Crouch offer a big incentive to bet on first scorer in Valencia meeting
Published:Peter Crouch has a 100 per cent scoring record in the Europa League for Stoke, and therefore it is no surprise to see him relatively short-priced at 7/4 to score at any time against Valencia.
The giant forward is Stoke’s joint-top scorer this season, and having hit 21 European goals in 35 starts throughout his career, the magnitude of Ladbrokes’ risk becomes clear, in offering refunds on losing first scorer bets if Crouch scores at any time.
Possessing vast experience in UEFA competitions, Crouch is a big 6/1 to score the first goal at the Britannia Stadium, while the visitors’ Roberto Soldado, who has claimed five Champions League goals this term, is 9/2 favourite to open the scoring.
Jonathan Walters’ physical style is likely to pose problems for the Spanish travellers, and the man who shares Crouch’s billing as Stoke’s top scorer this season could be a good first scorer option at 6/1.
Of the longer priced players, Matthew Etherington is always dangerous, and looks far too big at 14/1 to bag first in the game.
