Betrescue’s Bruin Brown from Betfair is backing Chelsea and Celtic to win and under 2.5 goals at Birmingham in this week’s Bruin’s Shoo-Ins
I decided to forgive my brother for last week’s misdemeanour and have spent the last seven days camped out in his front room. To be honest, with the work drying up, I had no other option. Anyway, he has a Sky Sports subscription and, as a man who likes a bet, that’s enough to see me swallow my pride for a little longer.
I am, however, getting to the end of my tether with him. He came home from work in a particularly foul mood the other day and confronted me with, “Did you drink my beers in the fridge today?” I told him not to be so ridiculous and that I had drank them on the couch.
This Saturday I’ll be in my usual spot for most of the day, kicking off the weekend with a front row seat to Tottenham’s very public capitulation. Spurs have gone from title contenders to potential Europa Leaguers in the space of time that it has taken John Bishop to get from Paris to London as part of his epic Sports Relief Triathlon.
Chelsea v Spurs: Premier League: Saturday 12:45 Live On Sky Sports 2
Come Saturday evening Spurs could be four points behind rivals Arsenal and just two ahead of Chelsea in fifth place. Despite losing for the first time under Roberto di Matteo against Manchester City in midweek, the Blues look a much better team than they did a month ago and, for the short-term future at least, things are a lot rosier at Stamford Bridge.
Harry Redknapp’s side are now without a win in four Premier League games and the manager has openly admitted that he and his players have lost their way. As a longer term bet I’d be looking to lay Spur in Betfair’s Top 4 Finish market at 1.36 (4/11). But for this weekend we’ll stick with a simple back of the home side at 1.94 (20/21) at betfair.com
In the Championship Reading’s relentless surge up the table finally hit a bump in the road as they lost 3-1 away to Peterborough in midweek. But West Ham couldn’t fully capitalise on the slip-up as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough, leaving Southampton with a five-point buffer at the top.
Bimingham City V Cardiff City: Championship: Sunday 11:00
The game of the weekend, however, involves neither of the three sides chasing automatic promotion. Instead it is the battle for a play-off place that takes centre stage as seventh-place Birmingham take on eighth-place Cardiff on Sunday.
The result looks a particularly tough one to call but a sparseness of goal can be relied upon. Cardiff score an average of less than one goal a game on their travels, while Birmingham have conceded a meagre 10 in 18 home matches. Back Under 2.5 goals at odds 1.9 (10/11), and you’ll be counting your coin before the Sunday roast is served only at betfair.com
In the SPL Motherwell are on the brink of displacing Rangers in second place. But in a twist of fate the Gers fans will be hoping that Well do beat Kilmarnock on Saturday, as that would mean Celtic cannot win the title at Ibrox on Sunday. Small comforts indeed, but that is all that is on offer in the blue half of Glasgow at the moment.
Rangers v Celtic: SPL: Sunday: 12:00 Live On Sky Sports 1
Rangers fans will also have taken comfort from the fact that Celtic did not win the season’s first piece of silverware by beating Kilmarnock in the Scottish League Cup final last weekend. The loss snapped a run of 19 games without defeat for Celtic.
I still, however, expect that they’ll have enough to win this weekend’s Old Firm match. Ally McCoist has a considerably depleted squad to work with, so much so that he could only name five (of a possible seven) substitutes against in defeat to Dundee United last weekend. Back Celtic to compound their rivals’ misery at odds of 2.1 (11/10) at betfair.com
Bruin’s Shoo-ins
Back Chelsea to beat Tottenham @ 1.94
Back Under 2.5 goals in Birmingham v Cardiff @ 1.9
Back Celtic to beat Rangers @ 2.1
Treble pays @ 7.3 at Betfair
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