2pts Inter to beat Roma (19:45) at 10/11 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
Already advised:
1pt Lewis Coyle to be carded in Hull vs Sunderland (15:00) at 15/4 (bet365)
2.5pts Atletico Madrid to win to nil vs Leganes (15:15) at 37/40 (BetVictor)
James 'Jimmy the Punt' Cantrill
Jose Mourinho has been vindicated yet again.
Since ‘The Special One’ left the Stadio Olimpico (16 January 2024) the club have teetered towards crisis.
Financial issues have led to growing unrest amongst the squad and a poor start to the season.
One point and no wins from the opening four Serie A games cost club legend Daniele De Rossi his job and his replacement, Ivan Juric, has struggled to turn Roma’s form around.
They pick up from the international break with two wins and 10 points from seven games, and next up is reigning champions INTER.
I Nerazzurri only lost four times in all competitions last season, two of which came in the Italian top flight so it is a slight concern they have already lost once this time around, but that defeat did come against city rivals Milan.
Inter have won their three games since though, netting 10 goals in the process, and their price TO WIN appeals here.
James 'Jimmy the Punt' Cantrill
There is a case to be made that losing Jack Clarke has made Sunderland a more complete team.
The winger had a hand in 39 goals across the previous two Championship seasons but left for the Premier League in the summer.
With him on the left, the Black Cats were pretty lopsided and slightly one dimensional but haven’t suffered quite like you might expect since his departure.
A major factor has been his replacement Romaine Mundle.
The winger has netted three times in nine appearances and tops his sides charts for dribbles (2.1) and fouls drawn (2.4) per game. The latter is what interests me here.
In seven league starts, Mundle has drawn cards from four of his direct opponents and up next is LEWIS COYLE.
Hull’s right back isn’t afraid to get stuck in, he has two cards to his name this term and averages 4.1 fouls and tackles a game and his price TO BE CARDED is the way in here.
Jake Osgathorpe
This looks like bet of the week territory for me.
ATLETICO MADRID TO WIN TO NIL is available at 37/40 which looks massive.
Unsurprisingly Diego Simeone's men have been the best defensive team in La Liga this season, conceding just five goals in nine games and allowing only 0.85 xGA per game.
That latter figure drops to just 0.58 across four home contests, which is even more impressive given they have welcomed two of last season's top three, one of those being Real Madrid.
On Sunday they welcome a Leganes side who have scored the joint-fewest goals in the league so far (five in nine games) and racked up the second lowest xGF total, averaging just 0.69 xGF per game.
Away from home, they have been woeful in attack with that xGF per game figure dropping to 0.58. They haven't even had a tough schedule, facing Osasuna, Real Valladolid, Real Betis, Getafe and Rayo Vallecano.
I find it difficult to see Leganes laying a glove on Atleti on Sunday, and with the hosts averaging 2.40 xGF per home game this term, Simeone's men should have few issues getting the three points.
Odds correct at 1520 BST (18/10/24)
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