Championship Betting: Top of the table Hornets to spoil Rowett's home debut

Watford can win at the home of poor hosts Birmingham

Huddersfield and Middlesbrough did Mike Norman a good turn at decent odds on Saturday, so with a full set of midweek Championship fixtures our man is licking his lips at the prospect of more winners...

Birmingham 3.55/2 v Watford 2.3211/8; The Draw 3.55n/a

Birmingham must surely now have one of the worst home league records in the history of the Championship... in fact there's no 'surely' about it, I know they have.

Apologies for sounding like a broken record but it's important from a betting perspective that we keep telling you about Brum's tale of woe at St Andrew's. On October 1 last season they beat Millwall 4-0. Since that day they have won just one of 25 home league games, that win coming against a very poor Brighton side (currently fourth bottom of the table) at the start of this season.

Birmingham are currently on a run of four home defeats on the spin, three of which came against clubs in the bottom half of the table and their latest loss was a 0-8 hiding at the hands of Bournemouth.

True, they have a new manager at the helm in Gary Rowett and on Saturday he saw his side record a very respectable goalless draw at Wolves. But that's a normal result for Birmingham. The simple rule is you oppose that at St Andrew's and you back them on the road.

Watford are the visitors on Tuesday night, a team that is top of the Championship table following a run of nine games without defeat.

If there's ever been a case for an away side to be odds-on in this division then this is it. Perhaps it's only the fact that Birmingham have a new manager that is preventing that scenario and therefore at 2.3211/8 to back we have to make free-scoring Watford (nine goals scored in their last four games) our best bet of the night.

Recommended Bet
Back Watford to Win @ 2.3211/8 (best bet)

Derby 1.75/7 v Huddersfield 5.59/2; The Draw 4.216/5

The odds almost dictate that we take on Derby here. One of my golden rules of Championship betting is never back in the Match-Odds market at odds-on, but that rule almost underlines itself when it comes to midweek action.

For whatever reason you get shock result after shock result in midweek, and even though sometimes we end up with egg on our face, in the long term we generally come out in front.

Derby are a very good team, but while it's easy to forgive one defeat (hence why we tipped them up on Saturday) you have to take more notice when one defeat becomes two in a row. The Rams lost at home to a relatively out-of-form Wigan 10 days ago and then lost at mid-table Brentford on Saturday. It's not the ideal preparation for a midweek game against one of the division's form sides.

Huddersfield are the form team in question and on Saturday they extended their unbeaten run under new boss Chris Powell to seven league games with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. As I said before that game the Terriers are scoring plenty of goals (15 in those seven games) and that always gives you a chance at this level.

Powell's men have already won 1-3 at Wolves in midweek when they were available to back at around 6.05/1, so given that they are now on a long unbeaten run against a side that has lost two on the spin, 5.59/2 about another shock win is a price well worth chancing.

Recommended Bet
Back Huddersfield to Win @ 5.59/2

Millwall 2.6413/8 v Blackburn 2.942/1; The Draw 3.55/2

Blackburn are up to seventh in the table following a run of five unbeaten games including three consecutive wins, and I fancy they'll take all three points when they travel to struggling Millwall on Tuesday night.

Gary Bowyer's men were quietly fancied for a play-off berth this season but much depended on the form of star striker - and arguably the best striker in the division - Jordan Rhodes. So it must be extremely pleasing for Bowyer to see his team string their current run of form together with the knowledge that Rhodes has scored just one goal in his last seven outings.

If Rovers can start getting Rhodes to score regularly then they are definitely a side to watch out for being just two points off an automatic promotion position.

Millwall had a great start to the season under Ian Holloway but they've quickly become one of the division's most out-of-form sides, winning just one of their last 10 league games.

In that sequence the Lions lost at home to lowly Birmingham and Rotherham, and while they recorded a narrow victory over Cardiff the last time they were at the Den, they've since been well beaten at Watford. I'm a little surprised therefore that Holloway's men are favourites to win this game and I have to back Blackburn at the current odds.

Recommended Bet
Back Blackburn to Win @ 2.942/1

Championship 2014/15 Season P/L

Staked: 60 pts
Returned: 73.54 pts
P/L: + 13.54 pts

*based on 1pt each bet, 2pts best bet

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