Ipswich Town

Arsenal are outright favourites to win the Carling Cup in your football betting, after progressing through the semi finals with a midweek 2-0 victory over Wigan. The semi final draw has seen them paired up with Championship side Ipswich. Arsene Wenger will grab this opportunity with both hands now, as Manchester United crumbled out of the competition in a 4-0 defeat away at West Ham United. That was the real last threat to Arsenal and their hope of ending their silverware drought by winning the Carling Cup, a tournament which they have won twice before. They have landed a favourable draw against the lowest side left in the competition, Roy Keane’s Ipswich. Ipswich, who are struggling for a bit of form in the Championship, saw off Premier League opposition in the form of West Brom, to secure their place in the semi finals. Out of the four remaining combatants, Ipswich are the only team who have not tasted League Cup final action.

The other semi final will see Birmingham take on West Ham. The Hammers produced a fantastic, and completely unexpected result against tournament favourites Manchester United on Tuesday night. Granted, United did not have a full strength side out, but the Hammers really put them to the sword. United’s second string was completely invisible, and that will have been the brightest spark in West Ham’s season so far. Birmingham saw of Midlands rivals Aston Villa at St Andrews, by a 2-1 scoreline, and if Arsenal get past Ipswich, then they will fancy their chances against either of those in the Carling Cup final at Wembley. The semi finals of the Carling Cup are played over two legs, with the first legs being played during the week of January 10th. The second legs will played a fortnight later.

Carling Cup Outright Winner Betting Odds

Arsenal: 4/7 at Stan James
Birmingham: 9/2 at Paddy Power
West Ham United: 5/1 at Unibet
Ipswich Town: 16/1 at Bodog

Carling Cup Semi Final First Leg Ante Post Prices at Bwin

Ipswich: 5/1,  Draw: 58/19, Arsenal: 5/11

West Ham: 11/10, Draw: 11/5, Birmingham: 11/5

Ipswich Town v West Bromwich Albion Betting Tip & Odds: Well, Ipswich have a good home record against West Brom, however Ipswich seem to be in a very generous mood at the moment. They are gifting away goals and points, something which boss Roy Keane understandably is not too happy about. Funnily enough, the two sides have even records in defence and attack, so there doesn’t look to be too clear and advantage there. Can Ipswich cause an upset against the Premier League side? Ipswich are just too fallible at the moment to back with any confidence, even though West Brom aren’t in fantastic form. The Baggies do have the edge in quality, and that has to win out in your betting strategy. Method of Victory West Brom in Extra Time 10/1 at Bet365

Ipswich Town to win: 11/4 at BetFred
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
West Bromwich Albion to win: 11/10 at 888Sport

Carling Cup Match Preview: The Midlands are being pretty well represented in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup this year, with Aston Villa and Birmingham going at in Wednesday’s other tie. West Brom, who have earned themselves some deserved plaudits this year, square off against the lowest team left in the competition, Ipswich from the Championship. Despite a lot of early promise and guts, West Brom have slowly been sliding backwards down the Premier League, winning only one of seven matches. But they topped up their numbers on the weekend, with a great away performance at Everton of all places, where the Baggies hit four goals. That win has left them in mid table mediocrity in the league, and boss Roberto Di Matteo really has the chance here to do some further good with the club, by getting them to the semi finals of the Carling Cup. This competition is great for teams like West Brom, as it offers a glimmer of a chance of silverware, with bigger clubs historically fielding weaker side. West Brom are the big club in this fixture however, and they need to put in a good, professional performance in order to get the job done against Ipswich.

What Roberto Di Matteo has done for West Brom, is give the Baggies a good footballing identity. There is that touch of Italian flair there in the side, a desire to play the ball on the ground, to play it out from the back. However, you do still need the quality of player to pull it off, but West Brom’s biggest downfall, really has been their defence, which hasn’t been sharp or strong enough this season. West Brom have only managed to keep one clean sheet this season, back in their second match of the season. They have been good to watch this season though, and they just need a little more solidity and they should be able to comfortably secure Premier League football next season. They have had some bothersome results of late though against opposition which they should be beating. They lost to Blackpool, drew with West Ham and lost to Wigan, the teams against which, they really need to be picking up points if they are going to make life easier for themselves. They have shown good qualities though this season, beating Arsenal at the Emirates and holding Spurs to a draw, all part of a six game unbeaten streak they went on. They are just in a slump at the moment, but perhaps the big victory away at Everton will see them get back on track, and play with a bit more confidence.

