With Craig Gardner and Robin Van Persie both coming in for us in the last gameweek, we’ve now had three wins over three weeks of fluttering and somehow, we’re still in profit. Giddy by such success, it’s time to clutch another crisp tenner and throw it Paddy Power’s way on a number of Fantasy themed bets…
So far our “bet of the week” has come off for us in consecutive weeks. The £3 bet on Birmingham’s Craig Gardner to score against Sunderland worked out and, before that a similar stake on Bolton’s Daniel Sturridge to score a brace against West Ham. Sturridge is in the mix again with his double gameweek fixtures and Paddy have offered us odds of 6/1 on the Chelsea loanee scoring in both his games – against Arsenal and at Fulham. It’s a big ask for the Trotters’ hitman, but he has the form and didn’t let us down last time – this is our biggest stake then – we will bung down £3 on Sturridge to notch in both his gameweek fixtures.
We’ve discussed plenty of other strikers this week and Fulham’s Bobby Zamora is another name who is fiercely fancied with his two fixtures. Paddy are tempting us with odds of 9/2 on the Fulham striker to notch in both his matches – against Wolves and Stoke – we’ll take that and lay down another £2 there.
Similarly, Stoke’s out of position prospect Jon Walters has been subject our Watchlist article and has found his way alongside Zamora, on our Scout Picks bench. Walters takes outstanding form into the gameweek and again, odds of 13/2 on goals in both his games at Villa and against Wolves look decent enough. Another £2 goes on this one then.
Jamie O’Hara has been omitted from our Scout Picks – some of you have been somewhat surprised by that. The fact is, I don’t fancy Wolves to shake themselves out of their current slump and save themselves, although there’s little doubt in my mind that O’Hara will be the key figure if I’m proved wrong. With Wolves at home to Fulham today, I’ll cover my reluctance to back O’Hara in the picks by throwing down some cash on him to notch a goal. Paddy have offered 11/4 on an anytime goal and I’ll put another £2 on that.
My final quid coin goes on the Clean Sheet Accumulator as always. We narrowly missed out on this last week with West Brom’s goal against Chelsea ruining our three-team selection. The choices this week look slightly more secure perhaps, with Liverpool (vs Birmingham), Chelsea (vs West Ham) and United (vs Everton) all backed at 13/2.
That’s our “Fluttering” over for another week, let’s stay with Paddy a little longer and take in his Clean Sheet and Anytime Scorer odds.
Who Will Keep a Clean Sheet?
- Chelsea 1.83
- Man United 1.90
- Liverpool 2.00
- Tottenham 2.40
- Aston Villa 2.40
- Arsenal 2.62
- Man City 2.62
- Sunderland 2.62
Despite conceding in consecutive 3-1 wins, Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea are topping Paddy’s clean sheet odds from United in second. In Fantasy terms, both offer an issue in that rotation is a threat. Ancelotti has stated that he will tinker, although we’re not clear whether this will extend to the back four, where Branislav Ivanovic threatens any number of Chelsea starters with his recall to the side. As for United, the right-back situation remains cloudy with Rafael now back in the mix and, with the Schalke tie on Tuesday, it’s unclear whether Rio Ferdinand will return or if Chris Smalling will get another run-out. United are a strong option if you’ve the cash to a lay on Nemanja Vidic or Patrice Evra. For me, I’m just a little worried about an in-form Everton nicking a goal.
Liverpool and Villa look to be sound alternatives. The Anfield defensive record is strong and I’m not convinced by the threat posed by visiting Birmingham. Villa meanwhile will be looking to cheer Gerard Houllier in his hospital bed and are up against a Stoke side who have travelled badly all season.
Anytime Goalscorer
- D Drogba 1.57
- F Torres 1.72
- W Rooney 1.72
- F Lampard 1.83
- N Anelka 1.83
- L Suarez 1.90
- R Van Persie 1.90
- D Bent 2.10
- P Crouch 2.10
- R Van der Vaart 2.10
- J Defoe 2.10
- S Kalou 2.20
- A Carroll 2.25
- D Kuyt 2.25
- R Pavlyuchenko 2.30
- F Malouda 2.30
- M Balotelli 2.30
Something that’s clear from the off – Paddy are backing a heavy victory for Chelsea over West Ham. Didier Drogba’s position at the top of their “Anytime Goalscorer” rankings is perhaps not surprising given his current run of form, but, with Ancelotti indicating that he may start with Fernando Torres, in Fantasy terms, Drogba is far from a sure-thing.
Frank Lampard’s odds are particularly interesting – Paddy feel that he is more likely to score against West Ham than Robin Van Persie is to notch at Bolton. That’s pretty surprising given the Dutchman’s consistency right now, but underlines Lampard’s potential against his former club.
No surprise to see Rafael Van der Vaart in the mix at the top – after his stunning showing against the Gunners, he’s got to be well backed to inflict damage against the Baggies.
For me, the darkhorse there is Liverpool’s Luis Suarez. With all the transfer traffic going the way of double gameweek investments, I see Suarez as a big prospect at home to Birmingham and profit seems very likely in a Liverpool win. Paddy appears to feel the same with odds just under evens on a Suarez goal today.
Paddy’s Money Back Special
Paddy calls in at Old Trafford for his refund offering this weekend. If there are more than 4 goals at between United and Everton, Paddy Power will refund all losing 1st/Last Goalscorer, Correct Score & Scorecast singles on the match.
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