football | Monday, January 16, 2023 9:38 AM

Early Bird Best Bets Jan 21st: Four Early Value Picks for the Weekend

Sam Ingram

Early Bird Best Bets: Saturday, January, 21st

Looking ahead to next Saturday, Sam Ingram has picked out four potential runners from a packed full Premier League and EFL card. If goals arrive in Essex and in Leicester, hopefully the League One trailblazers can offer a workmanlike route to a successful Saturday afternoon for the Early Bird.

In this article:

Plymouth Argyle vs Cheltenham Town Preview & Best Bet
Oxford vs Ipswich Preview & Best Bet
Colchester vs Gillingham Preview & Best Bet
Leicester vs Brighton Preview & Best Bet

Plymouth Argyle vs Cheltenham Town Preview

England, League One, Saturday, January 21st, 15:00 (UK)

Bali Mumba’s late strike to pencil in a share of the spoils at Portman Road on Saturday will have had the travelling Green Army in a buoyant mood for their long-winded trip home to Devon.

That feel-good factor won’t stop at the club’s fanbase. It’s not as of this hungry, youthful Plymouth Argyle squad needed a morale boost, but in terms of a gentle reminder that they’re deserving of their league-leading position, this will act as a mid-season shot of adrenaline for those in Green.

Ben Waine, Tyreik Wright, and Jay Matete all featured for the visiting Pilgrims on the weekend. That’s three January signings already impacting proceedings. Sunderland loanee, Matete, played for over an hour in the engine room, providing an assured steeliness in the middle.

With Finn Azaz coming off the bench after a spell on the sidelines, it’s safe to say Steven Schumacher has plentiful options going forward. That is despite Morgan Whittaker’s recall to his parent club, Swansea City.

Losing a player as influential as Whittaker will take its toll, the kind of happening that anyone on the right side of Tamar Bridge would’ve lost sleep over as the January transfer window approached. Considering the rumours linking the Swansea man to a fresh start in Ipswich, it may get worse.

Nevertheless, the biggest game of the season has come and gone, and all involved with Argyle’s Championship quest will be thrilled. Cheltenham Town acts as the next task – an assignment just as significant as Ipswich away, the likely narrative Schumacher will relay to his squad.

Plymouth Argyle vs Cheltenham Town Best Bet

Winning at Home Park has become second nature for Argyle, proving victorious in 12/13 home jaunts this season. In eleven of those outings, the Green Army have clinched three points and a goal total of fewer than five.

Cheltenham Town? Well, their away form is rather bleak. Only Accrington (7) have scored fewer on the road than the Robins’ eight. The bluntness when travelling the country lends itself to the under-goals pick, as does Argyle’s defensive robustness on their own patch.

Only Bolton (8) have conceded fewer than Saturday’s hosts in League One this campaign. If Plymouth can edge in front, it may be a long afternoon in front of goal for Town.

Selection: Plymouth Argyle and Under 4.5 Goals (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 1.90 (bet365)
Stakes: 10/10

More Plymouth Argyle vs Cheltenham Town Tips

Oxford vs Ipswich Preview

England, League One, Saturday, January 21st, 15:00 (UK)

It’s Ipswich who will feel the most hard-done-by as Monday morning rolls around. Kieran McKenna’s men were leading 1-0 in front of home support to close the gap to Argyle, but they were unable to get the job done in the closing stages. Elsewhere, Sheffield Wednesday did a number on Wycombe to continue a surge towards the top spot that shows no signs of slowing down.

Similarly to those in Sheffield and Devon, each game is now as significant as the last for Ipswich Town. The quality at the upper reaches of League One suggests no side can afford to slip up with twenty matches to play.

That kind of pressure can be crippling for some. However, in Ipswich, we might see that spur on an ensemble with the quality to play a division higher. Unfortunately, it may prove bad news for the rest, with Oxford United presenting as the newest obstacle in the way of the Tractor Boys’ desire to kick on in the second half of the season.

We can’t be sure if Nathan Broadhead is in line to make his Ipswich Town debut following a £1.5m switch, but that alone shows the superior level in which this club is operating. Sizeable, head-turning transfer fees and honest quality in front of goal at this level injected into a side firing towards the automatics.

Oxford vs Ipswich Best Bet

Interestingly, the two teams last met in the league on Boxing Day, not even a month ago. In that fixture, Ipswich’s dominance proved fatal. The 3-0 scoreline did the 90 minutes justice as 18 shots rained down on Oxford’s goal.

Ipswich have the components to keep pushing, so don’t be surprised for three points to follow the final whistle next Saturday.

