Crystal Palace

The Bluebirds have a phenomenal home record and will fancy their chances of over turning Palace’s slender advantage. However, on the big occasions in the past they have choked.

Can Cardiff cope with the jitters or will Palace be making the short trip to Wembley?

Cardiff had earnt the reputation as chokers under former boss Dave Jones after a string of play-off failures, the most recent of which saw them beaten 3-0 at home by Reading in the second leg last season.

The season before that they had been beaten in the play-off final by Blackpool having looked odds on for automatic promotion before a late slump.

Despite a change in manager since those debacles the Bluebirds did seem to freeze in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final in south London. Anthony Gardener’s goal was enough to give Palace the win on that occasion, and while Cardiff wrongly had a goal chalked off they never looked like getting back into the game once they had fallen behind.

Ahead of the return match in Wales, Palace manager Dougie Freedman has seemingly taken great delight in pointing out Cardiff’s recent failures, predicting they will be “scared stiff” for Tuesday night’s game.

No doubt the game will come down to who copes with the pressure best, with thoughts of being 90 minutes away from Wembley likely to make a few stomachs churn before kick-off.

Malky Mackay has rubbished talk of his team getting stage fright and says Saturday’s last-gasp win over Portsmouth has filled his players with confidence ahead of the arrival of Palace.

Cardiff are a different animal at home, winning 13 out of 17 matches on their own patch this year. The Bluebirds’  home record means they are the 8/11 favourites to win the match inside 90 minutes, with Palace 4/1 and the draw 5/2.

Obviously only a win will do for Cardiff  and as such you can expect Mackay’s team to be a lot more open than they were at Selhurst Park, with the Scot likely to play two up front. The Bluebirds boss named a fairly strong team for the win over Portsmouth so expect the majority of the same eleven to start again on Tuesday.

As for Palace, it is clear that for Freedman this is potentially the biggest game they will play this season after he decided to rest ten first-team players for the trip to Blackpool. Having made a flying start to the season Palace have dropped down the Championship table a little and clearly see the Carling Cup as their main chance of success this season, rather than promotion.

Palace’s form on the road has varied from one end of the scale to the other, Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Blackpool making six losses in the last nine away from home. However, they did win the other three matches and one of those was at Manchester United in the quarter-finals.

Palace’s main strength this season has been their defence, allowing just two sides to score more than two goals in 16 games away from Selhurst Park. The Eagles’ backline is likely to be tested by Cardiff on Tuesday and while the Bluebirds can get the win they need it will probably only be good enough to force extra time.

The draw HT/Cardiff FT bet at 10/3 looks to be inviting given how the first game went, with Palace to go through to next month’s showdown at Wembley being the eventual outcome.

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These two Championship teams are currently preparing for the first leg of their semi-final encounter on Tuesday, when the Bluebirds and their fans make the trip across the Welsh border to take on the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

Cardiff go into this game having been unable to imitate their Carling Cup form in the FA Cup as they crashed out in the third round of the competition with a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Premier League outfit West Brom last weekend.

The Bluebirds welcome back veteran defender Kevin McNaughton for the trip to the capital with the versatile player returning to action after three matches out with a calf strain.

Cardiff managed to beat Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-final of the competition to reach the final four and they ultimately sacrificed their hopes of continuing in the FA Cup by resting players for this game against the Eagles.

Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman is expected to make a host of chances after employing the same tactic as his opposite number on Tuesday – Malky Mackay – by playing a weakened side in their 1-0 FA Cup defeat against Derby County.

A host of unnamed players have come down with a bug this week which has delayed Freedman naming his squad that will look to take down a Bluebirds’ side who have lost just one game in their last 13 in the Championship.

The last time these two sides met was back in November and it was Mackay’s men who came out on top, with a 2-0 victory at the Cardiff City Stadium as their star men came to the fore.

Scotland striker Kenny Miller (6/1 First Goalscorer) and Peter Whittingham were on target for the home side that day and they will once again be a threat for Palace on Tuesday in what should be open game.

The Eagles have threats of their own with Wilfried Zaha (8/1 First Goalscorer) becoming a highly rated player at Selhurst Park and looks set to cause the Cardiff defence problems.

Darren Ambrose who scored the wonder strike to put Palace through to the last four of the Carling Cup is another standout player, as his goal knocked out Premier League champions Manchester United at Old Trafford in the upset of the tournament this season.

This should be a close encounter as Palace have come on leaps and bounds this term under the leadership of Freedman.

However Cardiff are in fine form and with their decent record at Selhurst Park – having lost just once on their last five visits, they should take a lead back to Wales for the second leg.

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Pearson was confirmed as the Foxes boss earlier this week following the departure of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson after a less than convincing start to the Championship campaign.

Leicester currently sit in mid-table and will be eager to close down the gap on the automatic and play-off places before they get too far away in what is once again a very competitive league.

However, three points won’t be easy to come by against a Palace side who have surprised many under their relatively inexperienced manager Dougie Freedman this term.

