Crystal Palace

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace Carling Cup semi final second leg betting is being covered by a great Boylesports Money Back Special. This is First Goalscorer Cashback special, which means that if you make a First Goalscorer selection in the match, but your pick fails to score first but nets the second goal of the game, then you will get your lost stake refunded. So this provides some great coverage for the second leg of Cardiff v Crystal Palace on the First Goalscorer market, where Kenny Miller is 4/1 favourite to open the scoring, with Robert Earnshaw and Joe Mason tracking behind both at 5/1. Back a selection like this and if your selection scores second and not first in the match, then you will get your lost stake refunded as a free bet. Online bookmaker Boylesports offer a free £20 bet for new customers registering an account with them. Register an account and place your first stake of £20, and you will get a free matched bet to the same value.

It is Crystal Palace who take a 1-0 lead into the second leg thanks to Anthony Gardner’s first leg goal. Palace rested quite a few players for their weekend league match against Blackpool, which they lost. So you can see the importance that Palace are putting on this position in the Carling Cup. Manager Dougie Freedman though will know that the advantage really is a slender one between two very evenly matched Championship sides. Palace aren’t in a terrific run of form, not having won any of their last three matches in the league. They are struggling for goals up front, but their defence is pretty tight and they will need to be strong against Cardiff who are in great shape at the moment. It is Crystal Palace who hold a strong cup record against Cardiff, having never tasted cup defeat at the hands of the Welsh side. However, they haven’t managed to pick up a win on their last three trips Cardiff, but the Eagles have won all six of their Carling Cup matches this season and are proving to be a pretty strong cup side. Will their resilience at the back be able to hold out?

Cardiff have already beaten Crystal Palace at home in the league this season, winning 2-0 with goals from Kenny Miller and Peter Whittingham. Cardiff are sitting in third place in the Championship, again gunning for a place in the top flight. They are no strangers to Wembley of course, having been there three times in the last five years with play off heartbreak being suffered there. Palace boss Dougie Freedman has been doing a bit of trash talking ahead of the match, basically saying that Cardiff are chokers on big match occasions. That naturally prompted a response from Cardiff boss Malky Mackay who simply said that Freedman’s words were a great motivational team talk for the Bluebirds squad. Freedman’s words will probably have ramped up Cardiff’s intensity for this match, and the Palace boss’s words may yet come back to haunt him. Cardiff fired off a 3-2 win over Portsmouth in the Championship on the weekend, and they are the stronger offensive force of the two sides. But Crystal Palace are a tough side to break down and therefore the onus will all be on Cardiff to come forward and take the game to the visitors. That extra bit of motivation, especially in front of their home crowds, could just be the difference in the end in Cardiff v Crystal Palace Carling Cup betting. There doesn’t look as if there is going to be a lot between them, and with a place in the final on the line, it should be a tight and strongly contested affair.

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace Carling Cup semi final second leg betting odds
Cardiff to win: 4/5 at William Hill
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Crystal Palace to win: 9/2 at SkyBet

To Win Carling Cup: Crystal Palace 10/1 at Bet365, Cardiff 11/1 at Totesport

Saturday 5th November 2011

English Championship

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace

One point separates Cardiff and Crystal Palace in the table as both sides currently sit in the play-off zone so an attractive match is in proposition tomorrow at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Malky MacKay is four months into his job as Cardiff manager and despite some tricky moments and a lot of rebuilding, he looks to be getting things right on track for another push for promotion. Taking over from Dave Jones was always going to be difficult as he was in charge of some of the most successful Cardiff City teams in recent times. It’s a hard act to follow but the Scot is doing things his own way and getting a lot of success from it. Already in the quarter finals of the League Cup, his side sit fifth in the Championship, one point off tomorrow’s opponents and four points behind second placed West Ham. Their most recent match resulted in an impressive 3-0 success against Derby at Pride Park. It was only their second away win of the season but on the basis of it, it won’t be the last win on the road. Having won three of their last four they are hitting form heading into the Winter months which will delight MacKay as he is well aware that one team always puts together a run between now and Christmas which see’s them in contention for promotion.

Crystal Palace were previewed in this blog last month when they beat our selection, Ipswich, at Portman Road. It was a surprise to me as I felt that they were a far better side at home and that their early season form on the road flattered them somewhat. That’s not proving an error in judgment as they are now unbeaten in nine games in all competitions. Dougie Freedman’s side are also in the last eight of the League Cup so he’s another Scottish manager who is proving to be a hit in the English Championship. Palace have drawn their last two matches 0-0 with Reading and Portsmouth. Standards have been set so high that the Eagle’s fans will probably be disappointed with those results as they were both at Selhurst Park where they have been so strong this campaign. With three defeats and four wins from their seven away games, life is rarely dull on their travels. Their last defeat on the road was over a month ago and confidence will certainly be high, especially as their last away game was that impressive 1-0 win against the Tractor Boys.

MacKay has attempted to blend youth with experience during his overhaul of the playing squad. He has also looked to his fellow countrymen to bolster the players already there with the likes of Craig Conway, Don Cowie and Kenny Miller joining in the summer. All three are internationalists and will be key players in the coming months.

Palace will be hoping that Owen Garvan returns to the squad along with Alexander Tunchev. Both have missed recent games with injuries but are influential players who should at least find themselves on the bench. Jermaine Easter and Glenn Murray are likely to play upfront after forming a very hard working partnership.

Cardiff are on an impressive run of their own with just two defeats in 15 with their home record particularly impressive. From their first seven matches they have won four and drawn two. The only defeat at home has come against Brighton at the beginning of the season.

