Saturday Betfair Build Ups: Back Wissa and Munetsi to outshoot Watkins and Doucoure

Wissa's recent aim is true

Two live Premier League games on TV on Saturday means we have two more Match Ups for you using Betfair's new player vs player tool Build Ups. Ste Tudor is backing home advantage and a recent signing set to come good.


Brentford v Aston Villa

Saturday 8th March, 17:30

Live on Sky Sports (UK)

Match Ups - Wissa to have more shots on target than Watkins

At face value this feels like a coin-flip.

Both strikers have led their respective lines brilliantly all season, Wissa firing 13 goals to this point, Watkins 12. Each scored twice across February.

As for shots on target there is very little to separate them, the Villa forward just edging it by averaging 1.5 per 90 to Wissa's 1.4.

Perhaps then it's wise to open things up and look to the contest itself but that too has a 50/50 feel to it. The hosts may be priced up at 13/102.30 but Villa head south on a high after walloping Club Brugge in the Champions League. Furthermore, the Bees are winless in six at the Gtech.

Back to the player stats we go then...

Player vs Player

English Premier League

11

Yoane Wissa

Brentford

English Premier League

11

Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa

Wissa Watkins

Appearances 35 38
Goals 19 16
Shots 90 84
Shots on target 43 40
Assists 4 8
Chances created 29 25
Passes 563 415
Fouls 34 29
Fouls won 51 33
Yellow cards 5 2
Red cards 0 0

What jumps out from the figures above are the four games fewer that Wissa has played, the forward struggling with an ankle problem last autumn. Extending from this are all manner of interesting details, not least that Wissa boasts a superior shot accuracy, 51% to 47%.

If both men have the goal in their sights Wissa would be backed every time over his counterpart to trouble the goalkeeper.

Moreover, when we dig a little deeper into the stats a persuasive fact emerges. Wissa has scored ten of his 13 league goals this term at the Gtech. Watkins has only scored four of his 12 on the road.

Lastly - and arguably most convincing - there is their recent form to consider.

In his last league outing at Selhurst Park, Watkins failed to muster a single attempt on goal, on target or otherwise. Indeed, that's been the case in two of his last five league appearances.

Contrasting this, Wissa posted three SOT last time out, his highest tally for a while.


Wolves v Everton

Saturday 8th March, 20:00

Live on TNT (UK)

Match Ups - Munetsi to have more shots on target than Doucoure

Like many of his team-mates, Abdoulaye Doucoure is a player revived under David Moyes, pushed further forward and clearly enjoying it up there.

In his last three league showings he has accrued three goal involvements.

The French-born Mali international missed Everton's last fixture due to attending the birth of his child but he is expected to return for a trip to Molineux that would have been billed as a relegation dog-fight a short while ago.

In the Midlands, the attacking midfielder will be hoping to carry on where he left off, taking on two shots on target vs Manchester United, scoring from one.

Last time out, he was statistically Everton's best player.

Why then, you may be wondering, is Marshall Munetsi being tipped to outshoot his opposite number this Saturday? He is after all a player still settling into English football after joining Wolves from Reims a little over a month ago. He is still finding his way.

Well, read on to find out.

Player vs Player

English Premier League

5

Marshall Munetsi

Wolves

English Premier League

16

Abdoulaye Doucouré

Everton

Munetsi Doucouré

Appearances 14 33
Goals 2 3
Shots 22 31
Shots on target 7 10
Assists 1 2
Chances created 9 28
Passes 201 875
Fouls 19 49
Fouls won 10 5
Yellow cards 0 4
Red cards 0 1

When Munetsi arrived from Ligue 1, fans speculated as to where he might be deployed by Vitor Pereira. For Reims he was principally a box-to-box midfielder, a number eight. For his country he tends to sit and protect the defence, a number six.

There has been a few eyebrows raised therefore at what has transpired, with Munetsi exclusively played across Wolves' front three.

So far, it has to be said, the experiment has largely worked. The 28-year-old presses tigerishly, unsettling the opposition rearguard. He cleverly finds space where space is at an absolute minimum. He gets into the right positions at the right times, on two occasions in recent weeks deceiving his marker and receiving the ball with the goal at his mercy.

It's just his finishing that has let him down to date, finding the target once from six attempts.

What we're betting on here is for Munetsi to correct that failing versus Everton.

A goal every four games in France - when stationed much deeper - suggests this is merely a temporary shortfall.


Read more previews and tips from our experts here 


Stephen Tudor

Stephen Tudor has written extensively about football and sports betting for well over a decade.

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