WhoScored Tipster: First Goalscorer Special

First goalscorer markets are one of the most profitable but, naturally, are therefore one of the most difficult to predict. When you have the statistics that WhoScored.com provide, though, you can get one step ahead of the rest. Here, our Tipster takes a look at who scores first most regularly and of those, who might represent decent value to bag the first goal in their game over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Jefferson Farfan

Just 6 Bundesliga goals is not a particularly good return for the Peruvian winger this season. However, at home, he has scored 5 of those goals in 13 appearances, with every one of those being the first strike of the game. Incredibly, whilst there are 145 players across Europe's top 5 leagues who have scored more goals than Farfan this term, only Demba Ba and Roberto Soldado (6 each) have scored more first goals at home than the Peruvian. This weekend, Farfan's Schalke host a Hoffenheim side that are staring relegation in the face and have conceded the first goal of the game in 6 of their last 8 matches. Schalke will start quickly, keen to get back to winning way and continue their late push for Champions League qualification, so Farfan could well net first once again, with decent odds of 5.00 on him doing so.

Dimitar Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov's form for Fulham has run in peaks and troughs so far; he scored 5 goals and  assisted 3 more in his first 7 Premier League appearances for the Cottagers, then embarked on a run of 12 games which produced just 2 goals, before more recently picking things up again with 4 goals in his last 5 games. Interestingly, each of those 4 strikes have been the first one of the game and the only game in which he wasn't first on the scoresheet was a goalless draw at Norwich. He might well hit another slump in form soon, but with his side hosting rock-bottom QPR on Monday night, who have conceded first in 3 of their last 5 games, Berbatov is odds-on favourite to score first, at odds of 5.00, and justifiably so.

Christian Benteke

Whilst he had already displayed the potential of his powers before Aston Villa's trip to Anfield in December, Christian Benteke really sprung to the attentions of the Premier League's more mighty members with his brace and assist in a 3-1 win. Liverpool visit Villa Park this weekend, with Benteke's side having won consecutive league games for the first time this season, and seeking a third straight victory to ward off the threat of relegation yet further. Villa's 2 losses in their last 6 games have come against Arsenal and Manchester City, and much of the reason for their upturn in form has been the goalscoring feats of their Belgian talisman. With 8 goals in his last 9 appearances, only Suarez has scored more Premier League goals than him in 2013, whilst across Europe's top 5 leagues only Stefan Kiessling (8) has more 'first goals' than Benteke (7). He enjoyed his last game against Liverpool and might just continue where he left off. He can be backed at 7.00 to score first.

Erik Lamela

Having netting the opener in Roma's last 2 outings, Erik Lamela could be worth a punt at 6.00 to bag first on Roma's trip to Sicily to face rock-bottom Palermo this weekend. Whilst much of the reason for Palermo's lowly position is their abysmal away record, their home results still leave a lot to be desired. They are without a win in 16 games and in that terrible run, they have only scored the first goal on 3 occasions, one of which came against Serie B side Verona in the Coppa Italia. Roma's mixed away form has improved of late, with only 1 loss in the last 5 outings on the road, in which they have netted first more often that not. Lamela has scored as many 'first goals' this season as Lionel Messi (6), and has a good chance to add to that tally this weekend.

Mathis Bolly

As previously mentioned, Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling has scored more first goals than any other player in Europe's top 5 leagues in 2012/13. However, most of those came at the beginning of the season - he has only scored first once in 9 games since the winter break. His side, who have won only 2 of their last 10 matches, travel to Fortuna Dusseldorf, who have lost only 1 of their last 9 home games. In January, Dusseldorf brought in Norwegian striker Mathis Bolly, and he has been made to work for his place in the first team, finally earning his first start at Bayern Munich a few weeks ago. Bolly opened the scoring at the Allianz with a 16th minute strike, and kept his place in the side, scoring first again in his next game, at Wolfsburg. He is likely to retain a starting berth and might just keep up his record of netting the first goal in each of his starts in Germany's top flight, with a return of 9.00 if he does so.