Betting.Betfair

MK Dons v Exeter

The big shock of Tuesday's round of fixtures was the MK Dons defeat at the hands of lowly Yeovil, with the Buckinghamshire faithful voicing their disappointment at the result. The performance was actually acceptable, with numerous chances created. However, the MK Dons have shown their Achilles heel this season to be their profligacy in front of goal, which was all to apparent this week.

The excellent Stephen Gleeson was sent-off against the Glovers, meaning their most influential midfielder is suspended for this Saturday. Yeovil sat very deep and got all 10 men behind the ball, it might be the same scenario here, so patience is the key for backers of the hosts at a short price.

I am frustrated by the Dons, as they have top players and should be in the top two. They can be brilliant on occasions and play some sublime football, but they have not converted their chances on too many occasions this season.

Exeter lined up 4-3-3 at Brentford in midweek, and were easily beaten 2-0. It was a dismal performance for which manager Paul Tisdale has apologised for. I am not sure the same formation will be a success at the Stadium MK, as the Grecians struggle to get hold of games through poor passing. The hosts should have plenty of the ball and control this.

The most pressing concern however is less tactical, put simply, Exeter cannot score away from home. Just four in nine games is a meagre return (and two of those were against Chesterfield). They'll try and stay in this and frustrate, so it might be worth to throw an In-Play back of the hosts at around 1.8.

Back MK Dons 1-0 @ 7.4 & 2-0 @ 8.2 Correct Scores
Back Under 2.5 Goals @ 2.04


Huddersfield v Rochdale

This encounter has a very similar feel to the above, with Huddersfield chasing promotion and Rochdale not. Town are unbeaten under new manager Simon Grayson, with two wins and two draws. The returns should be four victories, considering they threw away 2-0 and 3-0 leads against Bury and Stevenage, only to draw both.

Grayson highlighted the need to stamp out matches with too many goals and spoke of a desire to win games 1-0, which was exactly the case on Tuesday against Hartlepool. True, the north east side don't score many, but the Terriers dominated possession. Town lined up 4-1-4-1, but were more dangerous late in the game in switching to a more conventional front two.

The hosts have the second best home defence in the division, and have the marquee forward in Jordan Rhodes who has netted a remarkable 30 times this season.

Rochdale are bottom and have scored just 12 times away all season, with new manager John Coleman sure to line up defensively. Dale's last three away games have all been under 2.5 goals, which is where the strongest angle lies for this.

Back Huddersfield 1-0 @ 7.2 and 2-0 @ 8.0 Correct Scores
Back Under 2.5 Goals @ 2.0


Walsall v Hartlepool

Plucky Walsall are unbeaten in five and have lost just twice in their last 10 matches, highlighting what a good job manager Dean Smith is doing. The Saddlers pulled themselves out of the drop zone in midweek with an astonishing 3-2 home win over promotion chasing Sheffield United. The players looked exhausted following that victory, with their youthful side excelling during an end-to-end game.

Prior, a late goal at Orient earned themselves perhaps a lucky point on Saturday. But Walsall have played with a bit of confidence of late and look a hard outfit to beat, and bar the Tuesday game, are a side that don't score many. I would however be slightly worried of the fatigue element from midweek.

Hartlepool meanwhile are slow and steady under Neale Cooper - who faces problems with a mounting injury list heading into this weekend. Pool defended well in defeat at Huddersfield, and really went for it in the closing stages switching to a front two. But they are another team that find goals away hard to come by, which again looks made for a perfect under 2.5 goals game.

Back 0-0 @ 10.0 & 1-1 @ 7.4 Correct Scores
Back Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.74

For more football betting articles, go to http://betting.betfair.com/football/