Forest to keep up purple patch against Seagulls

29Mar 2013

England - The Championship

Nottingham Forest are the form team in the Championship at the moment with six straight wins, and Jamie Dickenson is backing them to pick up three points again in his look at the Sportsbook odds for the second tier...

Nottingham Forest v Brighton

Saturday, 15:00

Nottingham Forest host Brighton at the City Ground fresh off the back of six successive victories in the Championship.

Forest are flying under new manager Billy Davies, who has guided them to fifth place in the table and given the club a much needed confidence boost as they bid to sneak into the Premier League via the playoffs. During the Nottingham outfit's recent purple patch they have conceded just three goals in six matches, registering 15 times at the other end. Midfielder Lewis McGugan has been a key factor in his side's recent strong form, and could strike again against Brighton after netting in his last three outings.

While their opponents are in rampant mood, Brighton only just ended a run of three games without victory by beating rivals Crystal Palace before the international break. Injuries to their forward line is working against the Seagulls playoff push, but the south coast club were given a boost when manager Gus Poyet turned down the Reading job. Brighton are level on points with sixth-place Leicester, but a trip to face in-form Forest may not prove fruitful.

Despite playing out a goalless draw at the Amex Stadium in December, Both Teams To Score looks likely at 1.75 as they bid to keep their play-off hopes in tact. Forest have scored in their last seven outings while Brighton rushed three past Palace in their last encounter in the space of just seven minutes.

Recommended Bets:

Back Nottingham Forest at 2.15

Back Both Teams To Score at 1.75

Peterborough v Cardiff

Saturday, 15:00

League leaders Cardiff will still be smarting from their home defeat to Peterborough in December, which ended the Bluebirds exemplary record at the Cardiff City Stadium this season.

Goals from Michael Bostwick and Dwight Gayle stunned the Welsh side last year and marred their dominant home record, which at the time was amongst the best in Europe. But Cardiff still remain on course for automatic promotion to the Premier League by sitting in top spot in the Championship, and can go another step closer to proving their doubters wrong with a win at relegation battlers Peterborough. The South Wales outfit won their last outing, away at Sheffield Wednesday by two goals to nil, and the Steel City club are one point better off than Posh.

Peterborough are not in bad form - unbeaten in their last five - but remain in the division's bottom three and could feel the vengeance of Cardiff this weekend. Posh have lost over half of their home matches, conceding 36 times in 19 games and have actually picked up more points on the road this season. London Road has therefore been anything but a fortress this season, and could be pillaged yet again if the likes of former top-flight stars Craig Bellamy, Fraizer Campbell and Heidar Helguson find their verve on Saturday.

Cardiff are worth taking at a generous 2.25 to win outright, but given Peterborough's recent resistance the Bluebirds should be considered in the Draw No Bet market at 1.60 first.

Recommended Bets:

Back Cardiff to win at 2.25

Back Cardiff in the Draw No Bet market at 1.60

Watford v Burnley

Friday, 15:00

Watford have just suffered back-to-back Championship defeats but they have a great chance of returning to winning ways against free-falling Burnley.

While Watford's seven-game unbeaten streak came unstuck with successive losses against Blackpool and Barnsley, Gianfranco Zola's side remain just two points from that crucial automatic promotion spot currently held by Hull in second. The Hornets need to make sure this recent spell is a blip and not an obstacle that could scupper their entire season's work, and will no doubt look to newly-crowned Championship Player of the Year Matej Vydra to help them see off Burnley at Vicarage Road. Vydra has 20 goals for the season, but having failed to find the net in his last five games could be ready to prove his worth yet against for Watford.

Burnley earned a draw at home to Watford earlier in the season, and with just one victory from their last 10 they would probably settle for another point this time around. But the trip south will not be an easy one, and they may struggle to find the target having scored only three goals from their last seven outings. Clarets striker Charlie Austin outshines Vydra in the goalscoring stakes with 23 league goals, and will also be aware he needs to contribute more having hit only two of those efforts in eight games.

Watford will hope they can see off the challenge of Burnley with relative ease, and if Sean Dyche's side fail to offer an attacking threat like they have in recent games then the hosts can achieve a Win To Nil priced at 3.30.

Recommended Bets:

Back Watford to win at 1.95

Back Watford to Win To Nil at 3.30

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