Friday Football Tips: Ito offers goal value in Belgium

Genk v Oostende
Friday 30 July, 19:45
Live on Betfair Live Video

It's not been the easiest week to dig out value from a variety of less-followed competitions and Thursday's anytime scorer bet at 7/2 was denied by the woodwork which felt like a kick in the teeth.

However, there looks another opportunity in the same market on Friday.

The game in question comes in the Belgian Pro League, whose season is now in its second week.

Hosts Genk were sent off second favourites for the title but were held 1-1 away to Standard Liege on the opening day.

When they host Oostende on Friday evening, they will be welcoming back fans first and foremost, but the inclusion in the squad of their Copa America players, Colombians Daniel Munoz and Carlos Cuesta, plus Norwegian Kristian Thorstvedt will also give them a lift.

Oostende will arrive on the back of a 3-0 home thrashing by a Charleroi side of which little was expected so this looks a good opportunity for Genk, who have a long tradition of playing attacking football, to get their season up and running in style.

They were the league's top scorers last season with Nigerian centre forward Paul Onuachu leading the way with 35 goals in all competitions.

Like so many Genk players over the years - this is the club where Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Christian Benteke all started - Onuachu has been linked with a move abroad but maybe that was playing on his mind last week when he was taken off in the second half, a decision he wasn't happy about.

He's just 4/6 to score at any time in this game but the value lies in another member of the forward line, namely Junya Ito.

His 2020/21 tally of 12 (from 41 starts) doesn't exactly match up with Onuachu's but it's decent enough to make 11/4, about him scoring in a game his side could win pretty comfortably, look big.

The Japanese plays on the right wing but he regularly gets into shooting positions, as the stats show.

He had two shots against Standard last week, one on target, while he ended last season firing off many shots, having at least one on target in 10 of his last 12 games.

The one potential problem is Genk's looming Champions League qualifier against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. Players could be rested, although clearly Genk can't afford another slip-up following last week's dropped points.

With Betfair offering the chance to cash-out and get your money back after the team news, the suggestion is to back the 11/4 now and see who makes the XI.

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