The weekly football coupon continues to be a mine
field for punters with The Championship, League 1 & League 2
fixtures proving a tough challenge for football punters trying to avoid
the many shock results & attempting to get through safely each week.

The fixture lists for The Championship, League 1 & League 2
again look tough & very competitive this weekend but we like a
challenge & here are out thoughts on the games & bets that we
feel offer betting value:

Best Bets in The Championship:

Bristol City vs Sheffield Wednesday (Saturday 3.00-pm):-

Bristol City appear to be hitting form just now, they were good winners
away at Barnsley last weekend & they are unbeaten at home so far
this season with 5 wins & 2 draws & overall they have not lost
at home for 18 games while Sheffield Wednesday have been very poor away
from home so this looks a good opportunity for Bristol City to get
another win & they look a very fair bet to do so.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Bristol City to win

Correct Score options: Bristol City to win 2-1/3-1

First goalscorer each way/player to score anytime: Maynard/Haynes

Cardiff City vs Nottingham Forest – (Sunday 5.00pm)

This game has been selected for the BBC cameras & definitely
should be a decent game with two teams who are in great form with
Cardiff riding high now sitting in 2nd place & scoring lots of
goals recently while Nottingham Forest have hit a good, consistent run
of form.

This should be a competitive game & Nottingham Forest certainly
won’t make it easy for Cardiff City as they are unbeaten away from home
so far but we just prefer Cardiff City on this occasion with home
advantage massive & they look a fair bet to continue their good run
by just edging out Nottingham Forest here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Cardiff City to win

Correct Score options: Cardiff City to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Bothroyd/Chopra

Ipswich Town vs Derby County – (Saturday 3.00pm)

Could this be the day when Roy Keane’s Ipswich finally win their first
league match of the season??? – we think the answer is yes &
despite the fact that Ipswich have not won yet, Roy Keane’s team have
been playing consistently well & playing a Derby County side who
currently have massive injury problems, this does look a good
opportunity for Ipswich & they look a fair bet to get the much
needed first win.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Ipswich Town to win

Correct Score options: Ipswich Town to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Walters/Counago

The other Championship fixtures look quite tight in our view &
there could well be a batch of draws this weekend with the following
games looking particularly strong candidates for scoring draws:

Doncaster Rovers vs Blackpool (have had 13 draws between them already)

Coventry vs Reading (have had 10 draws between them already)

Preston vs Crystal Palace (have had 10 draws between they already)

Best bets in League 1:

Leyton Orient vs Southampton – (Saturday 3.00pm)

A glance at the League 1 table shows that Leyton Orient are 4 points & 5 positions higher than Southampton but is solely down to the 10 point deduction Southampton suffered before the season started & certainly not a true reflection of their current form.

Alan Pardew has got Southampton playing with great belief & confidence in recent weeks & they are really looking the part again now scoring goals & winning games with their confidence levels sky high.

Leyton Orient have struggled again this season & they have only won 2 of their 7 home games so in our view that gives Southampton an excellent chance to win this & they do look a good bet to have too much attacking quality for the home side.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Southampton to win
Correct Score options: Southampton to win 2-1/3-1
First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Lambert/Lallana/Connolly

Stockport County vs Norwich City – (Saturday 3.00pm)

This game is about two teams who have vastly different ambitions & who have had vastly different starts to the season with Stockport County only aiming for survival & having had a terrible start while Norwich City are aiming for promotion & have had a very good start so far.

Stockport County are really struggling for confidence & consistency in results with their home form a real concern with only 1 win in 7 which in our views gives Norwich City a great chance to get the away win given how solid they are away & they always look likely to score & Norwich City do look a solid bet to get another important away win here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Norwich City to win
Correct Score options: Norwich City to win 2-0/2-1
First Goalscorer each way/Player to score at any time: Holt/Martin

Leeds United vs Yeovil Town – (Saturday 3.00pm)

This is certainly not an original selection by any means & the odds on Leeds United winning are certainly nothing special but all the same any the odds are fair considering the gulf between Leeds United & Yeovil and without sounding too dismissive of Yeovil, it will be a massive shock if they get a positive result at Leeds United & we expect Jermaine Beckford to inspire another comfortable home win for Leeds United.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Leeds United to win
Correct Score options: Leeds United to win 2-0/3-0
First goalscorer/player to score anytime: Beckford/Snodgrass

The rest of the fixtures in League 1 look very difficult to asses & there could well be several draws amongst them & it could well pay to back scoring draws as value bets.

