Mixed Football Betting Tips – 12th & 13th September 2015

There is plenty of football going on this weekend, both at home and overseas. The lunchtime kick-offs in England and Scotland see QPR host Nottingham Forest in the Championship, while Celtic travel to Aberdeen. Charlie Austin, who shunned a move to the Premier League this summer, will lead the line for the Rs as they look to go at least level at the top of the league. Celtic already have that luxury as they top the Scottish Premiership with five wins and one draw from their opening six games, and they go to Pittodrie to take on an Aberdeen side that have won all of their opening five league games as they look to provide a serious challenge for the league title.

There are some colossal ties in Europe this weekend as well, as the winners of the last two La Liga titles go head to head at the Vicente Calderon. Atletico Madrid and Barcelona both won their opening two league games and this tie could be a clear indication of the two sides’ title credentials, even at this stage of the season. Meanwhile in Italy two sleeping giants meet as Inter Milan, who have started their Serie A season with two wins, take on bitter rivals AC. With such quality football on offer, entertainment is a certainty, but with the right bets a profit could well be too. This week, it seems BetVictor is the place to go, as they offer the best odds on three of our four featured bets.

  • Aberdeen vs Celtic – Both teams to score (9/10 at BetVictor)
  • QPR vs Nottingham Forest – QPR to win to nil (23/10 at BetVictor)
  • Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona – Atletico Madrid to win (11/8 at BetVictor)
  • Inter Milan vs AC Milan – Inter Milan to win (13/10 at Totesport)
  • See also our Premier League betting tips for 12th, 13th & 14th September 2015

Aberdeen vs Celtic – 12th September

Two sides with five wins under their belt meet at Pittodrie on Saturday – Celtic are unsurprisingly the league leaders with a draw against Kilmarnock the only blot on their copybook, but Aberdeen have won all five of the games they have played. Due to the club’s request to postpone their tie with Hamilton Academical to provide some respite after a Europa League tie with Kairat Almaty, Derek McInnes’ side have a game in hand on their rivals, excluding Hamilton. As Aberdeen dropped out of the Europa League, Celtic entered it, and they will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of exiting the Champions League by continuing their routine domination of the Scottish top flight.

Predicting a Celtic win has been and always will be the safest bet, but it would be wrong to discount Aberdeen’s threat. They have been impressive, conceding just once in their five league victories, but the defending champions provide a lot more potency in attack than the likes of Partick Thistle and Dundee. Five different players have scored for Aberdeen already though, so it is clear they are a threat to a Celtic side that have conceded in each of their last four Scottish Premiership clashes. BetVictor’s offer of 9/10 on both teams to score therefore seems like an even safer bet than predicting a run-of-the-mill Celtic victory.

  • Both teams to score – 9/10 at BetVictor

QPR vs Nottingham Forest – 12th September

QPR fans may have been worried after opening the season with a demoralising defeat at Charlton Athletic before throwing away a two goal lead to draw with Cardiff City, but since then Chris Ramsey’s recently relegated side have found their feet in the Championship. Wins against Wolves, Rotherham and Huddersfield have set QPR back on track as they look to return to the Premier League at the first opportunity, while Championship top scorer Charlie Austin’s decision to stay at the club rather than join one of many top flight suitors will be a massive boost. Conversely, Nottingham Forest have not made a positive start to their quest to end their long hiatus from Premier League football. Defeats to Brighton and Cardiff as well as uninspiring draws with Bolton and Charlton, with only a narrow win over whipping boys Rotherham to provide cheer, leave Dougie Freedman’s side well off the pace already.

QPR have conceded four goals in their opening two home Championship games, as well as two more in a shock defeat at home to League Two Carlisle United, and that will be a concern for Ramsey. However, they are playing a Nottingham Forest side that look meek in attack, and with Tjaronn Chery and Austin leading the line they will be confident of scoring plenty. BetVictor are offering a very reasonable 23/10 on QPR to win to nil and despite the leakiness of their defence so far it feels like too good an offer to turn down.

  • QPR to win to nil – 23/10 at BetVictor

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona – 12th September

The first truly titanic tussle of the Primera Liga season in Spain takes place this weekend, with 2013/14 winners Atletico Madrid taking on defending champions Barcelona. Perhaps calling this the first big clash is harsh on Sevilla, who took on Atletico before the international break, but as Diego Simeone’s side sauntered to a 3-0 victory Sevilla may not be counted among the elite this season. Barcelona certainly are, but Luis Enrique’s men will need to deal with the pressures of defending three major trophies. One title they will not need to defend is the Spanish Super Cup, after they were stunned by Athletic Bilbao. It showed a vulnerability to a side that looks so unstoppable with the front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, and Atletico will be keen to take advantage.

Barcelona have not yet turned in a particularly impressive performance this season, with their two league wins both coming via 1-0 scorelines against Malaga and Super Cup conquerors Athletic Bilbao. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, will take great confidence from the victory over Europa League holders Sevilla. Simeone would probably take a draw here, as he did in May 2014 when Atletico’s 1-1 stalemate at the Nou Camp secured their first league title since 1996, but he will be after a win to prove early on that breaking the Barca/Real hegemony was not a one-off. The odds are fluctuating on this one somewhat, but BetVictor are currently offering 11/8 on Atletico taking away a famous victory and giving Barcelona real cause for concern.

  • Atletico Madrid to win – 11/8 at BetVictor

Inter Milan vs Milan

There was a time, back when Inter and Milan dominated not just domestic but European football, that Derby della Madonnina was the biggest match in world football. The Ronaldos, Shevchenkos, Ronaldinhos and Maldinis have departed, however, and the two Italian giants have faded away. The passion that was once the hallmark of this local derby has also faded, with just one of the last eight meetings between the two sides yielding more than two goals. Supporters are wondering where the old Internazionale and AC Milano went, and what can be done to bring them back. For now, it seems, the city of Milan is a long way from being the footballing powerhouse it once was. The derby is a typically close-run affair – Inter have won 76 ties, while Milan have been victorious in 74, with the overall aggregate score 291-287. Both of last season’s derbies ended in a draw, with the season before that producing two 1-0 home wins.

However, Milan have looked weak for a while now, with last season’s 10th place finish a clear sign of that, and an opening day 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina did not allay any fears of another tough season ahead. Inter have hardly been impressive, only just beating newcomers and Serie A minnows Carpi with a late winner, but they have ground out two wins already. Roberto Mancini’s side boast the likes of Mauro Icardi, Stevan Jovetic, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Ivan Perisic in their attack, and they will more often than not score goals in abundance. Sinisa Mihajlovic can call upon Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano, and Mario Balotelli if desperate, but Mihajlovic was openly critical of his side’s performance in the win over Empoli and there is nothing to suggest that Milan will improve in this derby tie. The sensible money is on Inter, and Totesport are offering 13/10 on a “home” victory.

  • Inter Milan to win – 13/10 at Totesport