Bet Builder Tips: A tasty 22/1 Sunday punt for Cardiff v Nottingham Forest

Our tipster Colin Harvey shakes down the stats ahead of Sunday's clash.

* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

This bizarre English footballing weekend rounds off with a Championship clash on the telly this Sunday at 4pm. It’s Cardiff and Nottingham Forest getting a reminder of what it was like to be in the big league and a refresher on how hard it is to get back.

It’s been a bloody long road for Forest who look to be back on the up once again under the excellent Steve Cooper. For The Bluebirds, however, their most pressing concern is staying out of the third tier with just a three-point cushion between themselves and Peterborough in the final relegation spot.

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Forest are on the march and they’re up to 7th heading into the weekend fixtures, just two points behind Huddersfield in 6th, and it’s an amazing rise – especially considering they had to wait until their 8th league game for the first win of the campaign.

They’ve not looked back since and have been on a sensational run of losing just three of their last 21 games. They’ll fancy their chances in south Wales and I fancy mine of landing this Sunday afternoon Bet Builder for you.

*A Bet Builder with these five best bets pays at approximately 22/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.

Steve Cooper

4pm: Cardiff City v Nottingham Forest
TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football

Nottingham Forest to Win

There’s only one way to kick off this Bet Builder and that’s with Nottingham Forest to Win. As alluded to earlier, the Tricky Trees have been red hot recently and have been racking up the points on their rise up the table.

They’ve won six of their last eight including three on the bounce coming into this one. Cardiff’s form couldn’t be in starker contrast and the south Wales side haven’t won in any competitions for seven games. They’re also pants on their own turf and have the worst home record in the league. Nice and simple to kick us off.

Over 2.5 Goals

I was torn between Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score as, frankly, I think both are netting here as Forest win. At the better odds I’ll go with the former. While Cardiff have been struggling for wins they have been scoring on a regular basis.

They’ve found the net in eight of their last 11 which is cause for optimism, even if that’s cancelled out by their awful defence which has failed to keep a clean sheet in any competition since the second weekend of the season. It seems safe to assume that Forest will breach them at least once.

For their part, Forest are conceding a shade over a goal a game and have scored in six of their last eight. They’ve let at least one in at the wrong end in five of their last six. I think Over 2.5 Goals is a great play with these two unreliable defences but pretty trustworthy attacks.

Cardiff Over 2.5 Cards

It’s been all action with The Bluebirds this season and to match their shocking defensive record they’ve got a pretty shoddy disciplinary record as well. They’ve picked up Over 2.5 Cards in three of their last four and got two in the other.

They’ve started picking up reds recently as well which isn’t helping the cause. They’ve averaged three cards per game in the last four and, with Forest dictating things, I think we can expect some more frustration at another poor home performance and Cardiff to get Over 2.5 Cards.

Nottingham Forest to Have 5 or More Shots on Target

Nottingham Forest to have 5 or More Shots on Target is another punt backed up by the stats. The Tricky Trees have passed this benchmark in all of their last four, notching six on every occasion.

They won three of those and even managed to have more than five in their 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield. With Forest doing all the running we can expect them to keep Alex Smithies buy in the Cardiff goal.

Lewis Grabban to Score Anytime

And no man is more likely to keep Smithies honest than Lewis Grabban. The striker was maligned for his poor performances last season but he’s been Mr. Reliable this term.

He’s got 13 to his name in 28 appearances and he’s been scoring regularly of late. He’s got four in his last seven appearances and is on penalties as well. Lewis Grabban to Score Anytime is without doubt your best bet in the goals market.

Cardiff v Nottingham Forest Tips

Nottingham Forest to Win
Over 2.5 Goals
Cardiff Over 2.5 Cards
Nottingham Forest to Have 5 or More Shots on Target
Lewis Grabban to Score Anytime

*A Bet Builder with these four best bets pays at approximately 22/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.

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