We’re now five weeks into the EPL season and it’s probably a good time to take a look at a few teams whose perception may be misconstrued by books like BetOnline.AG and punters alike. Are there ways to take advantage of improper valuations in the market by looking to buy undervalued sides, while selling their counterparts? Let’s find out. Here’s an exercise I like to call buy or sell.
BUY!
Crystal Palace
When a club loses fives games in a row without scoring a goal it’s a brave man who looks to support that particular side moving forward. Enter Crystal Palace; starting this Saturday they play their next three matches on the road at both Manchester clubs followed by a home fixture with Chelsea. YIKES! Realistically, they will be very lucky to obtain a single point from those three matches but as bettors we may not necessarily require them to gain positive results for us to profit from siding with them. In those road games on the blue and red side of Manchester the Eagles will be receiving at least two goal head starts. When they host Chelsea it’s more than likely that they will be priced around +1.25 for that lesser London derby. Roy Hodgson is an experienced manager and he will be looking to get back to basics with Palace’s defense, ensuring they are harder to penetrate. Their upcoming opponents are all involved in midweek European action over the next few weeks as well, so it is only victory, and not the margin of victory, that will concern the management of those clubs. Always remember, as a punter one man’s garbage can be another man’s gold.
BetOnline.Ag Bonus Codes: 75BTB first time deposit (75% Bonus); 50BTB for reloads (50% Bonus)
Watford
A few weeks ago I highlighted the value that Watford offered to finish in the top half of the table come seasons end. Following a string of positive results they have been cut by the books from +800 to +375 to finish in the top ten. However, the resurgence of the Hornets and subsequent shortening of futures odds does not appear to have flowed through to individual match pricing. Their next three games all see them priced as underdogs as they travel away to Swansea and West Brom before hosting Arsenal. They can match the first two opponents for organizational tactics and individual creativity, while against the Gunners I feel the players they’ve purchased could overpower an Arsenal side that can be a touchy lightweight.
Sell!
Everton
The Toffees seemed to be Everybody’s preseason sleeper and I have to admit, I myself was high on their chances to push towards a top six finish. Just two goals in five games concerns me greatly and even while they dominated for spells during last weeks trip to Manchester United, they failed to take the opportunities when they were presented. This weekend sees them priced up as a -0.75 goal favorite at home to Bournemouth, and they are priced at a similar level when they entertain Burnley a week from Sunday. Remember, this is the same Burnley side that already won this season on the road at Chelsea and drawn their trips to Liverpool and Tottenham. A trip to Brighton then follows where they are priced up as -0..5 favorites, and all of these lines look a little steep for a team without a proven goal scorer following the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United.
Liverpool
Liverpool is always the most over valued side as money pours into the betting markets from the Far East where the Reds are known as Asia’s team. I am not a fan of Jurgen Klopp; his cheerful media persona and willingness to smile and deliver a funny one-liner to the press disguises the fact he isn’t an overly capable coach. They have made a solid start to the campaign as they have gone (2-2-1) in their opening five games, but the season is about to become a whole lot more difficult for the smiling German. This week they are half goal favorites on the road at Leicester, which is one of the few EPL grounds that still retains any kind of home field advantage. Following that game they make the four-hour trip to the Russian capital and take on Spartak Moscow for a Champions League match. Upon their return, they face former boss, Rafa Benitez and his Newcastle side before hosting Manchester United. By the time this three game spell is over I sense Klopp may be under a lot of pressure!
