DUNDEE should have been pushing Hearts for the SPFL Championship title this season with a squad that boasts talents such as Charlie Adam, Jason Cummings, Paul McGowan and Osman Sow.
But instead they face a fight to hold on to a play-off place and another defeat in this clash at Alloa Athletic could see James McPake's side tumble down to seventh if other results go against them this weekend.
The Dens boss is under mounting pressure and it's easy to pinpoint the reason why his side have struggled this season as their defending has been dismal.
The Dark Blues have shipped 35 goals in just 19 games and even an Ayr side who had drawn blanks in five of their last six games managed to score three times at Dens in midweek to scupper one of my midweek bets.
So rock-bottom Alloa will fancy their chances of getting some joy in this one, having netted in their last 16 games. Peter Grant's side boosted their survival hopes with a coupon-busting win over in-form Queen of the South at the weekend but remain four points adrift of Arbroath at the bottom.
Bad defending has also been a curse for Alloa this term, conceding 44 times, so this clash should treat armchair fans to a few goals.
How the bookies view it
Despite their patchy form, Dundee are 4/7 favourites with McBookie while Alloa are as big as 11/2 with Bet365 which might attract interest. The stalemate pays 16/5 at Betway.
Recent head to head
Dundee are unbeaten in their last 11 games against the Wasps, dating back to a 2-1 loss in the League Cup in 2008. But two of the last three meetings have ended in draws, including a 3-3 thriller at the Indodrill earlier this season (below).
Players to watch
Kilmarnock loanee Innes Cameron has been in fine form for Alloa, netting three times in his last four games. The youngster is 11/4 with Paddy Power for anytime scorer which looks overpriced.
Veteran Dundee midfielder Adam has gone off the boil of late, drawing a blank in his last four games. But he has six goals for the season and netted in that 3-3 draw on his last trip to the Indodrill. The former Rangers and Liverpool star is 2/1 with Bet365 to get back among the goals.
Adam has also collected eight yellow cards in his last 12 appearances so he might be worth backing for a card at evens with McBookie.
Anything else catch the eye?
These teams have been manna from heaven for punters who look for both teams to score accumulators. BTTS has incredibly come up in Alloa's last 15 matches and it has trapped in 13 of Dundee's last 14 games. So I'm surprised to see that bet as big as 9/10 with SportNation for this game and it looks terrific value, especially for accas.
We should see plenty of goals as their two meetings this term have produced a total of 10 strikes. Over 2.5 goals is just 3/4 at TonyBet but the odds increase to 9/5 if you bet on over 3.5 strikes.
Most of the drama has come in the second half of their meetings this term, with only two of the 10 strikes arriving in the first 45 minutes. That lends appeal to the evens on offer at TonyBet for most goals to come in the second half here.
This Scottish Championship match between Alloa Athletic and Dundee will be played on Mar 19, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Alloa Athletic vs Dundee prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
Alloa 15 BTTS in a row until I bet on it 😭
I know, incredible, isn’t it? So many corners but no real chances