Well, they say you have to look hard for value these days and we have scoured the underbelly of Europe this week to bring you a little ‘something for the weekend’, we go from the north-east of England to the north-west of France, taking a slight detour through North Wales and come out the other end unscathed and hopefully in profit.
The Stadium of Light has become a little less dreary of late, Sunderland are a slightly more attractive proposition than they were at the start of the season and with new signings including Danny Graham, they actually finally have some competition for places, which is always handy. Graham has returned to his natural habitat, where the price of a KFC Zinger burger and a couple of 2-4-1 cocktails will be enough to ensure you don’t end the night empty handed. A place where five packets of Pickled Onion Monster Munch counts as your five-a-day and where girls only wear knickers to keep their ankles warm. These two sides met on the opening day of the season at the Emirates, when Arsenal spurned countless opportunities and ended up having to settle for a stalemate (which is better than having no mates at all). Arsenal tend to struggle the weekend after internationals, especially with trips to the North. A bit like a man who returns from a ‘business trip’ in Scandinavia to see their wife dressed in her M&S pj’s and smoking a packet of Lambert & Butlers. Arsenal are a tougher nut than they used to be though and I don’t see them rolling over but I also can’t see them winning, which leaves us with one option – the draw, or ‘sitting on the fence’ as human cauliflower Gary Lineker calls it.
Bet 365 offer 12/5 on the match ending all square
and that sounds better value than a night at the Holiday Inn with Titus Bramble and his brother.
Next off, we head to the raw delights of the Blue Square Premier, where high flying Wrexham take on Stockport County, two teams who lost their league status more recently than Justin Bieber lost his anal virginity. Think of Wrexham and it conjures up images of cup upsets on a cold afternoon in January and Justin Bieber tribute acts in Mecca Bingo. Anyway, The Dragons (they had that name before Cardiff) are looking to roar back into the football league and with only two defeats at home this season – The Racecourse Ground has certainly proved ‘good to firm’ for them thus far. Stockport’s away record is as embarrassing as their shopping centre and I only see one result here, a Wrexham victory.
Betfair offer 8/15 on a home victory
. Oh boyo!
Now off to the imaginatively named Ligue Deux, where Nantes take on Arles in the city known as the ‘Venice of the west’. When you think second tier French football, you may think of players so obscure that even Arsene Wenger hasn’t heard of them and players that are more Alan Carr than Graham Carr. However, the league has been very competitive this year : containing former top tier stalwarts such as the aforementioned Nantes, Auxerre, Lens and Monaco, as well as brilliantly named outfits such as Clermont Foot. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Nantes currently sit proudly on top like Marion Cotillard after her breast enlargement and Arles hover above the drop zone like Tom Daley at a nudist swimming pool. Some people say this level of football may have been better for David Beckham, however we wouldn’t be that cruel to the brylcreemed charity worker. I expect a Nantes win here, although I have to warn you that if you’re looking to watch this game online, Victoria Beckham has more chance of getting a decent feed this weekend. Bet
365 offer 1/2 on a Nantes victory
, I encourage you to add that to your ‘coupon’ (a word that the French call their own).
I hope you’ve enjoyed our look across Europe for this weekend’s value for money, don’t say we don’t hunt around. I’m off to order 45,000 black armbands for Jamie Carragher’s farewell game before heading to Burkina Faso with a giant TV screen and a massive bottle of Evian. Au revoir.
By Jamie Ellis
