SCOTTISH football aficionado Gerry Taylor (@thefurlongpole) continues his new column, sharing his NAP, next best and long shot ahead of the midweek action.
NAP – Draw in Dundee United vs St Mirren (23/10 Bet365)
It's fair to say the Tangerines have been the draw specialists thus far in the Premiership:
- 10/24 have been drawn.
- Have finished level in 5/7 of their recent league games.
- Seen stalemates in their last three matches.
- The 10 drawn matches so far – five 0-0, four 1-1 and one 2-2.
Micky Mellon has made no apology for his team grinding out plenty of draws, and it's hard to argue with him as his newly-promoted side currently sit within the top six in the division.
St Mirren, on the other hand, whilst they will be hurting from the League Cup semi-final loss to Livingston at the weekend, will be looking to get back on track in the league. The Buddies are one of six clubs currently scrapping away to avoid a potential relegation dogfight – they do have a couple of games in hand against most of the other bottom six though.
Jim Goodwin has recently signed frontman Eamon Brophy from Kilmarnock – he hasn't got off the mark yet, and Goody is still searching for the right combination up front with either a lone striker or pairing Obika or Erwin with Brophy.
Looking at the hosts prolific return on the draws, and with the Paisley side likely to be content with a point in their current position, a tight match up could be on the cards. Hence the draw at 23/10 with Bet365 is a big runner here for me.
Next best – Over 2 Goals and Both Teams To Score in Ross County vs Motherwell (8/5 Bet365)
Ibrox aside, John Hughes has had some decent performances out of the Staggies thus far. He has always asked the teams he has managed to play a passing game, this usually makes for exciting games. If you take out the Rangers thrashing, his first four games in charge have saw 13 goals in four matches, 3/4 have also seen Both Teams To Score cop.
The other side of the equation, to enable this bet to land, is Motherwell's need for the three points. The Steelmen are in a very precarious position, sitting joint bottom of the league, alongside their Lanarkshire neighbours Hamilton Accies.
The honeymoon is now over for new gaffer Graham Alexander, after two decent opening draws. Well then suffered a 2-0 defeat at Pittodrie at the weekend. So gaining his first win against one of their fellow strugglers, will be very much be on his agenda in the Highlands.
For that reason I'm expecting an end-to-end match here with a few goals, hence on the Bet365 bet builder, 8/5 for Over 2 Goals and Both Teams To Score appeals.
Long shot – Rangers to score 4+ goals (4/1 SkyBet)
The Hibees are off the back of a disappointing 3-0 drubbing at Hampden to St Johnstone in the League Cup semi-final. The defence in particular were a bit all over the place. So the hosts confidence could be quite fragile at the moment, give their six match form: W1-D1-L4, failing to score in the four defeats.
Rangers, after a rare blip with a 1-1 draw on the road at Motherwell, were back on track at the weekend, hitting Ross County for five – also missing a penalty in the process.
Steven Gerrard's men could be visiting Easter Road at a good time, with speculation over a few of Jack Ross's players, with a few considering their options with their contracts running down. Taking everything into consideration, I'll take a bit of a punt that the Teddy Bears will be in similar mood to Saturday and be able to hit 4 goals in Leith at Skybet's 4/1.
Best Bets
Dundee United vs St Mirren – Draw (23/10 Bet365)
Ross County vs Motherwell – Over 2 Goals and Both Teams To Score (8/5 Bet365)
Hibs vs Rangers – Rangers to score 4+ goals (4/1 SkyBet)
