The Fantasy Flutter with Paddy Power – Gameweek Five

Three was certainly the magic number if you happen to reside in the city of Manchester, with both Wayne Roney and Sergio Aguero snaffling hat-tricks last weekend. Here on the “Flutter”, we had our eye on a hat-trick of our own having backed three Fulham players to come good against Blackburn last Sunday. This, as you may have gathered, didn’t end profitably, with The Cottagers only mustering a miserable 1-1 draw. Our punts – John Arne Riise and new arrival Bryan Ruiz, were both hauled off before the final whistle, whilst Clint Dempsey failed to impress against a Rovers defence who shipped goals up and down the country last season.

More setbacks then but, while our Fantasy Flutter coffers are low, our spirits remain on a high as Paddy posts a new set of markets for us to try and stem the tide and wash some of that cash back our way. Surfing the wave of our potential gains this gameweek are midfield prospects courtesy of Tim Cahill, Scott Sinclair and Martin Petrov, whilst Wayne Rooney and Leighton Baines complete another Flutter lineup.

Although putting our eggs into one basket failed last week, the proven Everton combination of Tim Cahill and Leighton Baines looks too good to resist this time around. Our Fulham bets relied on long-shots and unknown quantities, but this week, Paddy’s markets appear to offer less risk and more value. Baines at 11/8 to keep a clean sheet and not to be booked is decent considering the flighty left-back rarely troubles the ref’s notebook, whilst Everton’s opponents Wigan have yet to score on the road. A confident £4 on Baines and cheeky quid on Cahill to score a header at 9/2 tie up half our stake this week.

Next up, Swansea’s “most likely”, Scott Sinclair takes on the Baggies at the Liberty Stadium. Having already hit the woodwork twice this season, the former Chelsea man is due a break and we just fancy the Swans to break their duck against Roy Hodgson’s defence who have been disrupted by the suspension of Gabriel Tamas. Sinclair is on set-pieces and spot-kicks and Paddy have him at 2/1 to score anytime. Those are odds that you’d have to search far and wide to beat, so £3 is easy to part with.

Even though most of our £10 funds are spent, we still have two tasty little markets to digest. Martin Petrov has managed three assists in four outings thus far for Bolton, all of which in games against top four clubs. His strong and pacey runs down the left, often with an end product and stikers David N’Gog, Ivan Klasnic and Kevin Davies will all be looking to profit against visitors Norwich this weekend. Petrov to make a couple of assists at 11/1 for a £1 stake doesn’t seem as much of a long-shot as the odds would suggest.

Last but not least, Wayne Rooney has been reborn as a one-man goal machine for United this term. A free role in tandem with Welbeck or Hernandez has seen Rooney thrive, producing eight goals in four games. With Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday, the going may well be tougher but Paddy are throwing an assist and a goal for Rooney at 6/1 and to score from open play and a dead ball at 13/2. With Rooney’s current form you could wager a couple of quid confidently on either. However, Chelsea are more than capable of putting up some resistance so we’ll take Rooney to score a header at 13/2 – a bet that walks the tightrope between risk and value for us and our remaining £1 stake.

Money Back If Chelsea Win At Old Trafford!

Paddy’s refund special for the Gameweek not surprisingly sets sights on Sunday’s United vs Chelsea tussle. This one looks pretty decent – if Chelsea can conjure a winning performance, Paddy will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast singles on the match.

Bet £10 Get £20

If you’re new to this betting lark and new to Paddy Power then you can take up any of these odds and offers and get yourself a bonus. You can sign up via this site and get a free £20 when you register and bet a tenner.

Finally of course, we should state that all these offers are only available to those aged 18 and over and are subject to Paddy Power’s terms and conditions. Also, if you’re going to bet, always gamble responsibly.