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Welcome back to the second edition of the BTTS 3pm acca – where I bring you through the traditional kickoff times’ chances of sending you to sleep or launching you into a frenzy.
While all of us are keen to watch football live and live and die with every kick of a ball, the idea of going back to wait on scores coming through on various apps or television programmes can be quite nostalgic and make you feel like a child again.
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Well, either that or you take a stroll to the darker parts of the internet and go watch all four games at the same time.
God help your bandwidth.
We hit the proverbial crossbar last week as we went four-out-of-five with the selections – so to combat that, I’ve written to the Premier League and asked them to do just the four games this weekend and they’ve naturally obliged.
And for good measure, a clash between Leeds and Everton really does feel the quintessential 3pm kickoff on a Saturday. And while I don’t care who wins, I do very much care about goals.
But who’ll score them? Well, that’s where we begin.
Aston Villa v Newcastle – Both Teams to Score? No
This should be the easiest to call here from a both teams to score perspective, and you’ll see that the top line prices indicate they haven’t a clue what way the result will go.
Welcome to the joy of poor sides playing each other.
Villa’s opening week presented them with a huge opportunity to put the post-Grealish perceived struggles to bed as they played newly-promoted Watford.
And what did they do? They went conservative – producing an xG of 1.25 and only landing consolations late on that really didn’t affect the flow of the game.
The worst part of that is the goals came too, so it can’t even be an emphasis point in training this week.
And Newcastle? They coughed up the highest xGA in week one, against a West Ham side that many anticipate having a down year.
This will be low-tempo.
Crystal Palace v Brentford – Both Teams to Score? Yes
Brentford keep the ball and Crystal Palace do not.
Both of these things contribute to the respective sides’ positive results, so this game is set up to feature goals one way or the other. Palace’s xG of 0.29 was the lowest tally in week one, but Brentford will have learned nothing from it.
Chelsea were camped within 30 yards of Palace’s goal for 90 full minutes, and from an early stage, it never felt like they would be producing attacking patterns.
The Bees play overly-ambitious passes though and with them playing three at the back and Canos loving a venture forward, you can see those channels opening up for Palace on the break.
Leeds v Everton – Both Teams to Score? Yes
Leeds were woeful at Old Trafford and only a thunderbolt from Luke Ayling notched one up for the Yorkshiremen in their fiercest of encounters to open the season.
Landing the third-lowest xG of the weekend, it does feel like their expansive game is largely based on home turf and we’ll see a different side to them.
And Everton? One of only two sides to notch an xG of over 2.0 last week – their attacking patterns look more functional and less-reliant on individual moments of brilliance.
Both of these teams are open and I’d expect nothing less.
Manchester City v Norwich – Both Teams to Score? No
I’d love to sit here and suggest otherwise, because Norwich’s display against Liverpool was more commendable than people are giving it credit for.
But City haven’t gone four games without scoring a goal since the Stuart Pearce era and I feel that the buildup being focused on their disappointment means they’ll likely have 80% of the ball and nine nine-nil.
Saturday Premier League Acca summary:
- Aston Villa v Newcastle – Both Teams to Score? No
- Crystal Palace v Brentford – Both Teams to Score? Yes
- Leeds v Everton – Both Teams to Score? Yes
- Manchester City v Norwich – Both Teams to Score? No
An accumulator on these four best bets pays at approximately 9/1 with Paddy Power.CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
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