Football Bet of the Day: Yeovil on their Way out

Yeovil v Aston Villa
Tuesday 19:45 (Live on Sky Sports Main Event)

Haugesund beat Valerenga 1-0 in Norway last night to give us a winning start to the week. We're hoping to keep the momentum going on home shores this evening.

Tonight brings the first round of the Carabao Cup and one of the televised games pitches Yeovil Town at home to Aston Villa. Darren Way's hosts finished 19th in League Two last season and are yet to show signs of improvement this term. So far, they've lost 0-1 at Bury and drawn 2-2 at home to Mansfield. Going back into last season, they're seven games without a win at Huish Park (D2-L5). Last term, they also lost their last five league games at home to teams that finished the campaign in the top half of the table (and thus might be just a little closer to Villa's standard).

Steve Bruce's Aston Villa, who narrowly missed promotion to the Premier League last season, have won their first two Championship games of the season, scoring three times away to Hull and at home to Wigan. They're big favourites to breeze past League Two opposition tonight and we're backing them to do exactly that.

A 1.608/13 win price is nothing to get excited about, but we're ready to be a little bolder. Since Bruce took charge, the margin of victory in nine of Villa's 15 Championship away wins has been at least two goals. Against teams that have finished the last couple of seasons in the bottom half (and are therefore likely to be closer in standard to Yeovil) 6/9 victories have been by more than just the odd goal. Back Villa -1.0 on the Asian Handicap and you'll be paid out if they win by two or more, but you'll also get your stake back if they win by just one. A useful insurance policy, when team news is hard to come by.

As is customary with the early rounds of the cup, there are question marks about the seriousness with which both sides will take this match. But the silver lining, if Bruce does rest some of his stars, is that the replacements should be keen to grab their chance to shine. And if Way chooses to rest some of his key men? We won't complain.