Football betting analyst Mark O’Haire returns to share his favourite fancies from the weekend with a pair of plays from Brazil and Norway this weekend.
After a win and a push from Norway and Brazil last weekend, Mark is hoping for more of the same (or better) this weekend!
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Approaching the midway point in Brazil’s Serie A season, Botafogo are enjoying a remarkable 13-point lead (W15-D1-L2) at the top of the table.
The league leaders are unbeaten in nine (W7-D2-L0), have already recorded 11 clean sheets from 18 outings, conceding only 10 goals in total, and boast a flawless home record (W9-D0-L0).
Even the mid-season departure of highly-rated head coach Luis Castro to Al Nassr failed to derail Fogo’s campaign, with former Wolves boss Bruno Lage keeping O Glorioso well on track to a first Campeonato crown since 1995.
Back at their fortress Estadio Nilton Santos base in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night, Botafogo hold plenty of appeal as 2.10 shots with a -0.50 Asian Handicap hurdle.
The table-toppers have leaked just twice in 10 home tussles, whilst also plundering multiple goals in nine of those 10 encounters in front of their own supporters.
Fogo face mid-table Internacional with the visitors arriving after an extra-time and penalties success in the Copa Libertadores over River Plate in midweek, potentially impacting the physical and emotional energy of the guests.
The posse from Porto Alegre have also been below-par in their Serie A skirmishes of late, particularly in forward areas.
Mano Menezes’ men are winless in six league dates (W0-D2-L4), firing blanks in four of those fixtures, and Colorado come into this clash with a W1-D2-L6 record when meeting top-half teams this term.
In those nine matches against elite Campeonato opposition, Internacional have failed to score on seven occasions.
Expected Goals (xG) data ranks Internacional amongst the bottom-six of Brazil’s top-flight and a trip to Botafogo is bound to test the visitors’ capability to the limit.
The odds-against offering is too big to ignore on Saturday night.
The Eliteserien title race was blown wide open last weekend when Viking extended their stunning winning streak to eight games by overcoming current league leaders Bodo/Glimt.
With Bodo out of action this weekend, victory for the Stavanger side on Sunday at Lillestrom would move the Dark Blues level on points with the league leaders.
The visitors have already overcome Lillestrom 2-0 this term, and with Viking suffering just three league losses across the whole campaign thus far (W12-D2-L3), there’s a real sense the Dark Blues could have a serious tilt at the top prize.
Head coaches Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen have implemented an exciting, attack-minded operation at Viking and Sunday’s guests have already provided plenty of entertainment.
The Dark Blues haven’t failed to score since the opening weekend and that exceptional firepower should give the group a real chance of picking up a positive result.
In contrast, Lillestrom could be forgiven for licking their wounds. Perched just inside the top-six, the Canaries were looking to challenge for European qualification.
However, star striker and Eliteserien top goalscorer Akor Adams has left the club recently, creating a huge void in the home side’s attack. The Nigerian notched 45% of Lillestrom’s goals this season.
Considering the big-name departure, plus the fact the Canaries have W1-D0-L3 when welcoming top-10 opposition, lost all four fixtures with top-three opposition and managed only two overall shutouts, I’m quite happy to back Viking with a +0/0.5 start here at 1.91 knowing we’ll make money should the away side avoid defeat.
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