BTTS Tips: Four-fold accumulator for Saturday's 3pm games
HMS Premier League is close to docking in Croydon as Crystal Palace and Arsenal provide us with the 22/23 campaign's opener from Selhurst Park on Friday night...
By the time you're reading this, that game may well have come and gone, meaning the very first PL Saturday is upon us!
We're ready to make a triumphant return, with this 10.79/1 BTTS accumulator, pulling from the English top flight, all the way down to League 2 to combine four selections with Bet365, which also benefits from the bookmaker's 10% Accumulator Bonus offer.
Leeds vs Wolves
Elland Road is our first destination on the goodship BTTS this week. A summer spent watching their two strongest assets depart the club must have made for grim viewing in the eyes of Leeds supporters, but they'll also be the first to tell you that it's not all doom and gloom in Yorkshire.
When it comes to Jesse Marsch's 12 Premier League games, both teams have scored in half of those, including three of the most recent four matches. Last time these two met at Molineux in March, supporters and neutrals alike were treated to a 3-2 thriller in favour of the away side - a result that helped keep Leeds' survival bid on course. It's also worth mentioning that this head-to-head fixture saw seven yellows and a red for those eager card backers.
The Lilywhites have spent big, which they certainly needed to following last season's close scare with relegation, and there'll be plenty of attacking talent on show for the home side; even if it is a little unnurtured as of right now.
Wolves' goalscoring numbers were a concern during the 21/22 season, only managing to find the net 38 times (1 goal per game on average - a tally only the three relegated sides failed to better) but Leeds' defensive woes (79 conceded across the season - 19 of which came under Marsch, with only Norwich shipping more) lead me to believe that when these two flawed teams get together, neither is coming away with their 'O' intact.
Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest
St. James' Park plays host to another tantalising match up as newbies Nottingham Forest roll into town. Despite boasting one of the best defensive records in the Championship under Steve Cooper's stewardship, Forest will no doubt feel that step up in class when facing the Toon Army on Saturday.
If we're to judge things on how the Magpies fared against the three newly promoted teams last term, then note that BTTS landed in four of their six fixtures against Brentford, Norwich and Watford, including all three home ties.
Cooper's men have also bolstered their squad considerably, adding a number of attacking talents in Taiwo Awoniyi, Nuno Da Costa and most impressively, Jesse Lingard.
Three of Forest's last five regular season matches saw both teams notch, with two of those coming on their travels. While it might be difficult to determine who comes out on top of this particular contest, expect goals on the menu.
Bristol City vs Sunderland
Over to the Championship for a selection that saw both teams to score land for both involved during the opening weekend of the English second tier last time out.
Bristol City were part of the previous Saturday's 3pm BTTS accumulator on-site, and judging by what we saw in their visit to Hull and Sunderland's first game back in the division, we're including this one as our third pick.
As mentioned previously, the Robins were the go-to scorers in the division outside of those in the top six picture, finishing with more goals (62) than any other club from 7th place and lower.
Half of Sunderland's 10 shots vs Coventry found the target and on a different day, they could have finished with more than just a single goal on the board. At the other end, in the absence of Callum O'Hare, Cov didn't trouble them as much as the potency of a forward line comprised of Andreas Weimann and the returning Antoine Semenyo should.
Stevenage vs Stockport
Rounding out our four selections is a pair who also achieved a winner for BTTS backers last weekend. Stockport almost made it a memorable League Two homecoming when they were within touching distance of turning around a three-goal, first-half deficit against Pete Wilde's Barrow.
Steve Evans welcomed in the new campaign with a opening day victory for his Stevenage side, overcoming Tranmere in a 2-1 win on the road; picking up where they left off from in their final two games of the season and making it a third successive winner on the BTTS front for the Hertfordshire club.
After an eye-opening first 45, County showed a lot of grit and determination, with L2 top goalscorer favourite Paddy Madden almost inspiring them to a hard-fought point, but the task was too much in the end. Barrow will be no walkover this campaign, so expect Dave Challinor's men to provide a more even contest in this one.
