Monday 26 November 2012

SPL Tue 27th Nov Team News & Thoughts

Aberdeen v Inverness


Aberdeen

Injuries - Robertson, Fraser, Rae, Naysmith, Hughes, Jack, Milsom, Osborne

Probable XI - Langfield, Reynolds, Anderson, Considine, Magennis, Masson, Clark, McGinn, Hayes, Vernon, Fallon (4-4-2)


Inverness

Injuries - Ross, King, Hogg

Probable XI - Reguero, Raven, Warren, Meekings, G. Sinnie, Tudur-Jones, Foran, Doran, A.Shinnie, Sutherland, McKay (4-4-2)


Prediction : Aberdeen 1-1 Inverness


Inverness have been very good on the road this season and it would not overly surprise me if they actually won this match as Aberdeen are starting to get severely hampered with injuries. Inverness have been banging in the goals but also conceeding loads and this must be the main reason for the odds remaining reasonable on under 2.5 goals. But I like the fact that Aberdeen have the 2nd best defensive record in the league only letting in 14 goals all season and only 6 at home. For this reason I'm going for UNDER 2.5 Goals @ 1.91 (Bwin)



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Dundee Utd v Motherwell


Dundee Utd

Injuries - Mackay-Steven, Vignal

Probable XI - Cierzniak, McLean, Dillon, Gunning, Douglas, Flood, Armstrong, Rankin, Skacel, Daly, Russell (4-4-2)

Motherwell

Injuries - Saunders

Probable XI - Randolph, Hateley, Hutchison, Cummins, Hammell, Murphy, Lasley, Law, Humphrey, Ojamma, Higdon (4-4-2)


Prediction : Dundee Utd 1-1 Motherwell

Quite amazingly Motherwell have already had 11 matches this season where they have failed to find the net. Put basically this is where they have have a problem, Higdon has just not been firing this season and they just dont have any other consistant finisher. However the style these 2 teams play suggests to me that there will actually be goals in this match but I dont think it will go over 2.5, the last 4 matches between the 2 have stayed under. Take UNDER 2.5 gaols @ 1.95 (Bet365)



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Ross County v St Mirren


Ross County

Injuries - Scott

Probable XI - Fraser, Kovacevic, Boyd, Munro, Tokeley, Brittain, Kettlewell, Fotheringham, Vigurs, Quinn, Morrow (4-4-1-1)


St Mirren

Injuries - McGowan, McGregor

Probable XI - Samson, Van Zanten, Mair, McAusland, Dummett, Goodwin, Teale, McLean, Imrie, Thompson, Guy (4-4-2)


Prediction : Ross County 1-1 St Mirren


St Mirren stopped the rot at the weekend with a important win over Dundee which was their first win in 8 matches.  Hopefully this gives them some much needed confidence and now that they have Guy back fit I think they are a much bigger goal threat upfront. County normally find the net at home so both teams to score really appeals to me here. BTTS @ 1.73 (Stan James)

Friday 23 November 2012

SPL - Sat 24th Nov Team News & Thoughts

Bit brief this week as I am actually babysitting of all things tonight........



Motherwell v Hearts


Motherwell


Injuries - Ramsden, Saunders

Probable XI - Randolph, Hateley, hutchinson, Cummins, Hammell, Humphrey, Law, Lasley, Murphy, Higdon, Ojamaa (4-4-2-)


Hearts


Injuries - Hamill
Doubtful - MacDonald

Probable XI - Enckelman, McGowan, Webster, Zaliukas, Grainger, Paterson, Barr, Taouil, Driver, Novikovas, Stevenson (4-4-1-1)



Prediction : Motherwell 1-1 Hearts

Tricky match to predict this one, Motherwell very impressive in their last match beating Inverness away 5-1 but at home this year they have been horrible, in fact they are equal worst in terms of home form in the league with only 1 win all season (strangely against Inverrness again!) Anyway Hearts normally struggle away from home but I can see them competing well here. Bit of a worry though is if keeper McDonald doesn't make this game our sub goalie is fucking hopeless! Real tempted with a LAY of Motherwell here but NO BET





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Celtic v Inverness


Celtic


Injuries - Izaguirre, Forrest, Stokes
Doubtful - Mulgrew, Rogne, Wilson, Ledley

Probable XI - Forster, Matthews, Wilson, Ambrose, Lustig, Brown, Commons, Wanyama, Kayal, Hooper, Samaras (4-4-1-1)




