Championship Predictions > Mar 13th - 18th

[StevieDay1983]

[StevieDay1983]

It's a bumper week for the Championship once again with some midweek games added some more action to proceedings. I'll look to get a special midweek preview up for the Cardiff game at Brentford tomorrow. I'll then get some more previews up as the week goes on for the weekend fixtures. Feel free to share your tips with us all. Lots of value to be had this week! 

[malabgd]

Ipswich Town v Hull City

Ipswich Town: Jonas Knudsen (32/0 d, probably in), Dominic Iorfa (23/1 d), Muzzy Carayol (3/1 m), David McGoldrick (22/6 f), Tom Adeyemi (5/0 m), Emyr Huws (5/0 m), Andre Dozzell (1/0 m), Dean Gerken (1/0 g), Teddy Bishop (4/0 m)

Hull City: Allan McGregor (35/0 first goalkeeper, probably in), Moses Odubajo (0/0 d), James Weir (3/0 m), Stephen Kingsley (6/0 d)

 

Sheffield Utd v Burton Albion

Sheffield Utd: Mark Duffy (29/2 m), Leon Clarke (31/15 f, top scorer)(both probably in), Paul Coutts (16/1 m)

Burton Albion: Lucas Akins (36/3 f), Hope Akpan (17/0 m), Liam Boyce (7/1 f), Jacob Davenport (7/1 m, illness)(all doubtful), John Brayford (20/0 d), Ben Turner (24/2 d), Will Miller (10/0 m)

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more then 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

[Magic0024]

Football Facts and Streaks regarding Championship

Reading have failed to win in their last 7 matches in Championship.
Reading conceded at least 1 goal in each of their last 9 matches in Championship.
Reading have scored in 71% of their away matches in Championship.
67% of Burton Albion's points have been earned away in Championship.

You can find interesting 56 Football Betting Streaks for 13.03.2018 on this link ... http://eurofootballrumours.com/football-facts-and-streaks-13-03-2018-8798

[PokerWolf1]

Not sure how Ipswich can be a higher price at home to Hull than Birmingham at home to Hull.... or indeed Middlesboro shorter odds to beat Brentford away than Cardiff. Looks like there is some value this week for those willing to do their  research.

[StevieDay1983]

Brentford vs Cardiff

@PokerWolf1, you said it mate. There is value all over the shop this week in the Championship. My focus today is on our game against Brentford. It's the match that was scheduled to take place when the big snow hit and Griffin Park was deemed unplayable. It's not a very convenient game given our injury list but we'll crack on and look to take another 3 points closer to automatic promotion.

I have been expressing concern lately about the injuries hitting our squad and how every game I fear it might be the one where we finally fold under the intensity of the Championship schedule. However, Neil Warnock keeps on pleasantly surprising me by putting out a side that is grinding out the wins. You'd think I would have more faith by now.

Unfortunately, I once again come into this game slightly pessimistic. Brentford are one of the most attractive teams in our division in terms of their style of play. Dean Smith has got them playing some lovely stuff. Luckily, those are the sort of teams we rile. We beat them 2-0 at home back in November. They did have 25 shots but that summed up how wasteful they were.

The Bluebirds remain 4 points clear of Aston Villa as we sit in 2nd place. Villa and Fulham are still winning their games but so are we. It's a pressure cooker situation but I'd much rather have them nipping at our heels than nipping the heels ourselves. How much longer can those two sides keep going when every time they win they don't gain ground on the team in that second automatic promotion spot? Our motivation is to keep the situation in our hands and I have no doubt that is what Warnock is using to pump our players up.

The Bees have only lost two games at home so this is one of the trickier away ties. They have drawn 8 of their 17 league games at Griffin Park though so points can be taken. Unfortunately, our away record isn't fantastic. We might be 2nd in the league but our away record is only the 6th best in the table with 5 defeats coming on the road.

Brentford will still feel they can gate crash the play-offs. They are currently sat in 11th place and 8 points off the top six but that gap could be cut to 5 points tonight with just 9 matches remaining. It's do or die for them. Hopefully, that will play into our hands.

We are set to welcome back Sean Morrison and Gary Madine tonight which is key. Callum Paterson also appears to have recovered from his recent knock. Brentford will be without the influential Andreas Bjelland but they can still call on the impressive Chris Mepham who earned his first call up to the Wales national team this week.