The Eagles narrowly avoided relegation last season on the final day, however they now find themselves battling in the play-off places and a win over the Foxes would be another big step forward for the London outfit.

Palace will be boosted by the loan signing of Chris Martin, who could make his debut for the club having joined from Norwich City earlier in the week.

The striker proved with the Canaries last season that he is more than capable at Championship level and he will certainly be a danger.

Martins’ introduction will compensate for the loss of talented midfielder Jonathan Williams who sustained a broken leg on international duty with the Wales Under-21 team.

As for the Foxes, they welcome back David Nugent (9/2 – First Goalscorer) following his recovery from a hamstring injury, however Pearson will have to do without the services of suspended Sol Bamba and injured Darius Vassell.

With the return of Pearson, the Foxes should have enough quality to secure all three points this weekend.

Sunday’s other fixture in the Championship sees Bristol City make the tough trip to the New Den to take on Millwall (Millwall 4/5, draw 5/2, Bristol 7/2).

Until their 1-0 defeat to Blackpool in their last outing, the Lions looked like one of the most dangerous sides in the division, with a 3-0 and a 4-1 victory over Coventry City and Ipswich Town respectively.

Darius Henderson (4/1 – First Goalscorer) and Jay Simpson have been in decent goalscoring form and Bristol City’s defence will certainly have their work cut out for them.

Millwall will also welcome Josh Wright into their ranks after he did enough on a recent trial and will be looking to impress if he is given an opportunity by Kenny Jackett.

Bristol City will be looking for their first back-to-back win of the season following their victory of Burnley. Under manager Derek McInnes the club have turned a corner but still have not won a league game at Millwall since 1997 and they may have to wait a bit longer.

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Crystal Palace v Portsmouth

Dougie Freedman’s Eagles are the surprise package of the Championship, with Palace currently sitting pretty in third after collecting 24 points from their opening 14 games.

It’s all the more remarkable when you consider they were fighting to stave off relegation last term and lost their best player, Neil Danns, during the summer. Palace have lost just one of their seven home games to date, a tight affair to Middlesbrough in September, and have conceded just five goals at Selhurst Park.

They face a Portsmouth team still without a permanent manager following Steve Cotterill’s switch to Nottingham Forest. Pompey are yet to win on their travels this term and go into Tuesday’s game off the back of a 3-1 defeat at Derby.

Neither side are prolific in front of goal, but Carling Cup quarter-finalists Palace are a difficult side to break down and are likely to grind down the visitors and claim another crucial three points.

Suggested Bet: Palace to win @ 11/10

Barnsley v Hull

Hull are on a role and go into this Yorkshire derby unbeaten in their last nine games, a run which has seen them move into the play-off places. The Tigers have looked better away from home than they have at the KC Stadium, with Nigel Pearson’s men looking like promotion contenders.

A 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday was the Tigers third away win of the season and Hull have only lost one of seven games on their travels. This away run comes after a record-breaking unbeaten spell on their travels last term and Pearson’s men are masters of hitting teams on the break.

Barnsley had shown signs of real progress last month, but back-to-back defeats have hit the Tykes hard, especially Saturday’s last-gasp home loss to Bottom club Bristol City. Keith Hill’s men appear to lack a real cutting edge up front and although they are heading in the right direction, Hull look too strong and can further enhance their promotion hopes.

Suggested Bet: Half-Ttime/Full-Time – Draw/Hull @ 9/2

Millwall v Coventry

Many will have been surprised by the Lions poor start to the season, but Kenny Jackett looks to have got his team back on track. Millwall are unbeaten in their last four games, including back-to-back wins over Ipswich and Leicester.

The departure of Steve Morison was a big loss and Millwall struggled for goals early season, but they have bagged nine goals in their last four matches. Darius Henderson has made big impact in recent weeks and the Lions have moved out of the bottom three up to 17th.

In contrast, Coventry have won just one of their last eight league games and look set for a relegation scrap this season. There were signs of encouragement in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Doncaster, but goals still remain a problem with just four in seven games on their travels.

Suggested Bet: Millwall to win @ 8/11

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Crystal Palace v Wigan (8pm)

This is the stand-out contest from the two Tuesday evening fixtures as it throws up the possibility of a lower league outfit dispatching a top-flight side from the competition.

Sunderland, Norwich, QPR and Swansea were notable scalps for Football League sides in the second round and Dougie Freedman’s Eagles have the potential to see off Roberto Martinez’s Latics in south London this week (21/10 Home 90 Minutes).

Palace have made a decent start to their Championship campaign, but things have just started to slide with Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Leeds following on from a 1-1 draw against Blackpool at Selhurst Park before the international break.

Therefore, they will be looking to get a confidence-boosting win under their belts ahead of Saturday’s league visit of Middlesbrough – who, ironically, they will also face at Selhurst Park next Tuesday in the third round if they progress past Wigan.

Freedman is not expected to make too many changes from the side that lost the five-goal thriller at Elland Road so midfielder Darren Ambrose will possibly start on the bench, while defender Anthony Gardner could be in the squad.

Latics boss Martinez is expected to make wholesale changes to his squad for the long trip to London with James McCarthy poised to return from a knee injury, new signings Shaun Maloney and Patrick van Aanholt could play.

Conor Sammon and former Wolves midfielder David Jones are also set to be handed starting roles, while former Palace trio Ben Watson, Victor Moses and Emmerson Boyce could be denied a reunion with old friends by being handed the night off with Martinez having one eye on Saturday’s game against Everton.

It looks like being a close encounter as Palace have won three and drawn one of their four home games this season, while Wigan’s (5/4 Away 90 Minutes) defeat at Manchester City being their first reverse since April.

Extra-time could well be on the cards while an under-strength Wigan could be the key for Palace to edge them out and progress to round three.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 12/5
Value Bet: 1-1 Correct Score 90 Minutes @ 6/1

Charlton v Preston (7.45pm)

An all-League One affair at the Valley sees high-flying Charlton face an improving Preston side, who sit just outside the play-off places.

Chris Powell’s Addicks have looked all the better for their summer overhaul as the vast number of new faces have gelled in well with the remaining players to see them sit unbeaten in second spot, level on 17 points with leaders Sheffield United.

However, it is on the road where Charlton have excelled as they have a 100 per cent record from three games, while points have been dropped against Scunthorpe and Sheffield Wednesday on home turf.

But, with a trip to Championship high-fliers Southampton awaiting in round three, Charlton can point to the fact they defeated second tier side Reading 2-1 in the first round at home and also recorded a comfortable 2-0 win against Exeter at the weekend.

Bradley Wright-Phillips has again been the key man for the Addicks with five goals in the bag already this season, but with Powell promising “one or two changes” for the game there is no guarantee he will be in the starting XI.

Preston chief Phil Brown has also hinted at some changes for the game with promotion back to the Championship also his top priority for this season.

As a result striker Iain Hume, who played in Friday evening’s 4-3 win against Yeovil despite featuring for Canada on international duty 48 hours earlier, could get the night off to prepare for Saturday’s league tussle at Brentford.

North End (5/2 Away 90 Minutes) are also on a decent run after remaining unbeaten in the five games following a disappointing opening day 4-2 defeat against Colchester at Deepdale, while they came from behind to defeat Crewe 3-2 at home in round one.

As with the first game, it is difficult to call (5/2 Draw 90 Minutes), as both managers are clearly looking to give a several key men a break from the action.

However, Charlton have the strength in depth to cope with a myriad changes and that should be enough to get them marching through to face the Saints at St Mary’s next Wednesday.

Prediction: Charlton Home 90 Minutes @ 21/20
Value Bet: Charlton 2-1 90 Minutes Correct Score @ 7/1

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Crystal Palace v Norwich (Sat 3pm)

The Eagles may be struggling to maintain their Championship status, but they have shown signs of improvement under Dougie Freedman and the return of James Vaughan will be crucial. The Everton striker has return to Selhurst Park on loan, and having scored five goals in his previous stint this season, could prove the difference between survival and relegation.

Although their away record is poor, Palace have not lost at home since October – a run of six games – and they will be desperate to derail Norwich’s promotion hopes. The Canaries have surprised many this season, with late goals crucial for them in recent games. But Palace beat them 2-1 at Carrow Road earlier in the season and could be a good bet to do the double.

Match Bet: Palace to win @ 9/5

Hull City v QPR (Sat 3pm)

QPR still look the strongest team in the league, helped by a couple of useful additions during the transfer window ? Wayne Routledge and Danny Shittu. The R’s will be further tested though by a Hull City side, who has lost just one of their last 12 league games.

The Tigers have the second best defensive home record in Championship – conceding just six goals all season – and the goal-scoring threat of Matty Fryatt makes them serious play-off contenders. QPR have lost just twice away from Loftus Road and this looks like being a stalemate, which would be a decent result for both teams.

Match Bet: Draw @ 23/10

Millwall v Barnsley (Fri 7:45pm)

With just three places and two points separating the two teams, this clash at the New Den is a tough one to call. The Tykes have responded really well to losing their star man Adam Hammill to wolves ? picking up four points from a possible six since the winger’s departure, and their 2-0 win at Doncaster in midweek was impressive.
Millwall have lost just three of their 13 home games to date and have won their last four home league games, conceding just one goal in that run.

Match Bet: Steve Morison to score at anytime@ Evens

Scunthorpe v Preston (Sat 3pm)

These two teams are staring League One in the face, but both will remain hopeful of pulling off the great escape – three points here for either team could be crucial. Scunthorpe have the added pressure of being at home, where they  have gained just one win all season.

Preston meanwhile, will be buoyed by two back-to-back draws since Phil Brown took charge, thanks to two late goals. North End could go one better at Glanford Park this weekend.

Match Bet: Preston to win @ 7/4.

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