They renew a meeting against a side which they were familiar with last season. The sides met in the Championship last year, with the Baggies winning their home fixture, and drawing away at Ipswich. This is why this could be a tricky match for West Brom. Ipswich have a very good record at home against West Brom overall, with a 57% win percentage against the Baggies when they come to down. However, Ipswich are not a team in any kind of form at the moment. After suffering the humiliation of a 4-1 defeat at bitter rivals Norwich on the weekend, that has left Ipswich with just three wins in their last eleven matches. This is a serious downward turn, after showing a lot of promise at the start of the season under boss Roy Keane. Keane admitted himself though that the club aren’t likely to win the league, and at the moment promotion seems a long way away, at least in the league standings. However, Ipswich may be down in 16th, but they are only six points off sixth place, so there is a lot to play for. Jason Scotland leads the way in the goal scoring charts for them, with five league goals this season, but having lost their last two home matches, there is a lot to turn around at the moment. Roy Keane really needs his troops to respond at Portman Road on Wednesday. Better form and they may have just edged this one. West Brom to battle through though.

Last 5 Head to Head

Ipswich 1, West Brom 1
West Brom 2, Ipswich 0
Ipswich 2, West Brom 0
West Brom 4, Ipswich 0
West Brom 2, Ipswich 0

Saturday 23^rd October

English Championship

Burnley v Reading

Both Burnley and Reading have tasted top flight action in recent years and will be determined for points tomorrow in an effort to return to the Premier League.

Brian Laws had a pretty disastrous spell when taking over from Owen Coyle at the start of the year. Three wins from 19 premier league games meant relegation and a straight return to the Championship; there were even calls for him to be sacked before the start to this season. He survived those claims however, and both he and his side have came out fighting. 20 points from their first dozen games means they find themselves in a very promising position of fourth, just six points off of 2^nd placed Cardiff City. The majority of their points have come at Turf Moor (16 in total) but they have only suffered a couple of defeats on the road at the same time, proving they are in pretty good form and also hard to beat.

I previewed Reading last week in their home match against Swansea and to say that their performance and result was a disappointment is an understatement. Tepid, indecisive and disjointed were three words that could apply for that game, as well as their most recent match – another 1-0 loss, this time away to Bristol City. Despite my confidence last week, there are signs there that Reading are beginning to struggle now after a very decent spell. One point from their last three and two goals scored in their last four suggest that something is amiss at the Madejski Stadium. It may just be a case of freshening things up and giving some of their younger players who have played a lot, a rest. Brian McDermott is still a novice as a manager at this level so it will be interesting to see how he can cope with this slump in form and what he does to both halt it and improve things.  

Without doubt, Burnley’s star man and player in form so far this season, has been former Manchester United youngster, Chris Eagles. The midfielder has been in scintillating form thus far earning the plaudits and praise of Brian Laws in the press. The midweek win over Barnsley saw Eagles net another two goals to bring his season tally to six (five in his last four games) resulting in Laws describing him as unplayable at the minute. Eagles has always threatened to be a quality player but has suffered from massive inconsistencies so he has to now build on his latest good efforts and ensure it lasts for the majority of the season. His battle up against Reading left back, Ian Harte, is sure to be one of the more intriguing match-up’s tomorrow afternoon.

Bristol City are the only team to have left Turf Moor with a point this season as the likes of Hull, Leicester and Nottingham Forest have all been defeated. Burnley also notched a famous victory over Coyle’s new club, Bolton in the league cup earlier in the season. With the form Burnley are in at home weighted against how poor and lacklustre Reading have been of late, I strongly fancy the home side to gain all three points.

My selection: Burnley to beat Reading

Best odds available: EVENS from a host of bookmakers including Betfred

English Championship

Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town

Nottingham Forest and Ipswich both have a rich history of success, both domestically and in Europe, they meet each other at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon, looking for points in a bid to boost their chances of writing another chapter.

Nottingham Forest done ever so well to reach the play-offs last season in what was Billy Davies’ first full season in charge. Davies was forever telling the media and supporters that it would have been too early for the club to go to the Premier League. That may just have been bluster but with their start to this season, added to the amount of youngsters in their squad, then it may have been wise words after all. Forest started very slowly, much like last season, but there are signs that things are beginning to turn around heading into the winter months. One defeat in 11 matches has somewhat consolidated their position before hopefully, for them, pushing further up the table. Of those 11 matches, seven have ended in draws which have somewhat curtailed their progress up the league. Their last three home games have witnessed a return of seven points, wins against Middlesbrough and Swansea, and a draw with Sheffield United. Continuing this good form will be pivotal to any hopes of gaining promotion this season, especially at home.

