Football Bet of the Day: Hosts to suffer a case of deja vu against the champions

Denmark - the home of passionate fans, and tasty cookies

It's 2/3 winners so far this week for Kevin Hatchard, and he's taking us to Denmark for a game that seems a bit familiar.

Esbjerg v AaB
Thursday March 05, 19:30

The Wolves were hungry for success, and we were hungry for profits. We both got what we wanted, as Wolfsburg won 2-0 at RB Leipzig to qualify for the quarter-finals of the German Cup. That secured an odds-against winner for us on the Asian Handicap.

We head north to Denmark now, partially to pick up a tin of Danish butter cookies (best biscuits ever), but mainly to watch a domestic cup clash between Esbjerg and league champions AaB Aalborg. Both of these teams did battle in the Superliga at the weekend, and it was visiting Aalborg who walked away with all three points thanks to a 3-1 win. AaB had to come back from a goal down, but did so thanks to a strong second-half display.

Aalborg - coached by esteemed Danish international Kent Nielsen - haven't managed to cling onto their title, as they are 16 points behind leaders Midtjylland. To any Brentford fans worried about the future of their club, you should note Midtjylland are owned by Bees supremo Matthew Benham, and they are successfully using the statistics-based methods Benham wants to adopt at Griffin Park.

Although AaB haven't quite hit the heights in the league, they did superbly to qualify for the last 32 of the Europa League, where they were outclassed by Club Brugge. It's also worth noting that things have actually picked up domestically - AaB have lost just two of their last nine Superliga matches, and those defeats were against the top two.

Esbjerg have also had recent domestic success, winning the Danish Cup in 2013. They then reached the Europa League's knockout rounds the following season. However, this campaign has been a disappointment. Niels Frederiksen's side are ninth in the 12-team Superliga, and they have won just three of their ten home games.

Admittedly, Esbjerg have saved some of their best displays for the cup - they beat Midtjylland 3-0 in the previous round - but I can't see why they are 2.3811/8 favourites to win this. AaB won at the Blue Water Arena just four days ago, and they are on a roll. If you back the visitors Draw No Bet at 2.47/5, you'll have your stake returned if the tie goes to extra time.

Which cookie do you want first? I'll start with a figure-of-eight, I think...

Recommended Bet

Back AaB Draw No Bet at 2.47/5

2015 P/L (1 pt per bet)

Points Staked: 30

Points Returned: 28.7

P/L: -1.3 points