THERE'S a full card of fixtures from the Football League this midweek and Chris Bland (@blandc_1996) is on-hand to pick out his favourite value fancies from Tuesday night.
West Brom v Barnsley | Tuesday 22nd October 2019, 20:00 | Sky Sports
Table-toppers West Brom host bottom side Barnsley on Tuesday as they look to build on another victory away at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Slaven Bilic had to adapt to losing Matt Phillips through injury, and initially tried midfielder Matheus Pereira in a wider role. However, his influence was minimal as Boro dominated, and a second half switch, coupled with the introduction of Kyle Edwards, saw him drop into a central position and as a result, West Brom regained control and edged to a 1-0 victory.
Bilic will look to learn from this, and the attacking threat of West Brom should be too much for managerless Barnsley, who have been leaking goals this season. Playing high-intensity, pressing football has often left the Tykes open at the back, and although caretaker manager Adam Murray will look to solidify the defence, they will struggle to get a foothold in the game against Romaine Sawyers, who is arguably one of the best central midfielders in the league when it comes to ball retention.
Barnsley did manage a point at home to Swansea, but with only one win and nine goals scored all season, it is hard to see them picking anything up at The Hawthorns.
The game appeals as an open, attacking encounter, and with the potential to be afforded the space to create and break down the Barnsley defence for the likes of Grady Diangana and Pereira amongst others, goals look to be the order of the day.
West Brom to win and Over 2.5 Goals is 17/20 (Coral).
Plymouth v Leyton Orient | Tuesday 22nd October 2019, 19:45
Leyton Orient will be looking to build on an emphatic 4-0 win away Grimsby as they make the trip south to a Plymouth side sitting eighth in League Two. Both sides are unbeaten in four going into this game, and possess an array of attacking talents who will be full of confidence after good victories on Saturday.
Taking into account Expected Goals (xG) of each side, Plymouth’s games should be seeing a return of 2.80 goals per-game, whilst Orient’s sits at 2.70. Although the O’s have been overperforming their xG in recent weeks, they are full of confidence having scored 11 in their last four, as Ross Embleton signed off in style.
Top scorer Josh Wright netted his fifth of the season on Saturday in a side that has shared the goals around, with 11 different players netting so far, showcasing their ability to get goals from anywhere on the pitch. Coupled with a Plymouth side who are creating enough but haven’t quite been able to find the finishing touches, this game should appeal to goal-backers.
Striker Joel Grant has scored three in his last three as he starts to find form having been moved to a central role, and this should go a long way to solving the problems of finishing chances, whilst creative midfielder Antoni Sarcevic has impressed in recent weeks, adding a second in victory over Carlisle on Saturday.
Similar to Orient, Plymouth have seen their goals shared amongst 13 different players, showcasing their ability from all areas of the pitch to contribute with goals.
As a result, priced at 21/20 (Bet36%), Over 2 Goals and Both Teams To Score is worth taking on.
Best Bets
West Brom v Barnsley – West Brom to win and Over 2.5 Goals (17/20 Coral)
Plymouth v Leyton Orient – Over 2 Goals and Both Teams To Score (21/20 Bet365)
