This week on The Eagles Punt (TEP), there is a renewed focus on football as we head towards the end of the season. With it being bank holiday weekend, there will be extra bets made, as well as an update on last week’s selections.
I will offer a couple of selections on the Palace game of the weekend, as well as giving my opinion on the best additions to your weekend football accumulator before finally offering a couple of tips on a horse or two.
Last week’s results
Palace game selections: 2/2 +11.33
Other Football bets: 0/1 -1.00
Horse Selection: 0/1 -1.00
Total: +9.33
This week, Palace welcome the likely outgoing Champions Manchester City to Selhurst. Last year, they visited and simply outclassed a Pulis team that for once, appeared to be on holiday whereas City arrived fired up from a Gerrard slip. It would not be a stretch to say Yaya Toure was the best player on the Selhurst pitch of the 2013/14 season. This week, a revitalised Palace take on a stumbling City, who have not only let the league go, but look bound for a fight for a Champions League place.
Goalscorer Bet
Anytime Goalscorer: Jason Puncheon – 23/4 – 888Bet
Against a team like City, you need a player with the ability to take any chance that comes to them. Punch is undoubtedly the best technical player in the current Palace team and one of the best finishers we have. I would back him to take his chance if it fell to him. With odds of nearly 6/1, it offers excellent value as well.
Outside Bet
Both Teams To Score and Palace to either Draw or Win – 13/5 – Betway
Under Pardew’s Palace, if there is one guarantee, it is that Palace will likely score a goal. The other guarantee sadly, is that we also know that we will likely concede a goal. In thirteen Pardew games, Palace have scored in eleven while the opposition have scored in eleven. I think this team is good enough to force City into enough mistakes for Palace to defeat them.
Treble One For The Weekend – pays 5.91 decimal odds (Boylesports)
- Middlesbrough to beat Wigan Athletic (8/13 odds)
Middlesbrough need a victory to keep the pressure on at the top, and there are not many easier games in the Championship than facing Wigan at home at the moment.
- Leeds United versus Blackburn Rovers – Over 2.5 goals (21/20 odds)
Blackburn are trying to fire their way into the play-offs, Leeds were previously a jekyll and hyde team that have recently been in consistently good form and score/concede goals.
- West Bromwich Albion to beat Queens Park Rangers (31/40 odds)
Frankly, QPR are just awful away from home and a Pulis managed team should see them off with consummate ease despite their recent thrashing at Manchester City.
Accumulator Two For Bank Holiday Monday – pays 7.89 decimal odds (Bet365)
- Watford versus Middlesbrough – Over 2.5 goals (17/20)
Watford can score goals against any team in the division. Middlesbrough are a tough nut to crack, but score goals themselves. Both teams will be gunning for vital wins.
- Norwich City to beat Sheffield Wednesday (4/6)
- Bournemouth to beat Birmingham City (8/15)
Norwich and Bournemouth are both playing teams with nothing to play for. This is the time of the season where there are often freak results, but these teams should be more than good enough to win their home games at this point of the season.
- Chesterfield to beat Crewe (4/6)
Chesterfield in reasonable form and are fighting to cling on in the play-offs in League 1, Crewe have lost five of their last six away games and are down towards the bottom six of the table.
This Week’s Horse Selection
Good Friday double at Lingfield: 2.10 – Pretend and 3.45 – Tryster
These two horses both represent the might of Godolphin and are strong favourites to take the wins at Lingfield’s second All Weather Championships. Both will have new Godolphin jockey William Buick on board, fresh from his Dubai World Cup victory last Saturday.
Usual Disclaimer: Gambling is for over 18’s (says the 24 year old who has been gambling for about 16-17 years), and only bet money that you can afford to lose.
