Tuesday night action

West Brom V Arsenal

Mowbray the Baggies boss has already admitted that he won’t change the style of play that his side uses and this may be a good thing for this clash.
Arsenal may not have scored in a while but it’s only a matter of time before they start converting some of the many chances that have been falling there way. Van Persie could have had at least 3 against Fulham and at least they are creating chances as opposed to sitting back and waiting for things to happen. Its do or die now for West Brom as they sit bottom of the table 4 points adrift of Stoke and Boro. At this stage they have nothing to lose and they have to attack teams. To be fair to them they have tried to do this and have not sat back and tried to play for draws as some teams have. Some of their games have been riddled with goals and there have been 10 goals in the last 2 games at the Hawthorns.

Verdict
I see a few goals in this. Personally I wouldn’t touch the odds on the Arsenal win but West Brom will give away plenty of chances and Arsenal have to score eventually. Likewise Arsenal gave Fulham plenty of chances at the weekend and West Brom are a team that can punish them on their own turf. Over 2.5 for me.

PICK
Over 2.5 goals ( 2 @ eurobet) 4 points

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Plymouth V Watford

The championship is a complete betting mine for me this year so only small stake from now on as I don’t really trust anyone. I said at the weekend that If Wolves lose then Brum and Reading usually lose too and so it happened. Unfortunately I was on them to win so that wasn’t much good for me. Tonight I fancy them all to lose but don’t really advise getting too involves on any of them.
Plymouth beat Wolves at Molineux at the weekend but were a little lucky to hold on for the entire game. Wolves created enough but Plymouth who scored after 38 seconds defended their lead very well and took a very valuable 3 points down south. However they are in a poor run of form at the moment and cant seem to keep a clean sheet at home to save themselves. They have lost 3 of the last 4 at home conceding 10 goals in the process scoring just 3.
Watford are playing some great stuff at the moment and have won the last 3 games each by two goals to nil. They have pulled themselves out of the danger zone but still have much work to do before they are safe. Admittedly away from home they have not been as convincing but are in a good position going into this game on the back of 3 game winning streak which has generated confidence amongst the players. Look out for Tamas Priskin, who has bagged five goals in the last six matches and will looking to add to that tally on Saturday.

Verdict
It should be tight but ive been more impressed with the visitors in the last few games. They are playing with confidence and scoring goals. Plymouth have trouble keeping it tight at the back and I can’t see them keeping Watford out. Watford draw no bet for me

PICK
Watford draw no bet (2.10 @ ladbrokes) 4 points


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Bristol Rovers v Brighton

I had already marked this down as a home win before I found out about all the Brighton players missing through injury. At least 11 first team players are reported to be out, “Definitely sidelined after picking up injuries at the weekend are full-back Jim McNulty - who is in hospital after suffering a ruptured kidney - centre-half Tommy Elphick (ankle) and skipper Nicky Forster (calf).
Striker Glenn Murray and defender Kerry Mayo are back in training following hernia operations but will not be ready, and goalkeeper Michel Kuipers is out for a fortnight with a hamstring injury.
Gary Hart is a couple of weeks away with a knee injury and fellow forward Jonny Dixon is still missing with a thigh strain.
Defenders Colin Hawkins (hamstring) and Adam Hinshelwood (calf) complete the roll call, although neither have been ruled out yet.
Adam Virgo is still suspended but David Livermore is back from a ban and loan signings Lloyd Owusu and Matt Heath will be added to the squad.”
Ouch, that means there will be a new look side on view at Bristol.
Rovers are in mid table but cruising along nicely and recorded a decent 1 – 1 draw at Carlisle over the weekend. They are picking up points and heading in the right direction and are generally a decent outfit at home with a good record against the bottom half of the table.

