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Championship Fixtures: Saturday February 19th: 2011
Match 2: Crystal Palace – Sheffield United : (3pm):
This is the big one in the Championship relegation battle. If Crystal Palace win this game then I suspect that it will be a very big nail in Sheffield United’s coffin. Sheffield United gained a point on Tuesday when they scored late to earn a rare point against Reading in a 1-1 draw. They are still however below Crystal Palace by two points in the last relegation place.
Palace’s little unbeaten run came to an end last Saturday when they lost at out of form Coventry 2-1. As I have said before if Palace are to survive it will be because of their home form which has been very good the last few months or so. Last time out at home they beat Middlesbrough 1-0 & that means they have gone 8 games unbeaten at home going back to October when they lost at home to Swansea.
The last time these teams met Sheffield won 3-2 with a late penalty but I think that the roles will be reversed & Palace will claim the three points and a 5 point lead over United.
Result Prediction: Palace to win
Score Prediction: Crystal Palace 2 Sheffield United 0
Match 3: Ipswich – Hull City: (3pm):
I said Ipswich would win at Doncaster in my preview for the game on Monday but I didn’t think for a minute they would win 6-0. Ipswich have improved ten fold since Paul Jewell took over & have gone unbeaten in 5 games, winning 4 & drawing 1. They have in fact not lost since they went down to a late Millwall goal in a 2-1 defeat in Jewell’s first game in charge.
They now face a Hull side who are on a good run themselves & beat bottom club Preston 1-0 last Saturday. Hull are currently 10th in the table just seven points behind the playoff places. Can they make the playoffs come the end of the season?
I think that as Ipswich are on such a roll that they will win this game but it will be close as Hull are no mugs themselves.
Result Prediction: Ipswich to win
Score Prediction: Ipswich 2 Hull 1
Match 4: Leeds – Norwich: (3pm):
Leeds won at Bristol City last Saturday to cement their position in the playoff places. They are 6th just three points behind second placed Cardiff. Leeds home form is good & Norwich will find it hard to win at Elland road. The last side to take all three points off Leeds at home was Cardiff in a 4-0 win back in October. However a few sides have managed to gain draws such as Middlesbrough & Portsmouth & I think that Norwich will gain a point.
Norwich lost their last away game at Burnley 2-1 which was their first defeat since before Christmas. They recovered from the Burnley defeat to beat Reading 2-1 last Saturday with a late goal (again). These two sides drew 2-2 earlier in the season (a result I predicted) & I can see a similar result in this game.
Both sides should make the playoffs come the end of the season & could even meet each other in the playoffs.
Result Prediction: a score draw
Score Prediction: Leeds 1 Norwich 1
Match 5: Millwall – Middlesbrough: (3pm):
Millwall drew 1-1 at Sheffield United last Saturday which was a case of more points dropped away in their bid to make the playoffs at the end of the season. On the plus side they did score a late goal to gain their point which shows some positive spirit on their part.
Millwall now play Middlesbrough who are being dragged back into the relegation fight after losing their last two games, away at Crystal Palace & last Saturday when they threw away a 3-1 lead at home to Swansea to go down 4-3. Shocking.
Millwall’s home form is bloody great as they have won their last six games at home. Earlier in the season Millwall won 1-0 at Middlesbrough which was the last time they won away in the league. A league double then for the Lions & can they close the gap on the teams above them?
Result Prediction: A home win
Score Prediction: Millwall 2 Middlesbrough 0
Match 6: Nottingham Forest – Cardiff: (3pm):
Forest somehow lost 1-0 at Scunthorpe on Wednesday night which their first defeat bar the FA Cup since they lost at Leicester a couple of months ago.
Both sides are locked together in the table separated by just two points. Cardiff took advantage of Forest’s slip at Scunthorpe by gaining a point in a 1-1 home draw with Reading on Tuesday. Forest need to win this game to leapfrog Cardiff & go back into second place. Last Sunday Forest drew 1-1 at top of the table QPR which was a good result but gave no indication of the shock defeat that was to come at Scunthorpe three days later.
Cardiff seem to be over their bad run around Xmas but I think this game is a step too far for them & that they will lose.
