Goals in El Clasico

30Jan 2013

Copa Del Rey

It's that time of the week for the big Wednesday multiple as Paul Robinson selects a home win, an away win, a match to go over 2.5 goals and a match to go under 2.5 goals. Here are his selections:

Bet 1: Everton (HOME) @ 1.5 (1/2)

Everton take on West Brom in the Premier League tonight and I'm backing them to give us our home victory of the week.

The Toffees are undefeated in five matches in all competitions and they've only lost one of their last 13. They seem to have got out of their habit of drawing games that they should have won as they've recorded half a dozen victories in their last 10 outings.

At Goodison Park, Everton haven't managed to win either of their last two, but they played very well against Chelsea and before that they beat both Wigan and Spurs.

West Brom have started to slide down the table after their bright start and having picked up just a single point from a possible 12, they find themselves in ninth place.

The Baggies have recently lost to Manchester United, Fulham and Reading and they had to come from two down to draw with Aston Villa last time out.

Away from The Hawthorns, Steve Clarke's men have lost four of their last five, with the sole victory coming at rock bottom, QPR. They have been shipping far too many goals - 21 in 11 away matches this season - and they are yet to keep a clean sheet.

Bet 2: Tottenham (AWAY) @ 1.75 (3/4)

Tottenham and Norwich were both dumped out of the cup by lower league opposition at the weekend but The Canaries defeat was by far the worse result out of the two and coupled with their poor league form, I think Spurs are a good bet to get back on track here.

Norwich are in a right slump at the moment; knocked out of the FA Cup as mentioned above and just one point from a possible 18 in the league. Chris Hughton had appeared to turn things around as they went on a 10 match unbeaten run, but since that ended, they've been pretty poor and got progressively worse.

Last time out in the league they put in a pitiful display at Anfield, losing 5-0 in a scoreline that probably flattered them. Their home form has dipped as well, and although losing to Chelsea and Manchester City isn't too bad, they were held by Newcastle and couldn't even muster a goal against a team that have conceded 42 times this term.

Spurs have started to catch Chelsea in third after going seven matches undefeated in the league. That record was in danger last weekend but a late Clint Dempsey equaliser earned them a point.

Away from White Hart Lane, AVB's side have won three, drawn one and lost one since the 5-2 loss at the Emirates. The sole defeat could quite easily have been a win as well as they led 1-0 at Goodison Park before conceding two goals in injury time.

New signing Lewis Holtby is available for selection and him, Gareth Bale and the in-form, Aaron Lennon, could prove quite the creative force.

Bet 3: Real Madrid v Barcelona (Over 2.5 goals) @ 1.4 (2/5) - Sky Sports Three at 20:00

El Clasico usually means goals and I'm counting on Real Madrid and Barcelona to give us three or more in their Copa del Rey match this evening.

This is the first leg of their semi-final tie and although two legged cup ties can often be tight early on, the amount of firepower on show negates that in this instance. The two principal players - Ronaldo and Messi - come into this match on the back of hat tricks (four goals in the Argentine's case) and it's set to be another mouth-watering clash.

The last nine matches between these pair have all gone over 2.5 goals, with six going over 3.5 and two going over 4.5. There hasn't been a clean sheet since their Champions League meeting in April 2011 and both sides are better offensively than they are defensively.

Given the league positions of the two, I'd say that this tie was slightly more important to Real that Barcelona, so with the daunting trip to the Nou Camp to come, I'd imagine Jose Mourinho will get his team on the front foot from the off to try and build some kind of lead.

This game just screams goals to me and despite overs being fairly short, it's still decent value and worth including in a multiple.

Bet 4: Fulham v West Ham (Under 2.5 goals) @ 1.95 (19/20)

We conclude back in the Premier League as Fulham take on West Ham in what I expect to be a low scoring London derby.

Fulham are having a poor campaign after a bright start and they've now won just two of their last 15 in the league. This has seen them drop to 14th place, only five points above the dreaded relegation zone. Their usual strong home form has deserted them lately; six points from a possible 21, and they have only scored more than once in one of their last half dozen at the Cottage.

West Ham are beginning to slide down the table as well and after recording just the single Premier League victory in eight, they have dropped to 12th place. Scoring goals has been a problem away from Upton Park as before the one they managed at the Emirates last time out, they had fired blanks at Manchester United, WBA, Reading and Sunderland.

This is an important match for both clubs, neither of whom can afford to lose. I expect it to be quite a tight affair and under 2.5 seems overpriced at 1.95 (19/20).

Recommended Multiple

Back Everton @ 1.5 (1/2); Back Tottenham @ 1.75 (3/4); Back Over 2.5 Goals in Real Madrid v Barcelona @ 1.4 (2/5); Back Under 2.5 Goals in Fulham v West Ham @ 1.95 (19/20); The Multiple pays approximately 7.17 (6/1)

Multiple prices are based on our Fixed Odds product, so any winnings are exempt from commission.