It’s a new year and we hope to kick it off with a winning treble for you courtesy of the FA Cup and the NFL playoffs.
Let’s face it; we’re all broke. The first week of January is one of the bleakest of the year due to the crushing combo of almost empty pockets and looming credit card bills. So, JOE is here to try and help make a few quid for you with a handy sporting treble.
With no Premier League and the Heineken Cup not back until next week, the icy waters of the FA Cup 3rd Round beckon. A famously tricky betting prospect, we dip out toes in before escaping to the hopefully warmer, and easier to predict, waters of the NFL play-offs.
This treble should net you very tasty odds of around 15/1. Good luck.
Ipswich to beat Aston Villa, 3/1
A Premier League team at home in the 3rd Round against lower-league opposition should be favourites but we don’t fancy Aston Villa in this one at all. They are enduring a miserable run of form in the league and while the pressure will be off this week, we don’t expect them to improve that much by dint of a change in competition.
Last year, Mick McCarthy saw his Wolves team bow out of the FA Cup 3rd Round at the hands of Championship Birmingham after a replay. This year he is in charge of Ipswich and looking to reverse the trick. With three wins in a row Mick has Ipswich flying and at 3/1 they are worth a punt against Pual Lambert’s strugglers.
Four or more goals Man City v Watford, Evs
Even if Sergio Aguero is injured, Manchester City should line out with plenty of firepower against the Hornets. Mario Balotelli may even get a shot at proving he deserves to stay at the Etihad rather than receive a P45 from his gaffer.
They face a Watford side under the free-flowing style of Gianfranco Zola and they allow plenty of goals at both ends. Last week they lost 4-3 at home to Charlton and they are averaging 2.5 goals a game over the last eight matches. Okay, City’s defence will be better than Watford are used to facing but they are nowhere near as solid as last season. A comfortable, and goal-packed home win we reckon.
Baltimore Ravens (-7) to beat Indianapolis Colts, Evs
The NFL line up for this first play-off weekend is tricky. The handicap on the Vikings/Packers game is too high at 9.5 so we went for this one. The Ravens are not great but they are better than Indy, who enjoyed an easy schedule and the psychological boost of the return of their coach Chuck Pagano from cancer treatment.
Colts QB Andrew Luck has had a good year, close to a great year, but the Baltimore defence should be able to shut him down. Defeat here means Ray Lewis’ epic career as a Raven is over. We just can’t see that happening just yet.
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