An Arsenal supporter and occasional match-goer, Liam has been involved in football journalism for a number of years and joined the Spotlight Sports Group in 2018. He is studying for a degree in German and Spanish, can speak French too and is particularly interested in the Bundesliga and La Liga.
Having the most detailed and up to date information is key when deciding which bets to place but, with weekend schedules full to the brim across Europe, some valuable details are bound to go unnoticed to the casual punter.
That’s where FST’s new feature, The Insider, comes in. We delve into the details to bring you all the key updates from across Europe and the EFL that can help with your betting this weekend.
Remember to check out all our betting previews for the weekend on our Match Predictions section.
The Insider: 11/1 accumulator for Saturday
Colchester light between the sticks for Grimsby battle
League Two’s basement boys Grimsby could be missing up to seven players, including defender Sam Habergham and midfielder Danny Rose, this weekend but they should be boosted by the fact Colchester are dealing with an injury crisis of their own.
The U’s have been without first-choice goalkeeper Dean Gerken due to a back problem and his deputy Shamal George could also be sidelined after picking up a shoulder injury in the 3-0 loss to Harrogate on Tuesday.
George saw out the rest of the game but could be out this weekend after an assessment, meaning there is a chance academy shot-stopper Callum Coulter could be given the gloves in a crucial clash near the bottom of the table. United are in desperate need of points with only one win in their last 17 encounters.
Betting tip: Grimsby to win
Doncaster lack recognised striker for Northampton contest
It was perhaps no surprise Doncaster lost to Crewe without scoring on Tuesday with Rovers having gone into the game with no recognised striker in their squad and that could again be the case when they welcome Northampton to the Keepmoat Stadium this weekend.
Fejiri Okenabirhie, who has 12 goals to his name in all competitions this term, is sidelined with a foot injury while a hamstring problem has kept out fellow attacker Omar Bogle. Tyreece John-Jules, meanwhile, is back at parent club Arsenal as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury of his own.
Midfielder Madger Gomes was deployed in the striker’s role against Crewe and may lead the line again as Doncaster aim to get back to winning ways against the relegation-threatened Cobblers.
Betting tip: Northampton win or draw double chance
Lengthy injury list will do Schalke no favours against Wolfsburg
Bundesliga top-four hopefuls Wolfsburg have a trio of suspensions to contend with going into this weekend’s game with Max Lacroix, Otavio and Xavier Schlager all unavailable but it is Schalke who have the longer list of absentees.
The Royal Blues are struggling as it is in the German top flight this term, managing only one win from 24 matches and they will not be helped by a catalogue of missing players this weekend.
Striker Goncalo Paciencia, centre-back Salif Sane and midfielder Steven Skrzybski are all out with knee injuries and are joined on the sidelines by Matija Nastasic, Ralf Fahrmann, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and starlet Nassim Boujellab among others, leaving them seriously short of options.
Betting tip: Wolfsburg to win
Brest’s defensive absentees could help rejuvenated Marseille
New Marseille manager Jorge Sampaoli took charge of his first match at the club on Wednesday and, courtesy of an 88th-minute strike from Michael Cuisance, his side won 1-0.
Sampaoli insists he wants to place emphasis on attack at the Ligue 1 strugglers and, still in his first week in charge, he could help them to maximum points again when they host Brest on Saturday.
Marseille will also be boosted by the news that Brest will be missing two defenders for this match with both Christophe Herelle and Denys Bain sidelined and the visitors could be vulnerable against an attack featuring Arkadiusz Milik and Dmitri Payet.
Betting tip: Marseille to win
More betting news:
The Perfect 10: 10 leagues, 10 games, one HUGE acca
Bogey team fixtures this weekend with 35/1 acca
FST’s Bet to Net: 862/1 goalscorer acca
Looking for more from our expert tipsters. Check out our hub for Football Tips, including the likes of Over 2.5 Goals Tips and the ever-popular Bet of the day.