Interestingly, Brentford have not managed to keep a clean sheet against us in 14 meetings. You have to go back to our match on 28th December, 1998 to find the last time we failed to score against them. I don't think that will change tonight. They will be too attacking.

Can we take all three points tonight? I genuinely do think it's a tall order. Brentford are a side that can beat anyone on their day. My hope is that we can choke the life out of them tonight and just physically dominate them. If we can do that then I can see us taking something from the game. On the contrary, if we turn up and only play for 60 minutes like we did against Birmingham then we will get beaten. Either way, I think this could be a treat for Sky Sports viewers tonight. Forget the Champions League tonight. Get this game on your TV!

Cardiff Double Chance @ 1.63 with Unibet

BTTS @ 1.67 with Sunbets

[PokerWolf1]

@StevieDay1983

Glad I took your advice and watched Cardiff over the Champions league. Even if not the result I wanted! 

God knows what Villa were playing at. That's the championship for you I guess. 

[StevieDay1983]

6 hours ago, PokerWolf1 said:

@StevieDay1983

Glad I took your advice and watched Cardiff over the Champions league. Even if not the result I wanted! 

God knows what Villa were playing at. That's the championship for you I guess. 

I've got to admit, I thought Brentford were going to batter us after that opening 10-15 minutes. The Samba goal turned the game and in the end we really showed them the difference between being mid-table and fighting for promotion. 7 points ahead with 9 games to go is a fantastic position to be in but we have a lot of tough games left. We still have to play...

Derby (A)

Burton (H)

Sheffield United (A)

Wolves (H)

Aston Villa (A)

Norwich (A)

Nottingham Forest (H)

Hull (A)

Reading (H)

I said to my mate that we probably need 4-5 wins maximum now to confirm promotion. Can we get them from those games? It's a tough run-in but I'd be very disappointed if we don't beat Burton, Forest, and Reading then take something at Sheffield United and Hull. I also fancy us to get something against either Wolves or Villa. A long way to go yet though.

[sajtion]

it's so difficult to predict right at this stage of the season. the bottom teams are fighting for survival and pulling off surprise victories. there is possibility some bottom teams will spring up surprises this weekend and gotta watch out for those

[StevieDay1983]

Fulham vs QPR

The West London Derby might not be one of the most volatile rivalries in British football but it's often a thrilling affair. The past 9 meetings between these two sides has seen a total of 31 goals scored. Both teams have scored in 6 of those matches. Results have favoured Fulham with 6 wins for the Cottagers, 2 wins for Rangers, and 1 draw.

QPR did their local rivals a massive favour on Tuesday night when they hammered automatic promotion contenders Aston Villa 3-1 at Villa Park. Now, it will be Fulham's turn to try and avoid having their promotion hopes derailed by Ian Holloway's side. Looking at the stats, it should be relatively straight forward. Unfortunately, we are at that stage of the Championship season where straight forward is no longer a thing.

Fulham's home record is superb right now. They have won 10, drawn 6, and only lost 2 of their 18 home matches in the league. Compare that to QPR's away record of 3 wins, 5 draws, and 10 defeats in 18 league games and it appears there will only be one winner.

Personally, I really rate Slavisa Jokanovic as a manager. He's done the business with Fulham and the club is now sat in 4th place in the Championship, just 8 points off the automatic promotion spots, and enjoying a run of 15 league games unbeaten. They have to be fancied against anyone right now. It might also be worth putting a cheeky risky bet on striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring any time. The Serbian international has bagged 7 goals in his last 5 league games.

Fulham -1 @ 2.60 with Betfair

Aleksandar Mitrovic to score anytime @ 2.20 with Betfair

@waynecoyne, @sajtion, @canaries91, @Mindfulness, @betcatalog, @Magic0024, @malabgd, @CloughandTaylor, @Tiffy, @PokerWolf1, @teddybear3011, @skyblues88, @allyhibs, @Icongene, @KikoCy, @willie82, @Neubs, @Papa Lazarou, @kulikTS, @Valkovets, @harry_rag, @Pipoca, and @the bastardian, what bets are you guys looking to back for this weekend's games?

[arvee]

Is David Davis fit against hull this weekend? Bet on birmingham if he is?

[StevieDay1983]

6 hours ago, arvee said:

Is David Davis fit against hull this weekend? Bet on birmingham if he is?

He is expected to return to the first team squad apparently. I would back them to beat Hull at home.