Their win against Derby was one of authority and they will hopefully have enough to dispose of a stubborn Crystal Palace side.

My Selection: Cardiff to beat Crystal Palace

Best odds available: 20/21 available with Boylesports

English Championship

Portsmouth v Nottingham Forest

Steve Cotterill returns to Fratton Park less than a month after leaving to become Nottingham Forest manager. Portsmouth will be desperate to put one over their former boss as the two sides clash.

Pompey have yet to appoint a full time replacement for Cotterill and it might be having an adverse effect on the players as from the four games since his departure, they have won just once and and lost two of the other three. Guy Whittingham, caretaker manager, is probably unlikely to get the role permanently but he will be doing is utmost to ensure he is being considered. Pompey’s home form has been good through all the upheaval with four wins and two draws from seven games. Their only defeat came against Peterborough at the end of September. After two games on the road where they picked up a solitary point, they will be glad to get back to home comforts and will be especially motivated as their former manager makes a return.

Forest were in dire straights before Cotterill took over in October. Steve McLaren’s reign was nothing short of a disaster and he had to go as players were simply not playing for him any longer. Since Cotterill has took charge their fortunes have definitely changed although their is plenty of room for improvement. Three wins from four matches is a big step in the right direction especially when you consider the calibre of teams they have beaten. Middlesbrough and Reading have been accounted for at the City Ground whilst a 2-1 win away to Blackpool means they have a 100% record on the road under their new boss. The only blot in his short career as Forest manager was a 1-0 loss at home to Hull where they dominated for large spells.

Portsmouth look to have been dealt a massive blow with the loss of their captain Liam Lawrence. The midfielder picked up an injury against Crystal Palace on Tuesday and it looks highly unlikely that he’ll be able to take part tomorrow. Greg Halford may well take his place as the utility man looks as though he’ll return from is own injury.

Forest are unlikely to change a winning formula after their 1-0 success against Reading. Cotterill has looked to stabalise the team and shored things up at the back. He will be looking towards Marcus Tudgay for their goals with the striker having notched in two of his four games in charge.

Passions are likely to be running high tomorrow come 3pm at Fratton Park. For all the good Cotterill did under immense pressure during his time with Portsmouth, football fans are a fickle lot and all they will remember is that he left their club for another, a rival in their own division.

It’s a more speculative punt than normal as a lot has to be taken on faith with regards to how well Forest are currently playing or if they have been successful because of the immediate impact of a new manager. Portsmouth have a small squad and with the loss of their influential captain it seems even more condensed. They don’t score too many at the best of times and with Lawrence out, they could be vulnerable against a team who look to be on a roll whatever the reason for their upsurge in form.

Cotterill will know these players inside out and as he’s a very shrewd character, the value may well lie in the away win.

My Selection: Nottingham Forest to beat Portsmouth

Best odds available: 85/40 available with Victor Chandler

There will be another preview for Sunday’s games so check back on Saturday night

Also, I have succumbed to the Twitter craze and will be updating regularly with my thoughts on football and horse racing so if you wish, follow me @CReilly1967

Saturday 22nd October

Bolton v Sunderland

Neither Bolton or Sunderland have had the start to the season that they would have wanted or expected so Saturday’s game give’s both sides a chance to rectify that at the Reebok.

Owen Coyle will have been disappointed with the number of defeats his side have so early in the season but he will have been boosted by recent performances. Last weeks victory over Wigan was far more like it and they looked like the team of last season with so much quality going forward. They troubled the Wigan goal on a regular basis and looked threatening for the full 90 minutes. It was just their second win of the season after eight games (losing the rest of them) and their first since the opening day of the season, so it was very timely heading into such an important stage of the season. Despite their victory they still remain in the bottom three, one place behind tomorrow’s opponents despite having the same number of points. What may provide a source of comfort for Coyle is the fact that Bolton have already played the likes of Chelsea, the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal. It’s a tough run of fixtures for anyone at anytime of the season but for a club who had brought in several players to begin their campaign with so many hard games it is doubly difficult.

Steve Bruce is under a lot of pressure at the minute after a less than positive start to the season. Last weekends defeat to Arsenal in London was their fourth of the season and with just one win to their name thus far, the pressure is mounting on the former Manchester United captain to start achieving results sooner rather than later. Their only win to date was a 4-0 thumping of Stoke City back in September which they would have been hoping would have been the turning point but the following three games have yielded just one point – and that was after being 2-0 down early on against West Brom. Like Bolton it’s not all doom in gloom as there were some positive signs against Arsenal last Sunday. Despite losing a goal in the first minute, the Black Cats equalised and held their own for much of the match only to lose to a fantastic Robin Van Persie free kick in the last few minutes.

It’s too early to talk about a six pointer – far too early, but it could prove to be a vital match for the future of Steve Bruce. A defeat and it would mean Bolton would leapfrog Sunderland and leave them in the relegation zone whilst a win could be the catalyst for them to clim the table. Sunderland do have a good recent record at the Reebok as they are unbeaten in their last three visits, winning two of them. A repeat of that would be a timely boost for the under-fire Bruce.

Bolton impressed me last weekend with the manner of their win against Wigan. To dominate a local derby is a feat at anytime but coming off so many defeats in the league and to do so away from home is even more impressive. Sunderland also stepped up their game against Arsenal but with home advantage I think Bolton will prove to be too strong and put even more pressure on Sunderland and their manager.

My Selection: Bolton to beat Sunderland

Best odds available: 13/10 available with PaddyPower

English Championship

Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace

Sixth meets fifth in the Championship tomorrow so it promises to be an entertaining match at Portman Road when Ipswich meet Crystal Palace.

