Odds Against: The Weekly JOE Group Bet

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Predictions are a difficult business

Some people have the Midas touch when it comes to accurately guessing results, whereas others appear to bring their bad luck with them to every bet they make. We here at FootballJOE sit somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. While we all have incredibly vast footballing knowledge - no, really - that doesn't always translate to success in our weekly accas. But that all changes now. Well, hopefully. Using Sky Bet's new Group Bet feature, four FootballJOE experts - Si, Matt, Reuben and Wayne - will go head-to-head in the JOE Sky Bet Group Bet league. The new feature allows us to not only pool our collective footballing super-brains, but also discuss our choices in the Group Bet chat and generally slag each other off mercilessly, which is - we're sure you'll agree - the be-all and end-all. It's not all going to be a free-for-all though, one of us will go for the obvious bet (Captain Obvious), one of us will only bet on our team (The Fan Boy), one of us will naturally think we're geniuses and try to find the big bet no one has noticed (Mr. Big), while one of us will use only mathematics and hard facts to make our choices (The Stat Man). We're all in this together ... and yet we will be pointing fingers at whoever lets us down. So without further ado, here we go.

Captain Obvious - Wayne: Chelsea to beat Newcastle United - 1/4

I've decided to go for a Premier League match this week, but unfortunately there aren't many clear winners. Yes, Man City are playing Wolves, but City have dropped points recently and Wolves appear to own the cheat codes for beating the top six. Instead, I'm looking at Chelsea to beat Newcastle. Chelsea aren't exactly flying at the moment, but they are - it must be said - much, much better than Newcastle. If I am wrong I will perform some kind of (fully-clothed) forfeit.

The Fan Boy - Reuben: Under 2.5 goals in Crystal Palace vs Watford - 8/11

Do I love Palace? Yes. Do I love Palace so much to believe that we will suddenly start playing really well and absolutely destroy Watford? Absolutely not. We don't score a lot of goals, nor are we likely to do so here. Hopefully we'll score one. Though I wouldn't bet on it. Get it?

Mr. Big - Matt: Real Betis to beat Real Madrid - 11/5

Okay, betting against Real Madrid may seem a silly thing to do initially, but this isn't a proper Real Madrid team. They have an interim manager who can't inspire his players and a president who, for reasons beyond most football fans, seemingly wants Jose Mourinho to return. Betis are inconsistent but are only four points behind Madrid in LaLiga. At 11/5 it's well worth a flutter.

The Stat Man - Si: BTTS in Leeds United vs Derby County - 8/13

While my foolish colleagues love to drone on in the group chat about how follow their hearts or their "gut" in coming up with their predictions, I - like the sensible person I am - will do it based on cold, hard facts. And they are such: Leeds have conceded 12 goals in their last five matches, and Derby haven't kept a clean sheet in their last five either. If that doesn't say BTTS then I don't know what does. Think we know nothing and want to pit your wits against the Football JOE group? Click here to add our selections to your betslip. You can then add your own selection(s), remove our selections (why would you do that?!), and choose your own stake.