The Goalscorer Gamble: Back Bale to score last at West Ham

23Feb 2013

Betfair

Dan Fitch picks out five more goalscorer bets for the weekend, including a punt on Gareth Bale to once again prove to be the difference for Spurs, when they face West ham.

Last week this column enjoyed it's biggest success, as I picked out three correct goalscorers from five selections, including Radamel Falcao to score first at 4.3. Move over Mystic Meg and the Mayans, there's a new kid in town...

Now I have to pull off the same trick again. We'll start in the Premier League and Arsenal's game against Aston Villa.

Arsenal's season has floundered from one comical disaster to another, but along the way there have been some success stories. One such example is Theo Walcott's journey from a very fast footballer who ultimately doesn't produce much, to a very fast footballer who scores loads of goals and sets up lots for others.

Today he faces an Aston Villa side, that are embroiled in a relegation scrap. Their recent win over West Ham was their first victory in eight Premier League games and you have to go back 15 games in all competitions, since Aston Villa last kept a clean sheet. Back Walcott to score at any time at 2.5.

Next we turn our attentions to Italy and the Milan derby. AC Milan come into the game full of confidence, unbeaten in seven Serie A games and with a Champions League victory over Barcelona to boast about.

Mario Balotelli didn't feature in that victory over Barcelona, due to being cup-tied. We can expect him to return to the side feeling fresh and ready to take on his former club Inter Milan.

Few footballers look more comfortable being the centre of attention than Balotelli and he should relish this opportunity. Since joining Milan the Italian international has scored four goals in three games. We're going to back him to open the scoring on Sunday evening at odds of 5.9.

Another player who it's fair to describe as someone who enjoys the spotlight, is Paris St Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Top of Ligue 1 PSG, face third-placed Marseille on Sunday night and Zlatan is priced at 1.75 to score at any time.

This might look quite slim, but Ibrahimovic has been in deadly form in the league this season, scoring 21 goals in 22 games. That's a record that bears comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo's record in La Liga this season. Now go and take a look at his odds to score over the weekend and you'll realise that Ibrahimovic's actually represent good value.

For our last goalscorer bet we return to the Premier League and focus on another player that's bang in form. Gareth Bale has scored six goals in his last five games. In four of those matches he scored the final goal.

Bale did not score against Lyon in midweek, but came close on a couple of occasions, as he excelled in a central role in the second-half. Back him at odds of 5.5 to be the last goalscorer when Spurs face West Ham on Monday night.

Finally we go to Wembley for the Capital One Cup final between Bradford and Swansea. It is Bradford that are being labelled as the underdogs, but when you consider where Swansea have come from, then you come to realise that their achievement is almost as miraculous.

On a day of fairytales, there aren't many more individual rags to riches stories that will compare with that of Michu. Two seasons ago he was playing in the Spanish second division. When he finally got a crack at the top flight he scored 15 goals for Rayo Vallecano and has already scored that amount in the Premier League.

Now he makes a Wembley appearance and if you believe in fairytales like I do, then you'll know that the script includes him scoring on the big occasion, at odds of 1.75.

Recommended Bets

Best Bet: Back Gareth Bale to score last at 5.5

Back Theo Walcott to score at 2.5

Back Mario Balotelli to score first at 5.9

Back Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score at 1.75

Back Michu to score at 1.75