SCOTTISH football aficionado Gerry Taylor (@thefurlongpole) continues a brand new column, sharing his NAP, next best and long shot ahead of the midweek action.
NAP – Hibs to win and Over 1 Goal (4/5 Bet365)
Hibs gave a good account of themselves on Saturday, pushing Rangers close at Ibrox, but ultimately losing narrowly 1-0.
Meanwhile, Ross County's Achilles heel, their disciplinary record, came back to haunt them once again, losing 2-0 in Dingwall to St Mirren. They had to play a chunk of the match with only 9 men, due to two red cards. As a result, new manager John Hughes’s squad will be stretched to the limit as the Leith boy returns to his old stamping ground.
The Hibees played well at the weekend and are chasing down third place, so I fully expect them to take care of the Staggies, who after an opening salvo of two league wins, have now only won 1/18 in the league since.
I don't usually dip into odds-on waters but Bet365’s Bet Builder for Hibs to win at Easter Road and Over 1.5 Goals, is my NAP and a strong fancy at 4/5.
Next best – BTTS No, Under 4 Goals, Under 14 Corners in Livingston vs Aberdeen
My initial gut feeling for this one is that it will be a tight, low-scoring game.
Aberdeen are an impressive 6/9 for clean sheets on the road this season, whilst in Livi's last three home matches Both Teams To Score ‘No’ has landed in all three, so I expect a close encounter at the Tony Macaroni.
A further amazing stat – Livingston's last home league 1-1 draw in the top division was 57 games ago!
Corner-wise, both sides average around 5 per game. So for the above reasoning I'm suggesting a go on the following Bet365 Bet Builder, that almost pays evens: Both Teams To Score ‘No’, Under 4 Goals and Under 14 Corners at 20/21.
Long shot – St Johnstone to score 4+ Goals (6/1 SkyBet)
St Johnstone helped themselves to 5 goals in the reverse fixture in October. The Fair City men have also bagged 3-4-1-2-3 goals in their most recent matches at McDermid Park against Hamilton.
Given that Brian Rice’s visitors has been missing a raft of players, it's not inconceivable that Callum Davidson's hosts could cut loose again, especially as they will be hurting after been hard done by refereeing decisions on Boxing Day at Pittodrie.
It’s also worth pointing out, despite the Accies recent personnel woes, they have only faced one away fixture in the last 40 days or so.
A speculative punt maybe, but I will give it a go.
Best Bets
Hibs vs St Mirren – Hibs to win and Over 1 Goal (4/5 Bet365)
Livingston vs Aberdeen – Both Teams To Score ‘No', Under 4 Goals and Under 14 Corners (20/21 Bet365)
St Johnstone vs Hamilton – St Johnstone to score 4+ Goals (6/1 SkyBet)
