Both Teams To Score Tips Saturday 20th Feb – An FA Cup Special

The FA Cup 5^th round gets underway this weekend so whilst the big guns of the Premier League get a break from league action, there’s still plenty of football around to have a cheeky stab at a Both Teams to Score treble. I’ve picked out my 3 favourite fixtures for both teams finding the net this weekend.

Bolton vs QPR

I’m starting with an old favourite in Bolton Wanderers who have very rarely let me down on the goals front this season. Whilst they’re sitting worryingly at the bottom of the league with only 15 games remaining and are 7 points adrift of safety, you have to admire their fight and their goalscoring ability.

Only 2 sides in the bottom 10 have scored more goals than Bolton this season, the problem is that only 2 sides in the entire league have conceded more. Wanderers put up a decent fight on the coast against promotion chasing Brighton last weekend as I outlined in my previous article, and I don’t expect them to go down without a fight here against a mid-table QPR who were absolutely shocking last weekend.

Hasselbaink’s men went down 1-3 at home to a Fulham side who had won just 1 of their last 15 games in all competitions and with only 3 clean sheets to their name away from home this season, I really can’t see them shutting out a Bolton side who can score goals on their day.

When the two met earlier this season it finished in another unlucky loss for Bolton who went down 4-3 at Loftus Road despite leading the game 0-2 and pulling it back to 3-3 late on. It was a 94^th minute winner from Emmanuel Thomas that grabbed the points for QPR last time out, and though I wouldn’t expect Bolton to win this game given their form, I can certainly see them bagging at least a goal and putting in another effort in their attempt for a great escape.

BTTS – 13/14 at 888sport

Bristol Rovers vs Morecambe

Rovers continue to slide down the table and are without a win in 3 games now coming into their meeting with Morecambe at The Memorial Stadium this weekend. And though the visitors themselves are in free fall, I expect a meeting between two sides in search of form to result in goals.

Rovers suffered a 3-1 loss away at promotion chasing Portsmouth at the weekend which allowed their opponents to leapfrog them in the league and that’s now no clean sheet in 5 games for Darrell Clarke’s side. However, 4 of those 5 games have been away from home and it will be a welcome return to home soil this weekend where they have been pretty convincing recently. They’re undefeated in 5 games here, scoring in all of those but I don’t expect an easy ride against Morecambe this weekend.

The visitors make the 200 mile journey down the west coast having collected only 1 point from their last 6 games but whilst they have conceded in all of those, they have also scored in all 6. In fact, their last 8 consecutive games in the league have resulted in both teams finding the net and Morecambe have scored in their last 6 consecutive away games, netting 2 or more goals in half of those.

The two shared a thriller back in October when Rovers walked away with all 3 points from the Globe Arena following a 3-4 win and a similar result this weekend wouldn’t surprise me.

BTTS – 13/16 at 888sport

Gateshead vs Aldershot

If either of these sides are to make a push for the playoffs then now is the time to start putting a run together. Gateshead have been there or thereabouts all season and despite sitting 11^th are just 4 points off the playoffs whereas a poor season by Aldershot’s standards has been turned on it’s head as of late with no loss in 4. I think both of those form tables will come to a head this weekend in the North East and produce goals in abundance.

The hosts suffered a crushing 4-0 loss to Dover Athletic at the weekend before picking up a 2-1 win against Eastleigh in the week and despite being a mid-table side, they actually boast the best home goalscoring record in the league, having found the net in 94% of their home games. Only Southport have managed to shut out Gateshead on home soil this season but despite their convincing record of home goals, they’ve also conceded in 14 of 17 home games too.

The visitors to the Gateshead International Stadium this weekend are Aldershot and having won just 1 of their last 12 games in 2015, they come into this fixture without loss in 4, including a decent draw against high flying Tranmere last weekend. And though Aldershot may look like a hit and miss side in the National League this term, they have a pretty convincing record of scoring in 12 of their 15 away games which can’t be sniffed at.

Gateshead ran away 1-2 winners from the Recreation Ground earlier this season, marking the 4^th consecutive meeting between these two where both teams have found the net. I expect as both sides make their final stand for a playoff push that that run will stretch to 5 meetings on Saturday afternoon.

BTTS – 10/13 at 888sport

[quote_center]The treble pays 7/1 with 888sport[/quote_center]