The Goalscorer Gamble: Kane to continue to prove he's able

Can Harry Kane continue his scoring run when Tottenham face Crystal Palace?

Dan Fitch is back after the festive break with more goalscorer tips and fancies Harry Kane to carry on scoring in 2015.

This column normally begins with a recap of what happened last time out, yet after a hiatus during the Christmas period, it's safe to say that even the proverbial gun to my head would struggle to prompt much in the way of memories.

Let's just assume that the Goalscorer Gamble picked out four or five successful scorers and move on with this week's selections with the sort of confidence that would be the case if this was actually true.

We start in the Premier League with the division's form striker. Harry Kane has scored five goals in his last five league games and will be looking to add to his tally when Spurs travel to Crystal Palace today.

While Palace have kept successive clean sheets, Aston Villa and QPR do not present the sort of attacking problems that Tottenham should do. Spurs have won five of their nine away games and Kane has scored in four of their last five away appearances. Back him to add to his tally at 2.6213/8.

Staying in the Premier League we move our attention to Manchester United's game with Southampton. The Saints have moved back into the top four after a tricky run of fixtures temporarily derailed their ambitions, bouncing back with three wins and a draw in their last four games - despite having to face Chelsea and Arsenal.

Yet the game against United still presents a big challenge to Southampton. Away from St Mary's they've struggled to match the top teams, losing on the road to Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal.

They also face a player who has made a habit of scoring against them. Robin van Persie has scored seven goals in seven games against Southampton, including two in United's 2-1 away win over the Saints earlier on in the season. Back him at 6.411/2 to score the first goal.

We remain in England for the Championship clash between leaders Ipswich and third placed Derby. This game should have goals in it, with Ipswich having scored nine in their last league three games, while Derby have weighed in with eight.

Ipswich's main threat is the Championship top scorer Daryl Murphy, who has scored 17 times this season, with six goals coming in the last five games. The likely odds of 2.915/8 for Murphy to find the net look very generous and should be snapped up.

Another player leading the scoring charts is the Juventus striker Carlos Tevez. The Argentine has scored 13 goals this campaign as Juve have moved to the top of Serie A once again.

Juventus face a tough trip to fourth placed Napoli but a recent game between the two sides suggests that they and Tevez should enjoy some success. The two sides met in the Super Cup prior to Christmas, with Tevez scoring twice in a 2-2 draw. With Tevez having scored the first goal in his last three appearances, back him to do so again at a likely price of 5.59/2.

We conclude with another Argentine - the most famous one of all. Lionel Messi hasn't featured in this column many times over the years because he's generally such a short price that it's not worth backing him. 

Messi has not had the best time over the past couple of seasons, as injuries and issues with managers have seen him fall short of his own incredible standards. Yet despite not looking quite at his best, Messi still scored 41 in 46 games last season and 24 in 24 this term.

This perceived dip in form and the fact that Barcelona face reigning champions Atletico Madrid, has seen Messi's odds rise to 2.01/1. It's rare that he ever reaches such heights but when he does it's time to lump on.

Best Bets
Recommended Bets: Back Kane to score at 2.6213/8
Back Van Persie to score first at 6.411/2
Back Murphy to score at 2.915/8
Back Tevez to score first at 5.59/2
Back Messi to score at 2.01/1