Rejuvenated Aston Villa ready to inflict more pain on the Baggies
It was difficult to find a superlative on Tuesday evening which was a fair reflection on what Christian Benteke’s injury time penalty meant to all associated with Aston Villa.
Newly appointed Tim Sherwood saw his side collect three points against a West Brom outfit who had lost just one of their last eight prior to their game earlier this week.
Villa went into the game without a league win in 12 but a new manager and a victory will certainly give captain Ron Vlaar and his men the much needed confidence to repeat their heroics as they welcome back Tony Pulis’ side to Villa Park tomorrow, this time for FA Cup quarter-final action.
Round two is again expected to be a tight affair, however this time the favourites tag has been planted on Sherwood’s team. They are priced at 8/5 to see off the Baggies again which is worth backing having seen Gabby Agbonlahor who, not only picked up his first goal since November 2014 on Tuesday, but looked a real threat down the flank all evening.
Another influential figure who appears to have recaptured some of his old form is Fabian Delph, who was denied by the upright three days ago. These two should continue to raise the home team’s standards and guide them through to the next round.
QPR host Tottenham tomorrow in their second London derby this week. Loftus Road has in the past been a relatively happy hunting ground for the Hoops as they have lost just one of their previous six League games in West London against Spurs.
However, QPR’s recent form suggests that there may not be too much to celebrate come full time. Les Ferdinand’s team have won six games all season which shows why Mauricio Pochettino’s team are priced at 4/5 with Betway to triumph.
Although tomorrow’s hosts have shown that they present a much sterner test to their opposition on their own patch, it’s difficult to see where they can inflict the required damage on the Capital One Cup finalists. QPR lost 4-0 in their last encounter with Spurs. Sporting Index have Tottenham/QPR trading at 0.6-0.8 which appeals considering Spurs have won five of the last seven head-to-heads.
Harry Kane is in prolific form having scored eight goals in his last eight league away games. His goal minutes are trading at 32-35 and knowing that tomorrow’s hosts have leaked a joint league high of 45 so far this season it’s tempting to take Sporting Index up on that offer.
■ Pointers…
Villa at 8/5 to beat West Brom with Betway
Buy Tottenham supremacy at 0.8 with Sporting Index
Buy Harry Kane goals minutes at 35 with Sporting Index