Home and Away: Wycombe to struggle against Gills quality

4Feb 2013

Betfair

Jonno Turner picks two selections to kick start this week with a bang in his Home and Away column.

We're off to Kent for our first pick of the day - as Gillingham host Wycombe in League Two, looking to secure their fifth game unbeaten in half a dozen.

Martin Allen's side sit second in the division, just one point behind leaders Port Vale, who have played a game more - and that puts the Gills in a cracking position going into this tie.

A win this evening will lift them to the summit of the fourth tier, and would be the outcome of an impressive campaign for the hosts, who have supplemented their squad with added quality in January.

Hotshot striker Cody McDonald returned to the MEMs Stadium following a successful loan spell in 2010/11 - and the forward has already notched two in two games for his new side.

And Allen could hand a debut to Huddersfield midfielder Anton Robinson this evening, who joined from the Championship side until the end of the season.

Three clean sheets from five suggests that the Gills are already solid at the back, and I reckon that consistency will be a key factor in this game.

Wycombe travel to their hosts having failed to win in seven of their last 10 on the road, and boss Gareth Ainsworth will be keen for his side to correct that slump as they look to put further space between themselves and the relegation zone.

But six goals conceded in their last three away from Adams Park indicates that the away side could be susceptible to conceding a goal or two, and with defenders Gary Doherty, Leon Johnson and Danny Foster all out, the home side will be looking to take advantage of that.

The last time these two sides met, Gillingham ran out on top in a 1-0 victory, and I'm expecting a similar outcome here.

Bet 1: Gillingham (HOME) @ 1.65

Over to France now, and Ligue 2 - as Claudio Ranieri's in-form Monaco side travel to Arles.

The away side are in cracking form going into this one, and are unbeaten in their last five league outings, which will give them much confidence going into the final stretch of the season.

Ranieri has led his charges to second in the division, and they are just three points behind leaders Nantes, with a game in hand.

That makes this clash even more important, and two clean sheets from their last four indicates that the South coast club are solid enough to withstand the threat of their hosts.

And just one loss from seven away from Fontvieille suggests that Les Rouges et Blanc are more than capable of securing three points in this encounter.

Ranieri does have some players missing - with Tzavelas, Wolf, Carrasco and Ndinga likely to sit out - but he has welcomed back Medjani and Riviere, who arrived from Ajaccio and St Etienne respectively.

Hosts Arles sit on the edge of the relegation zone with just 24 points from 22 outings, and have scored just four goals in their last 10 games.

That lack of attacking quality could prove costly for the home side, and with three forwards - Suarez, Sangale and Dalé - and influential midfielder Julien Cardy set to miss this game, things are looking bleak for the Parc des Sports side.

Just one win from seven will have knocked confidence in the Lions squad, and with Monaco running out 3-0 winners in the reverse fixture earlier this year, the hosts may not be expecting much from this game.

Monaco have shown consistently that on their day they are far better than any other side in this division, and I can't see them missing the opportunity to go top here.

Bet 2: Monaco (AWAY) @ 2.16