Ipswich’s recent resurgence see’s them sitting top of the form table in the Championship as well as sitting in the play-off zone in the league itself. Paul Jewell will have been as disappointed as anyone with the start to the season by his side but things have certainly picked up in recent weeks. Key to their revival has been a strong midfield, one which would not look out of place in the Premier League let alone the current level they are playing at. Keith Andrews, Lee Bowyer, Jimmy Bullard and Grant Leadbitter have all had recent experience of playing at the top level whilst Jay Emmanuel Thomas was purchased from Arsenal in the close season. Despite winning their first match of the season they went on to lose five of their next six league games which saw them in the relegation zone at one point. Things have certainly picked up however and they are now unbeaten in their last six matches, winning four of them. It’s even more impressive when you consider they teams they have played during that time.

Palace have certainly surpassed many people’s expectations this season with the amount of points they have gathered so early on. Six wins from 12 is a more than decent return for a club who have been battling relegation for the past few seasons. Dougie Freedman is doing a grand job and will be delighted with the response of his players but he will also know that there is a long way to go between now and May so will be demanding that they keep it up. A big positive for Palace is that they seem equally comfortable away from home as they do at Selhurst Park as they have amassed the same amount of wins on the road as they have done at home. Back to back wins against Watford and Bristol City after the International break will have done wonders for confidence heading into a busy set of fixtures where they will be up against some quality sides such as tomorrow’s opponents, Southampton and Cardiff.

It’s such a cliche but the midfield battle is so important when two closely matched sides meet. It will be no different tomorrow and the likes of Bullard and Andrews will be up against South African and Australian internationals. Kagisho Evidence and Michael Jedinak will be accompanied by the goalscoring threat of Darren Ambrose in the Palace midfield whilst the potent partnership of Glenn Murray and Jermaine Easter will certainly test the home defence.

Ipswich are on a real role at the moment with a midfield packed full of quality it was only a matter of time before they got their act together. Michael Chopra will be tasked with adding to his five league goals as he assumed a likely lone striker role with the wide players expected to get up and support the former Cardiff hitman.

I am expecting game packed full of chances and possibly goals tomorrow as both managers like to get their teams forward. There has been 19 goals shared at Portman Road this term whilst Crystal Palace’s away games have yielded 16. With that in mind, as well as fancying Ipswich to gather all three points, I think the over 2.5 goals is also worth a wager.

My Selection: Ipswich to beat Crystal Palace at a best priced 21/20 available with William Hill Over 2.5 goals at a best priced 4/5 available with Bet365

English League One

Sheffield Wednesday v Colchester United
After a morale boosting come from behind draw against city rivals United last weekend, Sheffield Wednesday host Colchester knowing that a win could see them top if other results go their way.

Gary Megson may not have been everyone’s idea of Wednesday’s new manager and had a less than successful start last season but he has proved his doubters wrong this term. Six home wins from six in the league is the main reason for sitting third in the table and gives them real hope of returning to the second tier of English football after a few years in the wilderness. They have not tasted defeat since the middle of September and as mentioned, their 2-2 draw with Sheffield United would have felt like a win as they were two goals down with less than 10 minutes to go before their late, late show.

Megson has assembled a team of quality players who have experience at a higher level than this throughout their careers. Chris Sedgwick is one of those players and his vast experience is a real help in the middle of the park. The man everyone is talking about, however, is Gary Madine. Unlike others, Madine has not yet tasted a higher level of football but the former Carlisle man is really impressing and has scored 11 goals in 13 matches.

Colchester are not one of the bigger names in the League One list of clubs but they are consistent and do have a history of upsetting the odds so they do come with a warning. John Ward will be a little more satisfied after his side went the last four games unbeaten, winning two and drawing two. Before that they were struggling for any kind of consistency which meant they were towards the bottom of the table but they are improving as recent wins against Chesterfield and Walsall would back up. Two 2-2 draws followed so heading into tomorrow’s match against a heavyweight such as Sheffield Wednesday, confidence should be as high as it has been all season.

Anthony Wordsworth has been the jewel in Colchester’s crown this season as the midfielder has scored six goals in 13 games which is an excellent return for a striker at this level let alone a midfield player. He is attracting interest from bigger clubs but he looks totally devoted to Colchester and his development over the past couple of seasons has been excellent. With his six goals, he is on course to beat his tally of 11 goals he notched in 2009/10.

This game may have had home win written all over it a couple of weeks ago such was the form of Colchester but they are proving that they can be hard to beat with just one loss in eight games. That loss was against the other Sheffield side when they were easily beaten 3-0 at Brammal Lane.

Despite Colchester’s better form of late, there is a great deal of momentum behind Sheffield Wednesday and with Gary Madine in such prolific form, it’s hard to see anything other than a victory for the Owl’s.

My Selection: Sheffield Wednesday to beat Colchester

Best odds available: 5/6 available with Stan James

Happy New Year to all! I apologise for the lack of previews over the festive period, I’m sure you can understand how hectic and busy this time of year is and I have just been unable to get enough time to do the website justice. I felt I was hitting some form over the closing weeks of 2010 so I hope 2011 can continue that.

The FA Cup returns this weekend so punters should be wary as there are often shocks at this time of year whilst some teams totally devalue the historic competition nowadays.

Saturday 8^th January

English FA Cup

Coventry City v Crystal Palace

One of two all Championship ties takes place at the Ricoh Arena tomorrow as Coventry entertain relegation threatened Crystal Palace.

