talkSPORT tips – Best football bets and expert advice on Monday 16 February

Macclesfield will be hoping to pull off another almighty FA Cup shock when they host Premier League Brentford in the fourth round on Monday night.

There is also action to take in from the Championship, Serie A, La Liga, the Portuguese Primeira Liga and Turkish Super Lig on a busy night.

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Monday football tips

Bet of the Day

Coventry to beat Middlesbrough @ 6/5

Coventry’s lead at the top of the Championship has evaporated and it’s now Middlesbrough who sit at the summit by two points.

However, the Sky Blues are fancied to land a telling blow on their title rivals and move back to the head of the standings when they host Boro on Monday.

While Coventry are without a win in three games, they remain a force to be reckoned with at home and have collected 36 points from 15 fixtures.

Frank Lampard’s side have won 10 of their last 12 assignments in the West Midlands – losing just once during that period – and that strong record can see them past Middlesbrough.

Boro won’t be easy pushovers, though, as they are eyeing a seventh Championship win in a row, but four of those victories have been by single-goal margins and there has been an element of fortune in some of those triumphs.

Longshot of the Day

Girona to beat Barcelona @ 11/2 

Barcelona were battered 4-0 at Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey in midweek and Barca look an awful price to win at Girona.

Hansi Flick’s men have been proficient in sweeping away La Liga’s weaker teams this season and Girona may well fall into that category.

However, the White and Reds have lost only one of their last six league games and it has been a totally different story when Barca have faced an even mildly difficult task.

The Catalans have lost at Seville, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, while they were beaten by PSG on home turf in the Champions League.

Barca could find it difficult to pick themselves up from the Atletico mauling and Girona, who have lost just one of their last eight at home, are playing well enough to spring a surprise.

Special of the Day

Brentford to beat Macclesfield, Cagliari to beat Lecce & Moreirense to beat Rio Ave @ 5/1

Brentford were excellent when holding Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night and the Bees are unlikely to make the same mistake Crystal Palace did when they travel to Macclesfield.

The Bees have won five of their last six away matches, beating the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle during that period, and they should have too much quality for their National League hosts.

Cagliari were beaten 2-0 at Roma last time out, but the Islanders had recorded three straight Serie A victories before that against Juventus, Fiorentina and Verona and that form looks strong enough to see off Lecce at Unipol Domus.

Lecce are embroiled in a relegation battle and they have been dismal on the road, losing five of their last six away assignments and collecting just one point during that run.

It’s four straight league defeats in the Portuguese Primeira Liga for Rio Ave, who have conceded 12 times and failed to score a single goal on that run.

They next host Moreirense, who have won picked up wins at Santa Clara, Arouca and AVS this season and look to have enough about them to clinch another three points.

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