Scottish clubs in Europe: Predictions
By Danny Collins:
We had a decent weekend with another fine win, predicting Celtic would beat Caley Thistle by two goals. Unfortunately we couldn't make it a double - we had Aberdeen to defeat Hearts by two goals as well, but for all the chances they created they just couldn't find the net.
We're on a roll though, and in association with our good friends at Ladbrokes we are betting on all three Scottish teams in Europe this week. With Celtic, Hearts and Motherwell all in action, I’m aiming to keep The Away End good run going.
Celtic – Helsingborg IF
Celtic-1 (13/8)
First of all, on the verge of the Champions’ League group stages, Celtic. The Hoops battled and rode their luck a wee bit in their first leg tie away to Helsingborgs and managed to come away with a 2-0 advantage. However, the tie is not over just yet as Neil Lennon's men entertain the Swedish outlet in Glasgow tonight. At the very least, a draw will sure enough see them through, as will even a one goal defeat.
Celtic – Helsingborg IF
Celtic-1 (13/8)
First of all, on the verge of the Champions’ League group stages, Celtic. The Hoops battled and rode their luck a wee bit in their first leg tie away to Helsingborgs and managed to come away with a 2-0 advantage. However, the tie is not over just yet as Neil Lennon's men entertain the Swedish outlet in Glasgow tonight. At the very least, a draw will sure enough see them through, as will even a one goal defeat.
Celtic banged in four goals against Inverness at the weekend while Helsingborgs suffered a 3-1 defeat to Djugardens. I can see no shortage of goals in this game and have gone for a handicapped bet of Celtic to start with -1 With Ladbrokes’ odds at 13/8, a £4 bet is in place to get us underway.
Bet: £4
Potential winnings: £9.50
Levante – Motherwell
Levante 3-0 (5/1)
Motherwell face an uphill task over in Spain as they face a fast flowing Levante side. The Spaniards finished sixth in La Liga last season and are strong favourites going into the second leg with a 2-0 advantage to their delight. This leaves Motherwell needing a minimum of two goals to force the tie into extra-time; this is a task which seems formidable.
Levante will make want the game killed off early so that there is no chance of a Motherwell comeback, therefore I’ve opted for a 3-0 home win. With odds at 5/1, a £2 bed is suitable for this result in the hope of a boost of funds.
Bet: £2
Potential winnings: £12
Liverpool – Hearts
Raheem Sterling to score and Liverpool to win (7/4)
Hearts also face an immense uphill battle at the cauldron which is Anfield. However, they were unlucky to go down to a 1-0 defeat at Tynecastle last week to a strong Liverpool side. The Redmen will definitely fancy their chances in the home leg and with Hearts needing a goal; it could be an interesting game.
Raheem Sterling, the upcoming star of Liverpool, has now began to make his mark in the English game. With an impressive start to his season, a small £2 bet wouldn’t go amiss on Raheem Sterling to score and Liverpool to win.
Bet: £2
Potential winnings: £5.50
Hearts to win 1-0 (20-1)
Writing the last paragraph I feel like I’ve been a bit harsh on Hearts, after all, no matter how you see it they’re still in the tie. The players will cherish the opportunity to play at Anfield and have nothing to lose so I can see them going out all guns blazing for a result.
On the thought of this I thought a mere quid on Hearts to take it to extra-time virtue of a 1-0 win, at generous odds of 20-1, is worth a punt.
You never know, a shirt pull from a corner can lead to a penalty leaving big John Sutton to step up and win our bet…
Bets: £1
Potential winnings: £21
League Cup accumulator
Rangers, Dundee, St Mirren, Inverness CT, plus Celtic -1 v Helsinborgs. (9-1)
Of course, the Scottish League Cup is also in full flow this week. Three SPL sides have already been knocked out, with Hibs, Ross County and holders Kilmarnock succumbing to lower league opposition.
We don't see any more shocks though, and are backing all our favourites in the remaining games. In addition, add in Celtic's handicap bet of -1 v Helsinborgs to push the odds up, and we're getting a nice £10 win from our single pound wager.
Bet: £1
Potential winnings: £10
The Away End's season bets:
Total bets to date: £40
Total winnings: £24.25
All odds are from the Ladbrokes.com website. Click the link above and open an account today, then bet along with The Away End through-out the season as we attempt to win you money.
Gamble Aware
· The Away End would like to direct you to the gamble aware website which provides advice on safe gambling http://www.gambleaware.co.uk/ .
· Ladbrokes also have a section on their website, detailing responsible gambling, http://help.ladbrokes.com/display/4/kb/article.aspx?aid=1077 .
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