After a powerful run heading into Christmas, the Sky Blues have tailed off a little of late as they head into this game without a win in six matches, losing 4 of them. Aidy Boothroyd has done it all before in the Championship and would have expected a run like this with a squad that was only put together a matter of months ago. They are a club that is very much developing and the fact they’re only four points off a play-off position in the first week of January, should provide some comfort and satisfaction for all those associated with the club. Their home form this season has been in and out as they have won six and lost five of their 13 matches at the Ricoh. City had a decent run in the FA Cup two seasons ago as they reached the Quarter Finals only losing out to eventual winners Chelsea at home. Boothroyd will be hoping that his side can replicate some of that form this season. By his own admission it’s likely that this season is far too early for promotion, but with some experience and quality in the ranks, a good cup run is not out the question.

Crystal Palace have struggled all season long, so much so that they parted company with George Burley towards the end of last year. Former fans favourite, Dougie Freedman has taken the role of caretaker manager since Burley’s departure. The Scot picked up his first win in charge earlier this week as Palace triumphed 1-0 at home to fellow strugglers Preston North End. The winning goal came from former Spurs striker Stefan Iversen. The Norwegian striker marked his debut with a goal and is line to face Coventry tomorrow. Still an international striker, his acquisition may prove vital in the coming months as Palace bid to stave off relegation. The fans will be hoping that their new signing and current managerial team can alter things away from home. The Eagles have an abysmal record on the road which is the main reason they find themselves at the wrong end of the table. Just one win, and 10 defeats, from 13 away games tells its own story, as does the 31 goals conceded (the worst record in the division).

There are two lines of thinking as to how Crystal Palace will approach this game. Given they have just won a match and require momentum to lift themselves from their current league position, you could be forgiven to think that they would consider this game a must win. However I’m of the other opinion that the FA Cup could prove to be a hindrance with so many crucial league games coming up. They may well field a strong team given their lack of depth in the squad, but their priority is surely league survival. Coventry, on the other hand, can play with some more freedom as they sit in a much more comfortable position.

Priorities have to come into play here so with that in mind, I believe a home win offers the best value in this match up.

My selection: Coventry to beat Crystal Palace

Best odds available: EVENS available with William Hill

English FA Cup

Burton Albion v Middlesbrough

Tony Mowbray takes his Middlesbrough side to League Two side Burton Albion as he bids to turn the fortunes of the club around in the New Year.

Burton have been anything but spectacular this season and are not a team in form heading into this cup tie. Had they been, then there is a line of thinking that suggests this could be one of the more likely shocks due to the season their opponents are experiencing. Albion’s manager, Paul Peschisolido, is no stranger to the FA Cup as he has been around clubs such as Fulham, West Brom and Sheffield United. He reached the semi-finals of this competition with United so will be hoping that his experience and knowledge cup football in this country can help some of his younger players as they prepare for what is their biggest match since hosting Manchester United five years ago. They done ever so well to hold United to draw at home before losing the tie in the replay. That match should prove that they have little to fear in these fixtures as the pressure is all on the ‘big’ sides.

Tony Mowbray replaced Gordon Strachan in a job for the second season running when taking over the reins at Middlesbrough. Success and progress has not been instantaneous but performances are slowly getting better even if the results are much the same. Mowbray has always sought to get his teams playing attractive and expansive football, in order to do that, however, he needs his own players. The frustrating thing for him is that he is working with players that he deemed surplus to requirements in his previous job with Celtic. The likes of Barry Robson, Scott McDonald, Stephen McManus and Willo Flood were all shipped out last January but has fate would have it, they are now under his stewardship once again.

Burton have lost just three games at home this season and have won two of the last three at the Pirelli Stadium.

Middlesbrough will need to improve their results if they wish to move up the table, but they also have to fight and scrap for a win tomorrow to save any more embarrassment and criticism. That is exactly what they would get as the wages some of their players are on would probably eclipse the total wage bill for the whole Burton side.

I watched ‘Boro’s last match at home to Norwich and I was impressed with their passing and the amount of chances they created. If they can replicate that performance then the odds against them winning tomorrow could prove to be silly come 5pm.

My selection: Middlesbrough to beat Burton Albion

Best odds available: 23/20 available with William Hill 

English FA Cup

Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday

An intriguing matchup at Ashton Gate is in store when high flying Sheffield Wednesday of League One hope to get the better of Championship side Bristol City.

This season started with so much optimism for Bristol City as they had Steve Coppell in charge; David James chose to sign with them as they pushed towards the Premier League and the board backed the new manager with some big wages. Things, however, quickly turned sour. Coppell left, James came in for criticism and the new players failed to gel at first. The man entrusted to get things back on track was Keith Millen. Millen oversaw things towards the end of last season and now has the job permanently. His side currently sit five points clear of the relegation places which is a vast improvement on where they were earlier in the campaign. The main reason for their rise up the table is their home form. They are undefeated in eight matches at home with five wins and three draws. It’s excellent form, even more so when you consider they have three goals during that run.

Alan Irvine saw his charges turnaround their indifferent form and put a run together which catapulted them right back into the automatic promotion shake up. He has also witnessed a capitulation again as Wednesday are on a run of five games which has returned just one solitary victory. He must be banging his head against a wall with all the inconsistency which has plagued them for much of the season. Their away form has bore the brunt of this as they have lost the last four on the road which makes them vulnerable heading into this match. Irvine’s priority is obviously getting the Owl’s back into the Championship and making this fixture a regular thing. However tomorrow’s game could be just the tonic needed to go on another run of form over the next few weeks.

Bristol City have a lot of attacking options going forward and having made Ashton Gate a bit of a fortress of late, it’s no surprise that I feel they are the safest option and the odds suggest value to me.

