*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at the time of publication but subject to change
43 down. Three to go. It’s squeaky bum time in the Championship now and there’s plenty to play for in this weekend’s televised games. First up we’ve got an absolute barn burner at 12.30pm as Brentford head to Bournemouth for a playoff dress rehearsal.
Then at 3pm it’s Wayne Rooney’s Derby County taking on Birmingham City in what is a must-win game for The Rams. Two contrasting games but plenty on the line however you look at it. I think I’ve found a really juicy double so let’s get into it.
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12.30pm: Bournemouth v Brentford – Bournemouth Win & BTTS
Jonathan Woodgate, football mastermind. Who’d have thought it. Certainly not yours truly. Now Woodgate, perhaps the man most famous for that disastrous Real Madrid debut, might be starting to write a new chapter in his career. The caretaker Bournemouth boss has surely done enough to make that permanent in the summer and he could well be a Premier League manager to boot.
His Cherries are on fire and, after a slow start under Woodgate, are tearing up The Championship ahead of the playoffs. We’ve got a post-season dry run here with 5th-placed Brentford heading down the road to Bournemouth who sit in 3rd.
Bournemouth have now won seven in a row, slaying Norwich and Swansea along the way. Brentford are stuttering and have won just once in their last seven, drawing a remarkable six times in that run. Luminaries like Derby, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Huddersfield have all earned a point against The Bees in that run.
TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football
They should then, be easy pickings for a rampant Bournemouth side on Saturday. But this is Brentford and pretty much anything can happen when they take to the field. However, we have to be with Bournemouth and their price to Win is a must-have in any accumulator this weekend.
But, for double purposes here I’m looking for a bit more juice and have found a really nice play in the early game this weekend and that’s Bournemouth to win the Both Teams to Score. This has landed in five of The Cherries’ last six games and is a very healthy price.
In terms of Brentford their penchant for a draw is a fly in the ointment but, as mentioned previously, a lot of those stalemates have come as points dropped in games where they were expected to win and not against the class of their opponents this weekend. Bournemouth almost always concede and Brentford have scored at least once in five of their last seven so we can expect them to net, it’s just that the hosts are going to outscore them.
3pm: Derby County v Birmingham City – Birmingham to Win
And now for something completely different. A basement battle with the effectively safe Birmingham City travelling to face the increasingly desperate Derby graces our screens at 3pm. The Rams are hovering above the drop zone and are a healthy-looking four points clear of Rotherham in 22nd but The Millers still have two pesky games in hand.
For City, they’re 19th and a genuinely healthy 10 points clear of Rotherham. Derby are in freefall while City have started to grind out some important and impressive results. Saturday’s hosts have lost five of their last six and it looks like their new manager bounce has well and truly come and gone. Time to dust off the old T90s, Wayne?
On the other hand The Blues are undefeated in five, winning three and drawing two. It’s starting to look a bit bleak for Derby but they can take some comfort in Rotherham’s poor form below them. However, they can’t rely on that continuing and they need to get their act together soon.
Sky Sports Football
But, from a betting point of view, we have to side with Birmingham and at the price on offer we can simply back them to Win. This is another one for your accas, by the way. They are a quite remarkable price given Derby’s shocking form, but perhaps Paddy’s punters are expecting the pressure to bring the best out of The Rams as they really do need the win with the uncertainty over Rotherham.
However, they’ve showed no sign of pulling it around recently while Birmingham are looking like a good outfit under Lee Bowyer. He’s still trying to make a good impression and insert a winning culture at the club head of next season. They might be safe but I can’t see The Blues resting on their laurels here and the Birmingham Win rounds off our value-packed double here.
Saturday’s TV double
12.30pm: Bournemouth v Brentford – Bournemouth to Win and BTTS
3pm: Derby County v Birmingham City – Birmingham City to Win
A Paddy Power double on the above two bets clocks in at around 14/1
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at the time of publication but subject to change
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