Last week, we talked about the fun of betting Both Teams To Score (BTTS). But this is a wager with so much more potential than we covered last week.
That’s due to the parlay elements. Often times, BTTS comes at a hefty odds premium. You don’t typically want a part of it at -160 or -170. But if you parlay it with, say, a team you like to win, you can often get those odds into plus-money. Which we’ve done here with a couple of bets.
Last week: 3-0.
Surprising Girona Looks Good Again
As you look at the La Liga standings, do not adjust your screen or rub your eyes. Don’t make an optometrist visit for stronger eyeglasses or contacts. Your eyes are not deceiving you, because, yes, that’s Girona atop the table. Not your usual suspects, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona, but Girona.
That’s Girona riding a 17-game unbeaten streak that includes a 4-2 victory at Barcelona and a 4-3 win over Atletico Madrid. The same Girona, which hasn’t lost since Real Madrid came in and beat it 3-0—on September 30.
That’s Girona’s only loss in 21 La Liga matches (16-4-1), which hasn’t discriminated much home or away. Girona has taken 24 of a possible 30 points on the road (7-3-0). It leads La Liga in goals (51).
Running into this meat grinder is a Celta Vigo team that brought in former Liverpool and Real Madrid skipper Rafael Benitez last summer to keep Celta in Spain’s top league. He’s barely managing that feat. Celta sits in 16th place, two points outside the drop zone and owns only three victories in 21 matches (3-8-10).
Girona’s record reveals Over 2.5 goals scored in 14 of its 21 games and both teams have scored in 14 of those 21 games this year. But looking at recent history between these two reveals another story. You’d have to go back to 2019—four games ago—to find the last time the Over 2.5 cashed. The last three games featured a 1-0 Girona win, a -1-1 draw and a 1-0 Celta Vigo win.
You could parlay Girona and the Over 2.5 at +275. But while we don’t trust the defensive-minded Benitez to pull off an upset, we’ll trust him to keep the bus parked. And this would be the right time to mention you’re getting Girona at plus-money.
Best Bet: Girona to win (+145 at Caesars)
Watch: Saturday, 8 a.m. ET, ESPN+ or fuboTV
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Can the Blitzkrieg Continue for Leverkusen?
Yes, we’re hopscotching to the Bundesliga, usually the playground of European giants Bayern Munich. But like La Liga, we’ve got a new leader in the clubhouse. And a new leader in the clubhouse playing a game where defenses go to die.
Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen has scored in every game this season, which would be the story if it weren’t for the fact Leverkusen has yet to lose a game this season (15-3-0). Not only does Leverkusen score early, it scores quite often. There have been Over 2.5 goals scored in 15 of those 18 games and seven of the last 10.
As for 12th-place Borussia Monchengladbach, it has scored in its last 13 games, with over-2.5 goals in 17 of its 18 games. That’s the highest percentage of over-2.5 goals scored by any team in the Bundesliga. Monchengladbach has allowed goals in each of its last seven games and watched both teams score in 15 of its 18 games. When you consider Monchengladbach is sixth in scoring (35 goals) and has scored more than any other team in the bottom half of the table, this all makes sense.
Leverkusen is -350 to win outright and has kept clean sheets in its last three games and five of its last seven. But given the offensive fireworks these two promise, we’re firing up a nice, two-leg parlay that turns a negative into a plus-money positive.
Best Bet: Leverkusen to win, Both Teams To Score (+150 at BetMGM)
Watch: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+ or fuboTV
Can West Ham Make Its European Point Here?
The Premier League schedule is in one of its quirky periods, meaning this game isn’t until next Thursday, one of 10 midweek games on next week’s schedule. Thank various cup matches and the usual January scheduling quirkiness that causes.
It doesn’t dissuade us from finding another game featuring two teams who find the net more often than not. When we last checked in on Bournemouth, the Cherries were relegation bait. Somehow, they’re not right now, holding down 12th place. They are seven points ahead of the relegation zone. This, through 28 goals scored in 20 games.
There have been Over 2.5 goals scored in 15 out of Bournemouth’s 20 games this season. That is a co-byproduct of the 39 goals the Cherries allowed. That’s more than any other team in the Premier League, except 19th-place Burnley (42) and bottom-dwelling Sheffield United (51).
As for West Ham, there’s been Over 2.5 goals scored in 14 out of its 21 games and both teams have found the net in the same 14 out of 21 contests. The sixth-place Hammers are on the cusp of qualifying for Europe and these are the games they need to win to keep European football in sight.
You do get plus-money betting the host Hammers (+130) to win outright, which is a fine bet on its own, considering West Ham is currently on a five-game unbeaten streak. And it does bear mentioning West Ham has kept clean sheets in four of its last five games, making the Over 2.5 -154 a tantalizing possibility while pairing it with a West Ham win (+240).
We, however, are going out on a bigger value limb with one of our favorites.
Best Bet: West Ham to win, Both Teams To Score (+300 at BetRivers)
Watch: Thursday, 11:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports or fuboTV
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