks. Genoa's last 4 home matches produced just 6 goals with Inter's last 4 on the road seeing only 5 goals and when you factor in those past meetings, especially in Genoa, under 2.5 goals looks very likely @8/13 with under 1.5 goals @7/4 having a great chance. A home win is big @12/5 but certainly has a chance with Genoa winning their last 4 home contests with Inter and given the away sides recent form, wouldn't be entirely surprising with Inter really struggling in recent weeks. Still, you expect Inter to have taken a big lift from their win over Bologna so picking a winner here is tough and for that reason, I'll stick with the goal bets. Best Bets Under 2.5 goals @8/13 - 3 Stars Under 1.5 goals @7/4 - 1.5 Stars 17:30 Alaves vs Deportivo La Coruna - Prediction 2.0 Best Bets - Alaves to win @10/11 - 2.5 stars Current Form * Alaves are unbeaten in their last 5 home league matches with 4 wins and 1 draw * Alaves have won 6 of their last 10 league matches. They had only won 2 of their previous 13 * Deportivo have lost 7 of their last 10 league matches including 4 of the last 5 * Deportivo have lost 5 of their last 6 away league matches, taking just 1 point in the process * Depor conceded 22 goals in those 6 games Past Meetings * 7 of the last 9 meetings went under 2.5 goals * 4 of the last 6 meetings finished as draws Final Verdict Alaves have been great in front of their support recently, claiming fine wins over Sevilla and Celta Vigo amongst others and they will expect another 3 points with relegation-threatened Depor struggling badly for form, especially in their recent away performances. A home win looks likely @10/11 with Depor losing 4 of their last 5 on the road and Alaves winning 4 of their last 5 at home and that's my only selection from this tea-time kick-off from Spain. 15:00 Hibs vs Aberdeen - Prediction 1.2 Current Form * Hibs have seen BTTS in 11 of their last 13 home matches (all comps) * Hibs have seen BTTS and over 2.5 goals scored in 6 of their last 7 home matches (all comps) * Hibs have scored in 20 of their last 21 home matches. They only failed to score against Aberdeen during that run * Aberdeen have won their last 4 matches scoring 14 goals in the process * Aberdeen have won 13 of their last 18 away league matches * Aberdeen scored 2 goals or more in 11 of their last 18 away league matches Past Meetings * Aberdeen have won 6 of the last 7 meetings with Hibs * 2 of the last 3 matches saw BTTS and over 2.5 goals scored Final Verdict Aberdeen are not a BTTS banker, having seen that outcome in only 3 of their last 11 away matches but a trip to Hibernian should see a different outcome with both sides in good form and Hibs seeing plenty of goals in their recent home matches. I expect an entertaining contest with goals at both ends with BTTS priced generously at 19/20, reflecting Aberdeen's lack of frequency in that market. Still, these two sides have seen BTTS and over 2.5 goals scored in 2 of their last 3 meetings and I expect another tasty contest with just 8 points separating these two sides and Hibs performing well in recent matches against the best sides in the league. Under Neil Lennon, Hibs have certainly performed well this season, rising to 4th in the table and only 5 points adrift of 3rd placed Rangers and having won at Ibrox in recent weeks, they will be confident of going toe to toe with another of the leagues big boys. Aberdeen have had the edge in recent contests, and an away win could be the likeliest outcome here but I'll stick with the BTTS selection my only pick from this SPFL contest. Best Bets - BTTS @19/20 - 2.5 stars Comments are closed.
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