Best Bets in League 2:

Dagenham vs Port Vale – (Saturday 3.00pm)

This should be a decent game of football as both teams are in decent form at the moment & both like to play positive, attacking football.

Dagenham are flying high sitting 2nd in the league with a fantastic home record of 6 wins & 1 draw with 20 goals scored so their strength at home is obvious & although Port Vale have improved recently & will not be easy to beat, we do feel Dagenham are a rock solid bet to win this with Paul Benson likely to be the inspiration again.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Dagenham to win
Correct Score options: Dagenham to win 2-0/3-0
First goalscorer/player to score anytime: Paul Benson/Thomas

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Birmingham have scored at least one goal in each of the last four games whilst City have also failed to score on just one occasion. As the home team, Birmingham would not have been pleased losing out in the only drawing scenario at half time but that said, home supporters would have been cheering from the rafters at turning the game around when still behind with just ten minutes to play back in 2003. Doubles: Birmingham 0—-Manchester City 2

MARKET: Result

Birmingham: 3 wins–Draws: 0–Manchester City: 2 wins (goal difference: 7-6)

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MARKET: Correct Score

None (five different score-lines)

MARKET: First team to score

Birmingham: 3–Manchester City: 2

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 2–Odd: 3

The TV cameras have picked a very interesting game here with Birmingham City & Manchester City having different end of season targets but both definitely targeting this game with the same motivation to win so it should be a good, competitive game.

Birmingham City are trying to build towards a points total that will keep them safe in the Premier League & they will certainly be intent on building on their impressive win against Sunderland which was a much need boost having suffered a period of poor results.

That victory over a strong Sunderland side was well deserved & did demonstrate that Birmingham City are well organised & certainly can compete on their best form.

Alex McCleish will know that he cannot match Manchester City in terms of player for player quality, but he will look to balance that up by making Birmingham City solid, well drilled defensively & keep play compact to try & deny the attacking quality of Manchester City the possession & space it thrives on.

Mark Hughes will be desperate for his Manchester City players to prove their worth in this game & get a win to shake off their disappointing run of three consecutive draws in the Premier League & only 1 win in their last 5 league games.

Mark Hughes could not hide his disappointment in dropping two points against Fulham after throwing away a two goal lead & he will be determined to make sure that his players keep their focus & concentration for the whole game because a lack of concentration has been a definite & costly factor in their poor results.

The key to this game for Manchester City will be the ability of their creative, attacking players to break down Birmingham City’s strong resistance & their attacking pace is likely to be a big factor so the likes of Wright-Phillips & Bellamy are likely to be big players in this match if selected.

Birmingham City are a very proud side & their latest home win will have given them a massive confidence boost but the price on offer for a Manchester City win looks well worth taking & Manchester City do look well worth a bet to get a very important away win here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Manchester City to win

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Correct Score options: Manchester City to win 2-0/2-1

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime options: Tevez/Adebayor

Scorecast options: Tevez/Adebayor to score 1st & Manchester City win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Half Time & Full Time

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Let

Football can be very cruel at times & Blackburn Rovers must feel everything is against the right having to play Manchester United away just as everything starts to go wrong.

Blackburn Rovers come into this game with the squad having been hit by an outbreak of swine flu which is bad enough but their incredibly poor record at Old Trafford will make them feel 10 times worse.

Blackburn Rovers have only won one of the 15 Premier League matches played between these two sides at Old Trafford & their incredibly poor away record this season paints a sorry picture of 4 defeats & 16 goals conceded with only 3 scored.

The final painful element for Blackburn Rovers is the fact that they have to face a Manchester United side that will be absolutely determined, focused & driven to put right what went so badly wrong against Liverpool & Blackburn Rovers could well be on the end of another backlash.

The Manchester United performance against Liverpool lacked any quality, determination & most disappointingly a desire to win and there is no way Alex Ferguson will tolerate another performance like that so we do expect Manchester United to go all out to win this fixture & determined to show their true ability.

