Football Championships Preview

With Middlesbrough up against Sheffield Wednesdy on Friday night and Bristol City playing Charlton on Sunday just ten Championship games take place this Saturday.

The feature one is the lunchtime Sky game and sees Leicester at home to Nottingham Forest in an East Midlands derby. Leicester are 11/12 (pinnacle) favourites for the game while the draw is a best priced 21/8 (pinnacle) and a Forest win is 17/5 (BetVictor/pinnacle). The Foxes are struggling a bit in recent weeks with just one from their last five (and none in their last three). Forest meanwhile are on a good run losing just one of their last six (winning three and drawing two). The draw looks the way to play this as three of the last four head to head meetings have ended drawn and no side has drawn more games in the Championship this season than Forest (seven). Those looking for a first goalscorer bet will see the market is headed by David Nugent at 11/2 (Totesport/betfred) while Jamie Vardy is 6/1 (ladbrokes), Marko Fuctas is 7/1 (ladbrokes), Billy Sharp is 8/1 (bet365/Coral) while both bookmakers have Simon Cox at 8/1. The bet here is Andy King at 12/1 (general) as he has scored in the last two Leicester home games.

This column is a known admirer of the one man goal machine that is Charlie Austin and we make no apology for backing him again this week. bet365 make the Burnley frontman evens to score anytime which looks generous considering Ipswich were woeful in defence in midweek as Palace hit them for five. Austin has a remarkable 15 goals in his last 11 games and will relish the chance to get at Ipswich. Four times this season Austin has scored two or more goals and I would not be opposed to be backing him to do so again at 6/1 (Coral).

Despite the recent form of Hull I am willing to take them on away to Cardiff. The Bluebirds have won all seven of their games at home this season and bookmakers are making an error making them 11/10 (Totesport/betfred/Stan James). As impressive as the Tigers have been recently, winning five of their last six, a lot of these victories have come against some of the weaker teams in the division. I think a truer reflection stands in away defeats to some of the better teams in the league like Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Leicester. Malky Mackay will have his side hungry to make ammends for their dreadful start against Charlton in midweek.

Glen Murray is another player in great scoring form and he looks very backable at 6/5 (bet365/Coral) in the anytime goalscorer market. Palace are banging in the goals at the moment and Murray is the main man netting eleven in his last nine games (five in his last two). Opponents Peterborough have kept a clean sheet in just one of their last ten Championship home games.

Blackburn fans have finally (perhaps much too late) finally been granted their wish and Steve Kean has been replaced and Henning Berg is the man (after a lot of candidates) who will take charge. Berg as a former player should hopefully be able to bring back the stay away fans and the 11/10 (william hill) are offering on a home win against Birmingham looks worth taking. Birmingham have won just two of their last seven league games and sit in 18th position. Blackburn have won their last two league home games and five of seven this season and the visitors are not of the standard of those two teams who won here (Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton).

BEST OF THE BETS

GOLD: Cardiff to beat Hull, 11/10 (Totesport/betfred/Stan James)
SILVER: Blackburn to beat Birmingham, 11/10 (william hill)
BRONZE: Anytime goalscorer bets on Charlie Austin (evens/bet365) and Glen Murray 6/5 (bet365/Coral).

Go To bet365

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10/10/2012     © Frixo 2024