My selection: Bristol City to beat Sheffield Wednesday

Best odds available: 21/20 available with Victor Chandler

Saturday 14^th March

Manchester United v Liverpool

It’s all or nothing for Liverpool tomorrow afternoon. Win and they still retain hopes of catching Manchester United at the top of the English Premiership. Lose and they will be locked in a battle with Chelsea for 2^nd place and Automatic qualification into the Champions League.

Both sides are coming into this match off the back of excellent victories in the European arena. United eased past Italian Champions, Inter Milan by scoring an early goal in either half and always looked like they could move through the gears if needed. Liverpool turned in the best performance of the week by destroying Spanish Champions, Real Madrid, 4-0 at Anfield. Madrid may not be as good as they once were but the performance of Liverpool should not be under-estimated, they played some of their best football they ever have done under the stewardship of Rafa Benitez.

It will be interesting to see how the away side set up for the lunchtime fixture. Should they attempt to match United like for like and play an open match, you can only see the Champions running over the top of them as they have the better quality of player for that kind of match. It is more likely that Benitez will adopt his European style formation with Torres as a lone striker, ably supported by Steven Gerrard and whoever plays in the wide positions for Liverpool, most likely Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt.

Sir Alex Ferguson will know that a win for his side would all but wrap up the title and he’ll be of the opinion that the sooner they can secure this League, the better it will be for their chances in the other competitions. He may choose to shuffle his pack around with the likes of Anderson, Darren Fletcher, Park Ji Sung and Carlos Tevez all pushing for a starting place. The usual suspects will fill the back first 5 positions on the team-sheet, but there may be one or two surprises in the home side’s line-up as Ferguson was not best pleased with how his players performed in the 2^nd half.

Man United will be hurting after losing to Liverpool at Anfield earlier on in the season. It was the first time that Ferguson suffered a reverse in the league at the hands of Rafa Benitez. Liverpool have not won at Old Trafford since 2004 and have lost on their last 4 visits to the Theatre of Dreams, including a 3-0 mauling last season. Fergie knows what beating Liverpool means to the United fans and the likes of Scholes, Rooney, Giggs and Ferdinand will be determined to avenge the 2-1 defeat in September.

The match can go two ways. Liverpool may play with a bit more freedom following their midweek victory over Madrid with a little pressure off them as no-one expects them to win the title anymore. Or it could go the way many expect it to with United powering on to their 3^rd successive EPL title victory by defeating their arch rivals and leaving no-one in doubt that they are the best team in the land by a wide margin.

Liverpool will have a chance if they repeat Tuesday night’s performance but United are in scintillating form at present and look an excellent wager.

My selection: Manchester United to beat Liverpool

Best price available: United are 10/11 with Williamhill

English Championship

Swansea v Crystal Palace

A huge match for the home side as they look to heap the pressure on the sides above them as they currently lie one position outside of the play-off positions.

Saturday’s visitors are Crystal Palace who themselves look liked play-off hopefuls over the Christmas period. Since their good run, they have tailed off and have only managed to win two league matches in 2009 in 10 attempts. A run which see’s them 10 points off of tomorrow hosts, albeit with one game in hand. Maybe even more alarmingly for manager Paul Warnock is the fact they’ve conceded 8 goals in their last 3 away matches including 4 in their last outing against Burnley in midweek – a side who play similar football to tomorrow’s opponents.

Swansea have not won as many games as they may have wished recently, drawing 3 of their last 4 Championship matches. 2 of their draws did come in difficult away matches against Derby and Nottingham Forest whilst they defeated a side who had taken points off of Reading, Wolves and Sheffield United in recent weeks in the shape of Plymouth. Roberto Martinez knows his side must grind out similar wins if they are to move up the table, starting tomorrow.

Swansea have suffered defeat only once on home soil and that was back in November against 2^nd place Birmingham. With 9 wins and 9 draws from their other 18 matches at the Liberty Stadium, visiting teams know they will have to go some to taking all 3 points home with them. Swansea can also boast the 3^rd highest total in home goals scored, behind Reading and Wolves.

Palace have not been great away from home, picking up just 5 victories from 18 matches thus far, losing a massive 10 of those. Their bid for a win here will not be helped by the loss of a couple of key defenders and with this being the case, Swansea’s inform striker, Jason Scotland, may prove to be very problematic.

Swansea know they require wins to get into the much coveted play off places and I can see them getting one tomorrow by brushing Crystal Palace aside. Also, Jason Scotland is in terrific form so have a little stake on him scoring at anytime.

My selection: Swansea to beat Crystal Palace

Jason Scotland to score anytime

Best price available: Swansea are 5/6 with Coral

Jason Scotland to score anytime is 5/4 with Bet365

by Matthew Chapple

With the championship season just four games old, there has already been a few surprise results with both Derby and Crystal palace occupying two of the relegation places. The biggest shock of the season so far came on the opening day with new boys Doncaster defeating Derby at Pride Park. Derby, who are widely tipped by several to be serious promotion contenders, have already given themselves a mountain to climb under Paul Jewell and are without a win after their first 4 league fixtures.

Crystal Palace are the other side who have made a dreadful start to the season. Two draws and two defeats see them lye in 22nd in the league and are also without a win from their first 4 fixtures.

Several have made undefeated starts to the season with Wolves, Preston, Birmingham, and Bristol City all yet to taste defeat. Wolves currently occupy top spot on goal difference which was largely down to their two terrific home victorys over Sheffield Wednesday which finished 4-1 and their 5-1 rout over Nottingham Forest.