Inverness


Injuries - Draper, King, Hogg, Ross, Esson


Probable XI - Reguero, Raven, Warren, Meekings, G.Shinnie, Doran, Pepper, Tudur-Jones, Foran, Mckay, A.Shinnie (4-4-1-1)



Prediction : Celtic 2-0 Inverness

I imagine big Butch will just put last Sundays embarrassing defeat to Motherwell down as a bad day at the office and to be honest when Motherwell play like that it can happen. He'll be hoping for a tired Celtic again after midweek action which has proved the case already 2 times this year. Inverness really do have a poor record against Celtic but they are big and phsyical and should match up quite well this time. I'm surprised with the prices on offer for goals in this match, people seem to think there will be plenty, I'm not so sure. Butcher will have given his defence a shouting at and they should be scared to let in as many as last week. Take UNDER 3.5 @ 1.67 (Bet Victor)



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Hibs v Aberdeen


Hibs


Injuries - Clancy, Deegan

Probable XI - Williams, Maybury, Hanlon, McGivern, Claros, Stevenson, Taiwo, Wotherspoon, Cairney, Boyle, Griffiths (4-4-2)




Aberdeen


Injuries - Naysmith, Hughes, Jack, Milsom
Doutful - Fraser, Robertson, Rae

Probable XI - Langfield, Reynolds, Considine, Anderson, Megennis, Osborne, Clark, Rae, Fraser, McGinn, Hayes (4-4-2)



Prediction : Hibs 1-1 Aberdeen


Just to remind us all how unpredictable and exciting the SPL is.....Hibs go and get stuffed by bottom team Dundee last week 3-1!!! I think this will be certainly match of the day with Aberdeen starting (well their fans anyway) to get really confident about their play. they still have a good few injuries but their is a definite belief about them nowadays. Still can't get away from the fact that they draw a lot of their games and I reckon this is heading the same way. I'm backing an unfashionable DRAW @ 3.4 (Bet Fred)

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Kilmarnock v St Johnstone

Kilmarnock


Injuries - Kelly

Probable XI - Bell, Fowler, O'Leary, Nelson, Tesselaar, Borja, Harkins, Pascali, Dayton, Heffernan, Sheridan (4-4-2)




St Johnstone


Injuries - Moon, Adams, Pawlett


Probable XI - Mannus, Mackay, Anderson, Wright, C.Davidson, Millar, M.Davidson, Cregg, Craig, Tade, Vine (4-4-2)



Prediction : Kilmarnock 2-1 St Johnstone

St Johnstone's decent spell is over I reckon and Kilmarnock keep doing exactly the opposite than I predict but this week I'm backing them for a win so hopefully they dont let me down. Sheridan and Heffernan upfront could be a good goal scoring partnership and now they have had a few games to get used to each other the goals should start to flow. HOME WIN @ 2.62 (Bet Victor) for me.



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Ross County v Dundee Utd


Ross County


Injuries - Scott

Probable XI - Fraser, Kovacevic, Boyd, Munro, Fitzpatrick, Vigurs, Brittain, Kettlewell, Quinn, Fotheringham, Morrow (4-4-2)




Dundee Utd



Injuries - Vignal


Probable XI - Cierzniak, Watson, Dillon, Gunning, Douglas, Skacel, Rankin, Flood, Mackay-Steven, Daly, Russell (4-4-2)



Prediction : Ross County 1-2 Dundee Utd

When you have Dundee Utd playing away from home I think it is always worth a pop at BTTS and I see it landing in this match, their defence has not really been that impressive of late from the games I've watch and I think County can find the net. Utd should score at least once in this fixture so BTTS @ 1.83 (Bwin) seems decent.



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St Mirren v Dundee


St Mirren


Injuries - McGowan, McGregor, Adam

Probable XI - Samson, Van Zanten, McAusland, Mair, Dummett, Teale, Goodwin, Carey, McLean, Thompson, Guy (4-4-2)




Dundee


Injuries - O'Donnell, Finnegan, McCluskey, Easton, Kerr, Grassi


Probable XI - Douglas, Irvine, Gallagher, Benedictus, Lockwood, Riley, McBride, Davidson, McAllister, Milne, Nish (4-4-2)



Prediction : St Mirren 2-1 Dundee

Hard to ignore the form of these two clubs, Dundee a win and 2 draws in their last 3, and St Mirren well winless in their last 7 matches played. But lets not forget Dundee are usually rubbish away from home. This is already a bargin-basement-relegation-dogfight and as such should be a cracker. Coral have been brave enough to go evens on a home win but you would also be brave to back St Mirren at the moment. NO BET



