The in-play guide to Stoke vs West Ham
Stoke are hoping that after three unsuccessful attempts to beat West Ham - the latest occurring last weekend - they can deliver in the fourth and most important of the lot, with a place at Wembley the prize for the winner. Here are three ways to make money in-play from the high stakes encounter...
Wait until half-time if you're backing Stoke...
Stoke have faced top-flight rivals on 30 occasions in the Premier League and FA Cup this season and have only led three of those fixtures at half-time. Therefore, if you fancy the Potters to triumph and extend their unbeaten run at the Britannia Stadium to seven matches, you will get a longer price by covering them at half-time than the [2.2] on offer now, provided the pattern is sustained of course!
...but not if they are trailing
West Ham have visited the Britannia Stadium five times since the successor to the Victoria Ground opened in 1997 and in four of those meetings, the team that struck first were victorious, with the other clash finishing level. From an in-play perspective, that means you should bet on the deadlock breakers and avoid backing whoever falls behind. On three of the four occasions mentioned, the first scorers didn't concede, so consider a flutter on whoever assumes a 1-0 lead keeping a clean sheet.
West Ham's second-half record is improving
Ever since the recovery from 3-0 down at West Brom that was credited to an inspirational half-time team talk from Scott Parker, West Ham's tendency to fade away in the second half of games hasn't been apparent. The Irons have outscored their opponents in six of their last seven halves of football, a staggering statistic for a club currently situated in the relegation zone, and one that would appear to indicate that if they are ahead at the halfway point, they won't just try to sit on the advantage.
Click here for a pre-match punt, or to suss out how the markets are shaping up...
Published: 11 Mar 2011
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