Scottish football fanatic SlipsTips shares three angles of attack ahead of Saturday's round of SPFL fixtures, with selections shared from each of the three lower leagues in Scotland.
Hamilton vs Partick Thistle (Saturday, 15:00)
Partick Thistle will set out to return to winning ways in the Scottish Championship when they head to Hamilton Academical on Saturday.
The Jags continue to set the pace in the second tier but their title aspirations were dented following a 1-0 loss at Inverness last Friday night.
However, Ian McCall’s men were reduced to ten-men during the first-half in that aforementioned loss and a fixture with out-of-sorts Accies could represent the ideal opportunity to get back in the winning groove.
John Rankin’s side were ruthlessly cut apart 5-0 by a rampant Greenock Morton team last weekend, a galling defeat that has left the Lanarkshire outfit languishing in the relegation playoff spot.
That Cappieolow crushing means Hamilton have conceded a minimum of two goals in six of their last seven league games, a trend that doesn't augur well ahead of a visit from the most potent attack in the division.
With all this in mind, coupled with the fact that the league leaders have notched twice in seven of their nine league outings this season so far, backing Partick Thistle to strike twice on Saturday at 6/5 (William Hill) is a price that definitely represents value.
Recommended Bet
- Over 1.5 Partick Thistle Goals – 6/5 (William Hill)
Queen of the South vs Peterhead (Saturday, 15:00)
Queen of the South will be looking to snap a three-game winless run in Scottish League One when they play host to Peterhead at Palmerston Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Doonhamers stop-start season continued in midweek as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat at Kelty Hearts, while Peterhead continue to prop up the table following last week’s 4-0 pasting at home to Falkirk.
Despite their stuttering start to the League One season, I suspect this could be a perfect opportunity for Queen of the South to pick up a much-needed three points and therefore backing the hosts to overcome a -1 hurdle on the Asian Handicap holds appeal at 10/11 (UniBet).
This selection means if the hosts prevail by two or more goals we will be paid out, if they win by a solitary strike then stakes are returned, and that looks like a nice angle of attack when you consider Peterhead's pitiful start to the season.
As already mentioned, the Blue Toon are bottom of the table having lost seven of their opening 10 games of the season, not to mention they currently boast a wretched goal difference of negative 19.
Considering Queens’ superior quality, as well as the fact that they romped to a 4-1 victory in August’s reverse fixture, I'm prepared to back Dumfries side to cover a -1 start on the Asian Handicap at 10/11 with UniBet.
Recommended Bet
- Queen of the South -1 (Asian Handicap) – 10/11 (UniBet)
Annan Athletic vs Stranraer (Saturday, 15:00)
Saturday will see two of Scottish League Two’s underperforming sides square-off as Annan Athletic entertain Stranraer.
Peter Murphy’s men were tipped by many to be in the promotion picture this season, but two wins from 10 has left them eighth in the table, while Stranraer are just one place and three points above their opponents after being on the wrong end of a 3-2 reverse against Elgin City last Saturday.
However, both of these sides have had plenty of success in terms of their attacking output this season, and that coupled with their respective inability to keep the back door shut should lead to more goalmouth action at Galabank.
As such, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Over 2.5 Goals has been chalked up at 13/15 with SBK.
The Galabankies have grabbed at least one goal in seven of their 10 league outings this season, while the Blues have made the net bulge in all but one of their 10 assignments, not to mention both teams have combined to file a mere one clean sheet between them thus far.
What’s more, Over 2.5 Goals has landed in a lofty 16 of the pair's collective 20 (80%) Scottish League Two outings this term to date, yet the odds imply a 53.6 % chance of the same selection copping on Saturday
Recommended Bet
- Over 2.5 Goals – 13/15 (SBK)