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Friday 16 November 2012

SPL - Sat 17th Nov Team News & Thoughts

Aberdeen v Celtic



Aberdeen


Injuries - Hughes, Jack, Naysmith, Milsom
Doubtful - Rae

Probable XI - Langfield, Robertson, Considine, Anderson, Reynolds, Clark, Hayes, McGinn, Osbourne, Fraser, Vernon (4-4-2)




Celtic


Injuries - Hooper, Rogne, Forrest, Izaguirre
Doubtful - Ledley, Brown

Probable XI - Forster, Matthews, Wilson, Ambrose, Mulgrew, Commons, Kayal, Wanyama, Samaras, Miku, Watt (4-3-1-2)


Prediction : Aberdeen 1-1 Celtic


Can see this match being an epic battle, Aberdeen are always well up for and relish the old firm visiting Pittodrie. Both teams are a little hampered buy injuries to the 1st team players but that didn't stop the Dons blast 4 goals past St Mirren last week and if this is them now starting to find the goals I have said all season that this was all they needed to add to their game as they have a really well balanced team. Best way to handle Celtic at the moment is to mark Wanyama out of the game, he's not really a playmaker but everything is coming through him at the moment and he is influencing each game massively. Has to be said Aberdeen's record against Celtic is awful but I can see them getting something out of this game or at least not getting a humbling like they have in recent years. Lets not forget that Aberdeen are unbeaten at home this season and will be keen to protect that record. I'm tempted by ABERDEEN +1 ASIAN HANDICAP @ 1.81 (Pinnacle)  as I feel understandably Celtic's focus is on the Champions League at the moment with qualification a genuine prospect now!





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Dundee v Hibs



Dundee


Injuries - Stewart, O'Donnell, Finnigan, McCluskey, Kerr, Easton

Probable XI - Douglas, Irvine, Gallagher, Benedictus, Lookwood, Riley, McBride, Davidson, McAlister, Nish, Milne (4-4-2) 





Hibs


Injuries - Deegan
Doubtful - McPake, Clancy

Probable XI - Williams, Maybury, Hanlon, Taiwo, McGivern, Witherspoon, Stevenson, Claros, Cairney, Doyle, Griffiths (4-4-2)



Prediction : Dundee 1-2 Hibs


Got to say Hibs were looking really good and confident in their play when I watched them beat Dundee Utd last Sunday. They were stroking the ball about with poise and control in an uncanny manner from the team that started the season that looked so fragile. They may well be without McPake & Clancy again for this game but that doesn't both me as their strength is in midfield and Griffiths and Doyles movement up top. Even though I have a stance that players from Leith should not be allowed to represent their nation you have to say that Griffiths has played his way into a weak Scotland B team........lol

Lets face it Dundee are poor but they are actually on the SPL form of their life at the minute with a draw and a win to their name in the last 2 fixtures but this still leaves the 4pts adrift at the bottom of the league. I reckon this Hibs team should see them off, maybe not as comfortably as they did at Easter Rd last month but easily enough. Hibs are nearly averaging 2 goals a game and I think this is a wise bet to place here. HIBS TO SCORE OVER 1.5 GOALS @ 1.91 (CORAL) seems nice if Griffiths and Co can stay to form! I'll have this as my NAP OF THE DAY





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Hearts v St Mirren



Hearts


Injuries - Hamill
Doubtful - Stevenson, Taouil

Probable XI - McDonald, McGowan, Webster, Zaliukas, Grainger, Barr, Driver, Novikovas, Stevenson, Sutton, Paterson (4-4-1-1)




St Mirren


Injuries - McGowan, McGregor, Adam


Probable XI - Samson, Van Zanten, Mair, McAusland, Dummett, Robertson, McLean, Goodwin, Imrie, Thompson, Parkin (4-4-2)



Prediction : Hearts 2-1 St Mirren

I'm going to give Hearts the nod in this fixture, with everything that going on at Tynecastle in the last week this game is set to be a sellout as the fans show their support to this fantastic club. Any other team in the league (except Hibs...) and I would not suggest a Hearts victory was forthcoming but St Mirren are in a terrible rut just now and have not won in their last 6 outtings. The only away win they have had all season was against bottom club Dundee but they should be boosted by the return for their captain Goodwin who really does lead by example. Hearts have a couple of doubts in Taouil and Stevenson who are ill but hopefully they can make the match, McGowan has also suggested on twitter that he will be knackered after playing for Australia midweek. Hearts enjoy a good record in this fixture and I just think with the crowd behind them we should really be seeing a home win here at decent odds. HEARTS WIN @ 2.0 (William Hill) appeals to me.