Roy Keane endured a terrible start to last season with his Ipswich side which set the tone for much of the season as they were rarely out of the bottom quarter of the league for the majority of the season. Another year older, another year wiser, the Tractor boys have started this season much, much better. They are only two points and places outside the play-off places, giving themselves a far better chance of succeeding in their wish to be promoted after spending a considerable amount of money for the league. The last week, however, has seen two defeats in a row, one at home to Coventry and the other during midweek away to Watford. Keane will be stressing to his players the importance of halting this mini slump as soon as possible in order to stave off a lack of confidence or belief within the team itself.

Forest built their season around their home form in the last campaign. They suffered jut three defeats at the City ground last season and basically made it a fortress. What’s also interesting to note about last year, was that they really started to push on and put a run together from a similar point of the season to the one we’re currently at. Between the 27^th of September and the 6^th of February, Forest suffered only one defeat in the league. Davies knows the Championship inside out after spells with Derby and Preston before joining Forest, and he will know that it’s around this time of year where you can really give yourself a chance and put yourself in a position to challenge for the 2^nd half of the season.

Ipswich have looked sluggish of late which doesn’t bode well for tomorrow’s game. It doesn’t bode well ahead of their visit to the City Ground as Forest have not been defeated there in 25 matches. It’s also been over a decade since Ipswich won at the ground. A home win would put Nottingham Forest above tomorrow’s opponents and it’s one I believe they are capable of getting.

My selection: Nottingham Forest to beat Ipswich

Best odds available: 6/5 available with Ladbrokes

It turned out to be a rather poor week last week, especially with Liverpool losing away to Sunderland. I was under the impression that Gerrard and Torres would make it which, as I stated in my preview, played a large part in my tipping of them. Hopefully I’ll get back on track this week.

Saturday 24^th October (12.45)

English Premier League

Wolves v Aston Villa

Tomorrow’s meeting will be the first time these two rivals have played each other in the league for over 5 seasons. Villa will be looking to build on an excellent win over Chelsea last time out whilst Mick McCarthy’s Wolves are winless in their last 4 so will be looking to stop the rot tomorrow afternoon.

Wolves won the Championship at a canter last season but have stuttered on their return to England’s top flight. McCarthy has not invested too much money attempting to bring his squad up to the required quality and quantity to stay in the Premier League. Kevin Doyle, Greg Halford and Stefan Maierhofer have been 3 of his summer signings brought in for a bit of cash. The former Republic of Ireland manager has instead chose to persevere with the players who earned the clubs promotion last season. Stalwarts of that team such as Karl Henry, David Edwards and Richard Stearman have all played more often than not this term. From their opening 9 games, Wanderers have won twice and lost five. One of those wins came against Fulham at the end of September at Molineux. Their other home games have resulted in defeats to Portsmouth and West Ham with a draw against Hull City. If they wish to stay in the top division, their home form will have to improve sooner rather than later. Last time out, Wolves earned a credible draw away from home against Everton.

Martin O’Neill’s Villa have been very impressive for the majority of this season with only a couple of poor performances in matches where they would expect to pick up points in. There’s no secret or magical ingredient involved, it’s down to good organisation, hard work and skill and pace upfront. O’Neill has basically bought an entire new defence for his sides assault on a Champions League place next season, and it was two members of his new look defence that got the goals last weekend against Chelsea. Richard Dunne and James Collins scored from set-pieces in the come from behind 2-1 victory. With the World Cup coming up next summer, James Milner, Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey will be giving their all to earn a place on England’s plane to South Africa. Milner and Agbonlahor especially have upped their game this term and the signs are there that Young is getting back to his best. Villa’s last away match was a 2-1 reverse at Blackburn but they have already won on the road against Liverpool and in another Midland’s derby at Birmingham.

Wolves will be minus Maierhofer after the giant Austrian’s red card at Goodison last week so one of Sylvain Ebanks Blake, Andy Keogh or the fit again Chris Iwelumo will partner top scorer and record transfer Kevin Doyle tomorrow. It may be that McCarthy decides to play one up front with two wide players in support to keep it tight in the middle of the park, however, if he chooses to go this way it will mean an extremely hard shift for Doyle against a disciplined and well-oiled back Villa back four. O’Neill will more than likely play the same XI that started against Chelsea last week with John Carew preferred over Emile Heskey upfront. Luke Young is back training but is unlikely to start with Carlos Cuellar in great form at right back.

