Neither of the Premier League clubs we trusted yesterday wound up coming through, which was quite frustrating. Manchester City couldn’t even beat West Brom as -920 favorites, but those are the breaks sometimes. As a bettor, you’ve just got to dust yourself off, forget about the misses, and get back to the grind today.
BetOnline has a couple of more odds boosters on the menu for this Wednesday. We have more Premier League action all afternoon long, including what should be a thrilling match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. We’ve also got more college basketball betting on tap for tonight. Which of Wednesday’s odds booster options is worth your attention?
NCAAB: Purdue (-4.5) and Georgia State (-4.5) BOTH to Cover (+330)
Purdue will host No. 20 Ohio State on Wednesday night. The Boilermakers have started the season 4-2 with wins over Liberty, Oakland, Valparaiso, and Indiana State. The losses include an 11-point defeat to Clemson and a four-point setback at Miami. The Big Ten is one of the more top-heavy conferences in the nation, and Purdue isn’t necessarily expected to be among those challenging for the title.
That said, Matt Painter’s squad has opened as a 4.5-point favorite tonight. Ohio State is a perfect 5-0, but they haven’t been seriously tested as of yet.
The Buckeyes’ five-point win over Notre Dame is likely the most impressive victory on their schedule to this point, but this version of the Irish doesn’t seem to be anything special.
Ohio State has been buoyed by sophomore swingman EJ Liddell, who has averaged 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game through his first four outings of the new season. Ohio State trounced Purdue at home last season, 68-52, before the rest of the campaign was canceled.
It’s Ohio State Basketball GAME DAY. Big Ten opener! GO BUCKEYES!! pic.twitter.com/3gY2vdWgmR
— Buckeyes on SR (@SRBuckeyes) December 16, 2020
Georgia State is also favored by 4.5 points tonight at home against Mercer. The Panthers are off to a 3-1 start that includes an impressive win over Georgia Tech to begin the year. State’s lone loss of the season came against this same Mercer team, though, by a score of 86-69 back on November 30.
Mercer is a perfect 6-0 with all but one of their wins having been decided by double digits. The Bears picked up a narrow two-point win over Georgia Southern in their last game, and their defense has been instrumental to their early-season success. Mercer held Georgia State to just 36.8 percent shooting in their first meeting of the season, including just 5-18 shooting from three-point range.
Mercer also dominated in the rebounding department, out-rebounding the Panthers 51-31 in that game. Georgia State will have to do a better job of limiting the Bears’ second-chance opportunities if they plan to return the favor at home tonight.
Premier League: Liverpool and Arsenal BOTH to Win (+375)
Liverpool’s clash today against Tottenham may be the biggest early-season matchup thus far. Both teams are tied on 25 points atop the league table, though Spurs are technically the league leaders due to their superior goal differential. Spurs have scored 24 while allowing just 10 this season, while Liverpool have scored 27 while yielding 18.
Both teams are coming off of disappointing results. Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw away at Fulham on Sunday, while Spurs were limited to a share of the spoils at Crystal Palace. Liverpool are incredibly difficult to beat at Anfield, even without fans permitted in the stadium. The Reds have picked up outright wins in 31 of their last 32 home games in all competitions. They haven’t lost on their home field in a whopping 65 games.
Injuries could play a role here. Joel Matip is questionable after suffering from back spasms over the weekend, which means Jurgen Klopp will likely have to pair Fabinho with Nat Phillips or Rhys Williams if Matip is unable to play today. Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago, Joe Gomez, and Virgil Van Dijk are among the players Klopp will be without today, as well.
HYPE LEVEL 100 pic.twitter.com/rLhc6ne17X
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 16, 2020
Erik Lamela and Japhet Tanganga will be missing from the Tottenham lineup, but Jose Mourinho otherwise has a full complement of players ready to roll. Gareth Bale is expected to be fit to play after missing the game against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will look to get back on track today at home against Southampton. The Gunners have slipped all the way to 15th place in Mikel Arteta’s first full season in charge, which isn’t where they expected to be. Arsenal were handed a 1-0 loss to Burnley over the weekend, which means the Gunners haven’t won in domestic play since a 1-0 win over Manchester United way back on November 1.
Southampton have quietly been one of the more impressive sides in England thus far. The Saints have risen all the way to fourth in the table. Southampton has grabbed at least a point in nine of their last 10 games overall, including a 3-0 shellacking of hapless Sheffield United over the weekend.
Southampton has largely feasted on teams toward the bottom of the table, so Arsenal should prove to be an interesting test today. The Gunners are +120 moneyline favorites at home, while Southampton are listed at +230 to grab all three points.
What’s The Best Bet?
Both Purdue and Georgia State feel like pretty risky favorites tonight. Both teams will be at home against quality opponents. The Boilermakers will host an unbeaten and 20th-ranked Ohio State side, while Georgia State will host a Mercer team that beat them just a couple of weeks ago.
There is upside in the +330 odds here, but it’s pretty easy for either of these games to go the wrong way. You’re getting better value in the English Premier League booster at +375, anyway. Liverpool and Arsenal both face tough opponents, but both still have more than enough talent to get the job done.
Liverpool have been able to get results despite injuries all year long, especially at Anfield. Tottenham have been stingy in defense, but we’ll see whether Spurs can mount enough of an attack to puncture Liverpool’s own defense. Arsenal beating Southampton given the way both teams have played lately is a far more difficult ask, but you have to believe that Arteta’s side will wake up from its slumber at some point, right?
I’m not willing to go all-in here by any means, but a flier on Liverpool and Arsenal both to win at +375 has plenty of merit.
Boosted Odds Prop Bet:
Liverpool and Arsenal BOTH to Win (+375)
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
