Had a chance to look through the corners and come up with one additional bet.

Liverpool v Stoke (English Premiership: Saturday 3pmBST)

Back at Anfield again for a corner bet but this time on the Asian Totals. They give the line of 11 so we can take under 11 at 1.8, which isn’t the best price, but this bet will only lose if there are 12 corners or more and that looks unlikely. Both Stoke’s away games this season have had under 10 corners but in games like this Liverpool should dictate the corner count. With any luck they will score fairly early, then build a lead and pass the game out without needing to pile on pressure and get corners. The main basis for this bet is Anfield last season where 14/19 matches (74% = odds of 1.36) were under 11 corners and 4 of the games where the corners were above 10 came after March when the texture of the season changes.

++ Asian Total Corners – Under 11 @ 1.8 on Bet365 (1pt)

Of the bets listed earlier all the prices are still available including 1.87 at Boylesports on Liverpool to win with a clean sheet.

5 points now staked on the weekend.

For the first time this season I was able to spend part of Thursday night looking at games. As it’s so early in the season I just stuck to what I feel I know best.

I have managed to get the corner mini-console up and running now which is good news. You can see it by clicking Launch Beta MiniCon on the main menu or here.

Called a few of the games right in midweek but personally was let down by Watford. My friend the Bear once again reminded me to steer clear of the Championship as it can’t be trusted. Atletico Madrid looked very good in the Champions League and Aguero really is a fantastic player who scores freely. I think they could be improved this season and maybe they can launch some sort of title charge as well. Villareal drew at Old Trafford as they did the last time they met in the Champions League and that season United didn’t make it through the knockout stages and Villareal went on to the semis!

Onto this weekends games.

Liverpool v Stoke (English Premiership: Saturday 3pmBST)

Liverpool are rightly short-priced favourites for this game but searching round I think there is some value to be had. At Anfield last season they kept clean sheets in 9/19 matches and against the newly promoted teams they drew 0-0, won 6-0 and won 3-0. This season they have not kept a clean sheet in either of their first 2 games (both 2-1 wins against Man Utd and Middlesboro), but those are the only 2 goals they have conceded in 4 matches. Although Stoke have scored 7 goals in their 4 games so far, they have let in 10 and I can see Liverpool winning comfortably. I have a feeling that this could be Liverpool’s season and they have started very well. Boylesports offer 1.87 on Liverpool to win with a clean sheet and this price is just much too high, considering Bet365 offer 1.62 on the same bet. I am not sure how long this price will hold for so the alternative bet is for Liverpool to win by 2 or more goals. This is the bet I will use for the records.

++ Clean Sheet – Liverpool to win with a clean sheet @ 1.87 on Boyles (1pt)
or the alternative is
++ Winning Margin – Liverpool to win by 2 goals or more @ 1.7 on Bet365 (1pt)

Bolton used to be a bit of a hoodoo ground for Arsenal but they won their last time in the league as well as in the FA cup and I think they should win tomorrow and with a clean sheet as well. Bolton have only scored 4 goals this season and 3 of those were against Stoke, whereas Arsenal have let in just 1 in 4 matches. It’s just a bit too similar to the above bet which is why I’ll leave it. I think Bolton could go down this season.

Birmingham v Blackpool (English Championship: Saturday 3pmBST)

Birmingham have started the season very well with 16 of a possible 18 points. They should continue this against Blackpool and from the console the think that stuck out was that all Brum home and all Blackpool away games were under 2.5 goals. In fact taking all 12 games they have played 9/12 (75% = odds of 1.33) have been under 2.5 goals. The 1.91 offered by Skybet looks very generous for this but I will take a slightly more risky approach and take ½pt on 1-0 and 2-0 as Birmingham have kept clean sheets in all home games so far and Blackpool have managed only 4 goals in 6 matches this season.

