The group stage of the 2017/18 Scottish Betfred Cup continues as Scottish Premier League side Motherwell face an away trip to League One Queens Park.
Queens Park vs Motherwell
Scottish Betfred Cup – Saturday 15th July 2017 – 3:00 pm
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Draw Best Odd of: 10/3 at Ladbrokes |
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Queens Park
MotherwellQueens Park
Looked like they were on-course for a League One Play-Off place last season, but three consecutive defeats to end the campaign meant a final position of sixth.
In this competition last term, they finished fourth in Group E with only one win from their four games. That win came against bottom of the group Stenhousemuir, whilst they also took Airdrie to a penalty shoot-out after a 3-3 draw.
There is no pre-season information, with this being their first game since the end of last season.
Motherwell
Had a tough season last term, finishing in ninth place in the Scottish Premier League. After defeat to rock-bottom Inverness on the final day, they finished just three places and four points off the bottom.
Their last six games of 2016/17 were inconsistent, with three wins and three draws. It’s that inconsistency which has prevented them from making a bigger impact in Scottish football.
They reached the last-sixteen of this competition last season. After finishing second behind Rangers in the group stage, they ran into eventual winners Celtic. The champions ran rampant and Motherwell were knocked-out after a 5-0 defeat.
Pre-season got off to a great start, with victories over Stirling Albion and Livingston. However, it soon went pear-shaped for them with two defeats against English non-league teams. A 3-2 defeat to Gateshead was followed by a 1-0 loss at Barrow. The Gateshead result could have been worse, but for two injury-time goals adding a bit of respectability to the score.
Head to Head
These sides have never played in the same division of the Scottish football league. Therefore, they have previously played each other in just one competitive game. That was in a League Cup tie back in 2006, when Motherwell won 3-0.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Although this is a Scottish League Cup tie, the betting markets available are few and far between. However, Ladbrokes are showing this game live via their streaming service and have some tempting odds in certain markets.
Motherwell, being two divisions above their opponents, are 4/9 favourites. With the gap between the sides maybe being closer than the league tier-system would suggest, Queens park are a respectable 6/1 to pick up an upset victory. The draw is much more likely though, and that’s priced at 10/3.
In their respective leagues last season, 42% of Queens Park games and 55% of Motherwell matches had over 2.5 games. It’s 3/5 for Over 2.5 in this match. Under 2.5 goals could be the way to go here though, with three of Motherwell’s pre-season games having two or less goals. That bet also provides more value, with odds of 13/10.
If you want to have a punt on the underdog here, it may pay to back them in the “Draw No Bet” market. It’s 4/1 for the home side to pick up the victory, and you’ll get your stake money back if the game finishes level.
Most people believe Motherwell will pick up a convincing win, and they are 1/6 in the same market.
The visitors are 6/5 in the Half Time/Full Time market, with a draw at the break and Motherwell to win priced at 3/1.
An extremely tempting bet in the HT/FT market is Motherwell to be leading at half time and the game to end in a draw, with odds of 16/1.
Obviously, if you believe Motherwell win be too good for their opponents, it’s easy to think they will score first. You can get odds of 4/9 for the away team to score the first goal, or it’s 7/4 for the home team to surprise everyone and take the lead. No goals in the match is priced at 14/1.
The last, and only, meeting between these teams ended in a 3-0 Motherwell victory. It’s 10/1 in the “Correct Score” market for the same result in this match.
Top Betting Tip
With Motherwell struggling in their last two friendlies, Queens Park will be confident of getting something from this match. Therefore, our top tip is the draw at odds of 10/3 with Ladbrokes.