Brum can run Trotters ragged

After correctly predicting Peterborough to 'maul' Wolves on Boxing Day Mike Norman is understandably sticking with Darren Ferguson's men. But are Posh Mike's best bet of the day?

 

Bristol City 2.4 v Peterborough 3.1; The Draw 3.8

 

I see no reason to desert Peterborough after their fantastic 3-0 win over Wolves on Boxing Day. Prior to that game I made Posh by best bet of the day (at a very rewarding 4.7) purely because of their recent form. And now that form looks even stronger after that victory at Molineux.

 

Posh's last four opponents read Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Bolton, and Wolves - no slouches at all. In fact, three of those clubs are recent Premier League clubs and the other currently leads the Championship by five points. So for Darren Ferguson's men to win three of those games and score 12 goals in the process is a fantastic return and arguably the best form on offer in the Championship currently.

 

Bristol City bring some of the worst form in the division to the table. Other than a totally-out-of-the-blue victory over Middlesbrough, Derek McInnes' side have registered just one victory in their previous 16 league games, and that was against an out-of-form Sheffield Wednesday.

 

The Robins currently sit rock bottom of the Championship and have won just two games at home all season, with matches at Ashton Gate averaging over four goals per game. That's not good news when you have an in-form, free-scoring Peterborough side about to visit.

 

Recommended Bet: Back Peterborough to win @ 3.1

 

 

Bolton 1.96 v Birmingham 4.2; The Draw 3.8

 

Bolton are struggling, so for them to be strong favourites to beat an improving Birmingham side doesn't seem correct, hence Brum being the selection here.

 

The Trotters have won just two of their last 10 in the Championship and in December alone they've lost to Ipswich, Peterborough, and Sheffield Wednesday; clubs that have been in and around the bottom three all season.

 

I've been a fan of backing 'overs' in games involving Bolton simply because they concede plenty, but if the goals dry up at the other end - as they did on Boxing Day - then the remainder of the season could be a long one for Dougie Freedman's men.

 

Birmingham have had a tough set of fixtures of late with the likes of Hull, Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Blackpool all being amongst the opposition, but Lee Clarke's men have performed with credit and they've now lost just one of their last six league games. I fancy them to put up a good performance on Saturday, and given I expected them to be around the 3.5 mark I'm happy to take a chance on them winning at the Reebok.

 

Recommended Bet: Back Birmingham to win @ 4.2 (best bet)

 

 

Middlesbrough 2.3 v Blackpool 3.3; The Draw 3.7

 

I'll be at this game, and I will be very disappointed if I don't see an entertaining encounter with plenty of goals.

 

I thought long and hard about selecting Middlesbrough to win; after all they are flying high in the table and have a tremendous home record - six wins from their last seven at the Riverside. Add in the fact that Blackpool have won just two of their last nine and it's not difficult to see the home side prevailing again.

 

But I see goals in this one. Boro haven't failed to score in front of their own fans all season with games at the Riverside averaging exactly three goals per game. And Blackpool just seem to score in every game they play, as they have done in each of their last 13 outings.

 

The stats point to goals too. Five of Boro's last 10 games have gone over the 3.5 goal mark and that stat is mirrored in Blackpool's last 10 games, so effectively, taking the last 20 league outings between them as a guide it's a 50/50 chance (2.0) that we'll go Over 3.5 Goals this time. So the fact that we can back that option at 2.9 is more than fair.

 

Recommended Bet: Back Over 3.5 Goals @ 2.9

 

Bet HERE

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