Midweek League One Betting: Carlisle to struggle at table toppers Rovers

12Mar 2013

Betfair

Alan Dudman previews a full set of League One fixtures this Tuesday evening, with Doncaster and Yeovil the home bets to side with. Meanwhile Coventry's new boss Steven Pressley faces his first game at the Ricoh Arena.

Doncaster Rovers 1.87 v Carlisle United 4.70, the draw 3.70

With the ever-changing position at the top of the table, one wonders how long Doncaster will stay at the summit? Saturday's 2-1 win at Bournemouth installed Rovers as the division leaders, but that position has been like a relay race this term and they are still available to back at 4.20 in the League One winner market.

Donny have the best away record in the division but have lost only once at The Keepmoat in their last seven matches. During that run on home soil, they have conceded just five in their last six and look more efficient than stylish. They have some towering players and look for the diagonals.

Carlisle have ditched their passing style and diamond formation after the 3-0 defeat to Walsall two weeks ago, and have most certainly tightened up since that loss. All three of their most recent games have been under 2.5 goals, which is some turnaround for one of the worst defences in the division.

Blues boss Greg Abbott hailed Saturday's 2-0 win over Brentford as his 'best result since I have been at the club', and they worked extremely hard to keep the Bees quiet by closing them down. I am slightly wary of that victory as it was their first win in seven games. Donny are solid at the moment, and are far more consistent.

Recommended bet:

Back Doncaster to win @ 1.87

Yeovil Town 2.20 v Crawley Town 3.70, the draw 3.50

Yeovil are four points from the league leaders Doncaster and yet are still available to back at odds-against at Huish Park this Tuesday. Not only are the Glovers keeping clean sheets (five from their last eight games), but they score too, and only Bournemouth and Swindon have netted more at home.

The Greens may have lost a bit of their cutting edge up front in their last couple of matches - drawing 0-0 on Saturday with Hartlepool, and last week's 1-0 win over Tranmere, but they are still one of the form teams in the division.

There are not many games in which Yeovil record a 'nil', and their pace and power has been the highlight of an exceptional run of form.

Crawley will pose a different sort of threat to Yeovil's recent opponents, as they like to pass the ball. However, they could be a mid-table team that could just fizzle out with nothing to play for. Six of their last eight matches have been under 2.5 goals, whilst two wins from nine games is hardly sparkling.

I would look to trade a low-scoring scoreline, whilst using the under 1.5 goals and 2.5 goals markets to get the stake for that bet. The safer play is to stick with a home win, as Yeovil should have enough quality to break down the visitors and according to Opta, have a league high 11 victories on their own patch.

Recommended bet:

Back Yeovil to win @ 2.20

Oldham Athletic 2.06 v Hartlepool United 4.00, the draw 3.45

This is the game that both dare not lose. With four points difference between the relegation strugglers, this might be an encounter in which the two teams will be very tentative and nervous, with neither wanting to over-commit.

On the plus side, Pools have been in fairly decent form of late and are keeping clean sheets. They are showing great desire and determination at the moment, and are definitely playing for their manager John Hughes. The north east outfit looked a little tired on Saturday, but a 0-0 scoreline against Yeovil represents a decent result.

Hartlepool don't score many on the road, whilst Oldham have failed to find the net in their last two outings. Giant striker (and FA Cup hero) Matt Smith won't feature having picked up an injury on Saturday. His aerial presence will be a huge blow.

The Boundary Park pitch is poor, and it might be a case of neither being able to break each other down. Pools went with a midfield 'three' against Yeovil, but Hughes might be a touch more defensive this Tuesday. Again using Hartlepool as a trade, I would play the 0-0 correct scoreline, with a poke at the unders looking the best bet. Opta stats would back this up if you are trading in the first 45 minutes, as the Latics have scored just 13 goals in the first-half of matches (a league low).

The draw In-Play would appeal most as an outright result pick.

Recommended bet:

Back under 2.5 goals @ 1.80

Coventry City 1.80 v Colchester United 5.20, the draw 3.80

New Coventry City boss Steven Pressley faces his debut home game at the Ricoh in midweek, fresh from his first win as boss on Saturday with a 2-1 win at Scunthorpe. Leon Clarke scored again (his 21st of the season), and he should be fit for an important match to keep the Sky Blues' play-off hopes alive.

Colchester played quite well at the weekend, only to lose 2-1 at home to Crewe. Prior to that they had kept three successive clean sheets and were showing a bit of fight.

The angle into this game is Colchester's lack of away goals, only 14 in total and the league's most impotent attack. With suspensions and injuries up front, Us boss Joe Dunne isn't overly blessed in the attacking options. A dart at correct scorelines involving the visitors not scoring would be my idea of a couple of trades. But the strongest bet is sticking with the hosts, who according to Opta stats, are unbeaten in their last six meetings with the Essex side (winning five).

Recommended bet:

Back Coventry to win @ 1.80