Another surprise is that none of the three new clubs occupy any of the relegation places with Nottingham Forest the lowest out of three in the league in 16th. After Doncasters opening victory at Derby they went on to get 4 points from their next 3 matches.

Outright Betting: With Birmingham winning 3 out of the first 4 fixtures they are justified 10/3 favourties to win the league and judging by their early performances, they should go close. Wolves look good value at 11/2. They eased past their first few league games especially at home and look the team to beat in my opinion. Reading will be thereabouts come the end of the season and the bookies think so too and have priced reading up as third favourties at 7/1 while the new rich boys, QPR are currently 9/1 to win the Championship outright.

Relegation Odds: With both Blackpool and Barnsley not getting particularly good starts the bookies have priced them up as favourites for the drop with Blackpool 5/4 and Barnsley 11/8. The value looks to be with Derby County at 7/1. They are winless in 4 games and have just 1 point to their name. Their performances have been poor and haven’t really looked like winning any of the first 4 fixtures. Burnley lack quality and at 11/4 they look a fair bet for relegation and they should be around the foot of the table come the end of the season.

How we rate each team chances individually.

Barnsley
Players In: Luke Steele, Iain Hume, Roberto Colace, Mounir El Haimour, Darren Moore
Players Out: Paul Reid, Sam Togwell
Key player: Iain Hume
Prediction: 21st Despite making it all the way to the semi-final of the Fa Cup last season they struggled in their domestic campaign and finished 18th. They have a distinct lack of quality especially up front and they will struggle for fire-power in front of goal. We expect them to be around the bottom again this season.

Birmingham
Players In: Lee Carsley, Kevin Phillips, Marcus Bent, Kemy Agustien, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie
Players Out: Adam Lezgdins, Fabrice Muamba, Daniel de Ridder, Olivier Kapo, Sone Aluko
Key Player: Kevin Phillips
Prediction: 2nd They were unfortunate to be relegated last season as they got some decent results in the Premiership. They have kept the basic structure of the team while adding the likes of Everton’s Lee Carsley and West Brom’s Kevin Phillips. They have made a decent start to the season and they should be challenging for the automatic spots this season.

Blackpool
Players In: Matt Gilks, Joe Martin, Alex Babtiste, Steve Kabba, Jermaine Wright, Adam Hammill, David Vaughan, Marlon Broomes, Rob Edwards, Sone Aluko, Alan Gow
Players Out: Marcus Bean, Keigan Parker, Michael Jackson, Wes Hoolahan, Kaspars Gorkss
Key Player: Daniel Nardiello
Prediction: 23rd They did extremely well to avoid any sort of relegation battle come the end of the season but with a lack of quality, we fancy them to have a difficult season this time around. With just 4 points from the first 4 fixtures it doesn’t look too good.

Bristol City
Players In: Nicky Maynard, Gavin Williams, John Akinde
Players Out: Alex Russell, Nick Carle, Darren Byfield, Richard Keogh
Key Player: Nicky Maynard
Prediction: 9th They had a fantastic season last year and were unfortunate in the play-off’s. Once again they have made a great satrt to the season and with 8 points from the first 4 games they currently lye in 4th position and look on course for another good season. They were the surprise team last season but we doubt they will beat that and we fancy them to settle in the top half of the table this time around.

Burnley
Players In:Martin Paterson, Kevin McDonald, Christian Kalvenes, Diego Penny, Remco van der Schaaf, Chris Eagles, Russell Anderson, Steven Thompson
Players Out: John Spicer, Kyle Lafferty, James O’Connor, Jon Harley, Djemba-Djemba, David Unsworth
Key Player: Martin Paterson
Prediction: 22nd Burnley finished in mid-table last term and will be lucky to surive this season in our opinion. Chris Eagles should provide them with creativity while fan will be looking towards Martin paterson for goals this season after they let Kyle Lafferty go to Rangers. With just a single points form the opening fixtures the writing looks on the cards already. They lack quality and look set to face a relegation fight this season.

Cardiff
Players In: Darren Dennehy, Ross McCormack, Mark Kennedy, Jay Bothroyd, Eddie Johnson, Peter Encklemen
Players Out: Aaron Ramsey, David Forde, Warren Feeney, Robbie Fowler, Steven Thompson, Jimmy Flyod-Hasselbaink, Trevor Sinclair
Key Player: Joe Ledley
Prediction: 7th Cardiff somewhat sacrificed their league campaign for a great cup run in the FA Cup which seen them lose 1-0 to Portsmouth in the final. They will be disappointed with the departure of Aaron Ramsey who had a lot of potential and doesn’t seem as if Cardiff have found a replacement. Joe Ledley will be key if they are to push for the play-off’s this season but we think they will just come up short.

Charlton
Players In: Stuart Fleetwood, Martin Cranie, Hameur Bouazza
Players Out: Patrick McCarthy, Darren Randolph, Chris Iwelumo, Marcus Bent, Madjid Bougherra, Osei Sankofa, Sam Sodje, Ben Thatcher, Jerome Thomas, Amdy Faye,
Key Player: Marcus Bent
Prediction: 8th We’re not impressed with their lack of incoming transfers but they do posses some decent players in the final third. I think their season will rely heavily on a good start. If they hit a win less streak then they could start struggling. 6 points from 4 games isn’t the ideal start they would have hoped for and we doubt they will make a claim for one of the play-off spots.