Result Prediction: Forest to win
Score Prediction: Forest 2 Cardiff 1
Match 7: Portsmouth – Barnsley: (3pm):
Portsmouth had a massive win last Saturday against Doncaster away when they won 2-0. It would seem that Ipswich took heed of that result which prompted their 6-0 win on Tuesday. Portsmouth have now gained some breathing space by climbing to 18th in the table, six points above the drop zone.
They now face a Barnsley side who drew 1-1 with Ipswich last Saturday & remain more or less in midtable in 14th place but importantly on 41 points which I feel will be enough for them to stay up. Barnsley have a mixed away record & have lost their last two away games at Leicester & Millwall.
I think that as Portsmouth seemed to have turned the corner they will win this game to pull further away from the drop zone themselves to safety.
Result Prediction: A Portsmouth win
Score Prediction: Portsmouth 2 Barnsley 1
Match 8: Preston – QPR: (3pm):
Leaders QPR take their great form this season to bottom club Preston who look doomed despite a good away point at Watford on Tuesday night. Preston should have won on Tuesday as they were 2-0 up at half time but their defensive weakness was laid open again in the second half as they conceded two second half goals for a point that neither side wanted.
QPR drew at home with Nottingham Forest last Sunday to remain 5 points clear at the top of the table. Rangers have only lost 3 times all season, at home to Watford & away at Leeds & Norwich so I don’t think that Preston will give them much trouble in this betting bonus game.
An away win then & it could be a long time before these two sides meet each other in a league game after this season.
Result Prediction: A QPR win
Score Prediction: Preston 1 QPR 3
Match 9: Reading – Watford: (3pm):
Reading drew 1-1 away at Sheffield United on Tuesday night which was not a good result for them as they needed to win to gain ground in the push for a playoff place. They had lost their two previous games to leaders QPR & Norwich so they need a win against an out of form Watford sides themselves.
Watford could only draw 2-2 at home with Preston as I have already mentioned on Tuesday which means they have now gone 5 games without a win and as a consequence have dropped to 11th in the table some 8 points adrift of the playoff places. Both sides then could do with a win & I think that Reading will shade it as they seem to have been playing the better football of late & have been a tad unlucky in their defeats to QPR & Norwich.
I still think that both sides will fail to get into the playoffs come the end of the season.
Result Prediction: A Reading win
Score Prediction: Reading 2 Watford 1
Match 10: Scunthorpe – Derby: (3pm):
Scunthorpe managed what a lot of sides have failed this season when they beat inform Nottingham Forest 1-0 at home to screw my prediction of a forest win. Ha. Scunthorpe are now just 4 points adrift of safety with two games in hand on the teams around them. Will they stay up is the big question? Well if they di it will be a miracle considering the run they have been on since early November.
Derby are on a dreadful themselves & lost again when they went down 2-0 at home to inform Leicester City last Saturday. Derby’s last home victory was against Scunthorpe when they won 3-2. Since that win Derby have collected only 5 points in the league, one win against bottom club Preston & two draws.
Derby are showing relegation form & I think that since Scunthorpe appear to have turned a corner (Hopefully not using Satnav) then they will win & put even more pressure on poor old Nigel Clough.
Result Prediction: A Scunthorpe win
Score Prediction: Scunthorpe 2 Derby 1
Match 11: Swansea – Doncaster: (3pm):
Swansea had a great away win at Middlesbrough last Saturday when they came from 3-1 down early in the second half to run out 4-3 winners. This was Swansea’s second away win on the bounce after they had won 2-0 at Bristol City. Sandwiched in between those two away wins was their home defeat to Cardiff 1-0. Now Swansea play a Doncaster side who were thrashed 6-0 at home by much improved Ipswich on Tuesday night. Despite this defeat Doncaster should still be ok in terms of avoiding relegation as they have 37 points & would seemingly only need a couple more wins to avoid the drop & another season in the Championship. We will see.
I think that as Doncaster are on such a bad run at Present that Swansea will win this game but you all know hoe football can kick you in the teeth as Scunthorpe showed on Wednesday night when they won for the first time since Christmas when they beat Nottingham Forest 1-0.
A home win then but I can’t see Swansea scoring six like Ipswich.
Result Prediction: A Swansea win
Score Prediction: Swansea 2 Doncaster 0
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