Football Bet of the Day: Rovers can be resilient

Visitors to keep it tight

Gent v Shamrock Rovers
Thursday 15 September, 17:45
Live on BT Sport

Disaster in Denmark for us last night, as Copenhagen played out a dire goalless draw with Sevilla, a result that did them and us no favours. With a sigh, we move on to Belgium, because Irish league leaders Shamrock Rovers are visiting Gent in the Conference League.

Shamrock Rovers played out a goalless stalemate against Swedish title contenders Djurgardens last week, and they are certainly proving hard to beat. Stephen Bradley's side has lost just three of the last 15 in the league, and all of those defeats were by a single goal. Indeed, Rovers haven't lost a domestic league game by multiple goals since November.

In Europe, Rovers were beaten 3-0 at Ludogorets and 4-0 at Ferencvaros, which is understandable given the higher class of opposition, but they have a chance of pushing Belgian outfit Gent a lot harder. The Buffaloes started their campaign in the Conference League with a goalless draw at Norwegian table-toppers Molde, and in the league they have won just four of their first eight matches.

At the GHELAMCO Arena, Gent have won two of their four league games, and only one of those wins was by more than one goal. In the Europa League they were beaten home and away by Neil Lennon's Omonia Nicosia, and I think we can give Shamrock Rovers a goal-and-a-half start here at 1.9620/21 on the Asian Handicap. We only lose if they lose by two goals or more.