A happy birthday awaits Wilfried Zaha if he can help Palace beat Peterborough on Saturday
Jamie Dickenson scours Betfair's fixed odds markets to find three promising bets for Saturday's Championship football...
Peterborough v Crystal Palace
Ian Holloway takes his new Crystal Palace side to Peterborough for his first away day as manager of the Eagles, and the table-toppers are well placed to come away with victory at London Road.
Palace are the only side in the division not to have suffered a loss in their last 12 games, with the South London team seemingly getting the bitter taste of defeat out of their system in August, when they were beaten three times in a row. Such a run of form since then led to club legend Dougie Freedman moving north to Bolton, although Palace fans will be happy with his replacement Holloway after he oversaw a 5-0 drubbing of Ipswich in his first full game in charge. Saturday's game sees Wilfried Zaha turn 20, and the league's most coveted player could celebrate his birthday in style with a display to help guide the away side to victory.
Peterborough went through a barren spell at the beginning of the season, losing in seven straight Championship games before recording two wins on the road. The Posh have lost four from six since then, but two victories amongst those defeats have boosted their hopes of surviving. Part of the problem for Darren Ferguson's side has been their inability to pick up draws, as the Cambridgeshire-based club are the only team in the division not to have earned a point from any league fixture so far this campaign. With seven goals in their last three outings before a 1-0 mid-week defeat to Brighton served to highlight their inconsistencies - Peterborough are dangerous in attack - although they may not have enough to overcome a visiting side reinvigorated by the arrival of Blackpool's former boss.
This game will be one of the most eagerly anticipated matches this weekend, and with the Posh in decent goalscoring form and the Eagles yet to fire a blank in the Championship, both teams to score looks pretty likely at 1.548/15.
Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday, Fri 19:45 (Live on Sky Sports 2)
Nothing lasts forever - and great form in the Championship falls into that category - but Middlesbrough's recent record suggests their clash at home to lowly Sheffield Wednesday will mean nothing but three points for the Boro.
Tony Mowbray's side have chalked up five wins from six to take them into second place with just a point separating them from shock leaders Crystal Palace. Middlesbrough have been a sure bet for this column over the last two weekends, coming up trumps each time when backed for victory, so I'm keen to see if they can make it a hat-trick. A hugely impressive 4-1 away win at Charlton built on the foundations of a Capital One Cup upset in Sunderland and a narrow home win over Bolton, although a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest mid-week ended their win streak. Key to their unbeaten spell has been Aussie striker Scott McDonald, who is in red-hot form having scored four times in four games.
Sheffield Wednesday beat fellow strugglers Peterborough and Ipswich before losing at home to Blackpool, and will find the going even tougher when they travel to high-flying Middlesbrough. Dave Jones is a respected manager, and the Owls could put up good resistance at the Riverside, but with eight defeats already in the division against sides higher up the table than themselves, Wednesday have a tendency to buckle against better opposition.
Middlesbrough have not lost to Sheffield Wednesday on home soil since 1991, but they could make the hosts sweat this time. The Boro should have enough to take all three points, but backing Draw/Middlesbrough in the Half-time/Full-time market looks a reasonable bet at 4.67/2.
Millwall v Derby
Mid-table teams Millwall and Derby meet at the Den on Saturday with the hosts looking to build upon a decent run of Championship form, which sees them remain unbeaten from their last eight games.
Kenny Jackett's Lions won their previous two matches by big scorelines - thumping Huddersfield 4-0 at home and then dishing out a 4-1 hammering away to Nottingham Forest - before securing a goal-shy draw at Watford in mid-week. New Zealand striker Chris Wood has scored five goals in his last four games and is making a big impact following his loan move from West Brom, and could make the difference here against Derby.
County have recorded just one defeat from eight games, but three successive draws in October stunted their progress somewhat. A 2-0 win last time out against Barnsley and a 4-1 beating over Blackpool got the Rams back on track after an unexpected 3-0 loss against relegation-threatened Peterborough highlighted the inconsistency that has plagued Nigel Clough's tenure in the East Midlands.
Millwall's last six league encounters have averaged 3.7 goals per game, whilst three of Derby's last four outings produced at least three goals. Therefore odds of 1.758/11 for over 2.5 goals in this clash look quite generous, but punters will be hoping that this fixture doesn't end up goalless like it did last season.
Recommended Bets
Back Middlesbrough to win @ 1.855/6
Back Draw HT/Middlesbrough FT @ 4.67/2
Back Crystal Palace to win @ 2.37n/a
Back Both Teams To Score in Peterborough v Crystal Palace @ 1.548/15
Back Millwall to win @ 2.111/10
Back Over 2.5 Goals in Millwall v Derby @ 1.758/11
Prices are based on our Fixed Odds product, so any winnings are exempt from commission
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