*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
Wednesday night brings a smorgasbord of soccer from a wide and wonderful range of countries and competitions. We’ve got action in the top two tiers in England as AFCON rumbles on, there’s also a smattering league games across Europe and plenty of cup ties, too.
I’ll focus on the bigger games from across the Channel, taking in a local derby in the German Cup where Hertha Berlin face Union Berlin first up. After that it’s Italian Vup action in the shape of Inter v Empoli.
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The latest football odds are on PaddyPower.com right nowWe’ll finish off with two games from different competitions in Spain where Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid represents a juicy clash in the Copa del Rey and Valencia and Sevilla go at it in La Liga.
There’s loads going on and it’s coming at us from all angles. I’ve tried to make some sense of it via the medium of a four-fold acca so join me as I go on the hunt for some Wednesday winners.
* An accumulator on these four best bets pays at approximately 40/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
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7.45pm: Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin – Union to Win
TV: OneFootball
We kick off with a tasty looking Berlin derby as Hertha host Union in the DFB Pokal last 16 stage. Paddy’s traders literally cannot split these two and the odds are telling us that it’s a 50/50 game.
Hertha might be the more flashy side from the capital but it’s Union who are doing the business on the pitch and they’re 5th in the German top tier with their cross-town rivals down in 13th, trailing by nine points.
Both are in shaky form at the moment, though. Hertha have won two, lost two and drawn on of their last five and Union are in a bit better shape and have won two, drawn two and lost one. All things considered I think Union are great value here.
The caveat is that we don’t know how strong they’ll go in this competition, given the fact that the carrot of Champions League football is dangling tantalisingly in front of their noses. If they decide to go strong they should have too much for Hertha so we’ll hope they do and start with a Union Win.
8pm: Inter v Empoli – Inter to Win to Nil
Coppa Italia action next where Inter are rightly huge favourites against Empoli. I Nerazzurri are flying and the Italian champions are at the top of Serie A. Empoli are pottering along and are 11th.
Inter should win this with ease but it will be interesting to see how they react to firing their first blank of the domestic season last time out against Atalanta. Inter beat Empoli 2-0 away from home earlier in the season and I think we can only expect something similar here.
Despite that shutout last time we can expect goals from the champions. Inter’s five games prior to that saw 16 goals at an average of 3.2 per game. They scored 14 of those. Empoli have been amongst the goals as well with their last five seeing even more with 22 goals, 4.4 a game!
The away side here have only scored eight of those and they’ve got serious problems in defence. Inter are as good at the back as they are going forward and, as this has landed in these two’s previous encounter this season and six of the home side’s last eight, I think Inter to Win to Nil has a great chance.
8pm: Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid – The Draw
TV: Premier Sports 1
A heavyweight clash in the Copa del Rey awaits us next as Atletico Madrid head to Real Sociedad in the last 16. It’s La Liga’s 5th-placed side hosting the 4th but despite their lofty league positions there’s not much form to write home about.
Both are on 33 points from 20 games which boils down to a pretty average 1.65 points per game. One thing Atleti have in their advantage is they’ve been able to score much more freely and have bagged 11 more than Sociedad with 33 but they’ve conceded three more on 24.
Both have won just one of the last five league games and lost three and drawn one. There’s really not much to separate this pair and Paddy’s odds also reflect that. Finding an angle in this one, on the face of it, is no easy task.
However, as these two are so evenly-matched on paper, and from a results point of view, it might pay to have a stab at The Draw within the 90 minutes. It’s essentially two sides who are in poor form in the league and they might revert to safety first and cancel each other out.
8.30pm: Valencia v Sevilla – Sevilla to Win
TV: LaLigaTV
La Liga rounds us off with two of Spain’s most historic clubs, Valencia and Sevilla. The away side here are second in the Spanish top flight and are trying manfully to keep up with Real Madrid who have a five-point cushion but have played a game more. Valencia are down in 10th and have lost their last two after winning the three prior.
Sevilla have won five of their last six in the league with only Barcelona able to stop the juggernaut with a 1-1 draw. The Rojiblancos are functional rather than fluid and there’s not been more than a one-goal margin of victory either way in any of their last eight games.
They’ve won by the odd goal in five of their last six but Valencia have been all over the shop with a 4-3 win and a 4-1 loss in their last three. When the dust settles you look for something reliable to hang your hat on and, at the price, I’ll keep it nice and simple and go with Sevilla to Win.
Wednesday’s football tips
7.45pm: Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin – Union to Win
8pm: Inter v Empoli – Inter to Win to Nil
8pm: Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid – The Draw
8.30pm: Valencia v Sevilla – Sevilla to Win
* An accumulator on these four best bets pays at approximately 40/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
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