Home and Away: Resurgent Forest eyeing play-off places

 

Jonno Turner focuses on domestic action as he looks to select two winners from the Championship this evening.

 

We're off to the Midlands for our first selection of the day - as a resurgent Nottingham Forest side welcome Ipswich Town to the City Ground.

 

The hosts have looked a different side since Billy Davies returned to the helm, and have won their last three - culminating in an impressive victory at Sheffield  Wednesday on Saturday, in which they played the Owls off the park.

 

Forest have smashed nine goals in that time, and the likes of Simon Cox and Robert Majewski in particular seem to be thriving under the management of Davies, weighing  in with some excellent performances going forward.

 

But two clean sheets from their last two outings suggests that the Reds' defence is also in-form and high in confidence, and the hosts will be keen to extend that  momentum here - with Davies set to line up with Jamaal Lascelles and Elliott Ward at the back due to some absences.

 

And a 6-1 victory in their last outing in front of their own fans will have the home faithful expectant - with their side now just four points off the play-off places.

 

Visitors Ipswich go into this clash sitting 18th in the table, and Mick McCarthy will be desperate to correct a slump which has seen them go five without a win on the  road.

 

The Tractor Boys have failed to score in three of their last four away from Portman Road, and that suggests that they may struggle to breach the Forest defence here.

 

And McCarthy has further headaches for this clash, with skipper Carlos Edwards likely to miss out through injury, and on-loan forward David McGoldrick absent against  his parent club.

 

Forest have won five of their last six meetings with Ipswich, and I expect their momentum to propel them to another three points here.

 

Bet 1: Nottingham Forest (HOME) @ 1.85

 

 

Staying in the Championship now, and turning our attentions to West Yorkshire, as Huddersfield Town host Middlesbrough at the Galpharm Stadium, desperate to put some  space between themselves and the relegation places.

 

The Terriers looked to be on the climb following the appointment of Mark Robins as boss, but were dismantled by an in-form Brighton side on Saturday, and that will  have knocked confidence in the home camp.

 

Robins' side have notched just three goals in their last half a dozen in front of their own fans, and that lack of firepower threatens to put the hosts in all sorts of  danger this campaign - especially as they are missing strikers James Vaughan and Jermaine Beckford this evening.

 

Furthermore, just one win from their last 12 on their own patch suggests that the hosts are susceptible to defeat this evening, as they welcome a Boro side full of  vigour after a 2-1 defeat of runaway leaders Cardiff City at the weekend.

 

Tony Mowbray's charges sit in seventh place in the table, just one place outside the play-off places, and will be keen to build on that impressive victory, which ended  a miserable run for the Teeside club.

 

Five straight defeats saw the visitors fall out of automatic promotion contention, but just two losses from five since then suggests that they have engineered a  turnaround, and they will be desperate to put together back to back wins for the first time since Christmas.

 

Mowbray has no new injury worries for this clash, and is set to name an unchanged side - with new signing Sammy Ameobi, who scored on his debut at the weekend, looking  likely to start up top once again.

 

Boro have won the last three encounters between these sides, scoring seven and conceding none, and I envisage an away win here, too.

 

Bet 2: Middlesbrough (AWAY) @ 2.54

 

 

Bet HERE

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