Weekend Tips - Jan Paul van Hecke

Tom Carnduff's tips: Best bets in Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga for November 29-December 1



Football betting tips: Premier League, LaLiga, Premiership, Der Klassiker

Friday

1pt Real Mallorca to score 2+ goals vs Valencia (20:00) at 7/4 (General)

0.75pt Jan Paul van Hecke to score anytime in Brighton vs Southampton (20:00) at 11/1 (General)

Saturday

1pt Motherwell to beat Hibernian (15:00) at 9/5 (General)

1pt Over 11.5 corners in Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich (17:30) at 11/5 (BoyleSports)

0.5pt Waldemar Anton to score anytime in Dortmund vs Bayern at 25/1 (General)

Further tips may follow...

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair

Well it's a return for this column after a couple of weeks off. Miss it? I thought not.

I temporary switched the freezing cold Leeds climate for Florida's heat but kept up with as much football as I could while I was away. It certainly passed the queueing time by checking the scores on a Saturday.

It's an FA Cup weekend which means we lose League One and the majority of League Two as well. Still, there's plenty of football happening across the continent to get stuck into.

There's no 'FA Cup Shocks' piece for this round due to the nature of the ties and the prices available. Instead, anything fancied in that competition will appear here.

So let's get into it, with a couple in focus on Friday to kick us off.

Brighton vs Southampton

It feels like a while since we've had a Friday Night Football in the Premier League. Brighton meet Southampton in a contest which should result in a home win.

The Saints sit bottom of the Premier League table following defeat to Liverpool last time out. One of those in completely laughable circumstances by being caught out in an attempt to pass out from the back.

It's their style and they are sticking with it. It's ultimately a style that should see them return to the Sky Bet Championship.

One of the many areas in which they've struggled this season is set-piece defending. That makes the 11/1 on JAN PAUL VAN HECKE TO SCORE ANYTIME worth backing.

The centre-back has posted a shot in two of his last three league appearances, with a season-high tally of two coming in their 1-1 away draw at Arsenal back in August.

He's actually yet to score for Brighton but has found the net at previous clubs. His 0.30 xG from four shots is the highest of any Brighton central defender.

In Southampton, Van Hecke faces a side who have conceded plenty of chances from corners and free-kicks. Only Leicester (6.05) have a higher expected goals against (xGA) from set-pieces than the Saints (5.93).

Both Everton centre-backs posted a shot in their recent meeting, with the same coming for all three from Stoke in the Carabao Cup clash.

Given that Brighton are expected to be on the front foot, and with their corner count likely to go high, Van Hecke looks slightly overpriced for a goal.


Real Mallorca vs Valencia

Friday's LaLiga action takes us to Mallorca, where Los Piratas welcome Valencia in a contest that should be conclude in a home victory.

Valencia's form on the road this season has seen them gain two points from a possible 18 - those being against bottom-half sides in Getafe and Leganes.

Rather than take the near even money on a home win, I'll side with the 7/4 on REAL MALLORCA TO SCORE 2+ GOALS.

That trip to Getafe saw Valencia's opponents creating plenty of opportunities despite it finishing 1-1 - the hosts could consider themselves unfortunate not to win the game.

While they may have only won 1-0 in their home encounter with Vallecano - a side in the bottom-half like Valencia - Mallorca posted a more considerable 2.03 expected goals (xG).

They face a struggling defence and one allowing plenty in terms of chances. Half of their away games this season have seen the opposition creating at least 2.0 xG.

This shouldn't be a game filled with end-to-end action but Mallorca have enough to find the net a couple of times.


Motherwell vs Hibernian

A trip to Scotland on Saturday and a game in which the pricing of it has confused me a little.

I'll start off by saying that nothing points to this one being a classic but MOTHERWELL TO WIN is an interesting prospect at 7/4 generally.

Hibernian are woeful anyway but it's particularly the case away from home. They've gained just two points from a possible 18 in six games on the road.

Motherwell have won half of their home contests with two ending in defeat yet one of those was against Celtic. The attacking output does need to improve but their defensive set-up is solid.

Only Celtic (8.62) and Rangers (12.02) have conceded fewer than Motherwell (16.80) in terms of expected goals against (xGA) across their first 12 games of the season.

Hibs are the third-highest in this metric (20.92). Dundee found the net four times in their last away contest, with Dundee United also hitting three in October.

The 0-0 draw at Ross County was their only away clean sheet of the league campaign so even with Motherwell's attacking issues, they should see chances to strike.

The price on this makes it a bet worth having.


Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich

A familiar story is being told in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich leading the way and Borussia Dortmund stuck in a battle for the top-four.

It's no surprise then that Bayern are the short-priced favourites for success in Der Klassiker - the marketing term stuck on any contest between these two sides.

Vincent Kompany's side boast the division's best attack and its most solid defence. Dortmund haven't quite flowed going forward in the way that we've previously been accustomed to.

But this should become a game with opportunities at both ends given its significance. At 11/5, I'm happy to go with OVER 11.5 CORNERS.

Dortmund see plenty of these in their home games anyway. Seven of their eight in front of their own supporters this season have seen them take at least seven.

Bayern meanwhile have hit double figures for corners taken in three of their last six away games across all competitions.

The match-up should suit this tally going high. The probability of Dortmund being behind in a home game leads to more attacks, more blocks and ultimately more corners.

Dortmund to take five or more corners is an appealing pick at 13/8 with 365, but I'm happy to side with the match corner count going 12 or more at 2/1 and above.

And with this in mind, my eye was also caught by the 25/1 general price on WALDEMAR ANTON TO SCORE ANYTIME.

The centre-back has a decent enough scoring rate considering his position on the pitch and he did find the net in the cup win over Phönix Lübeck back in August.

With goals expected, the price for Anton seems a little bit on the high side.


Odds correct at 1515 GMT (28/11/24)

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