
Written by Cornermanden. The author’s opinions and predictions are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Unibet. Odds and details may change between the time of writing and when placing a bet – always check before betting.
League One Boxing Day football up next! Here are my thoughts and betting picks for the big day.
What’s Happened To My Burton?
Burton Albion v Blackpool
When I start this segment by saying “what’s happened to my Burton?”, I’m not implying that I support them. My point is that I used to fancy them quite strongly on corners, and that this betting line is incredibly short.
Burton Albion were the best corner team in League One last season; not necessarily because they accumulated the most corners, but because they were so reliable and predictable in terms of style. They played (and I say played, because they’ve moved away from that playing style in recent months) very directly by putting balls over the opponents’ defence, and oftentimes they tried to attack by getting balls out to their wingers and getting crosses in. That typically results in corners.
They still have many of the same players, so my gut instinct is that they should get corners under normal circumstances. I think they still want to do the same things, but that they’ve struggled to get any meaningful attack play going, for different reasons.
You seldom see corner lines of 8.5 in League One, and I’ve never seen it in a Burton game. That’s why I went to get on it here. If they get an early lead, for example, I can see Blackpool getting the upper hand against a deep Burton side protecting the result. Either way, the value is on over here.
Home Comforts For Posh
Peterborough United v Reading
I watched parts of Peterborough’s 2-1 win at Shrewsbury on Saturday, where they eventually found a way to beat a defensive minded Shrews’ side. I actually thought they were quite impressive, mainly because they have so many different ways to attack and create issues for their opponents.
Up next for Darren Ferguson and his boys are Reading, who have picked up some form in the last month.
It’s a strange statement, but I do think that what Ruben Selles has achieved at Reading has almost been impressive enough to qualify for manager of the season so far. They have been deducted points, lost almost all of their senior players, but somehow – against all odds – the Royals are a point away from safety in the relegation battle.
They are a much better home side than when they’re travelling. Reading have only managed one win, one draw and have lost eight times on the road this season. However, a lot of the games have been quite tight. I think they have quality in the attacking areas to hurt opponents, especially with guys like Sam Smith and Harvey Knibbs.
Moreover, betting is a probability sport, and in my opinion the true chance of Peterborough keeping a clean sheet is larger than the current odds of 2.48 imply. I want to bet on Reading to score under 0.5 goals when they go to Peterborough United this League One Boxing Day.
Conclusion
Boxing Day is a great day for football fans. I always look forward to watching the Premier League early game, then watching some proper League One at 3PM, before finishing the night off by watching the top tier again. If you are really into your League One, you can squeeze two games into the day, because Leyton Orient’s home game against Charlton Athletic will kick off at 1PM.
These are my two bets in the League One Boxing Day round: