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Tangerines to tame Terriers

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Blackpool have the chance to reclaim top spot in the Championship table when they host Huddersfield Town in a roses clash on Monday night (Blackpool 4/6, draw 14/5, Huddersfield 4/1 Match Betting).

The encounter at Bloomfield Road will be a return for Simon Grayson to the club who he promoted to the second tier of English football before moving to Leeds United and now the Terriers.

Huddersfield make the trip across the Pennines on the back of two straight victories, over Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday, so confidence will be high in the side from West Yorkshire. The recent results have been all the more impressive after the side sold star striker Jordan Rhodes for £8m in the summer transfer window.

Grayson will be looking to strengthen his attacking options either in the emergency loan market or in the January transfer market, but for the trip to Bloomfield Road he will have to look to the likes of Lee Novak (8/1 first goalscorer), James Vaughan and Sean Scannell for goals.

The worry for the Huddersfield faithful is that only two goals have been scored between the three attackers, with the current topscorer being midfielder Adam Clayton, who followed Grayson from Leeds.

Huddersfield will be without John Lynch, as the defender is suspended for Monday night’s game having been shown a red card in the derby win over Wednesday in midweek. Lynch’s absence will see Anthony Gerrard fill the void alongside Peter Clarke in the heart of the Terries defence.

If those two players do start alongside each other they will certainly have their work cut out against a free-scoring Blackpool outfit, who have scored 15 goals in six games so far this term.

Tangerines boss Ian Holloway has the luxury of a full squad to select from and the tactician certainly has some talented players to choose from. Tom Ince (9/2 first goalscorer) has been the standout performer for the Seasiders and he will be a prime candidate for first goalscorer on Monday.

With the likes of Kevin Phillips, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Nathan Delfouneso, who scored two goals in midweek, Holloway’s side have plenty of attacking options.

Huddersfield have performed above expectation in the Championship so far and Grayson has really been showing his experience at this level. However, the Terriers look like they need one or two extra players just to bring that bit of quality to a hard working side, who will have no problem in avoiding relegation this term.

But it’s that lack of goals which could be their undoing on Monday night, as the home side will have attacking threats in so many areas of the field and on the substitute’s bench.

Holloway managed to change things around in midweek and the fact he can bring Barry Ferguson and Stephen Crainey back in the team shows how far they have come. It should be a competitive game but the Tangerines should come out on top as they head to the top of the Championship table.

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Blackpool can tame flat Foxes

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Blackpool manager Ian HollowayBlackpool are the only Championship side with a 100 per cent record but they face a big test at Leicester City, who are currently 8/1 to win the title outright, on Saturday.

The Foxes are considered one of the favourites to win promotion this season under Nigel Pearson but Leicester haven’t got off to the kind of start they would have hoped for, with just three points on the board after three games.

Blackpool could have been forgiven for starting the season slowly after defeat in the play-off final at the end of the last campaign but Ian Holloway’s men seem set to mount a sustained promotion challenge and demonstrated this with a 6-0 hammering of Ipswich last weekend.

In contrast, Leicester are in the midst of a mini-slump and even a home tie against Burton in the Capital One Cup in midweek didn’t offer any respite as the Foxes slumped to a 4-2 defeat.  Therefore, the freescoring Seasiders look good value at 23/10 to secure all three points in the 5.20pm kick off on Saturday, while the hosts are 11/10 and the draw 5/2.

Another side who have legitimate promotion aspirations this season are Nottingham Forest, who completed the signing of Henri Lansbury from Arsenal earlier this week. Lansbury is recovering from injury and will not feature as Forest hosts Charlton on Saturday but Sean O’Driscoll’s men should still be able to continue their unbeaten start to the season and maintain their 100% home record.

Forest are evens to take all three points, the draw is 12/5 and a win for the Addicks is priced at 11/4.