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St Johnstone v Ross County



St Johnstone


Injuries - McCracken, Beattie, Adams, Pawlett

Probable XI - Mannus, Mackay, Miller, Wright, C.Davidson, Millar, M. Davidson, Robertson, Craig, Vine, Tade (4-4-2)





Ross County


Injuries - Duncan, Scott, Corcoran, Lawson
Suspended - Quinn

Probable XI - Fraser, Fitzpatrick, Munro, Boyd, Kovacevic, Vigurs, Brittain, Glen, Kettlewell, Fotheringham, McMenamin (4-4-2)



Prediction : St Johnstone 2-1 Ross County


Apart from their defeat by Motherwell last time out and an early season loss to Aberdeen, Perth has been a stronghold for St Johnstone this season, put this together with Ross County only actually managing one away win (at Dundee) this season and I think this is a good spot to pick a St Johnstone win. Home Win @2.1 (Bet Fred) appeals to me. Also might have a stab at 2-1 correct score @ 9.0 (Coral) as this has been the scoreline on 3 occassions already this season and something tells me County will manage a goal.


Thursday 15 November 2012

SPL - Friday 16th Nov Team News & Thoughts

Dundee Utd v Kilmarnock


Dundee Utd



Injuries - Vignal, Watson

Probable XI - Cierzniak, Douglas, Dillon, Gunning, McLean, Flood, Rankin, Mackay-Steven, Skacel, Daly, Russell (4-4-2)



Kilmarnock



Injuries - Gros, Hay, Racchi, McKenzie

Probable XI - Bell, Fowler, O'Leary, Nelson, Tesselaar, Borja, Kelly, Harkins, Pascali, Heffernam, Sheridan (4-4-2)



Prediction :  Dundee Utd 2-1 Kilmarnock

Both these teams put in decent 2nd half performances in their last matches, Kilmarnock scoring 3 times to see off Ross County and Utd coming back strongly when 2-0 down to on form Hibs and were unlucky not to take something from that game. Dundee Utd have been drawing a lot of matches at home recently but I think if Houston starts with his strongest team he can win this match. He had to sub on Gary Mackay-Steven after 30 mins last Sunday and it was clear to see the difference he made and once Rudi Skacel came on the chances started to flow for them. Johnny Russell had a real off game but we all know he is very capable on his day. I'm taking 3 bets for this match. BTTS @ 1.8 (Stan James), DUNDEE UTD HOME WIN @ 1.91 (Coral) and OVER 2.5 Goals @ 1.91 (William Hill)

Sunday 11 November 2012

SPL - Sunday 11th Nov Team News & Thoughts

Hibs v Dundee Utd


Hibs


Injuries - Clancy, Deegan

Available Squad - Williams, Hanlon, McPake, Maybury, Claros, Cairney, Wotherspoon, Stevenson, Griffiths, Doyle, Caldwell, Stanton, Caldwell, Handling, Kuqi, Sproule, McGivern, Taiwo, Antell

Probable XI : Williams, Mayburn, mcPake, Hanlon, McGivern, Wotherspoon, Claros, Taiwo, Cairney, Doyle, Griffiths (4-4-2)



Dundee Utd


Injuries - Douglas, Vignal

Available Squad - Cierzniak, Watson, Dillon, Gunning, McLean, Flood, Rankin, Ryan, Russell, Daly, Dow, Armstrong, Millar, Gardyne, Robertson, Skacel, Gauld, Douglas, Hilson, Banks. Mackay-Steven


Probable XI : Cierzniak, Watson Dillon, Gunning, McLean, Flood, Rankin, Ryan, Mackay-Steven, Daly Russell (4-4-2)



Prediction : Hibs 1-2 Dundee Utd

Dundee Utd hold a serious hoo-doo over the dirty Hibees. Hibs only have 1 win inthier last 14 meetings but Hibs are strong at home this season unbeaten in 6 with 4 wins. Utd had to play an extra match midweek but I dont see that as a negative. With gary mackay-Steven back in the team and the firepower that Daly and Russell provide I think Utd will be too strong for Hibs defence which I still think is vunerable. All in all I'm taking DUNDEE UTD WIN @ 2.75 (CORAL)


