Football Accumulator Tips: Shots double looks the smart play in the Manchester derby

Two games take place in the Premier League on Sunday with Watford hosting Arsenal at 2:00pm, before the small matter of the Manchester derby at 4:30pm from the Etihad. We’ve got full previews for both those matches live here on BettingOdds.com and our resident rambler @AnthonyEadson has also provided us with his best Bet Builder tips for Sunday’s proceedings.

It’s two selections from the shots markets that have caught his eye this time round, and at the time of writing the double pays 6/4 on bet365. 

There will be plenty of punters picking out ‘to be carded’ accumulators on Sunday afternoon for the Manchester derby, however with referee Michael Oliver in charge (3.06 yellows per game in 21/22), I’ve decided to focus my attention on the shots markets.

Once again bet365 look to have some very generous prop-prices on offer, and for the first half of Sunday’s double I’ve opted for Riyad Mahrez to have over 1.5 shots in the match. A player I feel Pep Guardiola often turns to in the big matches, Mahrez looks a good price at 8/13 for over 1.5 shots, with Betfair and Paddy Power embarrassingly putting up just 1/40 on the same selection. 

Mahrez has only made 10 starts this season in the league with another 10 appearances coming from the substitutes bench. At the Etihad in the Premier League this season the Algerian is averaging 2.4 shots per game, registering 11 in his last three starts on home soil.

In his 10 league starts this season Mahrez has managed to record over 1.5 shots in eight of those. United have been far from convincing in recent weeks and I think the hosts will come out firing on all cylinders, and it would be no surprise to see them rack up plenty of shots and corners in the first half. 

The second half of this 6/4 poke comes in the form of Bruno Fernandes to have over 0.5 shots in the match. The 27-year-old may not have racked up the goals like he did last season, which may be down to the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, but in recent weeks the Portuguese playmaker has found his shooting boots, letting off 15 shots in his last three league matches.

In all competitions Bruno Fernandes has registered at least 1+ shot in 11 of his last 12 matches! This certainly gives plenty of appeal to the 8/15 that’s on show as a single from bet365 for him to have over 0.5 shots with other firms going considerably shorter. 

United have won three of the last four league meetings with their noisy neighbours at the Etihad and I don’t think this game will be as one-sided as the match result odds suggest. Bruno averages a healthy 2.5 shots per game this season in the Premier League and with this same double priced at just 2/9 with Betfair, I think there’s lots to like with bet365’s price.

To recap, that’s 6/4 on the Bet Builder double with Riyad Mahrez to have over 1.5 shots and Bruno Fernandes over 0.5 shots. Best of luck to anyone following, let’s hope for a profitable weekend.

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