Live on Sky Sports 3: Sun 12.15: Peter Sharkey has four Scottish Premiership picks this week including a 13/5 double (bet365).
Aberdeen welcome bottom club Ross County to Pittodrie for a fixture which they start as bet365’s understandable 1/2 favourites, but it’s a surprise to see Ross priced at 11/2 (Paddy Power) to secure three points. The pair’s half dozen league encounters have included two draws, while the other four were settled by a single goal. Skybet post 10/3 against the Dons enjoying a one-goal margin of victory; a 1-1 outcome is priced at 6/1 by Winner.com.
Table-topping Hamilton and Kilmarnock have already met in the League Cup this season, Hamilton wining 1-0, and a repeat of that score, offered at 13/2 by Stan James, appears worthy of support in a contest Hamilton kick off as Ladbrokes’ 7/5 jollies.
Both St Johnstone and Inverness slipped up last weekend, losing fixtures they were expected to win and recent history would suggest that whichever side scores the opening goal in Saturday’s duel will almost certainly go on to win.
Only once in the pair’s last 14 league meetings have both teams scored (a 1-1 draw in 2012). Three of those matches ended goalless; five finished 1-0.
Against this backdrop, the Saints’ starting odds of 2/1 (BetVictor.com) appear a little too frothy, though as they have the benefit of home advantage, Caley Thistle are quoted at 5/4 (Stan James) to secure three points. A goalless draw is priced at 9/1 by Betway.
Celtic open as William Hill’s 1/3 favourites to claim a maximum haul against Motherwell on Sunday, but it’s worth noting that they’ve failed to win half of their last half dozen encounters with the Steelmen (10/1, Winner.com). Granted, they’ve scored 15 times in those six contests, but Skybet’s massive 5/1 for it to end all-square appears a tad too big. Punters who concur can get 13/2 (Ladbrokes) against it finishing 1-1.
Dundee United emerged unbeaten following four league duels against near-neighbours Dundee in 2012-13 and bookies expect them to win their opening league match against their nearest rivals following a 12-month hiatus. Bet365 offer United at 13/10 to win, whereas Dundee can be backed at 2/1, (BetVictor.com). The draw (5/2, Stan James) has attracted sustained attention from punters expecting the pair to cancel each other out – a 2-2 draw is priced at 12/1 by Betway.
Recommended Bets:
Double on Aberdeen and Hamilton – 13/5 (bet365)
St Johnstone to beat Inverness – 2/1 (BetVictor)
Celtic and Motherwell to draw – 5/1 (Skybet)
Dundee and Dundee Utd to draw – 5/2 (Stan James)
Compare all Scottish Premiership odds and bet at the best price.