Coventry
Players In: Guillaume Beuzelin, Aron Gunnarsson, Keiren Westwood, Freddy Eastwood, Steven Wright, Clinton Morrison
Players Out: Liam Davis, Julian Gray, Donovan Simmonds
Key Player: Freddy Eastwood
Prediction: 10th They had a poor season last year and were lucky not to go down. A new manager at the helm in Chris Coleman and their new signing Freddy Eastwood could one of the buys of the season. The welsh international is a proven goalscorer at this level and his goals this season will be crucial for Coventry’s ambitions. I don’t think they have the credentials to push for promotion and might have to settle for a mid-table finish.

Crystal palace
Players In: Patrick McCarthy, Johannes Ertl, Darryl Flahavan, Jos Van Nieuwstadt, Jose Fonte, Simon Thomas, Nick Carle, John Oster, Leandre Griffit, Alan Lee
Players Out: Jeff Hughes, Lewis Spencer, Mark Kennedy, John Bostock, Tony Craig, Clinton Morrison, Tom Soares, Dougie Freedman
Key Player: Nick Carle
Prediction: 6th Crystal palace made it to play-off’s last season and we fancy a repeat this season despite their poor start to the season. Neil Warnock has built a decent side at Palace and his side have the ability to push for promotion back to the top flight once again. One negative for me was them letting go of Clinton Morrison to league rivals Coventry. The forward bagged 16 goals in the championship last season and will be missed.

Derby
Players In: Kris Commons, Steve Davies, Nathan Ellington, Paul Connolly, Ruben Zadkovich, Paul Green, Jordan Stewart, Martin Albrechtsen, Liam Dickinson, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Rob Hulse
Players Out: Robert Earnshaw, Kenny Miller, Michael Johnson, Lee Holmes, David Jones, Darren Moore, Jason Beardsley, Craig Fagan, Tyron Mears, Eddie Lewis
Key Player: Rob Hulse
Prediction: 12th Despite them dropping down from the premiership we reckon they will have a difficult season. They were the worst ever team to play in the Premiership last season and they haven’t strengthen enough for us to think they will bounce straight back up. Add that to their poor start to the season we reckon they will find things tougher then they first expected in the Championship. Kris Commons and Rob Hulse look decent signings but we’re not too confident of their defence. A tough season ahead predicted which could see the end of Paul Jewell.

Doncaster
Players In:John Spicer, Darren Byfield, Tomi Ameobi, Matthew Mills, Jos van Niewstadt, James Chambers
Players Out: Paul Green, Stephen Roberts, Mark McCammon
Key Player: Darren Byfield
Prediction:19th Doncaster made it into the championship via the play-offs from League one and although they didn’t go up through automatic promotion, we fancy them to do well this season. They have a solid look about them and they could give some of the bigger sides in the league a surprise when they play them. Derby have already found this out when they lsot at home to Doncaster 1-0. Going by their first few performances they should have enough to stay up.

Ipswich
Players In: Pim Balkestein, Gareth McAuley, Kevin Lisbie, Richard Wright, Ivan Campo, Ben Thatcher, Moritz Volz, Johnathan Stead
Players Out: Gavin Williams, Gary Roberts, Nick Colgan
Key Player: Johnathan Walters
Prediction: 3rd Ipswich are a team with a great home record. They were the best home side of last season with just the on defeat at Portman Road. We didn’t think many would beat them at Portman Road this season but with two straight home defeats it has certainly made us concentrate harder. Although they have made apoor start to the season by their own standards, we still fancy them to at least get one of the 4 play-off positions. A distinct lack of transfers into the club is a slight concern but we fancy them to go well and possibly sneak automatic promotion.

Norwich
Players In: Sammy Clingan, Wes Hoolahan, Ryan Bertrand, Dejan Stefanovic, Elliot Omozusi, Arturo Lupoli, David Bell, Stuart Nelson
Players Out: Matt Gliks, Andrew Cave-Brown
Key Player: Arturo Lupoli
Prediction: 14th Norwich finished 17th last season which is unacceptable for a club with their recent history. They lacked goals last season and have brought in some strikers wit h the aim of putting it right this season. However they still lack quality in the midfield and there is a lack of quality creative players in their squad. If they can provide the former Arsenal youngster, Lupoli with regular service then they may go well but they are very incocnsistent and we fancy them to have another poor season.

Nottingham Forest
Players In: Robert Earnshaw, Guy Moussi, Andy Cole, Joe Garner, Paul Anderson, Mickael Darnet, Lee Martin
Players Out: Kris Commons, Matt Lockwood, Alan Power, Sammy Clingan, Grant Holt, Junior Agogo
Key Player: Robert Earnshaw
Prediction: 17th Last seasons League two runners-up Nottingham Forest look to have enough to see off relegation for one season at least. The signing of Robert Earnshaw from Derby County is a massive positive. The welsh international has bags of pace and can score at this level. If Nottingham are to survive then his goals will play a key part. A 5-1 hammering against Wolves won;t go down too nciely with the players but their other 3 performances look good enough for us to think they should settle nicely in the bottom half of table.

Plymouth Argyle
Players In: Jason Puncheon, Karl Duguid, Yala Bolsaie, Graham Stack, Emlie Mpenza, Nicolas Marin, paul Gallagher, Chris Barker, Simon Walton
Players Out: Paul Connolly, Paul Wotton, Najim Abdou, Peter Halmosi
Key Player: Emile Mpenza
Prediction: 15th I live near Plymouth and the fans are not too optimistic about the season ahead. Plymouth have let several of their best players go over the past year with the likes of Ebanks-Blake going to Wolves in January and their most high profile of them all in Peter Halmosi who couldn’t resist the lure of the premiership with Hull City. Emile Mpenza is a fantastic signing for Sturrock and he could be crucial for Plymouth this season. After a decent season last year we fancy them to finish in mid-table this term.