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Celtic v St Johnstone


Celtic

Injuries - Izaguirre Rogne, Forrest, Hooper, Lassad

Available Squad - n/a

Probable XI : Forster, Matthews, Wilson, Ambrose, Mulgrew, Ledley, Wanyama, Kayal, Commons, Watt, Miku (4-4-2)



St Johnstone


Injuries - C. Davidson, Cregg, Pawlett, Beattie, Adams

Available Squad - Mannus, Mackay, Wright, Anderson, Millar, M Davidson, Tade, Craig, Hasselbaink, Robertson, McCracken, Miller, Caddis, Scobbie, Tobin, Kane, Tuffey, Gray, Vine, Moon


Probable XI : Mannus, Miller, Anderson, Wright, Mackay, Millar, M Davidson, Craig, Mclean, Tade, Vine (4-4-2)



Prediction : Celtic 2-1 St Johnstone



Obviously Celtic suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Kilmarnock after they played a midweek Champions League match away to Barca and again here after their epic win to Barca on Wednesday there will be question marks over their tiredness. Celtic pumped St Johnstone 5-0 in the league cup at Parkhead only a couple of weeks ago but they did suffer their first defeat of the season in Perth back in mid September. I fancy Tade and Vine to cause the Celtic defence some problems and certainly think the best price of a Cetlic win at 1.25 is completely unbackable. I'll give this match a big body swere but can see a home win. NO BET




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Friday 9 November 2012

SPL - 10th Nov - Team News & Thoughts

Inverness v Hearts


Inverness


Injuries - Draper, King, Hogg, Ross

Available Squad - Reguero, Meekings, Raven, Warren, Blackman, G Shinnie, Morrison, A Shinnie, Pepper, Tudur Jones, Doran, McKay, Cooper, Polworth, Oswell, Brislen-Hall, Roberts, Foran, Sutherland, Esson

Probable XI - Reguero, Raven, Meekings, Warren, G. Shinnie, Doran, Tudur-Jones, Foran, Roberts, A. Shinnie, McKay (4-4-1-1)


Hearts


Injuries - Ridgers, Hamill, Carrick

Available Squad - MacDonald, R McGowan, Webster, Zaliukas, Grainger, Paterson, Barr, Taouil, Novikovas, Sutton, Driver, Robinson, Holt, D McGowan, McHattie, Smith, Enckelman, King, Stevenson

Probable XI - McDonald, McGowan, Zaliukas, Webster, Grainger, Barr, Taouil, Novikovas, Stevenson, Paterson, Sutton (4-4-1-1)



Prediction : Inverness 1-1 Hearts


Clearly my poor Jambo's have serious financial woe's at the moment which could even spell the end of them (but our amazing fans won't let that happen) but it was interesting to hear Jim Jeffries a couple of weeks ago say that it did seriously affect the players the last time round when they were not getting paid, so dont just think they are pro's and will get on with things on the park. Things like this DO affect players. Anyway I'm done talking about the money problems as its been discussed in the pub to the max at the moment, historically Hearts usually do pretty well up in Inverness but this time round they are facing a bang on form Butcher team that is now unbeaten in their last 9 matches which is pretty much remarkable imho given how shite they were last season. I think I have spotted a tidy little bet to place on this match with decent odds probably because of the fact that Inverness have been scoring so much recently and the fact that the majority of their games have been going over 2.5 goals. But I shall back UNDER 2.5 goals @ 1.85 (Bwin). Reason for this is that if you look at Hearts away games since the start of the season 7 out of 8 of them have stayed under 2.5 this is because we actually have one of the best defences in the league. Only Celtic and Aberdeen have let in less goals and if only we had a decent keeper then I reckon we would have the best defensive record in the SPL. Result wise I hope for a Hearts 1-1 draw but again scoring goals away from home is always a problem.