Villa have pace in abundance going forward and have the set piece delivery to make their clear height advantage worthwhile. They’ll get their fare share of opportunities in the air with Milner and Young’s expert delivery for the aforementioned Dunne, Collins, Carew and Cuellar. This is where I think the game will be won and as Wolves have already lost several goals from corners and free kicks I think the Villain’s will come through this match rather comfortably.

My selection: Aston Villa to beat Wolves

Best odds available: 23/20 available with several bookmakers including Bluesquare

English Premier League

Hull City v Portsmouth

The proverbial relegation 6-pointer takes place tomorrow at the KC stadium as 18^th placed Hull City entertain bottom dogs Portsmouth.

I, along with many others, expected Hull to struggle this term after the way they finished last season coupled with the loss of a couple of important players in the shape of Michael Turner and Manucho.  The biggest surprise I find is that there are still two teams below them in the table. Phil Brown has invested heavily in the last 10 months to improve results on the park with Jimmy Bullard, Stephen Hunt, Seyi Olofinjana and Kamel Ghilas all coming in for substantial fees. Strikers Jose Altiodre and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink have also been acquired to the ranks in an attempt to score more goals and ultimately, earn more points. Hull have won two and lost two at home this season which isn’t too bad at all. Their wins have came against Wigan and Bolton whilst they lost to Tottenham and Birmingham City.

Portsmouth have been in turmoil for most of the season but things may just be beginning to turn around for Paul Hart and his troops. Takeover rumours, aligned with player sales have meant that it’s never been easy for the Pompey on the park this season. The likes of Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar have all departed as has captain Sylvain Distin. Hart has not had much money to play with in his pursuit of replacements but has managed to add a plethora of new faces. The main one’s include Kevin-Prince Boateng, Tommy Smith, Steve Finnan and Jamie O’Hara on loan from Spurs. It has taken a month or two for Hart to assemble his strongest team from a large squad but it looks as though he’s getting closer to knowing what he wants and who he wants. They may only have three points (the win at Molineux) but they have performed admirably in the last month. That win was in between impressive performances in defeat against Everton and Spurs. The Spurs match inparticular was hard to take considering the chances the home side missed, most notably Aruna Dindane’s sitters.

Both sides desperately need a win tomorrow for obvious reasons, Portsmouth especially. Lose and they will be cast further adrift from the teams above them. Michael Brown will miss out after his late ordering off last week but Jamie O’Hara (ineligible to play last Saturday) will slot in for him. Otherwise it should be a similar side to the ones that have taken the field the last few games for the away side. The big news for Hull will be the likely starting place for Jimmy Bullard who was injured in January after his transfer to the tigers. He will be joined in tomorrow’s squad by Anthony Gardner and Nick Barmby.

I’ve been impressed with Portsmouth whenever I’ve seen them. They’re direct, play decent football and create a lot of chances. The only reason they’ve accumulated just 3 points is their poor finishing so I’m taking a chance and going with Paul Harts men in the hope they take a couple of the chances they are certainly going to make.

My selection: Portsmouth to beat Hull City

Best odds available: 15/8 with a couple of bookmakers including Coral

English Championship

Plymouth Argyle v Ipswich Town

Another battle between two sides at the wrong end of the table desperately in need of 3 points this time in the Championship as winless Town travel to Plymouth as Roy Keane’s men look to hold on to the lead for 90+ minutes.

Paul Sturrock’s Argyle have struggled for the most part this season, only recording two wins from their opening 13 matches. This form has led to calls for the manager to be sacked and the word around the club is that Sturrock may well be axed should Plymouth fail to get a result tomorrow against the only side currently below them in the table. Their only home win this season came against Scunthorpe at the start of the month, since then they have lost to Blackpool and Bristol City.

Ipswich have actually drawn more games than they have lost this season but the fact they have not won means they prop up the Championship at this point. They have drawn 3 of their last 4 matches, most recently against Watford at home during the week. Town’s Achilles heel has been conceding goals in the dying minutes of games. This has been the case in 3 of their last four matches, so instead of picking up 7 points in that time, they have only managed to gain a paltry two.

I watched a bit of Argyle’s match away at Blackpool last Saturday and they looked very much like a team who have stopped playing for their manager. There was no drive or energy about their performance and the heads were down as soon as Blackpool scorer their first. The opposite applies to tomorrow’s visitors who have fought and scrapped for everything in the last month. A win is just around the corner and I think they’ll repeat last year’s feat and come away from Home Park with maximum points.

My selection: Ipswich to beat Plymouth

Best odds available: 9/5 available with Ladbrokes

Happy punting and Good luck