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In our weekly feature, Football FanCast will try to pick out the best value bets for the weekend’s football.

We will be picking out a match result, a both teams to score selection and a game with over/under 2.5 goals.

We are also looking for you to get involved, which of these do you think the best value bet is. Please vote on the poll below.

Remember always gamble responsibly and have fun…

Southampton v Burnley

Ronald Koeman’s side continue to confound their critics, proving them and the bookies wrong on a weekly basis.

With only nine games to go it seems inevitable they will finish in the top seven, a fabulous season. However, their charge for top four seems to have hit the rocks and while their defence is still proving miserly, they are struggling to score goals.

Games involving the Saints have had under 2.5 goals in 9 of their last 10 outings.

Their opponents this weekend are coming off the back of their result of the season –  humbling of the champions Manchester City. Sean Dyche has had his team playing with spirit all season and are still in with a chance of retaining their top flight status.

Their defensive performance against City proves they are up for a fight and will not just roll over against any side.

Back under 2.5 goals @ 17/20

Charlton Athletic v Reading

The Addicks have again found the kind of form that made them one of the early season pacemakers. Guy Luzon has led his new side to four wins in their last six games and are now targeting a top ten finish.

Their opponents this weekend are cup semi-finalists, Reading. Although their form in the cup has been impressive, their return to the second tier has been far from that. Still not clear of relegation with less than ten games to go, Steve Clarke has struggled to have the impact he would have desired.

Charlton won the reverse fixture at the Madejski 1-0 earlier in the season and with The Royals awful away record, with only four wins all season, Luzon’s men will fancy taking all three points.

Back Charlton @ 9/5

Sheffield United v Port Vale

Nigel Clough’s men are in the middle of a desperate run of form, no wins in the last five and they are in danger of dropping out of the top six altogether. However, even in this difficult run of form, United have continued to find the net, in each of their last 10 games, both teams have scored.

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Their visitors to Bramall Lane this weekend are Port Vale, they had managed to get themselves on the coat tails of the playoff race, but two disappointing results have probably left them with too much to do at this stage of the season.

Page’s men have scored at least once in their last five away games.

Back both teams to score @ evens

A £10 treble on all selections will return on average £95.

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Manchester United are set to step up their pursuit of Porto winger James Rodriguez, by offering Nani in exchange, according to reports from The Metro.

The Red Devils have been tracking the Colombian star, who has also been linked with Chelsea, for some time, and are believed to have made him one of their top summer targets.

Old Trafford chief Sir Alex Ferguson has reportedly contacted Porto recently to enquire as to their willingness to accept Nani as part of any deal.

The Portuguese wide man has struggled for first-team this season, with a public falling out with Fergie doing little to aid his chances of becoming a regular starter.

Although the club have insisted that he is still in their plans, they are said to be willing to allow him to leave.

Porto are believed to be far from keen to lose Rodriguez, but Fergie is hopeful that offering them a direct replacement may alter their stand point.

The 20-year-old South American is widely regarded as one of the finest talents in European football, and has been a key member of Porto’s first-team for some time, despite his youthful age.

AC Milan reportedly made a £20m offer for Rodriguez last summer, but his employers quickly knocked this back.

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United are also planning to axe Federico Macheda, Bebe and Patrice Evra this summer.

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Southampton Football Club posted pictures of Charlie Austin back on the training pitch via their official Twitter account on Tuesday, and Saints fans were quick to react to the news.

The 28-year-old has returned to action following a three-month lay-off with a hamstring injury he picked up in the 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town in December, but he is still the south coast outfit’s top goalscorer with six goals – two more than anyone else.

With club-record signing Guido Carrillo failing to score in his opening nine appearances for the club – leaving the St Mary’s faithful unsure about how good he actually is – and a low-on-confidence Manolo Gabbiadini missing a penalty against Wigan Athletic in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday, the striker could be in line to start the crucial relegation clash against West Ham United at the London Stadium on March 31 if he proves his fitness.

Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the update from the club, and while one described it as “absolutely superb news”, another said “please help us, Charlie”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has told Manchester United and Chelsea they must pay Juan Cuadrado’s £26.1million release clause to lure him away from the Serie A club, the Daily Star reports.

The Premier League duo have been heavily linked with a move for Cuadrado in the current transfer window, however with the deadline approaching must move quick with his buy-out clause expiring at the end of January,

The Blues have reportedly had a bid in the region of £20.6million for the Colombian rejected, while the Red Devils are preparing to exchange Adnan Januzaj in a potential swap deal.

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However Cuadrado’s manager Vincenzo Montella has claimed that the club will not settle for anything less than his buy-out clause, and that his star asset has never expressed his desire to leave the Viola.

“His situation is very easy. In his contract there is a release clause, and if another team pays this amount he can leave Fiorentina,” Montella told Sky Sports.

“He has never said that he wants to leave for Chelsea because he and I have not spoken about that situation.