++ Correct Score – 1-0 and 2-0 @ 7 (both) on Betfred/Ladbrokes/Canbet (2 x ½pt = 1pt)

Barnet v Bury (English League Two: Saturday 3pmBST)

This is probably the best looking bet of the weekend. I checked the BBC website and although Barnet have a couple of players back to fitness  it says ‘Bury manager Alan Knill has no new injury or suspension problems for the game at Underhill’. Barnet have managed just 1 point from their first 6 games, leaking 15 goals and scoring just 4. Bury on the other hand are unbeaten, winning 4/6 and scoring 11 goals. Bet365 offer 2.4 on them to win but I’ll take the Asian Handicap (AH) route. I really do love this bet and consider it the best bet in football. Having just 2 outcomes means the bookies overround is lower and gives you a little safety net. They offer Bury (0, -0.5) which means a draw returns half the stake but a win and we win. Pinnacle offer 2.07 on this and Canbet 2.08 but for the records I’ll take Bet365 at 2.05

++ Asian Handicap – Bury (0, -0.5) @ 2.05 on Bet365 (Ladbrokes 2.04) (1pt)

Bradford v Bournemouth (English League Two: Saturday 3pmBST)

There are 3 games in England this weekend where both teams begin with the letter ‘B’ and looks like I am betting on all of them. Bradford got our season off to winning start last weekend and with them entertaining a Bournemouth side with 3 draws and 3 losses in their first 6 games you would expect them to win again. Bradford/Bradford HT/FT looks good value at 2.63 on Skybet and I was tempted by ½pt on that but will stick to the AH again and go a full point. Bradford (-0.5, -1) is priced at 1.88 on Pinnacle, 1.85 on VC and 1.825 on Bet365 and it looks good value. A win for Bradford and we record a profit and a win by more than 1 goal and we take the lot. 4/5 Bradford victories have been by more than 1 goal and as Bournemouth average 0.67 goals per game and Bradford 2.33 we should be close.

++ Asian Handicap – Bradford (-0.5, -1) @ 1.825 on Bet365 (VC 1.85/Ladbrokes 1.82) (1pt)

4 points staked on the weekend and I will look through the corners in a bit and see if there is anything of interest there. If there is I will add it up later this evening and also check through the available prices for the above bets to check they still hold.

Good luck in whatever bets you do.

I would like to have made some suggestions today but time has got the better of me. The time I would normally spend looking for bets in the evening I am spending getting the mini-console ready. I will do some more on that over the next few days and nights and with luck that will be completed and it will be betting as usual at the weekend. I did like the look of both Preston andWatford in the Championship and I may well put them in an accumulator with Liverpool and someone else in the Champions League.

Good luck in whatever bets you do.

Always nice to start with a profit and I’d take 1 point profit every week till the end of the season. Managed to watch some games as well and saw Gijón lose to Sevilla which wasn’t pretty. Gijón were abysmal defensively but I have a feeling Sevilla will not be anything like the force they were last season without Alves, Poulsen and Keita. They still have a goal threat but those three places are an enormous loss and I also don’t think the coach is as good as Ramos was when he was there. Once they have some tougher games I may look to oppose them but it is very hard to judge anything after 2 games. However, Real Madrid and Barcelona both look a bit dubious with Barça managing just 1 point from a possible 6 and Real conceding 3 goals at home. Just need another realistic contender and Atletico Madrid should be the one but they lost at the weekend as well. Maybe the most likely and consistent team will be Villareal. They lost a couple of players but have strengthened their squad overall.

That brings me on to the champions league this week. Villareal should never be 8/1 for the game at Old Trafford. They are solid, won’t concede many goals and 5/1 on draw no bet looks great value. This is the team that finished 2^nd in Spain last season and when they met in the 05/06 competition both matches were 0-0. Of the other games I quite fancy Liverpool to win in Marseille at 2.4 and Atletico Madrid at 2.88 away to PSV could be value especially on the AH (0) or Draw No Bet where they can be backed at 2.03.

Back to the weekend bets. The corner bet was a void as Liverpool won 5-4 so we have our stake back. Bradford comfortably landed the handicap with a 4-1 win over Exeter.

2 bets (2 points staked) :: 1 win – 1 void – 0 losses :: +1

There is one game tonight which I will look at this afternoon, and post if there is anything, and then some championship games as well as the champions league on the other days. If there are any bets on that or the champions league I will put them up later tonight.

Also good to see Adebayor get a hatrick and him with 3 and Carew with 2 means the two antepost bets have made a good start. Carew can be backed at 100/1 at Ladbrokes at the moment which seems a bit mad as he was a best priced 80/1 before the season started.