Bradford City - Aston Villa Betting Preview: Expect plenty of goals at the Coral Windows Stadium

Jan 8, 2013 8:55:00 AM

Both these sides have exceeded expectations just by reaching this stage in the Capital One Cup, and Al Hain-Cole expects them to serve up a memorable encounter full of goals

Tuesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final, first-leg brings together two teams that few would have expected to get this far in the competition, as League Two outfit Bradford City play hosts to Premier League strugglers Aston Villa.

The Bantams have put Wigan and Arsenal to the sword in the previous two rounds, and you can get odds of 7/2 (4.50) with Bet365 on them beating another top-flight opponent in this game.

Paul Lambert has led his team to shock away victories over both Manchester City and an in-form Norwich to reach this point in the competition, and they are 4/5 (1.80) favourites to pick up another win on the road on Tuesday.

The hosts’ last three games in the cup have resulted in a draw in normal time, so odds of 3/1 (4.00) could seem tempting for this game to finish all square.

But there may be better odds in the goals markets here.

No Premier League side has conceded more goals this season than Villa, who let in 15 in just three games over the festive period.

However, Lambert’s men have been busiest at the other end of the pitch in this competition, having scored 14 times in their four ties cup so far.

A bet on over 2.5 goals to be scored would have paid out in all four of the Midlanders’ Capital One Cup encounters so far, as well as each of their last six matches in all competitions, so it certainly seems to be where the smart money lies this evening, at odds of 4/5 (1.80).

Considering Villa’s recent defensive struggles, it would take a brave man to bet against the hosts getting on the score sheet at the Coral Windows Stadium.

The player most likely to hit the back of the net for Phil Parkinson’s men is probably Alan Connell, who has bagged four goals in his last five games.

The in-form forward has been entrusted with penalty duties recently, and offers great value at odds of 11/4 (3.75) to hit the back of the net in front of a packed home crowd.

BET

OF THE

DAY

BEST BET

VALUE BET

Over 2.5 goals at 4/5 (1.80) with Bet365

Alan Connell to score anytime at 11/4 (3.75) with Bet365

Sign up with Bet365 for up to £200 in free bets

Al Hain-Cole is a Liverpool fan, experienced tipster and avid follower of European football. He specialises in accumulators and if you would like to read more from Al you can follow him on Twitter here.

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German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

10:22 PM BST

Terrific stuff from Bayern attacking midfielder Thomas Muller, the kind of socks-around-the-ankles player that I think any true football fan inherently adores.

"It is hard to describe," he told ZDF. "I am completely done, I have cramps left and right. But I did not go off the pitch and it paid off. Physically I am over the limit now.

"When you are 68 years old and you have a record season and then you win the Champions League and have the chance for the triple, you can be happy you are 68 and not 25. Because then you can retire."

10:17 PM BST

An word from Goal Germany correspondent Tim Rohn on a night of redemption for Bayern Munich:

"One year after that bitter loss to Chelsea the Bayern are now the ones dancing on the pitch. BVB gets a farewell with much applause and a scraf parade. No matter that Bayern won: For every german football fan in London this will be a very long night."

10:13 PM BST

Happily, Dortmund's players aren't feeling too down about things. They're proud of what they've done, and rightly so. They've lit up the competition with their fearless brand of football.

"We are proud," Weidenfeller told ZDF. "We stood up to Bayern and we've had a great season in the Champions League. We gave everything and did our best to win that trophy. But we will come back again."

Sebastian Kehl added: "We played a fantastic match and gave a great account of ourselves. We can be proud. And of course we will attack again next season."

10:07 PM BST

Some early reaction from the man of the moment, Arjen Robben, who's unsurprisingly overcome with emotion.

"I heard so many people saying in the last weeks saying they would grant me this. They told me: 'You'll score the goal.' It’s not quite sunk in yet. There’s a lot of emotion.

"You know, this was such a close match. A match with two teams at the same level. It was an even game: they had chances; we had chances. For the goal, though, I just reacted to Franck's flick and then the ball went in."

You'll never hear or read a more simplistic description of the Dutchman's Champions League winner!

10:03 PM BST

Now it's Bayerns turn to climb Wembley's not-as-famous-as-they-used-to-be steps to collect their reward for sweeping all before them in Europe this season. They wait for their captain, Lahm, who takes a moment to compose himself before hoisting the Champions League trophy. After the misery of Munich 12 months ago, Bayern are now basking in the wonder of Wembley. Dortmund were magnificent but few could argue that Bayern have not been the best team in the Champions League this season. They deserve this, their inauguration as the new kings of Europe.

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