Recap:
One thing that makes this time of year so exciting in the world of European Soccer is that we tend to get a few more midweek games as we near the end of the season, as well as matches in other competitions in which the clubs are still competing. This week we had 3 midweek matches to round out the gameweek, including Liverpool and Manchester City, two of the top contenders for the title this season.
Liverpool beat Luton Town 4-1 to retain top spot and Man City beat Brentford 1-0 to jump Arsenal into second place.
For our main bets, we went 1-1-1. Everton and Crystal Palace ended in a draw, so we won the CP double chance. We were close to getting our fun and frisky bet of CP to win, but a late Everton goal only saw CP manage a draw.
Man City and Brentford ended 1-0, losing our both teams to score bet. Brentford had some chances but never looked too strong against City. I also threw out Haaland to score first or last and Haaland to score 2+ for fun props. With Haaland the only goalscorer, we won the first but not the second, although he had 6 shots, 4 on target, and had a second hit the back of the net, just was offsides in the build-up to the goal.
Our final bet, Mo Salah to score for Liverpool, pushed as he did not make the team sheet. I assumed he’d play with the injury woes at Liverpool, but perhaps he was being rested for this weekend’s match, a bracket-style Cup Final against Chelsea this weekend.
Around the Grounds, Inter Milan won their Champions League match, RB Bragantino only managed a 1-1 draw, and Arsenal lost 1-0, giving us a 1-2 record outside of the EPL. A fun stat about the Arsenal match, they’ve won their last 5 EPL matches, scoring 21 goals and conceding 2 in the process, yet couldn’t even manage a shot on target in their Champions League match with Porto.
Pick #1: Brighton Moneyline -120 (Feb. 24; 10:00 a.m. EST):
This bet is primarily based on the form between the two clubs. Everton haven’t won in their last 5 matches and haven’t managed to score in any of their last 4 away matches. Brighton haven’t lost in their last 11 matches at home. Everton under manager Sean Dyche are a strong defensive team, so the draw here is a risk, but count on Brighton to get it done at home.
Pick #2: Parlay Man United Moneyline and Man City Moneyline +144 (Feb. 24, 2024; 10:00 a.m. EST and 12:30 p.m. EST):
Soccer can often be a streaky game, where teams or players go through periods of good form and bad form. Manchester United are in arguably their best form of the season, winning their last 5 games across all competitions, whereas their opponents, Fulham, have only won 1 of their last 8 matches.
Manchester City and Bournemouth are both in relatively strong form. However, Man City are chasing Liverpool for the title and are too consistent right now to bet against, despite the decent form of Bournemouth.
Pick #3: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) Anytime Goalscorer +120 (Feb. 24, 2024; 3:00 p.m. EST):
Arsenal had a rough Champions League match midweek against Porto, where they didn’t manage a single shot on target. However, their Premier League form has been excellent as of late, with Saka scoring 6 goals in his last 4 EPL matches. I expect them to bounce back in the Premier League and get back to their high-scoring play.
Bonus EPL Pick: Crystal Palace Moneyline +100 (Feb. 24; 10:00 a.m. EST):
As a bonus pick, back Crystal Palace to win on the new manager bump!
Around the Grounds:
Atletico Madrid -135 (Spain; La Liga)
FC Dallas +105 (USA; MLS)
Commenti