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Rangers to get weekend off to a good start
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Goals expected in League One and National League
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Milan to bring the 5/16.00 Acca home
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From the San Siro to Moss Lane, I have left no stone unturned in the pursuit of value for this Saturday's accumulator, with match odds and goals angles backed.
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Leg 1 - St Mirren v Rangers - Saturday 12:30
Tip: Back Rangers to win @ 3/101.30
Rangers should maintain the pressure on Celtic at the top of the Premiership by securing victory over St Mirren on Saturday in Paisley.
The Gers have been impeccable since Philippe Clement took charge of them, winning 11 of their 13 league matches. This run was extended on Wednesday as they went to Hibs and claimed a comfortable 3-0 success over a potentially dangerous opponent.
Todd Cantwell picked up an injury problem in that encounter that raises questions over his ability to play at the weekend, yet the Rangers squad is deep and should be well equipped to cope with a quick turnaround between games. Indeed, they beat St Mirren 2-0 when these sides last met.
The Paisley Saints, meanwhile, started the season well but that lustre has been lost. Steven Robinson's side have won only four of their last 16. Two of their three home defeats in the Premiership this season have come in their last two games, while the other arrived via a 3-0 defeat to Rangers back on October 7.
Their record against the two Glasgow giants, meanwhile, points to a heavy defeat. In their four matches against Rangers and Celtic this season, they have scored only one goal and conceded 10, losing each encounter.
Rangers have won 10 of their last 11 against St Mirren and there is no reason to suggest that run will stop this weekend.
Leg 2 - Bristol Rovers v Oxford - Saturday 15:00
Tip: Back Over 2.5 goals @ 8/111.73
Rovers were well fancied for an outside tilt at the play-offs when Matt Taylor took over and initially had a positive impact on results and performances. However, Taylor has found that he has inherited a group of players that are prone to a lapse in concentration in every game.
Bristol Rovers have been a BTTS lock for several weeks, though their 1-0 defeat against Exeter last weekend broke a 14-match BTTS streak, in which 11 also went over 2.5 goals. Rovers haven't kept a League One clean sheet since early November at Carlisle, and no clean sheet at the Memorial Stadium since beating Port Vale 3-0 in October.
Oxford are slowly but surely getting their injured players back and are adding some extras in the transfer market too. They are also getting used to life under Des Buckingham and looking threatening going forward. Their last two away games in League One have been 2-1 and 3-1 wins where they have been clinical, but they have lost both xG battles convincingly, so they are giving away chances as well as scoring goals.
It would appear, from the data and the form, that both clubs should come into this match expecting to get a decent amount and quality of chances. It is then a question of whether those chances will be taken. The price for over 2.5 goals seems slightly on the generous side for this scenario.
Leg 3 - Altrincham v Eastleigh - Saturday 15:00
Tip: Back both teams to score @ 6/101.60
A fascinating clash between two sides still in contention for a play-off position.
Altrincham's rise under Phil Parkinson has been sensational and they've come through a tricky spell of fixtures relatively unscathed, including a big win against third-place Barnet. Eastleigh, meanwhile, will be kicking themselves for losing out against Newport County given they would have played Manchester United in the fourth round, but they remain in the top half and have the kind of attacking quality most clubs at the level can only dream of.
Altrincham's primary issue is keeping clean sheets. They have seen both teams score in 74% of their matches this season and in all but one of their home games. Both sides have scored in six of their last seven.
One of their big issues is defending deliveries into their box which is going to be a concern here when your opposition contains the league's top scorer Paul McCallum, the similarly powerful Scott Quigley and the uber-creative Chris Maguire. Quigley and McCallum both scored in the reverse fixture.
The Spitfires have seen both teams score in over two-thirds of their league matches this term with their away record better than their home record in that respect. Both teams have scored in 17 of their last 20 games and each of their last eight away from home.
Leg 4 - AC Milan v Bologna - Saturday 19:45
Tip: Back AC Milan to win @ 8/131.61
The Saturday evening kick-off in Serie A sees AC Milan welcome high-flying Bologna to the San Siro.
Following an inconsistent patch of form that led to some calls for Stefano Pioli's head, the hosts really look to have turned a corner, and their character was evident last time out against Udinese as they snatched a last-minute winner on the road in a 3-2 comeback win. That result stretched their unbeaten run to six matches in Serie A with five wins and one draw for their efforts.
Following a sensational start to their campaign, Bologna have struggled of late, winning just one of their last four league games. Thiago Motta's side have been poor on the road this term, winning just once against Salernitana, and only managing nine goals, and they won't be helped here by some notable absentees.
Ever-present Austrian right back Stefan Posch is ruled out through suspension while former AC Milan forward Alexis Saelemaekers remains sidelined with a thigh injury.
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