The Sky Bet Championship returns from the international break on Friday night with the action recommencing at Pride Park where Derby County meet Cardiff City in a big match for both sides in the second tier.
I think it is fair to say that neither team have made the start they would have desired at the beginning of the campaign but a win will send whoever gets it into the top half of the table ahead of the rest of the weekend matches.
Derby County
The Rams won their opening match of the season but they have not come out on top in any match since then. That is bad enough but when you think that victory came against a pretty ordinary looking Huddersfield side it really isn’t much of a form guide. They have only scored six goals in their six matches and went into the international weekend off the back of a 3-0 humbling at Brentford so there are concerns for Phillip Cocu.
I had Derby down as a side who could struggle this season and so I’m not surprised they haven’t made the best start to the season. To lose two quality players like Mason Mount and Harry Wilson and not really replace them is going to hurt any side. Derby do have the firepower to go well but my question marks come in the manager. We see time and again that unless they spend millions overseas managers rarely cut the mustard in this division.
Cardiff City
You can make an excuse for Cardiff City not to have started the season off too well. They have to bounce back from the disappointment of relegation and having gone a year without winning matches and transform into a side who starts winning them quickly with the expectation on them to do so. That isn’t easy, especially when they lose a couple of their best players from last term in the process, as is often the case after relegation.
I’ve seen a fair bit of Cardiff this season. I’ve watched them with my own eyes on two occasions and I’ve seen them twice more on TV and I really don’t think there is a lot to them. As all Neil Warnock managed sides are they will be competitive and physical and very strong at set-pieces but in terms of out and out quality in open play this doesn’t look like a side anything like as good as the one which got promoted two years ago thus far.
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Team News
Derby County are going to be without young full-back Jayden Boyle who remains out with an ankle injury. Tom Lawrence did not play in Wales’ second match of the international weekend so he should be fresh to play.
Cardiff City are likely to be without Leandro Bacuna as they could not get him on a plane back from international service early enough. Neil Etheridge and Sol Bamba are both back in training but this match is expected to come too soon for them.
Betting
I have to say I don’t really like either of these sides if I’m honest. Something will have to give with Derby in the next month or so. If they don’t find some form the pressure will fall on Cocu and the only way that changes is if they start winning. I’ve seen nothing really to impress me from Cardiff City either. I’m tempted by the under but this isn’t a match I want to be too heavily involved in if I’m honest.
I will take a small bet for an interest though and that comes in the goalscorer market where you can get more than 10/1 on Aden Flint to score anytime. He didn’t hit the goal scoring heights for Middlesbrough last season that he did for Bristol City but he’s a big threat in the air and these continental coaches aren’t always the best at setting up sides to defend good quality balls in. Many of them offer up a zonal technique so if the big centre-back can get the run on someone I wouldn’t be surprised if he bags his second goal of the season.
Tips
Back A.Flint to score anytime for a 1/10 stake at 11.50 with 888sport
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