Verdict
Its late, im tired and I won’t go into too much detail but I already had Bristol Rovers down as a home win before reading about Brightons problems. Brighton were shocking at the weekend losing 4 – 0 at home to lowly Crewe and surely Rovers will have far too much for them tonight.
Can’t see the odds lasting too long either, they have already dropped to a low of 1.57 at bet365 but can still be got at 1.75 @ betsense

PICKS

Bristol Rovers (1.75 @ betsense) 5 points
Without sounding greedy it may also be worth a pinch on the correct scorelines
3 - 0 (15 @ skybet) 1 point
4 - 0 (40 @ expekt) 1 point
5 - 0 (81 @ boylesports) 1 point

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Crewe V Carlisle

Crewe are on a decent run of results at the moment and are 4 wins out of the last 4. They have also won the last 4 at home and that run of form has seen them pull out of the relegation zone. Another win will pull them level on points with tonight’s visitor’s Carlisle. Carlisle are slipping a little and 1 point from the last possible 9 has left them living dangerously. Now is not the time of the year to be letting points slip as teams such as Crewe are picking up points and teams may find themselves in deep trouble before they realise it.
Carlisle have a good few injury worries with top-scorer Danny Graham, who limped out of the 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers at the weekend rated very doubtful. Added to that, defender Danny Livesey as well midfielders Jeff Smith and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson will miss out and Evan Horwood is also sidelined with a knee problem.

Verdict
Crewe are on a good run and have won the last two games by four and two goals to nil. Given the confidence that they will have from that and the injury worries that Carlisle have. Il go for the home win and give the ¼ ball away.

PICK
Crewe –0.25 (1.9 @10bet) 4 points

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Southend V Millwall

Im a little surprised at the odds here because it’s the hosts that are in the better form and picking up the better results at the moment. They won 2 – 1 at Peterborough at the weekend, a fantastic result considering that only two teams have gone to Peterborough and won this season. With the bottom of the table being fairly congested its important that Southend keep picking up the points and they could almost be considered safe at this stage.
Nonetheless expect nothing less than a committed performance as they will look to keep another clean sheets having collected 3 in the last 4 at home. They have won the last 3 on the trot and are in that winning mood at the moment.
Millwall are very erratic and hard to gauge. They probably will be glad to get away from the Den as they have lost a few there lately and are under pressure to get a few results under their belt. That playoff spot is starting to look a little shaky now and they will look to improve on recent away form where they have picked up a few wins and seem to find it easier to score.
PICK
Millwall have been better on their travels recently but you can’t ignore the confidence and good run of results that Southend have had. I have a slight feeling for the draw here but may just go with Southend draw no bet as I see them sneaking it.

PICK
Southend draw no bet (1.82 @ pinnacle) 4 points

Oldham V Leeds

Oldham V Leeds

This should be a decent game with both sides looking for 3 points to further their chances of consolidating that playoff spot.
Both are coming off decent wins at the weekend though arguably it was Oldham who were a bit more impressive. They surrendered a 2 – 0 lead to Millwall and were 2 – 2 heading into the late stages of the game before a late Taylor strike earned them valuable 3 points.
Oldham are pretty strong at home where they have only been beaten twice this season. After a 2 – 0 defeat to Bristol Rovers last time out they will be keen to get back to winning ways at Boundary Park.. Interestingly they have a good record against the top sides and are undefeated to any of the top 6 this season.
Leeds were also 3 – 2 winners and like Oldham they had a 2 –0 lead before letting Scunthorpe back into the game. Luckily for them Jermaine Beckford is fit at the moment and he is vital to their cause. He chipped in with 2 on Saturday and if they hope to have any luck tonight then he is the man to do the damage. Leeds have taken zero points from the last 3 away games and more alarmingly have failed to score in those 3 games. Their away form is very unpredictable and they need to start picking up a few more points away from Elland Road if they want to get a top 6 finish.

Verdict
This one is tricky to call, Leeds need a win just as much as Oldham and it will be an interesting test for Oldham’s boss John Sheridan who spent many years at Leeds and is still a fans favourite. You get the feeling that maybe both would settle for a draw if they were offered it right now. Losing would be a real kick in the teeth for either side and if the game is level entering the 60th to 70th minute then I don’t expect either team to risk everything going forward, and settle for a point apiece. For the stats lovers out there, Leeds are now 11 games without a draw so they are due one!

PICK

Draw (3.4 @ coral) 3 points