“I think Chelsea have probably been in talks with his agent but I don’t know. His €35m release clause has to be paid if he is to leave.

“I hope Cuadrado stays at Fiorentina of course. His mind is clear he’s enjoying playing here, he’s a good guy and I think he will stay.

“He has the characteristics suited to English football because he’s fantastic in positive transitions and with Mourinho it could be perfect.”

The 26-year-old was one of his country’s stand-out players during Colombia’s march to the World Cup quarter finals back in the summer, and has continued his good form in this Serie A campaign scoring six goals and providing four assists in all competitions.

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Tottenham left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto has revealed that he does not see Kyle Naughton as a threat to his position at the club.

The Cameroonian international has been out of Premier League action for four months through injury, which has resulted in manager Andre Villa-Boas deploying Naughton on the left side of his defensive line.

Primarily a right-back, the 24-year-old has performed admirably in the absence of his senior team-mate, leading some to believe that he may have a hard time winning his position back.

However, Assou-Ekotto believes that he will have no trouble forcing his way back into AVB’s starting XI:

“He’s not a real left-back and I don’t think he has the same left foot as me, so I’m not worried about that,” he is quoted by The Metro.

“I’m not worried because obviously I can do stuff with my left foot that he can’t do.”

The 28-year-old returned to first-team action over the weekend, playing a key role in Clint Dempsey’s equaliser against Manchester United.

He revealed that he is glad to be back in action, claiming that the tough fixture against league leaders will help him gain full fitness:

“To come back in the Premier League is quite hard because it’s high-tempo but sometimes it’s easier to play against Manchester United than against a team in the bottom half,

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“I think it was a good game to come back in.”

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West Ham United striker Jordan Hugill scored his first goal for the club in their 3-1 friendly win against Dagenham & Redbridge on Wednesday night, and Irons fans were quick to react.

The 25-year-old joined the Hammers in a £10m deal from Championship club Preston North End during the January transfer window – in a move that has already been labelled as pointless by the London Stadium faithful – but he has played just 12 minutes of Premier League football so far with the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez understandably preferred up top.

Hugill was handed his first start against the Daggers though with the aforementioned duo away on international duty, and he converted an Anthony Scully cross four minutes from time to open his accountfor the east London outfit.

West Ham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the goal for the centre-forward, and while one joked that the “poor guy is getting replaced by Benzema in the summer”, another said “Upton Park didn’t die for this”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Charlie Austin has been a revelation since joining QPR in August 2013; he moved from Burnley for a free believed to be £4million and has repaid Rangers by scoring 29 goals in just 47 league appearances. His 17 goal tally last season was a big help in QPR’s play-off triumph but it is this season’s performances that have caught the attention of the football world.

The 25-year-old has 12 goals in 16 Premier League appearances including a fantastic hat-trick against West Brom last Saturday. This puts him as the third highest scorer in the Premier League, behind only to world-class strikers Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero. The fact that he has scored over half of QPR’s league goals this season- 12 out of 21- proves how much of an influence and key man he has been this season, with England talk perhaps not so farfetched.

This season’s goal tally is no fluke to anyone who has watched Charlie Austin play over the years. But it has been a long journey to get to this level, as it was only five-years-ago he was playing for Poole Town at level nine of the English league system.

His first break came in 2009 when he joined League One Swindon Town, scoring 31 times in 54 matches. In 2011 he moved to the Championship with Burnley and became almost an instant hit. In his first full season at that level, he scored an impressive 16 times, followed up by 25 goals in the 2012/13 season. QPR snapped him up and he has been an excellent buy so far. His rise has been so fast, scoring goals almost immediately at every step up he has made.

Austin has many attributes that make him a top striker. He works extremely hard for the team, including tracking back to the defensive half of the pitch. He makes teasing and calculating runs which allows him to work well off of the second striker. The most impressive attribute is his eye for goal, including his finishing abilities. This makes him a natural goalscorer and someone who will always score goals at whatever level.

Composure in front of goal is excellent along with heading capabilities and long range efforts. He can score with some fantastic strikes or can poach the ball home. The ability to score anywhere in the final third makes him an extremely dangerous proposition to the opposing team and is a player who can play at an even higher level.

If he continues to score goals for QPR, then it might be hard for them to keep hold of Austin next summer. Natural goalscorers who are English are few and far between in today’s game which makes Austin a hot property. Whilst it would be hard to tell how well he could do playing at a higher level, he certainly has the ability and attributes to succeed.

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There have been brief talks about a potential England call-up next year and if he keeps on firing, it would be hard to see why not. England are missing four top quality strikers in their squad and Austin will certainly provide another goalscoring option, should he be added in the future.

The potential is certainly there for all to see with Charlie Austin. At 25, he still has a number of years to continue improving and continue making natural progressions that could eventually see him playing at the very highest level.

Long-term Liverpool target Arda Turan is set to quit Atletico Madrid at the end of the season, according to his agent.

