John Girvan / 04 December 2009 Free Bet View Market

"The Parkhead strikers look to be finding their form again but it has the making of a tight encounter and I therefore like the look of Aberdeen +1.5 goals at 1.86 in the Asian Handicap."

Over 2.5 goals was a bad move at Pitoddrie last week but the gamble on the hosts paid off and, overall, a profit was delivered in the match. Two late first half strikes sent Celtic on their way to a comfortable "Half-Time Full-Time" win over St Mirren and Hibs made it another great week with a 2-0 victory over Falkirk. [1.64] was available in the match odds remember but the 2pt stake went on Hibs -1.0 goals in the Asian Handicap at a healthier [2.14].

Profit/Loss: +9.04pts

Rangers succumbed to their first domestic defeat of the season last week and will have to be more clinical when they travel to The Falkirk Stadium this Saturday. ESPN are covering the lunch time clash where the current champions will be looking to improve on an away record that reads just two wins from their five away ties.

This is a tough game for Rangers as Falkirk have been improving of late. They gave a decent account of themselves at Easter Road last week, where they missed a couple of chances, and the recent 3-3 draw at home to league leaders Celtic is evidence of what the hosts can do.

The Ibrox side have done reasonably well at this venue in recent years with four wins in the last six visits but only one of those was by a margin of more than a single goal. The visitors are as short as [1.46] in the Match Odds so the value lies elsewhere.

It makes more sense to side with the hosts in the Asian Handicap Market by backing Falkirk +1.0 & +1.5 goals at [1.86]. Here half the stake is returned if Rangers win by a single goal and the other half is only a loser should Rangers win by two goals or more.

In the afternoon Aberdeen head to Celtic Park buoyant after last week's home victory over Rangers and the question is: can they replicate this and pull off an impressive Old Firm double?

Most punters, myself included, will say No. Celtic have come through two must-win games in the last week, will feel they have turned the corner whilst Aberdeen don't have anywhere near as good a record against Celtic as they do against Rangers. The Dons notched a famous 1-0 Scottish Cup replay victory here last March but on league business it's 10 home wins in a row.

Mark McGhee's side held Rangers at Ibrox in September and will surely apply a similarly containing strategy. The Parkhead strikers look to be finding their form again but it has the making of a tight encounter and I therefore like the look of Aberdeen +1.5 goals at [1.86] in the Asian Handicap.

Sky Sports 3 bring the curtain down on this weekend's action by screening a battle of inconsistency at New Douglas Park on Sunday. Hamilton Accies host Hearts and at face value it's a tough one to call with both sides winning one and drawing three of their respective last six league ties.

Hamilton had a poor start to the season losing five of their first seven. Manager Billy Reid made wholesale changes to the squad in the close season and naturally it was going to take time to make his side competitive again. They are gradually showing signs of improvement but can only be described as inconsistent at best.

Last week Hearts scored two goals in a league match for only the third time this season and it was enough for all three points at Rugby Park. The Edinburgh side's lack of goals has been well documented but it's crucial in the sense that Hamilton will feel that if they get at least one then they shouldn't lose the match.

There is a clash of styles here as both sides are playing with a lone striker at present, looking to get men forward from midfield; both are very difficult to peg back when going in front. It's difficult to separate them and with Hearts missing Andrew Driver I see only two bets of value here. Back Under 2.5 goals at [1.71] and a Draw in the Match Odds at [3.35].

Recommendations:

Aberdeen +1.5 goals @ [1.81] (1pt)

Falkirk +1.0 & +1.5 goals @ [1.86] (1pt)

Rangers/Celtic multiple @ [1.96] (1pt)

Hamilton v Hearts: Under 2.5 goals @ [1.71] (1pt)

Hamilton v Hearts: Draw @ 3.35 (1pt)