Preston
Players In: Barry Nicholsen, Ross Wallace, Jon Parkin, Stephen Elliott
Players Out: Tamas Priskin
Key Player: Neil Mellor
Prediction: 13th Preston struggled for the majority of last season and spent a lot of the time near the foot of the table. The eventually finished in 15th and with the lack of activity in the transfer market this summer they won’t be too far away from where they finished last season. They have made a great start to the new season though and have 10 points from their first 4 games beating some of the favourites for promotion. Their start to the season is very good but they are a inconsistent side and we doubt they can keep it up throughout the season.

Queens Park Rangers
Players In: Radek Cerny, Peter Ramage, Emmanuel Ledesma, Kaspars Gorkss, Dani Parejo, Samuel Di Carmine
Players Out: Stefan Bailey, Jake Cole, Daniel Nardiello, Zesh Rehman. Simon Walton, Chris Barker
Key Player: Emmanuel Ledesma
Prediction: 4th QPR fans are confident they can win the title this season. With new investors from the world of Formula 1 they have the cash to push for promotion and a minimum of a play-off spot will be expected from the fans. They have brought in a decent keeper in former spurs shot stopper Radek Cerny and Ledesma is a classy winger who can deliver a good ball. The board have already expressed that they aim to be in the premiership within the next couple of season and we think this could be their year but it will take a lot of work.

Reading
Players In: Noel Hunt, Chris Armstrong
Players Out: Adam Bygrave, Ben Hamer, Glenn Little, Dave Kitson, Scott Davies, Ibrahima Sonko
Key Player: Kevin Doyle
Prediction: 5th Despite Reading being relegated from the Premiership they have managed to keep the majority of their best players. Leroy Lite, Steven Hunt and Kevin Doyle have all stayed at the club with their only big departure being Glen little to Portsmouth. They have started fairly well and are in 6th position after 4 games. They have enough quality to regain their premiership status and we expect them to be in the play-off’s come the end of the season.

Sheffield United
Players In: Greg Halford, Sun Jihai, Darius Henderson, Justin Haber, David Cotterill
Players Out: Chris Lucketti, Rob Hulse, Ben Starosta, Luton Shelton, Johnathan Stead, Michael Tonge, Chris Armstrong,
Key Player: James Beattie
Prediction: 11th A disappointing season last term saw them finish in 9th. They are a club expected to push for promotion each season but are very inconsistent. They did well to keep hold of James Beattie who scored 21 league goals last season. Even with Kevin Blackwell at the helm i can’t see them mounting a promotion challenge this season and will have to settle for another average campaign in mid-table.

Sheffield Wednesday
Players In: James O’Connor, Tony McMahon, Jimmy Smith
Players Out: Burten O’brien
Key Player: James O’Connor
Prediction: 24th Sheffield Wednesday seem to struggle each season and were tipped for relegation last season. They do lack fire-power in front of goal and with no recognised signings they will be in for another difficult campaign and a dogfight at the foot of the table looks inevitable.

Southampton
Players In: Chris Perry, Lee Holmes, Paul Wotton, Tommy Forecast, Morgan Schneiderlin, Anthony Pulis, Jack Cork
Players Out: Cedric Baseya, Andrew Davis
Key Player: Bradley Wright-Phillips
Prediction: 20th Another former Premiership club on the decline. After their stint in the top flight they have seriously struggled for results in the championships and were very fortunate not to go down last season and their survival went down to the last day of the season which saw Leicester take their place in the last relegation spot. A team who lack goals and confidence and if they get off to a bad start, their could be no way back for the Saints.

Swansea
Players In: Ashley Williams, Mark Gower, Federico Bessone, Albert Serran, Fabien Brandy, Stefan Morrision
Players Out: Kevin Austin, Kevin Amankwaah, Darryl Duffy, Darren Way
Key Player: Jason Scotland
Prediction: 18th Last season League one champions will be hoping to avoid a relegation fight but with a lack of depth within the squad they could have one on their hands. Despite manager Martinez making some signings over the summer they do lack a potent striker and could struggle somewhat for goals. Going on their first couple of performances they should have enough to pull off survival though.

Watford
Players In: Jon Harley
Players Out: Nathan Ellington, Jordan Stewart, Toumani Diagoura, Steve Kabba, Darius Henderson, Moses Ashikodi, Danni Shittu
Key Player: Tommy Smith
Prediction: 16th After a great start to last season which seen them top of the league at Christmas, they fell off the pace and only just managed to get the last play-off spot. They went out at the first hurdle to eventual play-off winners Hull City. Their does seem to be cash problems at the club also with Boothroyd being forced to sell several key players with Nathan Ellington, Steve Kabba and Darius Henderson all departing the club. With very little coming into the club they look in trouble. They are widely tipped to struggle this season and we reckon they will finish 10 places behind their position last season in 16th.

Wolves
Players In: Sam Vokes, Richard Stearman, David Jones, Chris Iwelumo, Matthew Hill
Players Out: Freddy Eastwood, Matt Bailey, Seyi Olofinjana, Elliott Bennett, Lee Collins, Jay Bothroyd, Charles Mulgrew
Key Player: Michael Kightly
Prediction: 1st Manager Mick McCarthy has made some decent signings over the summer in a bid to improve on last seasons finish of 7th. Wolves had a disappointing season last term and were fancied to at least get a play-off spot. Welsh international Sam Vokes looks a decent proposition for the future while Chris Iwelumo should be what they need to get the goals to push them higher up the league. They have made the best start to the season out of any of the championship clubs and with them currently in first place, we fancy them to remain their aslong as they keep up the good performances.