OUR Correct Score man Daniel McCulloch (@danmcc84) delivers his best bets of the weekend.
Brighton v Burnley | Saturday 16th December 2017, 15:00
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Chris Hughton’s Brighton side who suffered their first drubbing of the season in a 5-1 home loss to the free-scoring Liverpool before succumbing to back-to-back 2-0 defeats at Huddersfield and Tottenham.
Of the three matches, the only one which would concern me if I was a Seagulls supporter is the Huddersfield loss. They created little in that game and their performance was little more than a meek surrender. That said, I do fancy them to overcome a high-flying Burnley side this weekend.
Much has been written about Sean Dyche’s outfit in recent weeks, with many believing that performance data suggests that their run is simply unsustainable.
The simple reality is that the Lancashire side have won a lot of games (often through late goals) that could have gone either way and such brinkmanship is hard to maintain over the course of the season. Six of their wins this term have come by a single goal to nil and given Brighton’s attacking struggles I can see a 1-0 away win being fairly popular at 13/2.
I, however, believe that winning precisely this type of game is the reason that Hughton will keep the Sussex team in the Premier League and actually fancy the reverse scoreline at a slightly skinnier 11/2 (Bet365).
Two of Brighton’s four victories this term have come via this method and Burnley have also lost 1-0 on three occasions this term. I can see Under 1.5 Goals and Under 2.5 Goals being popular bets this weekend, but I will stick with a narrow victory for the home side.
Watford v Huddersfield | Saturday 16th December 2017, 15:00
Given that five of Watford’s six league victories this season have come via the 2-0 or 2-1 scorelines, it is probably unsurprising that I am backing them to win via this method against a Huddersfield side without an away goal since the opening day of the season.
Marco Silva’s team are certainly one of the more entertaining sides in the Premier League, with 55 goals featuring in their 17 fixtures so far and a tally only bettered by Manchester City. It is their defensive struggles, however, that leads me to be slightly cautious and also keep 2-1 onside.
Crystal Palace created little for 88 minutes on Tuesday night but the Hornets backline looked static in the final few minutes as they let three points slip through their grasp.
After securing seven points from their opening three games in a very productive August, reality has hit home for Huddersfield as they have secured just two victories since then and have found goals hard to come by.
Additionally, their desire to play out from the back, while admirable, has cost them a few times this season and such errors must be eradicated if they are to secure their Premier League status. That said, David Wagner would have surely bitten your hand off if offered 18 points and 12th place by this stage of the season so it is certainly not all doom and gloom in West Yorkshire.
I believe that the home side will secure the victory but struggle to see them scoring a hatful. Four of Huddersfield’s nine defeats this term have also been by either of these two scorelines so take the 15/2 with Bet365 on a 2-0 Watford win and 9/1 with Winner on 2-1.
Best Bets
Brighton v Burnley – Brighton 1-0 Burnley (11/2 Bet365)
Watford v Huddersfield – Watford 2-0 Huddersfield (15/2 Bet365)
Watford v Huddersfield – Watford 2-1 Huddersfield (9/1 Winner)
