Eels v Bulldogs NRL tips, odds & value bets – Round 7, 2023

Round seven of the 2023 NRL season wraps up on Sunday in Parramatta with the Eels hosting the Canterbury Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium. The Eels will be looking to continue their winning ways having beaten the Tigers on Easter Monday, while Bulldogs head coach Cameron Ciraldo will continue to be tested by injuries ravaging his squad.

The Parramatta Eels will be welcoming forward leader Junior Paulo back from suspension following his high shot on Zac Hosking in round four. Wiremu Greg shifts back to the bench to accommodate the Samoan enforcer’s return, pushing Jack Murchie back to the reserves.

The Bulldogs’ injury woes continue with confirmation during the week that Fijian second-rower Viliame Kikau has suffered a pectoral injury and will not return from concussion this weekend, with his replacement yet to be confirmed. Josh Addo-Carr has undergone successful surgery on his ankle with Braidon Burns being named as his replacement, while Tevita Pangai Jr is also making his return to first grade.

Canterbury’s injury woes are creating a number of headaches for coach Ciraldo early in the season. Similar to their performance against the Rabbitohs last week, they will be expected to complete but not win, and it could get ugly late. Look for the Eels to really begin clicking into gear as the home side piles on the points to push the margin beyond 13 points, with that result paying $2.45 with Marantelli Bet.

The injury toll for Canterbury could be exploited massively on Sunday if the Eels choose to shift the ball right and exploit the absence of Addo-Carr and Kikau. Maika Sivo loves scoring tries at CommBank Stadium and is every chance of scoring two or more in this game ($3.60).

Dry, warm conditions are predicted for Parramatta on Sunday evening, which should make for an exciting game of football at one of the best scoring stadiums in Sydney. The Bulldogs showed in their match last week against the Rabbitohs that, despite their long injury list, they are still able to score points. The Eels can score at a quick rate too, so this could be a high-scoring match with more than 43.5 total points ($1.90).

Key matchup: Dylan Brown v Matt Burton

Dylan Brown vs Matt Burton

Matt Burton and Dylan Brown are two of the best young five-eighths in the NRL. Coming into Sunday’s clash, they both have very different roles to play for their side. As under-strength as the Bulldogs are, the kicking and running game of Burton will be vital to the team’s success. It is highly likely that anything positive the Bulldogs can achieve will be from his enormous spiral bombs or his ability to break tackles. Brown, on the other hand, will simply need to stay in the attacking structure of the Eels to ensure they can exploit Canterbury’s weak points.

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