Derby County v Blackburn Rovers
A Derby win will see them return to second in the table, while Blackburn will be hoping to close the gap between themselves and the play-off spots. A home win with Sky Bet is priced at 4/5 with an away victory at 7/2 and the draw 5/2. Blackburn have drawn three of their last five away games 1-1 with Rudy Gestede scoring in two of those three draws. Rovers will still be on a high after knocking out Premier League side Swansea City in the FA Cup and the Rams are also still in the hat after beating Chesterfield 2-0 at Pride Park. This has all the makings of a close contest with both teams aiming to boost their promotion prospects.
Top Tip: A 1-1 draw at 11/2.
Millwall v Reading
Millwall are 11/5 with Sky Bet to win but sit in the final relegation place and three points would only put them level on points with Rotherham above them - the Lions’ goal difference would keep them in the drop zone, but of course there’s still much to play for this season. Reading are 5/4 and have picked up five points since Steve Clark’s arrival in December, but only one of them was on the road. The draw is a backable price at 23/10 and wouldn’t be a bad outcome for either side as the Lions aim to end their five-match losing home run. The Royals have only won once and drawn once in their last five on the road., but their away games have seen both teams scoring on eight of the last 10 occasions, making the 5/6 about that occurring again of obvious appeal.
Top Tip: Both teams to score at 5/6.
Rotherham v Bolton Wanderers
A Bolton win at 21/10 with Sky Bet could see them climb up to the top half of the table in the congested Sky Bet Championship standings. Rotherham at 13/10 will be aiming to pull themselves clear of the relegation places. With Rotherham drawing five of their last seven homes matches and Bolton also drawing two of their last five, backing the draw certainly makes some statistical sense. Factoring in that the Trotters played so well against Liverpool at the weekend and shortly face a replay, Bolton boss Neil Lennon might feel that taking a point would be a satisfactory outcome. Craig Davies heads the first goalscorer betting for the visitors at 6/1, with Matt Derbyshire considered the likeliest first scorer for the home side at 13/2.
Top Tip: The draw at 9/4.
Sheffield Wednesday v Birmingham City
Birmingham have enjoyed a recent revival under Gary Rowett but remain outsiders at 11/4 with Sky Bet to win at Hillsborough. Sheffield Wednesday are priced at 21/20 for victory with the draw at 23/10. The Owls’ home form has been inconsistent of late; in their last five they have won two, lost two and drawn the other. However, their opponents have won three of their last five matches on the road and three points here would see them climb above Wednesday. Games involving these sides don’t tend to see many goals, with 11 of Sheffield Wednesday’s last 13 matches and seven of Birmingham’s last 10 producing under 2.5 goals. However, the usual defensive tightness of both sides is reflected in the fact that the price for two or fewer goals in this match is just 4/6. Instead, we’ll follow the fact that the visitors have scored the first goal in four of their last five away games and hope for the same scenario to unfold.
Top Tip: Birmingham to score the first goal at 11/8.
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