Huddersfield Town take on Swansea City at the John Smith’s Stadium today, in a match that could have huge implications on this season’s Premier League relegation battle. Swansea looked to be certain to go down before bringing in Carlos Carvalhal, but since his appointment, they’ve started an impressive run of form.
Town have experienced their own resurgence lately after a brief dip into the relegation zone, with two consecutive victories before last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Spurs.
This post is a bit of an experiment, I’m going to pick out three bets I think are worth a punt for the match. I’m not sure if this kind of artile will work, so let me know if the comments if you think it’s something you’d like to see more of.
Short odds pick: Both teams to score – Odds: 23/20
This is a game where both teams will be trying to get the win, so I’d expect a full-blooded battle where the game is open enough for both teams to get on the scoresheet. Town’s home support will push the players forward and mean we should create plenty of chances but we’re often open at the back when we play a more expansive game.
The good thing about this bet is that there’s always a chance of it coming off right up until the end of the game, unlike first goalscorer bets which can be in the bin within minutes of kickoff if there’s an early goal. While the odds are only just above evens, I think there’s good value here given the circumstances of the game.
Medium length odds: Alex Pritchard to score first – 10/1
He hobbled off the pitch against Tottenham with a dead leg and isn’t certain to start the game today, but if he does then a bet on him to be the first goalscorer isn’t a bad shout. I’d suggest holding back on this one until the teams are announced at 2pm, and only bet if he makes the starting XI.
With Pritchard still being relatively new to the Premier League and his ability at this level unproven, I think the bookies are getting the odds wrong here. He takes free kicks, makes regular runs past Mounié to get in behind defences, and can shoot from range too.
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Long odds:Collin Quaner to score and Town to win 3-1 – 55/1
This bet is a bit of a wild speculation, but Collin Quaner has a history with Carlos Carvalhal, after coming off the bench to make the difference in the playoff semi-final second-leg against Sheffield Wednesday. His cross led to the own goal that night, but I think he could score his first Premier League goal today.
I’ve picked 3-1 as the scoreline as I think Town’s home support and the momentum we’ve got can lead to a convincing win, but Swansea’s recent form makes me think that they’ll probably get at least one goal.
Hands up if you ruined Carlos Carvalhal's season last year, and plan on doing the same tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/fdVmj83w8I
— TerrierSpirit.com (@SpiritTerrier) March 9, 2018
This is not a sponsored post
If you see a football blog posting about betting then it’s likely that they’re taking money from a bookmaker in some way or another. This can be either through affiliate links, where they earn a profit if you place bets using links in the article, or by sponsored posts, where someone else has written the article on behalf of the blog and pays to get it posted.
I’m not against this kind of thing if bloggers are clear about what they’re doing. However, I do have a problem with bloggers taking money from companies without being honest with their audience. If ever I’m making money of articles on this blog I’ll always disclose it. As yet I’ve not had an offer that was worth taking.
To make it abundantly clear I’ve got no hidden agenda with this article I’ve not included any links to bookmakers’ websites and not even mentioned which ones are offering which odds. If you fancy a flutter then I’d suggest googling one of the comparison websites and finding the best odds yourself.
Love your site but this is not for me.
Cheers Nick. It was an experiment, so good to get feedback.
As you know, I’m with nick on this one. Write for the fan not the gambler.