Throughout the season, the Punter will be offering up trebles which he believes have a very strong chance of coming in. He’ll be betting with a £25 stake every time and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how he fares! Read on for the first instalment of this new feature as the Punter turns his focus to the Carling Cup first round.
As regular football betting fans know, having a flutter on the early stages of the Carling Cup can often be a dicey business. The will they/won’t they dilemma over squad rotation can cloud the true value of a bigger team’s price, especially if they are playing a full-strength lower league team looking for a pay day and a big-name scalp.
However, closer scrutiny of form and team news can sometimes lead to very strong cases being made for certain sides advancing to the next round. Despite some matches being called off due to the riots currently gripping the UK, the Punter has done just that to bring you a conservative treble (with a definite south-coast flavour) which should pay off!
My selections could bring new customers a cool £74.55 if they use their free £25 bet for joining bwin to back them in a treble. If you fancy a flutter tonight, you can also click here to see all our Carling Cup odds.
So, here goes:
Portsmouth to beat Barnet at 21/50
Pompey’s off-field woes are certainly no secret – but we can use these problems to our advantage tonight! Their financial situation is still so bad that they could only name four subs for Saturday’s Championship opener at Middlesbrough (which they drew 2-2).
In other words, boss Steve Cotterrill basically has no choice but to go in with a very similar line-up against Barnet. This will surely make them far too strong for the League Two minnows, who have been knocked out of the Carling Cup at the first hurdle in each of the past four years. If I was having one bet tonight, it would be on Pompey to win!
Brighton to beat Gillingham at 1/2
It’s not very often that managers reveal their selection plans before a match, but Brighton boss Gus Poyet has given us a helping hand by vowing to take the Carling Cup seriously. The Punter is taking the former Spurs midfielder at his word, which means a strong Seagulls XI should be more than capable of seeing off Gillingham, who have lost their last five ties on the road in this competition.
Add in the fact that the hosts are likely to be roared on by a bigger crowd than might normally be expected – it’s their first cup game at the brand spanking new Amex Stadium – and I’m confident this selection should come in.
Southampton to beat Torquay at 21/50
Although I wasn’t able to find a third side who are likely to put out a near first-choice team and offer decent value, I simply couldn’t overlook Southampton. OK, so boss Nigel Adkins may ring the changes, but replacements such as Richard Chaplow, Morgan Schneiderlin, Danny Butterfield, Lee Holmes and Steve de Ridder should still be comfortably good enough to get the better of Torquay.
The Gulls have a shocking record in the Carling Cup, having lost in the first round every year since 2002, and I fully expect the Saints, buoyed by their impressive win over Leeds at the weekend, to extend that miserable run.
Stake: £25
Selections: Portsmouth, Brighton and Southampton
Potential winnings: £74.55
New customers can register here to claim a free £25 bet.