Selection: Ipswich to Win (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 1.90 (bet365)
Stakes: 10/10

More Oxford vs Ipswich Tips

Colchester vs Gillingham Preview

England, League Two, Saturday, January 21st, 15:00 (UK)

A much-improved Gillingham performance, coupled with activity in the transfer market, mirrors that of Colchester’s start to 2023. New Gillingham owner, Brad Galinson, has gone on record with plans to ‘awake the sleeping giant.’

There’s a buzz around Gillingham following American investment. A sense that the club is finally on a stable footing to move forward. And with notable incomings backing up the patter from the new powers-that-be, one would assume that the Kent-based outfit will remain a football league club for a little while yet.

In the opposing camp, not only has three of Colchester’s last five paid out for Over 2.5 Goals but the U’s have claimed four victories in that timeframe. The 1-2 victory over fellow strugglers Rochdale at the weekend followed an impressive 1-3 win on the road in Harrogate.

The first match of Colchester’s impressive five-game form came against Saturday’s opponents. Matt Bloomfield’s squad headed to Gillingham and scurried home with three points and a 0-1 win. That doesn’t paint the perfect picture for the proposed selection, but this pairing is now equipped with a bout of momentum.

It’s three away wins for the first time since 2008 for United. If that’s not a sign of heading in the right direction, then what is? Momentum and a flurry of January signings should be enough to avoid the drop as Connor Hall joins Matt Jay, Arthur Read, Connor Wood, and Fiacre Kelleher in Colchester. Five incomings you may associate with a League Two club at the other end of the table, as Matt Jay makes his way from Exeter after scoring 32 goals in the last two seasons at this level.

Colchester vs Gillingham Best Bet

Since the recent Boxing Day fixture, the new owners at Gillingham have welcomed Oli Hawkins and George Lapslie from Mansfield Town, Exeter’s Timothee Dieng, and Tom Nichols, who has swiftly taken to life in Gillingham. A goal from the former Crawley man 39 minutes into his debut opened the deadlock last time out against Hartlepool – a first step towards a valuable three points for Nichols’ new club.

The offered price represents the season to date, though there may be enough recent signs of life on either side to prompt enough action at both ends. With the 2.0 Asian goal line, stakes are returned in full if the game finishes with two goals. Any more? It’s a win – any less, a deserved loss.

With the line probably a touch too low, considering recent happenings on and off the pitch, it’s an angle I’m happy to take a chance on.

Selection: Over 2.0 Asian Match Goal Total (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 1.92 (bet365)
Stakes: 10/10

More Colchester vs Gillingham Tips

Leicester vs Brighton Preview

England, Premier League, Saturday, January 21st, 15:00 (UK)

Goals haven’t exactly flowed in recent Leicester matches, with Under 2.5 Goals paying out in four of six of their recent outings. However, it should be highlighted that the underlying match totals have each surpassed 2.5xG.

With Brighton coming to town, anything near evens is something to consider. Three or more goals has landed in 9/10 for the Seagulls, including 24 strikes in the last five games – a glowing indictment of the swashbuckling brand of football orchestrated by Roberto De Zerbi in Brighton’s dugout.

The 15:00 kick-off on Saturday just gone will be remembered as one of Brighton’s most significant Premier League victories to date. It has to be. They made a mockery of a Liverpool side steeped in world-class quality and prestige at the highest level. Yet, for the majority of us football fans, we could see a result like this coming a mile off.

Solid at the back, deadly on the counter, and fully capable of progressing upfield with speed. When Brighton click, they do so indiscriminately, putting to bed any preconceived ideas of how a 90-minute period should pan out or which camp should perform the underdog role for the masses.

Leicester vs Brighton Best Bet

Continue with the same vigour, and Leicester could find themselves in hot water at the King Power. Nonetheless, the Foxes are capable themselves, at times. The 2-0 Forest loss may suggest the opposite, but Brighton often allows opportunities at the other end, given their expansive approach.

During the September head-to-head, the Over 2.5 line was home and dry after 33 minutes. The final score? 5-2 at The Amex. More of the same will do.

Selection: Over 2.5 Asian Match Goal Line (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 1.86 (bet365)
Stakes: 12.5/10

Odds via bet365 as at 12:00, January 15th, 2022. Odds may now differ.

More Leicester vs Brighton Tips

What are Football Best Bets?

Our best bets are posted by some of the best tipsters around. These are our tipsters best value bets. A best bet can be placed on any number of different markets. The most common of which are 1X2, the Asian handicap, BTTS, and the goals markets. Value can be found in matches from leagues across the world. Be sure to follow bettingexpert for the latest best bets.