Our football props column is off to Spain on Friday where dirty teams and a red-card referee make a sending-off appeal.
“Referee Pablo Gonzales Fuertes has shown eight reds in his 13 outings so far – more than any other official in the Spanish top flight.”
We’ve got two of the dirtiest teams in La Liga going head to head on Friday night.
Levante and Elche sit third and fourth in the table for yellow cards received, while the hosts are joint top of the red-cards list with six received already this season.
That’s a nod to where some value could lie.
Referee Pablo Gonzales Fuertes has shown eight reds in his 13 outings so far – more than any other official in the Spanish top flight.
A red card here is 15/8.
Levante continue to battle hard against the drop and have taken four points from their last two games, both on the road. Elche, far from safe just yet, are also in decent form so this should be two sides going for it.
Sadly, the traders appear clued up to the potential for cards with over 6.5 cards just 6/5.
But there is a price in the ‘player to be carded’ market which stands out.
We’ve mentioned Levante midfielder Pepelu in this column before and at 2/1 he again looks a decent price to pick up a card in this one.
He’s now been carded in six of his 12 league starts this season and looks sure to be kept honest here, particularly if Lucas Boye returns to the visitors’ starting line-up. He was bang in form prior to a recent injury but is expected to be fit for this one.
The Argentine loves to run with the ball at opposition defences and could prove a problem for holding midfielder Pepelu, who sits well inside the league’s top 20 for fouls committed (per game).
Pairing a Pepelu card up with a red one in the match as a Bet Builder pays around 13/2.
Source: Betfair Spanish La Liga