Gianfranco Zola’s arrival at Watford in the summer was met by some scepticism but the Italian has enjoyed a fine start to life as a Championship manager with six points from the Hornets’ three games to date.  Zola’s side travel to Derby County on Saturday, with the Rams still seeking their first win of the season.

Derby have only lost one fixture so far, at Bolton, but as Watford’s raft of summer signings continue to gel they will only get better and are great value at 2/1 to take all three points at Pride Park. Derby are 13/10 to seal the win and the draw is 12/5.

South Yorkshire outfit Barnsley are in the middle of an injury crisis and boss Keith Hill is without 10 first-team players for the visit of high fliers Bristol City on Saturday. Hill has even gone as far as checking what cars his players are driving, sitting positions and distances travelled to try and find the root cause of his injury nightmare and when it gets to that stage you know you’re in trouble.

It could be a case of damage limitation for the Tykes until they have a few more bodies back from the treatment room, including Egyptian forward Mido, and the visiting Robins could capitalise on Barnsley’s plight. City boss Derek McInnes brought in a number of attacking additions during the summer and has plenty of options available to him and the Robins will be confident of taking all three points back to Ashton Gate when they visit Oakwell on Saturday.

A win for Bristol City is 13/8, Barnsley are also 13/8 to pick up three points and the draw is 23/10.

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Blackpool set to tame Tigers

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With spring well and truly in the air the end is in sight for those chasing a promotion dream in the Championship. But the mad month of March is going to be a decisive one ahead of the final reckoning, none more so than for Hull City, who travel to Blackpool on Friday in the first of nine matches in 29 days.

Ian Holloway’s Blackpool are seeking a immediate return to the Premier League and have set about their task in fine style, racking up 56 goals – the second highest in the division – to sit in fourth place, two points behind Cardiff in third and a further four away from West Ham in second (Blackpool 10/3 to earn promotion).

Twenty-three of those goals have come from strike duo Kevin and Matty Phillips. Evergreen former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips is showing no signs of slowing down despite his 38 years and he leads the Tangerines’ goalscoring charts with 13.

Matt Phillips meanwhile has shown sparkling form since returning from a loan spell at League One side Sheffield United in the autumn, bagging hat-tricks against Barnsley on Boxing Day and Fleetwood in the FA Cup in January.

The pair are unsurprisingly joint 5/1 favourites to score first against Hull but if a decision needs to be made then the wise old head of Kevin Phillips could just be the one to fire Blackpool in front.

In fact goals are almost guaranteed at both ends whenever Blackpool play – Holloway’s men have netted in all but one of their 13 matches in 2012, scoring exactly three times on five of those occasions. However, they have kept just one clean sheet in 12 games.

They beat Bristol City 3-1 at Ashton Gate on Saturday to bounce back from a heavy 4-1 thrashing at home to leaders West Ham and a 2-0 loss at Everton in the FA Cup.

They have now lost just once in nine league games and prior to the West Ham defeat had won eight home games in a row.

They also have the upper hand in recent fixtures between these two sides, winning three of the last four meetings, including a 1-0 win at the KC Stadium in August.

But before you lump all of your money on Blackpool, it is worth noting that Nick Barmby’s Hull are unbeaten in their last six Championship matches as they launch a late bid for the play-offs.

The Tigers are currently in ninth place on 51 points but have at least one game in hand on all the sides above them and a win on the Fylde Coast will lift them into the play-off places.

In terms of goals they are at the opposite end of the scale to their opponents. The Tigers have conceded only three in their last 11 games, but have scored just seven in the same period.

If they are going to score then it will more than likely come from Matty Fryatt (7/1 to score first) or Robert Koren (8/1). The pair have scored 18 of the club’s 31 league goals this season.

It is that chronic lack of goals though that will see them struggle to take the points from Bloomfield Road, with the prediction being a 3-1 victory for the Seasiders priced at 16/1.

