IT'S Team Goals time, and what better man to sit in the hotseat this week than Danny Mercer (@OneDannyMercer). He's got two 11/8 shots to share.
Newport v Portsmouth | Saturday 15:00
Newport will be hoping to continue their fine form this weekend against a well out of form Portsmouth.
The Welsh side can go into the automatic promotion places with a win and that looks a good thing with the form they're currently in. Justin Edinburgh's side have suffered just one defeat in 13 league games & won nine of those fixtures.
Portsmouth have under achieved so far this season and are winless in five league games at the moment. The South Coast side also struggle away from home and this looks a daunting trip.
County are 11 games unbeaten at home in the league, and have beaten some very good sides like Southend, Stevenage and Plymouth. Most of the teams that come to Rodney Parade struggle and I think that will case for Pompey on Saturday.
Newport get goals at home. They've scored two or more in seven of their last nine home fixtures so I see Chris Zebroski & Aaron O'Connor keeping their fine form going and shooting down Portsmouth. As well as that, they can count upon good back-up options like Rene Howe or Shaun Jeffers if things are not going so well.
For Portsmouth it's a tale of woe, they've conceded 2+ goals in six of their last 10 away games, so the 11/8 (Coral) on Newport hitting two or more looks a steal in my opinion.
Andy Awford's men haven't won in 10 away league games now, plus they've failed to score in six of them. They also have the joint least most goals away from home in the league and I'm very much of the belief they'll be unable to stop Newport's fine recent form.
Exeter v Northampton | Saturday 15:00
Exeter's form has dipped recently and that's seen them drop out the play-off places. On Saturday though I expect them to regain their form against Northampton.
There's no doubt Paul Tisdale's side will miss the Swansea departee Matt Grimes so much, but they need to move on quick and this provides the perfect opportunity.
They do have David Noble back and that cannot be underestimated. Exeter have lost three of their last four games without him, and don't forget when he missed the first six games of the season they failed to register a win!
The Devon side are a tough team to beat at home. They've been taking three points against Top 10 sides like Shrewsbury, Wycombe and Bury at St James Park and they've also drawn with Luton and Burton.
As for Northampton, well their way out of form with no win in their last six league games. They've also lost 10 of their last 13 League Two games. It looks bleak!
Chris Wilder's side do score goals but they concede far too many and that obviously makes winning games much tougher. The Sixfields side have lost six on the spin away in the league and on average have shipped two or more goals from those fixtures.
Another plus point is that Exeter have scored in every home league game in 2014/15 so the 13/10 with Coral for them to score two or more looks a banker. They have a vast array of goalscoring options in the shape of defenders Christian Ribeiro and Scot Bennett, midfielders Ryan Harley, Jimmy Keohane, Liam Sercombe and David Wheeler and strikers Graham Cummins and Tom Nichols.
Oh and let's not forget veteran striker Clinton Morrison who Exeter have recently brought in and former Northampton player Alex Nicholls. It would certainly be karma if Nicholls scored as he was recently released by Wilder.
Northampton have conceded two or more goals in nine of their last 13 league games, so I'm pretty confident this bet is real value & will land.
Best Bets
Newport v Portsmouth – Newport to score Over 1.5 Goals (11/8 Coral)
Exeter v Northampton – Exeter to score Over 1.5 Goals (11/8 Coral)
