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 – Aberdeen to win (7/5 Betfair)
Aberdeen are off the back of a standard routine win at Rugby Park on Sunday. To be honest, it was quite a comfortable 2-0 in the end for Derek McInnes's side.
Motherwell, on the other hand, although their fifth place league position looks decent on the face of it, if you take into consideration their six points they’ve received for Covid forfeit matches, then they are actually currently in relegation type form.
W0-D1-L4 isn't a great run going into the busy festive fixtures for ‘Well. The Steelmen did however win 3-0 at Pittodrie earlier in the season, although I think that was a bit of an outlier and just a bad day at the office for the Granite City men.
Only having lost on the road in the last 12 months to the Old Firm, leads me to believe the Reds will be too strong for Stephen Robinson's hosts who are lacking in confidence at the moment. The Dons to win at Fir Park at 7/5 with Betfair is my midweek NAP.
Next best – Dundee United to win (7/4 Betfair)
Dundee United will be licking their lips at the thought of welcoming a woefully out-of-sorts Kilmarnock to Tannadice.
Killie have now failed to score in 7/9 of their recent games. Six defeats in seven matches now see the Ayrshire men plunged into a relegation battle. Alex Dyer’s sides disciplinary record is also a big issue now – with five red cards already this term.
Dundee United have so far, more than held their own since promotion, winning vital home matches against the likes of St Mirren, Ross County and Hamilton. They also have arguably the best goalkeeper in the league this season in Benji Siegriest.
Micky Mellon will be targeting the three points here against a Killie side with no real spark at the moment, and who seem to be just going through the motions.
Recommendation is Dundee Utd to win at 7/4 with Betfair.
Long shot – Hamilton to win (9/2 Bet365)
Hamilton Accies are most definitely once again staging a bit of a revival of late. Their last four games reads well: W2-D1-L1. A 2-0 win against fellow strugglers Ross County in Dingwall at the weekend ultimately cost the Staggies boss Stuart Kettlewell his job.
Despite a recent loss to high-flying Hibs, Brian Rice has overseen a couple of decent results at home: winning against Kilmarnock, and an excellent draw against Aberdeen.
David Martindale has now been confirmed as the new Livi boss, but their away record has not always convinced: W2-D2-L4 this season. So the Livingston quotes of 4/6 don't really float my boat.
This column tipped up the Accies successfully in September in the reverse fixture at a similar odds. So again it is a bit of a price play, as I'm sure the Lanarkshire side would win at least once every four or five times, especially at home against the Midlothian outfit. So for that reason, my poke is Accies at 9/2 with Betfair.
Long shot – St Mirren to win (9/2 Betfair)
St Mirren are currently in fine-fettle, not only with two back-to-back 3-2 wins against St Johnstone and Rangers – but the unbeaten run spans nine matches now. Also winning 6/7 means the confidence will be sky-high travelling to Easter Road.
The Hibees have found winning at home surprisingly a little tricky thus far at home having W2-D5-L1. Indeed their most recent frailties on Leith was very evident on Saturday, conceding a last minute equaliser to Dundee Utd in a game they should've had in the bag at half time.
Similar to the Accies above, I wouldn't put anyone off the Saints Double Chance at 6/5 or 5/4, especially with teams bound to rotate their starting line ups in these festive fixtures. With that in mind, there could be value in taking some generous price quotes, especially with a team like Jim Goodwin’s Buddies who are on a fantastic run. Hence, St Mirren at 9/2 with Betfair is quite enticing.
Best Bets
Motherwell vs Aberdeen – Aberdeen to win (7/5 Betfair)
Dundee Utd vs Kilmarnock – Dundee United to win (7/4 Betfair)
Hamilton vs Livingston – Hamilton to win (9/2 Bet365)
Hibs vs St Mirren – St Mirren to win (9/2 Betfair)