Tigers fans should not despair however. With eight further games in March their defensive solidity could yet bear fruit. And if they can somehow start scoring more freely, then their odds of 13/2 to go up may be worth a flutter.

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Can Crawley tame the Shrews?

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There is a huge game at the top of League Two on Monday evening as two sides with automatic promotion ambitions go head-to-head when Crawley Town travel to take on Shrewsbury Town at the Prostar Stadium.

Steve Evans’ Crawley side (11/4 League Two Outright), who were pre-season favourites to walk through the division following their promotion from the Conference, have encountered a blip in form of late, which has resulted in the side slipping from the summit of League Two to fifth spot

However they do have between two and four games in hand on the teams above them – including Monday night’s opponents Shrewsbury (12/1 Outright) who sit in fourth position and a point better off – due to their recent run to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Evans, who will hope his men can recapture the form which brought them 10 wins and two draws from 12 games in the final three months of 2011, should have Hope Akpan available while Kyle McFadzean will again deputise for broken foot victim David Hunt at right-back.

But their work will be cut out to secure maximum points in Shropshire and improve a recent run of just two wins from nine matches. Crawley have won five on the road this season, but only one away-day success has come in six games against top-10 opponents.

And Shrewsbury, being one of the strongest home teams in League Two with 11 wins and three draws from their 14 outings in front of their own fans to date, will represent one of the sternest tests that the Red Devils could have come up against.

Graham Turner’s side, who will be without striker Tom Bradshaw due to a Wales Under-21 call-up but hope to have left-back Joe Jacobson fit from the groin injury suffered at Swindon last midweek, have won all six matches at home to top-half rivals so far so will be very confident of seeing off Crawley.

A repeat of Crawley’s 2-1 win from the fixture between these two sides at Broadfield Stadium earlier in the season would be the perfect tonic for Evans’ side. However, the Shrews will look at Crawley’s tendency to ship goals when they do lose, as they have conceded three or more goals in four of their five defeats this season, to give them hope of a crucial win.

Crawley have not scored in only four of their 29 matches this season so we expect goals, but Shrewsbury appear to be the best bet to shade a closely fought encounter.

Prediction: Home Win 90 Minutes @ 7/5
Value Bet: Shrewsbury Town To Win 2-1 Correct Score @ 17/2

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Bristol City to tame Lions

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Derek McInnes has worked wonders since taking over at Ashton Gate and he will be looking for all three points on offer when his Bristol City side take on Millwall in the Championship on Tuesday (Bristol City 5/4, draw 12/5, Millwall 21/10 – match prices).

The Robins will still be on a high after they beat high flying Southampton last week at St Mary’s, to end the Championship leaders’ 25-match unbeaten run at home.

After the first weeks of the season it looked like Bristol City could be playing in the third tier of English football at the end of the 2012, however the club start this year with plenty of optimism in terms of performances on the field.

There are concerns with financial issues at Ashton Gate but they may be eased with the likely sale of Nicky Maynard in the current transfer window, as the striker’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

For now the 25-year-old is still a Bristol City player and once again he will be a major threat to the Millwall defence, as he hopes to add to his seven goals in the Championship this term and could be a good bet for first goalscorer at 11/2.

Bristol will be without their skipper Liam Fontaine, so Louis Carey is set to continue in the heart of the Robins defence, while Stephan Pearson is to play his last game for the club before his current loan deal comes to an end and he returns to Derby County.

The victory over Southampton was the perfect response to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of struggling Coventry City, and McInnes men will be confident as they get set to host a Lions side who have struggled to continue the momentum from last season.

Having earned promotion from League One, the London outfit adapted quickly to life back in the second tier of English football last term.

However, it has been an inconsistent start to the season and manager Kenny Jackett and his men find themselves battling at the bottom end of the Championship table, just two points above their opponents on Tuesday.

Millwall go into this game on the back of a frustrating 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace in the south London derby on Saturday.

The men from the New Den are struggling for goals this season but that was not the case at this points last year.