Blackburn Rovers have conceded 11 goals in their last two away games at Arsenal & Chelsea so the omens are not good & while we don’t expect Manchester United to be getting 5 or 6, we do expect a very comfortable home victory for Manchester United & they will certainly look to get the goals to kick start their season again.

The outright match markets for this game offer no real punting interest with the long odds-on quote for a Manchester United win so correct score & first goalscorer markets look the way to go for betting value in this match.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Manchester United to win

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Correct Score options: Manchester United 2-0/3-0

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime options: Rooney/Berbatov/Owen

Scorecast options: Rooney/Berbatov/Owen score 1st & Man United win 2-0/3-0

Double Result: Manchester United Half Time & Full Time

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

The eight matches have produced just eleven goals to date whilst West Ham turned both of their victories on the road into

Very, very interesting clash here with Sunderland looking to maintain their excellent home form in the league & West Ham United looking to try & build some consistency in their own results.

Sunderland have started life under the guidance of Steve Bruce in excellent style & sitting in 8th place in the Premier League table illustrates how well it has all gone & particularly at home with 4 wins from 5 in the league.

The level of quality within the Sunderland squad has definitely increased this year & most importantly they have added real attacking quality & a recognised goal threat in Darren Bent which has given them an important outlet in games.

This is a very important match for Sunderland because they will be looking to bounce back after defeat against Birmingham City in the League & also being knocked out of the Carling Cup so we do expect Sunderland to be very positive in this match.

West Ham United come into this match sitting 2nd bottom of the Premier League & desperate looking for their first league win since the opening day of the season.

Gianfranco Zola’s team know they need to start finding consistency in their performances but at least their brave comeback to get a 2-2 draw against Arsenal should give them a boost to their confidence levels & did illustrate the quality they have when they play with belief.

The key to West Ham United’s performance in this match is likely to be their defensive strength because they have looked fragile & they will have to be strong against the likes of Darren Bent & Kenwyn Jones if they are to get a positive result here.

We are looking forward to this game because both teams will be intent on playing attacking football & looking to win the match but the key for us looks to be the home advantage of Sunderland & given their strength at home, Sunderland do look a decent bet to get three more points here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Sunderland to win

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Correct Score options: Sunderland to win 2-0/2-1

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime options: Bent/Jones/Malbranque

Scorecast options: Bent/Jones/Malbranque score 1st & Sunderland win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Sunderland Half Time & Full Time

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

No Premiership matches to date. The last league game (01/09/2007) contested at Stoke between these two teams resulted in a 0-0 stalemate.

MARKET: Result

N/A

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MARKET: Correct Score

N/A

MARKET: First team to score

N/A

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

N/A

Interesting game in prospect here with two teams that clash in terms of the style but who both share the same will to give their best.

Tony Pulis & Mick McCarthy are two very honest, straightforward managers who know what their teams are capable of & realistic about their ability but equally they both demand their player always give 100% commitment to the team cause.

Stoke City achieved probably their best result in the Premier League last weekend when showing tremendous bravery & defending to withstand a barrage of attacking pressure & win 1-0 at high flying Tottenham.

Although that win may not have told the whole story about that game, that victory does illustrate how far Stoke City have come under Tony Pulis & without doubt they should now be recognised as a solid, fully fledged Premier League club.

The basis of Stoke City’s tremendous success is their immense home form with only the very best teams proving too good for them at home & the Stoke City players will again have great confidence in going for the win in this game.

Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side are giving it their very best shot being back in the Premier League & nobody can criticise the commitment, effort & endeavour of the Wolves squad this season.

Wolves have attempted to be positive in every game this season & that has brought mixed results for them & the fact they lie 4th from bottom probably does not truly represent their form this season.

Wolves have one clear target this season which is of course to stay up & they know they need to start finding more consistency & displaying more quality in all areas if they are to get more positive results in the Premier League.

Both managers & teams will believe that positive results can be gained from this fixture so that should make it a fair game & the clash of styles add a different level of interest to it but from a betting perspective we cannot ignore the strength of Stoke City at home & they look a rock solid bet to get another home win here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Stoke City to win

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Correct Score options: Stoke City to win 2-0/2-1

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime options: Beattie/Fuller

Scorecast options: Beattie/Fuller score 1st & Stoke City to win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Stoke City Half Time & Full Time

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

The double result grid offers perfect symmetry and having scored the same number of goals in this fixture as well as in the