THE latest slate of Scottish Championship action kicks off with Airdrie's encounter with Queen’s Park at the Excelsior Stadium on Friday night.
The two teams are separated by just two two points and two places in the second tier standings, though the Spiders have played one game more than any other side in the division to date.
Hosts Airdrie have made a mixed start to life back in the Scottish Championship, having won four and lost four of their opening eight league assignments of the season.
In fact, one of those losses came before the international break, with the Diamonds suffering a 2-1 defeat at home to Ayr United.
As for Queen’s Park, their bright start to the season must have been beginning to feel like a distant memory following five straight defeats, though they did stop the rot with a drab 0-0 draw at home to Morton a fortnight ago.
However, Robin Veldman’s side have since been knocked out of the SPFL Trust Trophy by League One leaders Falkirk, with John McGlynn’s men more dominant than the 1-0 scoreline suggests.
Outright Betting
Airdrie have yet to draw a league game this season and that outcome on Friday night can be backed at 5/2 (Bet 365) while the home team are 23/20 (William Hill) favourites to make an immediate return to winning ways.
Queen’s Park, who are without a league win two months, are 19/10 outsiders with Bet 365.
Betting Angles
Given that both of these sides are known for adopting possession-based and proactive approaches, siding with Over 2.5 Goals at 17/20 (Bet 365) holds plenty of appeal on Friday night.
Airdrie have long held a reputation as one of Scotland’s great entertainers under Rhys McCabe's management and they have admirably stuck to the attack-minded principles that propelled them to promotion to last season.
The forward-thinking Diamonds have landed at blow in six of their opening eight league games of the season and and they will fancy their chances of breaching a Queen’s Park backline that have been conceding goals at an alarming rate all season.
Robin Veldman’s side have earned the unenviable tag as the leakiest defence in the division, shipping a league 19-goals and posting just two clean sheets in the process.
However, at the other end of the park, the Spiders have had reasonable of success in terms of their attacking output this term- netting in seven of their nine league outings thus far – and they are certainly cable of carving out opportunities against an Airdrie side who are far from watertight themselves.
What's More, Over 2.5 Goal punters would have pocketed profit from 11 of the pair’s collective 17 (64.7%) Scottish Championship outings this term to date, yet the bookies’ odds imply a 54.1 % chance of the same bet landing in North Lanarkshire on Friday night
Therefore, siding with a minimum of three match goals here at 17/20 (Bet 365) is a price that definitely represents value given that all the ingredients are in place for an entertaining encounter at the Excelsior Stadium.
One player who could worth considering to grab a goal is Calum Gallagher who can be backed at 13/10 with Bet 365.
All three of the Airdrie striker’s league goals this season have been scored at home and he looks worth taking to add to that tally against what is a ropey Queen’s Park rearguard.
This Scottish Championship match between Airdrie and Queen's Park will be played on Oct 20, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Airdrie vs Queen's Park prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
