Football Bet of the Day: Hale to strike for visiting Staggies

Livingston welcome Ross County to the Tony Macaroni Arena on Thursday night (20:00, live on Sky Sports Football) for the first of their two-legged meeting in the Scottish Premiership promotion/relegation play-off tie.

David Martindale’s hosts missed out on automatic promotion to the Premiership on the final day of the season, while Ross County finished 11th in the top flight for the third consecutive campaign. Thursday's tussle is the focus for my Football Bet of the Day, which you can find below.

Livingston vs Ross County Odds

The hosts are 11/10 to win in 90 minutes, the draw is priced up at 9/4 and Ross County are 12/5, giving them an implied win probability of 29.4%.

Livingston had a formidable home record in the Scottish Championship with 40 points from 12 games, and I was going to back them here but the price is too short for me. In fact, Livingston already have a win over County this term, beating the visitors in extra time at Victoria Park in a Scottish Cup tie back in January.

Their opponents on Thursday have avoided the drop via the play-offs in each of the last two seasons, edging out Partick Thistle in extra time in 2023 after a 2-0 first-leg defeat, before a more comfortable ride last season as they beat Raith twice.

Don Crowie's side have drawn each of their last two games 1-1, and come into this crucial first-leg clash on a nine-game winless streak, losing seven times during that run.

However, my pick for Thursday's Football Bet of the Day will focus on visiting forward Ronan Hale, who is a standout contender for an anytime effort at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

The 26-year-old comes into this game in fine form, having scored four goals in his last six games - including one in each of his past two appearances.

His fine form this campaign saw him selected for Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland squad for the March friendlies against Switzerland and Sweden, although he didn't feature in either game.

The Northern Irishman is County's leading scorer this season, netting 16 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions and will surely be a goal threat on Thursday evening, at 21/10.

Offers

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