Champions League Report

At the halfway point of the season in the Championship it will be Malky Mackay the Cardiff boss who is the happiest of all the bosses on Christmas morning as his side sit top of the table by three points from Hull.

Bookmakers make Cardiff the 9/5 (boylesports) favourites and I can not dispute this as I think the Bluebirds have the best team in the league. I would not be getting involved in the team at that price though as the Championship has a history of teams going well at Christmas and then falling away. Cardiff themselves have fallen away badly towards the end of the last few seasons so this looks a price worth swerving.

Hull are the form side in the division with four wins and a draw from their last five games and are the 13/2 (You Win/Stan James) second favourites. Steve Bruce has done a good job at the club and they have the second best defensive record in the division if I had one worry it is the club lack a consistent goal threat and they need to address this in the January transfer window. Crystal Palace are just one behind Hull and four behind Cardiff in first and are 7/1 (general) for the title. Ian Holloway has experience at Blackpool with getting a side promoted though they have started drawing a few (four in their last five) and they must try keep a hold of key talents like Zaha and Murray in the January transfer window.

Leicester are 8/1 (BetVictor/Stan James/You Win) and you would expect the owners to invest in the squad in the summer and they will not be far from the mix. This is not a price that invites big investment though. Middlesbrough are 9/1 (general) though two defeats in their last four is a little worrying on the form front and Boro fell away in the second half of last season. I think you may as well take a punt on some teams at bigger prices and play up the each-way aspect of the bet. I like the look of Watford at 25/1 (general) as they have the same amount of points as Leicester yet are triple the price. With just one defeat in their last ten the Hornets are buzzing at the moment. I expect the owners to sanction a few key loan moves from their other clubs (Udinese and Granada) if they feel that promotion is an achievable target.

I also like the look of Brighton at 33/1 (general) though Craig Mackail-Smith was heavily linked with a move to Norwich at the last transfer deadline and the Canaries might come back in again so it might pay to wait to see what happens in the transfer window.

Another bet I like is Burnley to get promotion at 40/1 (general). The Clarets are just seven points off the play-offs and the beauty of this bet is that it only requires a team to get into sixth to make the play-offs and then promotion is a real possibility. You could get a few teams on side at this price though Burnley I like the look of as they are tough to break down and have the goal threat of Charlie Austin.

Shifting to the other end of the table and I think Blackburn look a huge price for relegation at 40/1 (ladbrokes/bet365). They sit just eight points from the bottom three and under Henning Berg have taken just one point from their last six games. With Peterborough, Ipswich, Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday all starting to pick up points at the bottom a number of sides could find themselves dragged into the mix and Rovers do not have good experience in relegation battles.

BEST OF THE BETS

GOLD: Blackburn to get relegated from Championship, 40/1 (ladbrokes/bet365)
SILVER: Watford EW for the Championship title, 25/1 (general)
BRONZE: Burnley to be promoted from Championship, 40/1 (general)

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07/01/2013     © Frixo 2024