Football betting analyst Mark O’Haire returns to share a couple of his favourite fancies across the globe, focusing on the Scottish Premiership and Ligue 1 this weekend.
With the Scottish Premiership title race almost done and dusted, Rangers will be switching their attention towards their two-legged Europa League quarter-final clash with Athletic Bilbao over the next week. European silverware is Barry Ferguson’s boys’ top priority, whereas a midday kick-off at Pittodrie to face Aberdeen understandably isn’t.
I’m therefore happy to oppose the Gers as they travel north this weekend. Aberdeen don’t normally require a second invitation to raise their game against the Glaswegian giants and the Dons will be eager to secure a second successive home victory over the Govan group as they look to secure a top-three finish and Europa League qualification of their own.
Having beaten Rangers here back in late October, the Dandies have now tabled top honours in two of their last three renewals against the Teddy Bears, whilst suffering a solitary reverse in five meetings at Pittodrie. We can back Aberdeen with a +0.5 start at 1.95 and enjoy a pay-out at close to even-money should Jimmy Thelin’s team avoid defeat again.
Aberdeen have come through a rotten run of results to return W4-D2-L1 since early February and have suffered only four defeats on home soil in the Premiership this term. The highly-motivated hosts should be well-capable of hurting a Rangers side that’s now shipped multiple goals in each of their past six Premiership outings.
The Gers have been an erratic side to follow across the campaign – winning away at Celtic and Fenerbahce in recent weeks yet turning in an appalling effort to lose at home to Hibs last time out and requiring a dramatic second-half fightback to avoid an embarrassing defeat at Dundee in their most recent domestic away day.
With Rangers almost requiring an all-in attitude from the squad to be at their very best, the visitors could be forgiven for emptying the tank against Athletic and that should give Aberdeen an excellent opportunity to secure at least a share of the points on Sunday.
The race for a top-three finish and subsequent Champions League qualification is really heating up in France. Only five points separate second-placed Marseille and Lille in seventh with Strasbourg starting the weekend in fourth (one point adrift of third) and their Saturday night opponents Nice just two spots back in sixth and only three points off the top-three.
It’s a key contest at the Stade de la Meinau, although these two teams arrive in contrasting form. Strasbourg have steamed into top-three contention, winning 11 of their 15 league games since the start of December – more recently, Liam Rosenior’s side have taken top honours in seven of eight unbeaten outings, keeping five clean sheets along the way.
In front of their own supporters, Strasbourg have suffered just one defeat all season. And if we look at Le Racing’s record across the campaign as a whole – bar a major blip in six-week period through October and November, Les Bleu et Blanc have proven remarkably consistent, losing just twice in 22 league games outside of that six-week sample.
We can back Strasbourg with a +0.0 start at 1.90 here, an appealing line considering their excellent recent efforts. Whereas Nice, have started to fall flat as the final furlong has come into sight – last weekend’s shock home loss to Nantes was a third defeat in four winless games for Franck Haise’s troops with Les Aiglons leaking seven goals in that lean streak.
Outside of the Allianz Riviera, Nice have posted only five Ligue 1 triumphs – four of those victories arrived against bottom-five opposition, meaning the visitors have managed just W1-D3-L5 when travelling to teams outside of the major relegation candidates, conceding at least twice in each loss and scoring a measly seven goals in that nine-game sample.
With Nice struggling for results and unaccustomed to picking up big results on the road, they’re easily opposed at the lines and prices against a Strasbourg side in excellent form and with a solitary home loss to their name in 15 fixtures this term.
Subscribe to the Matchbook Betting Podcast here
Subscribe to the Matchbook YouTube channel here
