If you never have a dream, how are you ever going to have a dream come true?
This Stupid Punt section of the Blog is all about highlighting some of those loopy-looking bets at monster odds. All that’s required to make them click is a little bit of brains, a little bit of balls and a massive dollop of luck. Here on the Paddy Power Blog we’re all dreamers.
There’s a place in the Punting Hall of Fame at stake if you can pull it off. You are the people who make the crazy look inspired and while you have the bravery to toe the line between ridiculous and optimistic, we can only stand back and applaud. Here are three of the most outrageous bets we’ve dug out of Paddy’s Premier League book this week and a few stats to try to back them up.
Harry Kane to score first and Tottenham to beat Arsenal 5-0
One punter is on at 400/1
- Tottenham have beaten Arsenal 5-0 on three previous occasions. In 1901 in the London League, on Christmas day in 1911 and most recently in 1983.
- Spurs have won three Premier League games 5-0 in their history – against Oldham in 1993, against Burnley in 2009, and then again at home to Newcastle in 2012. Benoit Assou-Ekotto got the opener on that day, and Louis Saha bagged a brace.
- Harry Kane has three goals in three games against the Gunners, including two in this exact fixture last season which Tottenham won 2-1.
Romelu Lukaku to score first and Everton to beat West Ham 6-0
One punter is on at 600/1
- This fixture has been played 133 times in the club’s history, and has only ended 6-0 once. Everton won that clash in May 1999 at Goodison Park, with Kevin Campbell scoring a hat-trick. Michael Ball, Don Hutchison and Franny Jeffers also got their names on the scoresheet.
- That isn’t the only time West Ham have lost a Premier League game 6-0. They also got hit for six away to Reading on New Year’s Day in 2007, in match where Kevin Doyle bagged a couple.
- Romelu Lukaku has 17 goals this season, racking up his tally from a total of 93 shots. That’s a conversion rate of 18.3 per cent.
Gabby Agbonlahor to score first and Aston Villa to beat Manchester City 3-1
One punter is on at 1,250/1
- The last time Aston Villa won a Premier League game 3-1 was May 3 2014. That was a home game against Hull in which Ashley Westwood scored inside 60 seconds, and Andreas Weimann added two more before half-time.
- In Premier League history, Aston Villa have faced Manchester City 37 times, and won just 19 per cent of the matches. They’ve beaten City 3-1 seven times in their entire history, most recently in 2001 when Paul Merson, Dion Dublin and Lee Hendrie all found the onion bag.
- If Agbonlahor fails to score against Manchester City, he will have scored just one goal in the last calendar year – at home against Norwich in a 2-0 victory last month.