Saturday BTTS Tips: 11/1 fivefold for 6 January

Our BTTS selections last Saturday did not go well as 50% of the teams who were picked and played failed to hit the back of the net. Not sure if that is better or worse than missing out by just one!

This week incredibly all five matches selected are priced up at 4/6 as of the time of writing on Thursday lunchtime, with the fivefold coming in just shy of 12/1...

Leg 1 - AFC Wimbledon vs Ipswich Town @ 4/6

We might see a bit of a theme in three of the five legs this week, as I’m looking for FA Cup ties where I think one side may well put out a significantly under-strength side and that starts in South West London.

Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich side have their eyes firmly trained on promotion back to the top-flight for the first time in more than two decades. This means that the cup may well be a bit of an unwelcome distraction and this leads to thoughts that we’ll see plenty of squad rotation.

Neither side have been great for BTTS so far this season in league play (52% vs 58%) but an Ipswich reserve side can certainly score and would, in turn, give the home side every opportunity to grab one themselves.

Leg 2 - Sunderland vs Newcastle United @ 4/6

I think this will be an extremely popular leg for BTTS backers all over the country this weekend.

We’ve all seen the issues Eddie Howe’s side have faced in recent weeks. The way Nottingham Forest and Liverpool just carved them open with free-runners in recent games has been extremely concerning for Toon fans and a trip to face their fiercest rivals is not at all what the doctor ordered.

The odds of Newcastle keeping a clean sheet at the moment just feel rather remote but they do still pose a threat going forward. It is going to be the most interesting game on the Saturday slate and it could well be a rollercoaster for fans of both sides.

Leg 3 - Stoke City vs Brighton & Hove Albion @ 4/6

Brighton have been the BTTS kings for the 23/24 season and sit at an incredible 90% for this statistic through 20 Premier League games.

With a European adventure ongoing plus still looking for a strong finish in the league table, it is unclear exactly how Roberto De Zerbi will treat the cup this weekend and another bout of heavy-rotation would not shock anyone.

Stoke are at just 42% for both teams scoring. Only Millwall have a worse record in the Championship (38%) but the chance to potentially play against Brighton’s second string should give them all they need to find the back of the net and I'd back the Seagulls’ to score against pretty much anyone, anywhere, anytime, even if it’s not the best XI.

Leg 4 - Watford vs Chesterfield @ 4/6

The final FA Cup game in this fivefold comes from Vicarage Road where the potential for a giant-killing should not be overlooked.

Watford are within striking distance of the play-off places and that will certainly be their priority heading into the second-half of the season. We’ve seen many times in recent years that more managers that you’d expect decide to use the cup as an opportunity to rotate and my gut feel is that Valerien Ismael will do exactly that on Saturday.

His opposite number, Paul Cook, has shown himself to be a fan of cup competitions throughout his career and he put out his best available XI for the First Round match against Portsmouth earlier in the campaign.

The Spireites are seven-points clear in the National League and have two games in hand on second-placed Bromley. A cup run would not rock the boat or stretch his squad too much, so I fully anticipate a strong team to be fielded by the visitors. This leads me to think BTTS is a very real possibility.

Leg 5 - Mansfield Town vs Crewe Alexandra @ 4/6

The only game in this fivefold from league play comes from Field Mill where Nigel Clough’s side come into the game having beaten top-of-the-table Stockport County last time out. This has put the Stags just two points away from the top spot themselves.

They face a Crewe Alexandra side on Saturday who have been a profitable BTTS play all season-long. The Cheshire-based club have only failed to score once since the end of October. That means they’ve found the back of the net in 13 of their past 14 matches.

Mansfield have the best defence in the division and that is a small red flag on this selection but Lee Bell’s side have enjoyed plenty of success in front of goal and I’m backing them to continue that in the biggest game on the docket in EFL League 2 this weekend. Not saying they win or even draw but I do like them to at least get on the scoresheet and you can’t think the home side will fail in that regard either.

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