Football betting analyst Mark O’Haire returns to share his favourite fancies from the weekend with a pair of plays proposed from the 2.Bundesliga and EFL.
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— Matchbook Betting Exchange (@TeamMatchbook) March 14, 2024
Despite a few recent stumbles, Hannover find themselves in the thick of the 2.Bundesliga promotion battle in Germany’s second-tier. Die Roten begin the weekend just two points adrift of the top-three with their campaign very much built upon their excellent record in front of their own supporters at the Niedersachsenstadion (W7-D4-L1).
Only table-topping St Pauli can better Hannover’s points per-game on home soil, however, no 2.Bundesliga side can boast a better goalscoring record as hosts. Hannover have plundered an eye-catching 28 goals in those 12 Niedersachsenstadion fixtures, averaging 2.33 goals per-game. In fact, 96 have notched at least twice in 11 of those 12 tussles.
The Lowe Saxony club have only once failed to score two goals or more – that came when hosting third-placed Hamburg. It means, Hannover have covered the Over 1.5 Goals mark on their own in all 11 meetings with teams in fourth and below, an exceptional return that is largely backed up by their impressive underlying metrics.
Hannover average 2.00 Expected Goals (xG) when welcoming second-tier opposition, Die Roten also average almost 12 shots from inside the penalty area, nearly seven on-target attempts per-game, whilst generating over three Big Chances on average. Such imposing numbers make the 1.80 on Hannover scoring Over 1.5 Goals too big to dismiss.
Kaiserslautern arrive having claimed back-to-back victories to move outside of the bottom-three. Nevertheless, both of the visitors’ triumphs came against fellow basement battlers with rock-bottom Osnabruck scoring twice in last week’s encounter. The guests have managed only one clean sheet in 25, leaking twice or more in eight of 12 on their travels.
I was happy to oppose Wrexham at the prices last weekend. The Dragons fell behind early at Morecambe before battling back to earn parity at the interval, though a second-half red card changed the course of that contest and Phil Parkinson’s team were able to collect a rare success on the road. FC Hollywood followed it up with a frustrating midweek stalemate.
Despite winning the shot count 16-3, Wrexham were unable to break Harrogate’s resistance on Tuesday night, enduring a rare blank. Even so, I’m happy to get the Welsh club onside this weekend as they welcome Tranmere to the Racecourse Ground – the big-budget Dragons are W13-D3-L2 on home soil, scoring twice or more in 15 of those 18 outings.
When hosting the bottom-10, Wrexham have claimed maximum points in seven of eight showdowns here, racking up 22 goals (an average of 2.75 goals per-game), providing a persuasive case for supporting Wrexham to win and Over 1.5 Goals at 1.80 on Saturday.
Tranmere have pulled clear of danger due to the leadership of Nigel Adkins, though the Wirral-based club have struggled to find form on the road. Rovers have already been beaten in 13 of their 19 away days, a run that includes W1-D2-L11 when excluding the bottom-five. The visitors have kept a solitary shutout on their travels and are easily opposed here.
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Catch our Cheltenham Day 3 Preview as @CharliePoste & @LongShot_Ted join @_tomstanley_ 🐎https://t.co/TlIulo1SMA 🎥https://t.co/P7IiZGdN4n
— Matchbook Betting Exchange (@TeamMatchbook) March 14, 2024