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Kilmarnock v Ross County


Kilmarnock


Injuries - Gros, Hay, Racchi

Available Squad - Bell, McKeown, Nelson, O'Hara, O'Leary, Johnson, Dayton, Tesselaar, Pascali, Kelly, Sheridan, Heffernan, McKenzie, Harkins, Letheren, Perez, Sissoko, Fowle

Probable XI - Bell, O'Hara, Nelson, O'Leary, McKeown, Pascali, Kelly, Harkins, Dayton, Sheridan, Heffernan (4-4-2)



Ross County


Injuries - Lawson, Duncan, Corcoran


Available Squad - Fraser, Tokely, Munro, Boyd, Fitzpatrick, Brittain, Quinn, Kettlewell, Vigurs, Fotheringham, Glen, McMenamin, Dingwall, Ross, Macphee, Scott, Cooper, Morrow, Kovacevic, Brown, Porrit

Probable XI - Fraser, Kovacevic, Boyd, Munro, Fitzpatrick, Brittain, Kettlewell, Fotheringham, Quinn, Ross, Vigurs (4-4-1-1)



Prediction : Kilmarnock 1-1 Ross County


Both these teams have had very similar form this season and it shows in the league positions as both are on 15pts with Kilmarnock winning slightly more games and County drawing more. It is County who have picked up a little recently and are now unbeaten in their last 3 games and I believe this will be enough to secure them a draw in this fixture and may be even a win. With my hatred of Kenny Shiels aside...... I'll be LAYING KILMARNOCK @ around 2.5 (betfair)



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Motherwell v Dundee


Motherwell


Injuries - Saunders
Douhtful - Hutchison
Available Squad - Randolph, Hateley, Hammell, Hutchinson, Kerr, Cummins, Ramsden, Lasley, Law, Carswell, Humphrey, Murphy, Higdon, Ojamaa, McHugh, Francis-Angol, Daley, Hetherington, Murray, Hollis

Probable XI - Randolph, Hateley, Hutchison, Ramsden, Lasley, Law, Humphrey, Murphy, Ojamaa, Higdon (4-4-2)



Dundee


Injuries - O'Donnell, Easton, Kerr, Grassi, Finnigan, McCluskey


Available Squad -Douglas, McGregor, Lockwood, Irvine, Webster, Conroy, McAlister, Baird, McIntosh, Davidson, Reid, Cavanagh, McBride, Riley, Milne, Boyle, Nish, Toshney, Benedictus, Gallagher

Probable XI - Douglas,  Irvine, McGregor, Lookwood, Benedictus, Riley, mcBride, Davidson, McAllister, Milne, Nish (4-4-2)



Prediction : Motherwell 2-0 Dundee

Motherwell have been through a terrible run of form lately but not helped by the midweek defeat to Dundee Utd, but I think the best medicine for them is a game against Dundee - the worst team in the league by a mile. Dundee stunned us again last week with their 2nd win of the season over Hearts but I'm happy to ignore that as they are still rubbish. Motherwell just have too much quality in their team to not win this match. Gonna take Motherwell -1.25 asian Handicap @ 2.15 (bet365)

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St Mirren v Aberdeen


St Mirren


Injuries - McGowan, McGregor
Suspended - Goowdin
Available Squad - Samson, Dummett, Mair, van Zanten, McAusland, Imrie, Reilly, Carey, Robertson, Teale, Guy, Parkin, Thompson, Smith, J McGinn, P McGinn, Barron, McLean

Probable XI -  Samson, Van Zanten, Mair, McAusland, Dummett, Reilly, McLean, Imrie, Carey, Thompson, Parkin (4-4-2)



Aberdeen


Injuries - Hughes,

Available Squad - Langfield, Reynolds, Anderson, Robertson, Smith, Osbourne, Hayes, Rae, McGinn,  Vernon, Fraser, Magennis, Naysmith, Clark, Rogers, Shaughnessy,

Probable XI - Langfield, Reynolds, Anderson, Considine, Robertson, Rae, Osborne, Fraser, Hayes, Vernon, McGinn (4-4-2)


Prediction : St Mirren 1-1 Aberdeen


Can't help but wonder why Aberdeen are priced as short as they are for this game. St Mirren are a little better when they play at home. The draw seems a more likely result to me and it has happened the last 5 times the sides have met! The Dons suffered only their 2nd defeat of the season last week against Ross County, but they have also draw more games than they have won. Take the DRAW @ 3.4 (bet365) also consider under 2.5 @ 1.8 (betvictor)



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Friday 2 November 2012

SPL - Saturday 3rd Nov Team News & Thoughts‏

Dundee v Hearts

Dundee


Injuries - Easton, Grassi, O'Donnell, Stewart, Finnigan, McCluskey, Kerr

Available Squad - Douglas, McGregor, Lockwood, Irvine, Webster, Conroy, McAlister, Baird, McIntosh, Davidson, Reid, Cavanagh, McBride, Riley, Milne, Boyle, Nish, Toshney, Benedictus, Gallagher

Probable XI - Douglas, Irvine, Benedictus, Gallagher, Lookwood, Rilley, McBride, Conroy, Davidson, Nish, McAllister (4-4-2)




Hearts


Injuries - Stevenson, Ridgers, Carrick

Available Squad - MacDonald, R McGowan, Webster, Zaliukas, Grainger, Paterson, Barr, Taouil, Novikovas, Sutton, Driver, Robinson, Holt, D McGowan, McHattie, Smith, Enckelman, King.