Bolton vs Aston Villa

As a Cardiff fan, it gave me great delight to see Aston Villa fall on their faces against QPR at home. However, I think under the management of Steve Bruce that the result is likely to be a one-off and they should get their automatic promotion challenge back on track with a workmanlike win here against an inconsistent Bolton.

Phil Parkinson has made the Trotters a tough team to beat over the past couple of months. The club is loitering dangerously over the relegation zone in 20th place but they are 6 points clear of the actual relegation places. Just 1 defeat in their last 5 league games has steadied results. In fact, had it not been for their woeful start of just 2 points from their first 11 league matches then Bolton would certainly be a comfortable mid-table side.

The Villains were flying high before the defeat in midweek to QPR. The Claret and Blue Army had only suffered 1 loss in 12 league games before that previous loss. It's seen Bruce's side rise to 3rd in the Championship table. They are now 7 points off the automatic promotion pace but with Cardiff playing away to Derby on Sunday, Villa can reduce that gap to just 4 points by Saturday evening.

I am backing Villa to get the win here. Bolton will make it difficult but I think Bruce will learn from his mistake in midweek and freshen the starting XI up with the likes of Scott Hogan and Birkir Bjarnason set for starts. Bolton won't roll over and it could be an exciting game at the Macron Stadium.

Aston Villa to win @ 1.85 with Betfair

BTTS @ 2.10 with Paddy Power

[sajtion]

last chance for sunderland to get three points on the board. i am sure they will try really hard tomorrow and if they get some luck maybe they could sneak a win. i like the fact preston is going into this match as favorites because it could work against them and cause them to stumble. 

[Magic0024]

Football Facts and Streaks regarding Championship

Sunderland have failed to win in their last 9 matches in Championship.
Sunderland conceded at least 1 goal in each of their last 9 matches in Championship.
Sunderland have conceded 2 goals or more in each of their last 4 home matches in Championship.
Preston conceded at least 1 goal in each of their last 8 matches in Championship.
Preston have scored in each of their last 6 away matches in Championship.

You can find interesting 94 Football Betting Streaks for 17.03.2018 on this link ... http://eurofootballrumours.com/football-facts-and-streaks-17-03-2018-8859

[StevieDay1983]

Derby vs Cardiff

It's a big game for these two sides in the race for promotion. The game has added significance after the weekend results of Fulham, Middlesbrough, and Aston Villa all dropping points. It's a massive opportunity for Cardiff to take a big step closer to automatic promotion. There is also huge pressure on Derby to win with the chasing pack of Bristol City, Preston, and Sheffield United all closing in on the play-off positions.

These two sides have had completely different experiences in 2018. Derby have only won 2 from their 11 league games in 2018. That includes failing to register a league win since 3rd February. Cardiff have gone undefeated since New Year's Day including a run of 7 wins on the bounce scoring 8 goals in their last 3 matches.

As many of you know, I've adopted a more pessimistic attitude as a Cardiff fan. I never go into a game with us expecting us to ease to a win. I am hoping we can take at least a point tomorrow but it will be tough. Derby are just as inconsistent at home as Cardiff are away. The Rams are going through a very poor run right now but Gary Rowett is a competent manager and their fortunes will change at some point. He did suffer a similar bad spell last season so does he push his players too much at this stage of the season?

Even though Cardiff are 7 points clear of third place with a game in hand there's still a lot that can happen in the remaining 8-9 matches of the Championship season. Wolves are back to winning ways so it seems second place is the remaining automatic promotion spot up for grabs.

Can the Bluebirds get a vital win tomorrow? I'm not comfortable with saying we will. A draw is more realistic. However, I am still seeing Derby fans writing us off before they've even played us. That's been a major positive for us all season. Nobody rates us. We go into this game as underdogs despite form, league position, and recent performances. That suits us just fine. I am optimistic we can take at least a point. A win would be superb but it'll be a big ask.

Draw @ 3.30 with Betfair

BTTS @ 1.95 with SunBets

[Magic0024]

Football Facts and Streaks regarding Championship

Derby County have failed to win in their last 7 matches in Championship.
Cardiff City have won their last 7 matches in Championship.
Cardiff City have been undefeated in their last 11 matches in Championship.
Cardiff City have scored in each of their last 9 matches in Championship.
Cardiff City have scored 2 goals or more in each of their last 3 matches in Championship.

You can find interesting 98 Football Betting Streaks for 18.03.2018 on this link ... http://eurofootballrumours.com/football-facts-and-streaks-18-03-2018-8862