Jackett’s side ran out 3-0 victors on their last visit to Ashton Gate but that was last season when the ferocious Lions were battling for every point, as they enjoyed their first campaign back in the Championship.

Under McInnes, Bristol City are a different beast and they should just edge this one at home, as they look to pull further away from the relegation zone (Bristol 5/2 to win at half-time and full-time).

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Tigers ready to tame R’s

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QPR are the team of the moment in the Championship but their unbeaten run can come to an end this weekend when they face a Hull City side (21/10 – match betting) making big strides.

Neil Warnock’s men have gone 19 league games without defeat, including a 2-1 win over closest rivals Cardiff last Saturday.

But the R’s home form is more impressive than their away run and Hull pose another big test of their promotion credentials.

The Tigers are unbeaten in five games and showing signs of waking from their early season slumber, while history is also on their side – QPR have not won at Hull in the league since 1970 (six matches).

Meanwhile, second placed Cardiff have suffered a disappointing run in recent weeks, with just one win in their last five games, but should get back on track this Saturday.

The Bluebirds welcome bottom club Preston, who have won just four of their 19 league games to date. Darren Ferguson is under immense pressure at Deepdale and defeat could see the end of his reign.

It may be a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ at Portman Road, as Roy Keane’s Ipswich entertain high-flying Swansea (17/10 – match betting).

The Tractor Boys sealed a place in the Carling Cup semi-finals this week, but the league is proving a struggle for the East Anglians, who are currently just four points and five places outside the dropzone.

Swansea could cause more concerns for Keane on Saturday, with Brendan Rodgers’ men seeking a fifth win of the season on their travels.

Derby suffered a late defeat at Burnley last weekend, but the Rams can bounce back this week against a Norwich side on the same points as Nigel Clough’s men and just one place behind.

Leeds have gone six games without defeat and are likely to move into the play-off positions this weekend. Simon Grayson’s team will face an improving Crystal Palace (Leeds 8/11, Draw 5/2, C Palace 18/5 – Match Betting), but the Eagles face a massive test of their progress in front of an intimidating Elland Road atmosphere.

Coventry are the surprise package of the season so far and they will expect to take the points against a struggling Middlesbrough. But Boro are moving forward under Tony Mowbray and are good enough to take a point from the Ricoh Arena.

There’s a South Yorkshire derby at the Keepmoat Stadium and it would be a big surprise if the home team didn’t take maximum points. Doncaster (5/6 – match betting) have lost just once at home and welcome a Barnsley team that have taken just eight points from a possible 27 on the road.

Nottingham Forest have struggled for goals this season and after suffering defeat at Leicester, they face another potential banana skin this weekend. Bristol City have moved out of the bottom three with back-to-back wins, but it looks like Forest will end their hopes of three on the bounce.

Portsmouth’s form this season has pretty much summed up the unpredictable Championship, but they will be boosted by the visit of Burnley this Saturday (Pompey 7/5, Draw 12/5, Burnley 17/10 – Match Betting). The Clarets are the only team in the division not to have won away from home and those woes are likely to continue with a long journey to the south coast.

Sheffield United’s presence in the bottom five is a big shock to many, but they are struggling and have won just three of their nine home games to date. Reading are the visitors to Bramall Lane and the Royals are capable of causing more frustration for the Blades fans.

It was a massive surprise to look at the table and see Watford have won just twice at home and that column may look the same coming Saturday evening, as in-form Leicester visit Vicarage Road. Sven Goran Eriksson looks to have inspired the Foxes, who are now up to mid-table and expect on-loan Roman Bednar (7/4 to score anytime) to get on the scoresheet soon.

The evening match sees two teams who are likely to be scrapping to survive at the end of the season, go head-to-head. Scunthorpe’s away form has been impressive, with five wins on their travels, but they’re lack of form at Glanford Park will eventually dent confidence and Millwall are a decent bet to add to the Iron’s woes.

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