Probable XI  - MacDonald, McGowan, Webster, Zaliukas, Grainger, Barr, Taouil, Novikovas, Driver, Paterson, Sutton (4-4-1-1)





Prediction:  Dundee 0-1 Hearts


Dundee have been a horror show since joining the SPL, and many feel sorry for them as it really should have been Dunfermline there instead of them. Other than their opening day draw at Kilmarnock and their shock win at Tynecastle Dundee have lost all their other games this season and at times by some margin. Hearts will be looking to avenge that silly defeat back in September but as always Hearts poor away form really does make the skinny odds of around 1.8 unbackable in my book. It's a NO BET for me but if you do fancy a flutter I would look at the HT/FT market for a bit of value and take it to be a draw at HT and Hearts win at FT



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Hibs v St Mirren


Hibs

Injuries - Deegan
Doubtful - Clancy
Available Squad - Williams, Clancy, Hanlon, McPake, Maybury, Claros, Cairney, Wotherspoon, Stevenson, Griffiths, Doyle, Caldwell, Stanton, Caldwell, Handling, Kuqi, Sproule, McGivern, Taiwo, Antell

Probable XI - Williams, Maybury, Hanlon, McPake, McGivern, Wotherspoon, Claros, Taiwo, Cairney, Doyle, Griffiths (4-4-2)




St Mirren


Injuries - McGowan, McGregor Adam

Available Squad - Samson, Dummett, Mair, van Zanten, McAusland, Goodwin, Imrie, Reilly, Carey, Robertson, Teale, Guy, Parkin, Thompson, Smith, J McGinn, P McGinn, Barron, McLean

Probable XI  - Samson, Van Zanten, Mair, McAusland, Dummett, Goodwin, McLean, Imrie, Carey, Thompson, Parkin (4-4-2)





Prediction:  Hibs 2-1 St Mirren


Hibs form is starting to scare me a little, they really are now starting to produce under Fenlon and look a real threat upfront nowadays. Last Fridays 4-0 win at Motherwell was a very convincing performance (I had to switch off.....lol) They'll still be without midfield dominator Deegan who is out with a broken jaw but they have coped well enough without him so far. In terms of this game one thing I note is that Hibs are actually top of the table as far as home games go with St Mirren only managing to be 3rd bottom of the "away table".  Given this and the fact that St Mirren were taken all the way to penalties by Aberdeen in the cup on Tuesday with Hibs well rested I think this is a great spot to back a home win. Best price for HIBS WIN @2.2 (William Hill) I think is a bit of a steal!


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Kilmarnock v Inverness



Kilmarnock


Injuries - Gros, Hay, Racchi
Doubtful - Sheridan
Available Squad - Bell, McKeown, Nelson, O'Hara, O'Leary, Johnson, Dayton, Tesselaar, Pascali, Kelly, Sheridan, Heffernan, McKenzie, Harkins, Letheren, Perez, Sissoko, Fowler

Probable XI - Bell, McKeown, Nelson, O'Leary, McKenzie, Pascali, Kelly, Johnson, O'Harra, Heffernan, Sheridan (4-4-2)




Inverness


Injuries - Foran, King, Hogg, Ross

Available Squad - Reguero, Meekings, Raven, Warren, Blackman, G Shinnie, Morrison, A Shinnie, Pepper, Draper, Tudur Jones, Doran, McKay, Cooper, Polworth, Oswell, Brislen-Hall, Roberts, Foran, Sutherland, Esson

Probable XI  - Reguero, Raven, Warren, Meekings, G. Shinnie, Doran, Tudur-Jones, Draper, Foran, A. Shinnie, McKay (4-4-1-1)





Prediction:  Kilmarnock 2-2 Inverness


Inverness are on an amazing run, unbeaten in 8 and winning 3-0 at 3rd division minnows Rangers midweek to secure their place in the semi finals of the cup. All this from a team I thought would be relegation dog fighters! They seem to have found goal scorer from all over the park and credit has to be given to big angry Terry Butcher as he took a risk clearing out a lot of players in the off season and bringing in a lot of unknowns from England. Kenny Shiels (that horrible man) is suggesting that Inverness are big favourites for this match but this is typical of his little mind games, I think his team will be very competitive here. It should be a high scoring affair, possibly a draw but certainly overs. Take OVER 2.5 @ 1.91 (William Hill)  Seems generous to me considering Killie have gone over in 8/10 and Inverness in 4 out of the last 5.



