The Big Wednesday Multiple: British teams in an 8/1 shot

6Mar 2013

Betfair

It's Wednesday, so that means it's that time of the week where 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: Juventus (HOME) @ 1.4 (2/5) - Live on Sky Sports Two at 19:45

We start in Turin as Juventus should record a relatively straightforward win over Celtic.

The Old Lady won 3-0 at Celtic Park and while the scoreline probably flattered them, their extra class and streetwise players proved the difference. Obviously they don't need to win tonight to progress, but it's almost unfathomable that they'll fail to do so given their continued strong form in front of their own fans.

Antonio Conte will also want to take some momentum through to their Serie A clash with Catania at the weekend as they are only six points clear of Napoli in the league, so any slip up could prove costly.

Celtic have exceeded expectations in this competition this year, with the undoubted highlight being the victory over Barcelona in Glasgow. Neil Lennon's side have performed with real credit but this will be more of a respectability mission.

Their odds are short at 1.4 (2/5) but that still looks like value to me and it should give us a comfortable home victory.

Bet 2: St Mirren (AWAY) @ 2.2 (6/5)

Our away leg comes from Scotland as St Mirren travel to rock bottom Dundee in the Clydesdale Bank Premier Division. The Saints aren't doing much better themselves but they've already won at this ground this season and their odds are just too big to refuse.

Dundee have found it tough going back in the top flight and John Brown's men have only managed to amass 15 points from a possible 84. They haven't won a league game since November - a run of 14 matches - and their draw last time out was their first point since January.

Their stats don't read much better at Dens Park as of the 13 fixtures they've played there this term, nine have ended in defeat, including a 2-0 loss against tonight's opponents back in August.

St Mirren may well be second from bottom but they are 17 points clear of Dundee and only seven points adrift of the top half with a game in hand. Victory this evening would see them move up to 10th and still give them an outside shot of qualifying for the Championship Round.

Danny Lennon's team put successive defeats behind them by beating Hearts 2-0 in their last league outing and while they may have won just twice away from Paisley this season, they have an excellent shot of gaining a third in this one.

Bet 3: Bristol Rovers v Exeter (Over 2.5 goals) @ 1.85 (17/20)

Our hunt for goals takes us to England's League Two as Bristol Rovers take on the in-form Exeter City.

Rovers are 15th in the table but they're still not quite safe from relegation as they only have a six point cushion over Plymouth and Wimbledon. Conceding too many goals has been their main problem as with 56 in the against column, only two teams have a worse defensive record.

John Ward's side did manage to keep a clean sheet last time out at home to Burton, but even then they scored three goals themselves so the game went over the required 2.5 goals. In fact, nine of their last dozen at the Memorial Stadium have had three or more, and their matches this year are averaging 2.89 goals each time.

Exeter were relegated from League One but they're making a decent push to go straight back up. Paul Tisdale has his team in the final play-off place, seven points clear of Southend in eighth, while only three points adrift of Cheltenham in third, with two games in hand.

The Grecians have won four of their last five, scoring 12 goals in the process, while five of their last eight on the road have gone over 2.5. This season's average is similar to their opponents, currently standing at 2.83, so the statistics would point to plenty of goals going in tonight.

Bet 4: Notts County v Leyton Orient (Under 2.5 goals) @ 1.65 (13/20)

We finish in England's League One as Notts County and Leyton Orient do battle in what I hope will be somewhat of a dour encounter.

County are in 10th place but if they win their game in hand tonight then they will move to within five points of Tranmere in sixth and keep their slim promotion hopes alive. Winning has been a bit of an issue for them though this term as while they've only lost nine, they've drawn a few too many matches.

As far as the goals go, their matches are averaging 2.49 per 90 minutes, with 20 of their 35 going under 2.5, and four of their last five at Meadow Lane suffering the same fate.

Leyton Orient are only two points behind their opponents but even a victory tonight would probably still leave them a bit too far back to make the play-offs. Russell Slade's men broke a four match winless streak last time out by despatching Bournemouth 3-1, but four goals in one game is a rarity with The O's as their matches are only averaging 2.29 goals each time, with 21 of their 35 having two or less.

Recommended Multiple

Back Juventus @ 1.4 (2/5); Back St Mirren @ 2.2 (6/5); Back Over 2.5 Goals in Bristol Rovers v Exeter @ 1.85 (17/20); Back Under 2.5 Goals in Notts County v Leyton Orient @ 1.65 (13/20); The Multiple pays approximately 9.2 (8/1)

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