In form Tykes a must bet

 

With a full midweek programme of Championship football Mike Norman is confident of finding a winner or two, not least at Oakwell where in-form Barnsley host 'hapless' Wolves...

 

Barnsley 2.4 v Wolves 3.3; The Draw 3.5

 

There's an old saying that goes, if something looks too good to be true then it probably is. But there's absolutely no fun in believing it!

 

When I saw that Barnsley were hosting Wolves on Tuesday night I fully expected the in-form Tykes to be around the 2.0 mark against their hapless visitors. So to see them originally at 2.44 seemed incredibly generous to me.

 

In the last five weeks Barnsley have played eight league and cup games, winning seven of the them and drawing the other. Five of those wins were achieved by not conceding a single goal (including their last three at home), and amongst their scalps include decent outfits such as Leeds, Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Hull.

 

Much of Barnsley's excellent form coincides with the appointment of David Flitcroft, with striker Chris Dagnall reportedly saying that the new boss has instilled some much needed belief into the players. Dagnall himself has scored six times since Flitcroft took charge.

 

I'm perhaps being a bit harsh calling Wolves hapless, but they're far from on fire at the moment, failing to win a single game so far in 2013. In fact Dean Saunders' men have now gone 10 league and cup games without winning, and away from home they've managed just one goal in four outings. On current form, Barnsley look a cracking bet.

 

Recommended Bet: Back Barnsley to win @ 2.4 (best bet)

 

 

Cardiff 2.04 v Brighton 4.1; The Draw 3.65

 

I don't know about you, but if I saw something in the High Street that I really wanted but thought it was too expensive, I wouldn't buy it. Likewise, if I saw something that I thought was worth much more then I'd definitely buy it. This attitude works exactly the same in football betting.

 

On Saturday, I knew Cardiff were the most likely winners against Bristol City, but their odds of around 1.5 made little appeal against a side that had shown much improved form of late. Tonight the Bluebirds are the most likely winners again, but at 2.04 to back, this time their odds make huge appeal.

 

Brighton are in no better form than Bristol City were on Saturday - in fact the Seagulls have won just three of their last 12 games in the Championship, whereas the Robins had won three of their previous four!

 

And as the season progresses it is becoming apparent that Cardiff are almost unstoppable on home soil. True, as I said on Saturday, I'd never back them at 1.5 to beat anyone in this unpredictable division, but at the odds they are tonight it's hard to ignore them.

 

Effectively Cardiff's odds imply that they have a 49% chance of winning, but when you consider that they've won 13 of their 15 games at the Cardiff City Stadium this season then I'd give Malky Mackay's men a much bigger chance than that.

 

Add in the fact that they have a 100% winning record at home to clubs from the top half of the table, then the case for them winning tonight is a strong one.

 

Recommended Bet: Back Cardiff to win @ 2.04

 

 

Ipswich 2.9 v Watford 2.6; The Draw 3.6

 

At the start of the season I opposed Watford with regularity, simply because loaning so many players at once it was always going to take time for them to gel as a team. I also said that the Hornets would be a side that got better as the season progressed.

 

I'll hold my hands up however, I didn't expect Gianfranco Zola's men to progress quite in the manner that they have. They've won seven of their last 10 league games, including four of their last five away from home, and they are scoring goals for fun at present.

 

But Ipswich have been a bit of a revelation themselves in the last few months since Mick McCarthy took charge, and there's a feeling that this will be a very entertaining encounter.

 

True, both sides could easily cancel each other out, but I'm pretty confident that Watford will give it a go at Portman Road, and that is usually the style of play that brings the best out of the Tractor Boys as they are an impressive side on the counter-attack.

 

I went for goals involving Ipswich on Saturday, and it didn't work out, but my reasoning is similar here and I will give them another chance to score, and concede, a few against Watford.

 

Recommended Bet: Back Over 3.5 Goals @ 3.1

 

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