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Ross County v Aberdeen


Ross County


Injuries - Corcoran, Lawson, Duncan

Available Squad - Fraser, Tokely, Munro, Boyd, Fitzpatrick, Brittain, Quinn, Kettlewell, Vigurs, Fotheringham, Glen, McMenamin, Dingwall, Ross, Macphee, Scott, Cooper, Morrow, Kovacevic, Brown, Porrit

Probable XI - Fraser, Kovacevic, Munro, Boyd, Fitzpatrick, Brittain, Vigurs, Kettlewell, Quinn, McMenamin, Glen (4-4-2)




Aberdeen


Injuries - Considine, Jack, Fallon, Masson, Milson

Available Squad - Langfield, Reynolds, Anderson, Robertson, Smith, Osbourne, Hayes, Rae, McGinn, Hughes, Vernon, Fraser, Magennis, Naysmith, Clark, Rogers, Shaughnessy,

Probable XI  - Langfield, Reynolds, Anderson, Osbourne, Robertson, Rae, Hughes, Hayes, McGinn, Vernon, Magennis (4-4-2)





Prediction:  Ross County 1-1 Aberdeen

Aberdeen's 1-0 defeat to Celtic on the opening day of the season remains their only blemish and they have gone undefeated since then (in 90mins). It really has been some turnaround from Craig Brown's men since last season and they are sitting pretty up in 3rd place. Why? Well because they have managed to assemble a good squad of players with a blend of youth and experienced pro's. They have a really decent midfeld and are now proving to be decent in defence. If they could just score goals i reckon they would have turned the majority of draws into wins. The two teams drew 0-0 earlier in the season in Aberdeen and again I reckon this is going to be a hotly contested Highland derby with 2000 travelling Dandy Dons. County are starting to struggle a bit in the SPL and have only actually won once at home and drawing 3. DRAW I think is the key word here, Aberdeen love a draw. They have 6 times out of 11 in the league so far and if you had been backing them to draw since the start of the season you'd be well up so lets have a go here tomorrow. DRAW @ 3.3 (Paddy Power)



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St Johnstone v Motherwell


St Johnstone


Injuries - Pawlett, Beattie, Adams, Cregg

Available Squad - Mannus, Mackay, C Davidson, Wright, Anderson, Millar, M Davidson, Tade, Craig, Hasselbaink, Robertson, McCracken, Miller, Caddis, Scobbie, Tobin, Kane, Tuffey, Gray, Vine, Moon

Probable XI - Mannus, Miller, Anderson, McCracken, Mackay, M.Davidson, Craig, Moon, Millar, Tade, Vine (4-4-2)




Motherwell


Injuries - Hutchinson, Saunders

Available Squad - Randolph, Hateley, Hammell, Hutchinson, Kerr, Cummins, Ramsden, Lasley, Law, Carswell, Humphrey, Murphy, Higdon, Ojamaa, McHugh, Francis-Angol, Daley, Hetherington, Murray, Hollis.

Probable XI  - Randolph, Hateley, Kerr, Ramsden, Hammell, Lasley, Law, Murphy, Daley, Ojamaa, Higdon (4-4-2)





Prediction:  St Johnston 2-1 Motherwell


All of a sudden Stuart McCall's men are rubbish, and I can't quite pinpoint what the problem is as its basically the same group of players that were so good last term. They have now lost their last 4 games in a row and moral must be low. This will be a problem as they are facing a St Johnstone team that apart from a skelping midweek in the cup against Celtic have been doing really well recently and are unbeaten in their last 5 at home games and finding the net with regularity. I'm going for overs in this match as 7 out of the last St Johnstone games have gone this way and I feel Motherwell will also contribute with players like Murphy, Higdon and Law playing. OVER 2.5 GOAL @ 1.85 (Bet Victor) also consider TADE anytime scorer @ 3.4 (Skybet)


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