Saturday’s British betting preview

Saturday 12^th December

English Championship

Watford v Derby County

Derby look to end their awful run of form on the road but they’ll find it extremely difficult to get anything from Watford who have now won their last four matches at Vicarage Road.

Watford continued their recent run of good form at home with a convincing, but hard fought, victory over London rivals QPR on Monday night. Despite going a goal behind early on, Malky MacKay’s side stuck to playing their football and got their rewards with three well worked goals against a good Rangers’ side. Tom Cleverley was again at the heart of everything that was good about the Hornets’ play and he’ll be the biggest threat to Derby tomorrow afternoon. His loan deal from Man United has been extended and he’ll now finish the season with the Championship side which will be a huge boost for everyone at the club.

Derby have failed to score in their last 5 away matches, but have still managed to pick up a couple of draws in that run of games. They are by far the lowest scorers away from home in the league with a measly 5 so Nigel Clough has attempted to make them harder to beat on the road because of this. They got a good point in midweek when travelling north to Preston but they are also a side lacking confidence so they should find Watford a different proposition altogether.

Watford will be hoping that the Henri Lansbury, the young midfielder on loan from Arsenal, will be fit to play after missing Monday’s victory. He has an excellent understanding with Cleverley and their styles of play complement each other. Derby will have to do without Dean Leacock who was injured in the stalemate with Preston which will mean a reshuffle at the back and this could be their downfall as he’s looked impressive of late, as well as being the organiser at the back.

Derby have struggled against the better sides in the league all season long. Nearly all their victories have come against sides in and around them at the foot of the table so I don’t hold out much hope for them tomorrow, home win.

My selection: Watford to beat Derby County

Best odds available: 19/20 available with several bookmakers including Victor Chandler

English Premier League

Manchester United v Aston Villa

8 points and 3 places separate these sides in the current Premier League as Martin O’Neill’s pretenders travel to the reigning Champions, Manchester United.

Man United’s defensive problems have been well documented of late and it’s a case of everybody rolling their sleeves up and mucking in while their recognised defenders sit out through injury. This has been the case for the likes of Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick. Both of whom are superb midfielders but they have also proven themselves to be adept at playing centre half in the last couple of matches. They get some respite this week though with the likely return of Nemanja Vidic who has got over his flu bug. He should be a certainty to return to the line-up. United will be looking to Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs to provide the spark going forward as both were at the centre of everything last weekend at Upton Park. They have an understanding which makes them almost impossible to stop when both are on form.

Aston Villa have won two and drawn two of their last 4 matches so come into this match in decent enough form but most of those games and points have come at Villa Park. Their away form is patchy this season with 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats. It’s not the worst record by any means, but they have dropped some silly points on the road already, especially against West Ham and Wolves. They only picked up 1 point from these games and both were games where they should have won as they were on top for long spells and their quality was far higher. They do score goals on the road though and they’ll feel they can cause United’s makeshift defence problems, especially in the air with either Emile Heskey or John Carew partnering Gabby Agbonlahor upfront.

It’s hard to see anything but a United win in this match as they are beginning to hit form and scoring goals from all over the park. Michael Owen has staked his claim for a starting spot with his midweek hat-trick but it doesn’t matter who plays, they’ll create a plethora of chances throughout the game. Their patched up side will also have its biggest test with Villa in good scoring form as well and capable of scoring goals from a variety of positions. With this in mind I fancy over 2 goals as well as the home win.

My selection: Manchester United to beat Aston Villa – 1/2 available at William Hill

Other selection: Over 2 goals – 4/5 available with Skybet

English League one

Huddersfield v Gillingham

Notoriously poor travellers Gillingham travel to a side who have not been beaten at home all season in the shape of Huddersfield.

I’ve previewed Huddersfield already this term and they haven’t changed much since then. They score an incredible amount of goals at home and they tend to win most of these games. 7 points from a possible 9 in their last 3 home games, with 11 goals scored and 4 conceded in that time. They dropped points in their last home match however when drawing 3-3 with lowly Tranmere which was a surprise considering how efficient the Terriers have been at home.

Gillingham have it all to do if they are to get anything other than a hiding tomorrow. They have a solitary point from their 10 away matches and have conceded 24 goals on the road, scoring just 7. It’s horrific reading for a team who are so hard to beat at their own place. They have already lost to Leeds United, Southampton and MK Dons away from home, by at least 2 goals as well. They also have to do without key defender Josh Gowling which will leave them even more vulnerable at the back.

Huddersfield are one of the best sides in League 1 and must be the most free flowing, attacking team in the division at home. They score goals for fun and always look to attack no matter who they are playing, emphasised by their 2-2  draw with top of the table Leeds at Elland Road last weekend. The more cautious amongst us may wish to take the 1/2 for a home win but I’m taking a slightly riskier bet and taking the home side to be winning at half time and full time as well as Huddersfield minus a goal.

My selections: Huddersfield to be winning at HT/FT – available at 6/5 with Coral

                              Huddersfield (-1) to beat Gillingham – available at 5/4 with Bluesquare