As we all know, Both Teams to Score is fast becoming THE bet of choice for many punters – but what isn’t common knowledge is that it should be particularly popular for games involving Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.
The reasons why BTTS is such a great bet are simple: excitement is doubled as you need goals at both ends of the pitch; the bet is never over until the final whistle; and it’s also the sort of bet that you can do blindly, which is a bonus for casual punters who can adopt a ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ approach.
But of course, being the serious and well-informed punters that we all are, we want to enhance our chances of winning money, and there are a series of trends and statistics that have developed over the first six months of the season that we can now act on with confidence.
In short, we can now say with some certainty that some teams are ripe for this bet, while others are best avoided. But which teams are they?
First, we look at which teams are more likely to be involved in games where both teams score. Do read on…
Everton (22/29 matches)
No side in the Premier League has been involved in more games where both sides have found the net than Everton. An incredible 22 of their 29 league matches have seen goals at either end and David Moyes’ side are displaying a strange anomaly that you should be looking to take advantage of.
Despite only conceding 35 goals – the joint-fifth best defensive record in the division – the normally assured Toffees backline has forgotten how to keep a clean sheet. Everton have stopped the opposition scoring only five times this season – only Reading, Newcastle and Wigan have kept fewer clean sheets. It means that more often than not Everton will concede no matter the circumstances (they have let in exactly one goal in 14 matches).
Of course, with the fine attacking players Moyes has at his disposal, Everton notch more often than not – in fact their record of failing to score in only four matches is bettered only by Manchester United. Combine these two things and you have a recipe for Both Teams to Score, and be aware that Goodison Park has played host to 12 of these games – more than any other ground in the division.
Tottenham Hotspur (21/30) matches
Tottenham Hotspur are only one game behind Everton, with 21 of their 30 league matches seeing both teams hit the net.
Like Everton, Andre Villas-Boas’ side are generally considered to be defending well in the eyes of most pundits and observers, and a record of 37 goals against, the seventh meanest total, does suggest that. But ten teams have kept more clean sheets than Tottenham’s seven, and this has been gold for BTTS punters.
Tottenham’s trouble has been letting in just one goal, which they have done on 15 occasions this term, exactly half of their fixtures. It is at White Hart Lane that this problem has been most prominent: only Wigan have kept fewer home clean sheets than Spurs, and quite remarkably, AVB’s boys have conceded exactly one goal in 11 of their 15 home games. Be aware of this after the international break.
Newcastle United (21/30 matches)
Also on 21 games where each team has scored is Newcastle United which, much like their season as a whole, is in stark contrast to last year’s campaign.
In a year that saw them finish fifth and nearly gatecrash the Champions League places, the Toon Army were only involved in 19 games where both sides notched – two less in 38 games than they have managed in 30 this season – and the reason for that is their defence.
A rearguard that kept 15 clean sheets in the league last term has kept only four during 2012/13 – only joint-bottom Reading have kept fewer. Just one away clean sheet all year is the main problem (again, only the Royals have kept fewer) as the Toon haven’t lost their ability to score: they have fired just six blanks this season – only the top seven sides have failed to score in fewer matches.
The stats, then, are clear: If you’re searching for a BTTS bet, look to games involving Everton, Spurs and Newcastle.
