Today’s featured game is the Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Reading. I lose track of whether Queens Park Rangers are actually the richest British club or not these days but my concern was that they hadn’t previously showed their credentials despite their monetary advantage. However, recent weeks have finally seen them emerging as some kind of force although on time will tell if it lasts the distance. They’ve won three out of their first games and currently boast an unbeaten record at home, something only five sides can match after just twelve games. Queens Park Rangers have managed to score ten goals in their last four games, scoring four past promotion hopefuls Preston North End last match, which has been arguably their most impressive result this season. Today, Queens Park Rangers are hosting a Reading side that really show just how much they miss the players they lost in the summer. Reading currently stand just outside the relegation zone with just two wins from twelve games. They’ve lost three from their last five games and generally look susceptible to defeat against the majority of sides at the present time. I can see why the bookies would give good odds on this game but I really think Queens Park Rangers have enough to make this bet a good value bet tonight.
Tuesday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
Queens Park Rangers vs Reading – home win at 4/5 – see introduction for full details.
Liverpool vs Olympique Lyonnais – under 2.5 goals at 5/6. This is an interesting call considering that both sides are more than capable of scoring goals but at the moment I think they’re both slightly under-performing. I’d argue that Olympique Lyonnais have more attacking firepower than Liverpool because Liverpool only have one class striker – Olympique Lyonnais have a lot of quality attackers i.e. Lopez, Gomis. However, Olympique Lyonnais somehow managed to lose 2-0 at home to Sochaux in Ligue 1 at weekend, a baffling result not only because Olympique Lyonnais lost at home and didn’t score but also because they lost to one of the worst away sides in the division. Similarly, Liverpool lost 1-0 at Sunderland and can frankly consider themselves lucky to have left that game with nothing! Either way, both sides enter this game having not scored a goal in their last games respectively and Liverpool also miss striker Fernando Torres, which is a massive blow to them. Basically, I’d expect two misfiring teams to bring about a low-scoring encounter for obvious reasons. I’d actually not be surprised if Olympique Lyonnais got a win or a draw here – English sides notoriously struggle with French sides. For the above reasons, taking under 2.5 goals at 5/6 looks a good call to me.
Middlesbrough vs Derby County - lay Middlesbrough at 11/10. I’m afraid my reasoning for this one isn’t as reliable as normal but it’s got a point to it nonetheless. Basically, Middlesbrough fans hate manager Gareth Southgate. What does this mean? Well, the team get booed at home most of the time, especially when they’re losing, so much so that some sides (i.e. Watford) have used this against the home side in order to obtain a result. It’s no coincidence that despite Middlesbrough boasting a better side than most of the Championship they’ve still managed to lose their last three home games in a row. Whereas I don’t rate Derby County as a particularly good side nowadays, they are relatively organised and despite their woeful away record, I think there’s a chance they’ll get a draw here. Frankly, laying Middlesbrough at 11/10 may be risky but with the home fans turning on the manager in such a fashion that it affects the team’s performances, you have to feel it’s got some foundation to it.
As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!
UEFA Champions League:
Debreceni VSC vs Fiorentina (8) 0-2
Liverpool vs Olympique Lyonnais (6) under 2.5 goals
Barcelona vs Rubin Kazan (10) -1.75 handicap
Internazionale vs Dynamo Kiev (7) 2-1
Rangers vs Unirea Urziceni (6) 1-0
VFB Stuttgart vs Sevilla CF (6) 0-0
AZ Alkmaar vs Arsenal (8) 1-2
Olympiakos Piraeus vs Standard de Liege (7) 2-0
Copa Nissan Sudamericana:
Velez Sarsfeld vs Liga de Quito (8) 2-0
English Championship:
Blackpool vs Sheffield United (4)
Bristol City vs Plymouth Argyle (6)
Cardiff City vs Coventry City (7)
Doncaster Rovers vs Peterborough United (5) draw no bet
Ipswich Town vs Watford (8)
Leicester City vs Crystal Palace (7)
Nottingham Forest vs Barnsley (7)
Scunthorpe United vs Newcastle United (5)
Sheffield Wednesday vs Preston North End (6)
West Bromwich Albion vs Swansea City (8)
Middlesbrough vs Derby County (6)
Queens Park Rangers vs Reading (8)
Estonian Meistriliiga:
Maag Tammeka Tartu vs Levadia Tallinn (10) 1-3
Flora Tallinn vs Tallinna Kalev (9) 3-0
Irish Premier League:
Drogheda United vs Galway United (5) 1-2, draw no bet
Bohemians vs St Patrick’s Athletic (8) 2-0
Derry City vs Sligo Rovers (5) 1-1
Bray Wanderers vs Dundalk (6) 0-0
Shamrock Rovers vs Cork City (8) 2-1
Singaporean S-League:
Woodlands vs Geylang United (6) 1-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!