Football – England – Championship
Friday 26th December 2014 – Kickoff: 1300hrs
Next up is an interesting mid-table clash between hosts Charlton Athletic and visitors Cardiff City at The Valley where Charlton have suffered just one defeat at home so far this season.
However, Charlton go into this lunchtime kickoff having failed to win in their last five matches overall which includes draws with Millwall, Nottingham Forest and Blackpool along with defeats to Ipswich Town and Blackburn Rovers.
Peel away the layers though, and the loss to Ipswich Town (currently flying high in second place), was The Addicks’ first loss on home turf in this campaign, while the loss to Blackburn Rovers was away at Ewood Park where Rovers hold a solid record. Nothing to worry unduly about I say.
At The Valley, Charlton hold a solid record of 4-6-1 13/10 with an additional draw against Sheffield Wednesday and a win over Bolton Wanderers in recent times, and earlier wins over top six sides Derby County and Watford along with holding fourth placed Middlesbrough to a 0-0 draw.
Visitors Cardiff City left themselves too much to do in the second half in their 3-2 loss at home to Brentford on Saturday, and despite fighting back with goals from Craig Noone and Kenwyne Jones, the damage had already been done in the first 45 minutes.
That defeat meant it’s been back-to-back defeats for The Bluebirds and a second time on the trot that they’ve conceded 3 goals as they’d previously lost at Bournemouth 5-3 at Dean Court. In fact Cardiff have recorded just three league wins from their last nine Championship matches with two of those coming at their Cardiff City Stadium.
The Bluebirds’ away record stands at 1-5-5 9/16 and along with keeping just two clean sheets on their travels so far, they’ve also failed to score in five of their eleven trips also which could cause them problems again this afternoon.
Charlton’s form at The Valley has been steady if not spectacular, but I do expect them to walk away with at least a point here this afternoon. You’ll want the draw on your side here in what could be a low-scoring affair, but the price for the quarter ball in Charlton’s favour is a little too high in my opinion. Charlton could edge this perhaps 1-0.
Pick: Charlton Athletic AH+0.25 @ 1.83 bet365
