Football Bet of the Day: Let's enjoy a different type of Turkey

This was the only picture of Santa I could find

It's been a good Christmas week for Kevin Hatchard, with 3/3 winners so far, and he's picked out a Turkish Cup clash on the most special of days.

Trabzonspor v Manisaspor
Thursday December 25, 18:30

The Trapani train is a happy place to be. My favourite set of Italian mavericks smashed yesterday's Over 2.5 Goals bet with a 4-1 thrashing of Avellino. That means that 18 of their 20 Serie B outings have now featured three goals or more, and yet the overs bet was available yesterday at 2.186/5. A Christmas bonus, to be sure, and several of you tweeted me yesterday to tell me you got on. I felt warm and fuzzy inside, but that might just be the cold medication I'm taking.

Now never let it be said this column isn't educational, and I'm going to let you into a bit of a secret. My contacts tell me that as a reward for his extraordinary delivery efforts, Santa demands to see a Turkish Cup game on Christmas Day. He has the choice of four to go and see, and I'm led to believe he's visiting Trabzonspor v Manisaspor, so that's our focus too.

Trabzonspor have been scoring plenty of goals of late. They have scored at least three goals in six of their last ten games in all competitions, and a bet on Over 2.5 Goals has paid out seven times in that sequence. The Black Sea Storm have been particularly prolific at their Huseyin Avni Aker stadium, scoring 25 goals in 12 games.

Trabzonspor are taking on second-tier side Manisaspor, and they're no strangers to entertainment either. Five of their last nine outings in all competitions have featured three goals or more, and it's worth noting they've kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 road matches.

Over 2.5 Goals is trading at 1.618/13, and while regular readers will know I wouldn't normally tip such a skinny price, this looks a standout bet on a day where football action is understandably in short supply.

Oh, and Merry Christmas, you crazy rascals!

Recommended Bet

Back Over 2.5 Goals at 1.618/13

2014 P/L (1 pt per bet)

Points Staked: 73

Points Returned: 72.44

P/L: -0.56 points