The Turkish international has previously claimed that he would like to play for the Premier League side, but no deal was reached between the two clubs.

However, it looks as if the 25-year-old may leave the Spanish capital next summer, after his agent, Ahmet Bulut, revealed that he is working hard to find his client a new challenge:

“I have wanted to see (Arda) play for another team in another league and Arda also wants to play for another club,” he told Turkish television channel TRT.

“He wants a different experience. We are working now to try and do exactly that,

“Atlético know of our intentions. If successful, Arda will leave Atleti at the end of the season.” (Daily Star)

Reds chief Brendan Rodgers is rumoured to be a big fan of Turan, who is comfortable playing on either the left or right wing as well as in a central position.

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Since signing for Atletico in 2011, he has proven to be a big hit with the club’s supporters, helping the team win the 2011-12 Europa League and this season’s UEFA Super Cup.

The midfielder has been in fine form domestically, netting four goals in 15 appearances this term.

Celtic came out on top in one of the most thrilling derbies against Rangers in recent times, winning 3-2 despite being behind twice in the game and going down to ten men.

Brendan Rodgers’ side had to dig deeper than ever before to secure victory, eventually winning the match thanks to Odsonne Edouard’s superb strike in the second half.

The Hoops are now nine points clear of the Light Blues in the Scottish Premiership, with a game in hand and just nine matches remaining. The three points virtually ensure they’ll be lifting a seventh consecutive league title.

Outside of the goal heroes on the afternoon, Celtic fans are praising one man more than most – debuting goalkeeper Scott Bain.

The on loan Dundee shot-stopper produced an excellent performance to keep Rangers adding to their tally, quite a feat considering he had never played for the club before and was thrown into such a high pressure situation at short notice after an injury to Dorus De Vries.

Fans are now calling on Celtic to make his move to Glasgow permanent, with his contract at Dundee set to expire at the end of the season.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Last season, Liverpool finished second in the Premier League with a goal difference of +51 and on 84 points, two points off champions Manchester City. Southampton on the other hand finished in eighth on 56 points with a goal difference of +8.

Fast forward to today with one less Luis Suarez and it’s a completely different story. Liverpool are currently in seventh spot with 14 points and a goal difference of 0, while Southampton are flying in second with 22 points and a goal difference of +16. But by the end of the season, who will finish higher? Liverpool or Southampton?

Comparing their goalkeepers, Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet has conceded 13 goals in 10 games, and has only managed to keep two clean sheets which were away against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of August, and recently at home against Hull. Southampton’s Fraser Forster has only conceded five goals in 10 games, and has kept a fantastic six clean sheets against West Brom, Newcastle, Swansea, Sunderland, Stoke, and Hull. The Englishman has clearly been the better keeper than the Belgian thanks to his very strong shot stopping and he looks more consistent as well. Just one of the reasons Southampton should finish higher than Liverpool.

Next is defence. Liverpool made three additions to their backline in the summer with Dejan Lovren, who was at the Saints last season, Alberto Moreno, and Javier Manquillo on loan. All three of these players have made little or no difference whatsoever, as The Reds are still conceding too many goals. Southampton also made three additions to their defence, purchasing Florin Gardos and bringing in Toby Alderweireld and Ryan Bertrand on loan to replace the departing Lovren and Luke Shaw respectively. Both loanee players have made an immediate impact on the squad, helping the Saints only concede five goals, but also creating and scoring as well in the case of Bertrand. If this good start continues, it is likely Southampton will try and convert these loan deals to permanent moves when they can.

Liverpool’s defence does have the quality to improve, but whether or not they will is a different matter. If you go by what happened last season, it doesn’t look particularly likely.

Midfield now and Liverpool already have a great engine room in the guise Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho, but they added to it by purchasing Adam Lallana from Southampton and Emre Can. Southampton replaced Lallana with Dusan Tadic and brought in Sadio Mane as well, both who have made strong starts to fledgling careers at the club. Tadic has already picked up one goal and six assists, more assists than Lallana managed at the club last season. Sterling is Liverpool’s top goal scorer with three goals in the league but he has two assists as well. Henderson has three assists, and Gerrard has one.

Forwards is where Southampton really start to pull away from Brendan Rodgers’ side. They may have lost Rickie Lambert to the Reds, but they replaced him with Graziano Pelle who has been phenomenal. The Italian has scored six goals in nine games and doesn’t look like stopping. Liverpool on the other hand lost Luis Suarez and replaced him with Mario Balotelli, who is yet to score in the league this season. Daniel Sturridge is out with injury and Lambert has failed to make an impact when he has been asked to play. The absence of a Suarez is starting to tell.

If you went solely on current form then there’s no contest as to who will finish higher. However, the league doesn’t work like that, and Southampton have some real tests coming up – playing Arsenal twice, Manchester United twice, Manchester City, and Chelsea between now and the second week of January.

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If they can survive this however, this is one battle Rodgers and the Reds will have to concede.

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