Will Jose Riga guide Blackpool to their first win of the season?
With a full midweek programme of Championship fixtures we've asked regular previewer Mike Norman to give his three recommended wagers as the new season starts to unfold...
Blackpool 3.613/5 v Brentford 2.35/4; The Draw 3.55/2
I've included Blackpool in my first two Championship columns - without success may I add - so hopefully they can be third time lucky for me on Tuesday night.
I thought their price was too big to turn down when they were away to Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the season and they certainly didn't disgrace themselves in losing 2-0 to one of the better sides in the Championship. I then backed Under 2.5 Goals in their game with Blackburn last weekend and again they performed well but unfortunately went down 1-2.
The Tangerines are at home here, to a side that were playing League One football last term, and I'm not sure they should be the outsiders of the three possible outcomes.
True, it's been a turbulent summer for the Lancashire outfit but Jose Riga appears to be getting more and more players in as the days pass, the latest being former Newcastle striker Nile Ranger. And with the likes of experienced forward Ishmael Miller and former Aston Villa starlet Nathan Delfouneso in their attacking line-up they will eventually start scoring regular goals.
Hopefully it will start against a Brentford side still searching for their first regulation win. They were involved in that crazy 6-6 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in the League Cup, and their two league games so far have brought about just one goal and one point.
If Blackpool show the same fight and determination that they've shown against much stronger opposition in their opening two games then at the odds I have to make them the selection to take all three points.
Recommended Bet
Back Blackpool to Win @ 3.613/5 (best bet)
Sheffield Wednesday 2.447/5 v Millwall 3.55/2; The Draw 3.412/5
Three wins out of three, all without conceding a goal, has had many pundits labelling Millwall as the 'surprise package' this season, even at this extremely early stage.
But should anyone be really surprised? They finished last season arguably better than any club in the division, recording some fantastic wins both at home and away to pull away from the relegation zone. Ian Holloway knows this level of football inside out and he declared before a ball was kicked how bullish he was about his side doing well.
The Lions have strengthened through the summer and they've carried on where they left off in April and May. They are into 15.014/1 in the Promotion market and I believe that's a price worth taking a chance on.
Obviously then we'd like to see Holloway's men win on Tuesday night and I believe they've got every chance of doing so.
Sheffield Wednesday have made a good start to the season themselves, drawing with title favourites Derby 0-0 at Hillsborough and recording a 0-1 away win at Brighton. In between those two games they won 3-0 in the Capital One Cup, so like Millwall they are unbeaten and are yet to concede a goal.
My gut feeling however is that Millwall are a slightly better side than Stuart Gray's Owls and I'm backing them to continue their 100% start to the season.
Recommended Bet
Back Millwall to Win @ 3.55/2
Bolton 2.6613/8 v Middlesbrough 2.915/8; The Draw 3.412/5
It appears I didn't give Middlesbrough the credit that they perhaps deserved in my pre-season preview when I suggested that I wasn't sure why they'd suddenly become one of the more fancied sides in the Championship to challenge for promotion.
Aitor Karanka's men were excellent in the first week of the season, comfortably beating Birmingham and Oldham respectively, before going down narrowly, and very undeservedly, against Leeds on Saturday. They were much the better side for long spells and had a perfectly good goal disallowed in the first half.
Karanka has made some excellent additions to the squad, including bringing back Kenneth Omeruo on loan from Chelsea, and signing the Spanish pair of Damia Abella and Kike.
My one worry is that Saturday's game against Leeds was a perfect example of why the Teesside club hasn't progressed in recent seasons - they've struggled to score goals when dominating games and they've often suffered from either (or both) a goalkeeping error or a late goal conceded.
It's stating the obvious, but if they can start turning possession into goals, and stop concedng late on, then they should challenge the top six places throughout the season.
Bolton meanwhile have started this campaign similar to how they started last, and you have to wonder if they've become just an 'average' Championship side. True, a home draw with Nottingham Forest wasn't a bad result, but a 3-0 thrashing by Watford was and my gut feeling is that Boro are just as good as both Forest and Watford.
Middlesbrough raced into a 0-2 lead when these sides met at the Reebok Stadium last term before conceding - you guessed it - a last minute equaliser, but I can see them holding out this time if they get their noses in front.
Recommended Bet
Back Middlesbrough to Win @ 2.915/8 (best bet)
Championship 2014/15 Season P/L
Staked: 8 pts
Returned: 4.8 pts
P/L: - 3.2 pts
*based on 1pt each bet, 2pts best bet
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