Weekend Six Pack – Draw hunting on Saturday, Reds to be Mainz Men on Sunday

10 Dec, 2010 Rob Hartnett Germany, Premier League

Each week our betting columnist Rob Hartnett will bring you six bets from the weekend football action. Rob is the public face of leading In Play betting specialists 188BET.com and appears regularly on the Bolton, Wigan, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Everton websites doing betting previews. You can follow his thoughts on Twitter @HartnettRob

Last week was our thirteenth column of the season. We certainly beat any possible jinx though tipping draws at Chelsea and Birmingham as well as winners in Spain and Germany for a healthy 72 per cent profit on the weekend.

There are lots of good opportunities this weekend. I just hope we’ve narrowed it down to the correct six!

Fulham and Sunderland to draw @ 3.30

These two have drawn 17 of their 32 Premier league games so far this season. Statistics are not the only way to look at a game but with Mark Hughes on the home bench and Sunderland’s regular inability to win away from the Stadium of Light, 3.30 about a 2.00 chance is simply too good to miss.

Stoke to beat Blackpool after drawing or being behind at Half Time @ 3.62

Stay with me on this. Stoke’s record of 11 points from their last five games is second only to Man United. They are deserving favourites but the value lies in their only having led once at the break all season, and in Blackpool having done so on six occasions. Combine Blackpool and the Draw at Half time with Stoke to win at Full Time for a sideways bet that is worth it for the better return than backing Stoke at 1.64.

Wolves and Birmingham to draw @3.25

Wolves have only beaten Birmingham once in their last ten meetings while Alex McLeish’s side have yet to win this season away from St Andrews. It could be a roller coaster midlands derby but my money is on both those streaks continuing on Saturday afternoon.

Liverpool to beat Newcastle @ 2.07

Liverpool are behind only Arsenal and Man United in their form over the last eight games with five wins and a draw. Their home form is strong and against a side whose home record is as poor as any team bar Blackpool, and who have had to endure a spectacularly unsettling week on the managerial merry go round, Liverpool can win only their third away League game of 2010 and make it eight wins from nine against the Magpies.

FSV Mainz 05 to beat Shalke 04 @ 2.60

Two sides that are in completely the opposite positions than would have been forecast at the start of the year. Mainz won 8 of their first 9 and only two of their last six but the key here is their performances against teams in the bottom half of the table. Against that group they have won all 7. The price is made by Schalke’s defeats of Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich in recent weeks but even they were split by a 5-0 drubbing away to Kaiserslautern.

Man United to beat Arsenal @ 2.02

I’m not a fan of United away from home but in 18 games over two years at home to top half opposition they have won 14. Arsenal on the other hand, have only won four away to the same group. That disparity in big game performance is enough to persuade me that the odds on a home win should be shorter.

Tune into my twitter account @HartnettRob for tips throughout the week

81 POINTS STAKED OVER FIRST 13 WEEKS, 82.82 POINTS WON