The Big Wednesday Multiple: Evian won't bottle relegation clash

Daniel Wass of Evian will do anything to stop the opposition scoring

It's that time of the week for the big Wednesday multiple as Paul Robinson selects a home win, an away win, a match to go over 2.5 goals and a match to go under 2.5 goals. Here are his selections:

Bet 1: Evian TG (HOME) @ 1.8 (4/5)

Evian TG take on Troyes in a bottom of the table clash in France tonight but the home side should be able to get the win and extend the gap between them to 10 points.

Pascal Dupraz is back in charge of Evian for his third spell, and after a slightly shaky start, he has got last year's ninth placed finishers into a bit of form. They have lost just one of their last five - the defeat at PSG can be excused - winning two and drawing two. Admittedly those two victories did come away from home and they haven't won at Parc des Sports since September, but they are capable of putting a run together at home, as evidenced by their streak of six victories from seven matches last term.

Troyes have struggled since their promotion back to the top flight and it's only goals scored that is keeping them off the foot of the table. They have played seven matches on the road so far, picking up just a single point. They are yet to keep a clean sheet and have conceded two or more in six of those seven games.

There may only be one place separating the pair but there is a significant gulf in class and Evian should be able to give us our home win at quite tasty odds.

Bet 2: Barcelona (AWAY) @ 1.2 (1/5)

Barcelona let us down last week by drawing 0-0 with Benfica but I'm willing to give them a second chance for their Copa del Rey clash with Cordoba.

Cordoba are a mid-table Segunda Division side who are without a win in five matches in all competitions. While they do usually have an excellent home record, they don't face teams of Barcelona's class and even that form has tailed off recently with two draws and one defeat from their last three. 

It's a given that Barcelona will play a second string side for this encounter but they usually do that in the Copa del Rey and progress anyway. Tito Vilanova's side have won six of their last seven away from the Nou Camp in this competition, with the only blemish being a draw in Valencia.

The odds are short, but they still represent value in my eyes and when put in a multiple, they boost the overall price quite nicely for what should be a penalty kick.

Bet 3: Swansea v Middlesbrough (Over 2.5 goals) @  1.66 (4/6)

Our goal fest of the week comes in the Capital One Cup as Swansea take on Middlesborough at the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea are having a somewhat hold and cold season to date. They've had good runs and bad runs but overall their campaign must be considered a success as they are eighth in the league and through to the quarter finals of this competition. Michael Laudrup hasn't been able to replicate the defensive solidarity that they had last year but they are scoring a lot more goals to compensate. Michu, the current top scorer in the Premier League, has proved an outstanding buy and he comes into this one on the back of a brace versus Norwich. 

Middlesborough are having an excellent campaign themselves; third in the Championship with automatic promotion looking like a strong possibility. Their matches have been averaging 3.14 goals each time so far, so coupled with Swansea's average of 2.94, over 2.5 looks like a very backable price at 1.66 (4/6).

Bet 4: Ajaccio v Reims (Under 2.5 goals) @ 1.55 (11/20)

We go back to France for our snooze fest of the week as Ajaccio take on Reims in Ligue One.

Ajaccio are 17th in the table with 16 points from 16 matches. They are the third lowest scorers in the division, but don't concede too many either. Their fixtures have been averaging 2.31 goals per 90 minutes, with all seven of their home games going under 2.5, five going under 1.5 and three going under 0.5.

Reims are 15th with 18 points from their respective 16 matches. They are the second lowest scorers in the league, yet have the fourth best defensive record. This all adds up to their fixtures averaging a mere 1.75 each time, and they haven't scored a goal in any of their last five away from home.

Recommended Multiple
Back Evian TG @ 1.8 (4/5); Back Barcelona @ 1.2 (1/5); Back Over 2.5 Goals in Swansea v Middlesbrough @ 1.66 (4/6); Back Under 2.5 Goals in Ajaccio v Reims @ 1.55 (11/20); The Multiple pays approximately 5.58 (9/2)

Multiple prices are based on our Fixed Odds product, so any winnings are exempt from commission.

2012 P/L (1pt each bet)

Wagered: 29 pts
Returned: 27.69 pts
P/L -1.31 pts