Betting Blog

This game features two sides battling for different reasons, as West Brom look to make an immediate return to the top flight while Sheffield Wednesday attempt to exit the relegation zone. Both are coming off the back of unexpected results following the Baggies’ 3-1 defeat to QPR and Wednesday’s shock 2-0 victory over Leicester at the weekend.

Looking at their squad on paper it’s no surprise that West Brom are up there fighting for promotion. What’s more, the club are receiving parachute payments which give them a massive advantage in the transfer market. However, despite these issues, there were still plenty of sceptics following the departure of the experienced Tony Mowbray in the summer and the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo – a man who’d only experienced one season of management, and that was in League One. However, so far, so good, and the Baggies will return to the automatic positions should they manage to avoid defeat in this encounter. While nobody quite expected their defeat to QPR on Saturday, it’s worth bearing in mind that it was Neil Warnock’s first game in charge of Rangers and that will have given them a huge boost. However, it was dropped point s for Di Matteo’s men and he’s got to ensure that his side bounce back against relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday in this one.

Wednesday on the other hand are experiencing something of a disaster season with both on and off the field troubles. Despite a new chairman being installed at the end of last season, the club have been plagued with stories that administration could be looming and there are no funds for new players. On the field, they’re rooted in the relegation zone and while it’s still early days, new manager Alan Irvine hasn’t had the best effect on the team. Admittedly, his hands are tied behind his back in relation to resources, but Saturday’s victory was only the club’s second in their last six games with the other four being defeats. On the other hand, Irvine should be applauded for getting his side to respond to their 5-0 defeat to Reading with a victory, but there’s no doubt that he still has a huge task to keep this club in the division.

All of West Brom’s team news surrounds their front line as Roberto Di Matteo looks to cope without the presence of Roman Bednar, who will miss out with a groin problem. However, fellow striker Simon Cox should be available despite being stretched off in the Baggies’ previous fixture. It’s all good news for Sheffield Wednesday though with Alan Irvine having absolutely no worries. Following their victory over Leicester, you’d surely assume that the Wednesday chief will name an unchanged side.

As for a prediction, we’re going to have to go for a home win. Sheffield Wednesday may have impressed in their last game, but West Brom’s quality should shine through. Wednesday will definitely put up a fight, but we’ll go for a 1-0 win for the Baggies in this one.

This should have been the game that saw Neil Warnock return to his former and hometown club. However, all sorts of things are happening at Crystal Palace and with the club now in administration, Warnock has departed and it’s been left up to Paul Hart to steady the ship and save them from relegation. Sheffield United certainly won’t be doing them any favors though, as the Blade’s go on the hunt for their own glory and look to climb into the play off places.

Crystal Palace really are having a season to forget and while it wasn’t too long ago that their fans had aspirations of a top six finish, now the primary goal is survival. Administration and the accompanying ten point deduction has sent the Eagles crashing down to 21st position and they are only kept out of the bottom three due to goal difference. To make matters worse, experienced manager Neil Warnock was allowed to jump ship and join Championship rivals QPR earlier in the week. Paul Hart was promptly installed as a replacement and while Hart had brief experience with a struggling outfit in Portsmouth earlier in the season, there’s no doubting that he has a real job on his hands. Cash needs to be raised quickly and that could force the sale of their most prized assets – something that would almost certainly send them into League One.

Sheffield United on the other hand are battling at the other end and just a point separates Kevin Blackwell’s men from the play offs. However, some supporters are unhappy that their club isn’t providing more of a threat and feel Blackwell isn’t getting the most out of the team. There’s no doubting that the area that the Blades need to most work on is their form away from Bramall Lane, having lost all of their last five games on the road. This is stark contrast to last season, which saw the club have the best away form in the division. If they are to match last season’s top six finish, this is an area that Blackwell needs to address.

Both clubs have yet to release team news but both will be hoping that certain players come back from international duty unscathed. Sheffield United in particular have a host of international players and Kevin Blackwell will be hoping that the likes of Ched Evans, Toni Kallio and Mihkel Aksalu will not pick up any injuries.

Crystal Palace are a club in real turmoil and at the moment and their supporters have got to be thinking the worst. However, despite slipping down the table, their team has shown a togetherness in recent weeks that could prove critical in their bid for survival. Combining that with Paul Hart’s arrival and the “new manager syndrome”, we feel the home side could get the points in this one with a 3-1 victory.

Before the start of the season the bookies thought that Newcastle would be clear title favorites while Barnsley were tipped for relegation. As it turns out, the Magpies have held their end of the bargain but Barnsley are having a very good season and will certainly provide a sterner test than first imagined.

Looking at their squad on paper, we shouldn’t be at all surprised that Newcastle are performing so well. The Magpies are currently sat six points clear at the top of the league and promotion already looks like a foregone conclusion. However, considering the turmoil the club is in off the field and the turbulent summer that manager Chris Hughton had to put up with, their position should be regarded as a fantastic achievement regardless of their huge resources. Having won their last three games they’ve now pulled away from 2nd place West Brom and considering the fact they are unbeaten at home in the league, it’s no wonder you can get odds of 6/1 on an away victory in this one.

They’ve been regarded as relegation battlers for years now but incredibly, Barnsley could actually get involved in a promotion hunt of their own this season. Since Mark Robins took over in September they’ve become a different team and with the Tykes now just four points off the play offs, who knows what could happen in the future. They entered a sticky spell not so long ago which saw them lose three on the bounce yet after recording a brilliant away victory over Cardiff and then beating Blackpool, things are on the up again for the Oakwell outfit. One of the main reasons for the change is their away record, which has been quite frankly dismal in recent years. However, they’ve managed to collect twenty points on the road this season although saying that, there’s no doubting their toughest task will hit them on Saturday.

As for team news, Newcastle have been handed a boost with Nicky Butt, Jose Enrique and Peter Lovenkrands all returning to fitness. However, once again the Magpies will have to be without Wayne Routledge, with the former QPR winger still struggling with the calf problem that’s kept him out of the last two games. Barnsley on the other hand have absolutely no problems at the moment although Mark Robins will have to assess both Daniel Bogdanovic and Emil Hallfredsson. The duo have represented Malta and Iceland respectively during the week and it remains to be seen whether they will be ready to play on Saturday as well.

Barnsley might be having their best season in years, but there’s no getting away from the fact that Newcastle are far superior on paper. The Tykes will certainly put up a fight, but there’s no way we can see the Toon’s unbeaten home run coming to an end in this one – 2-0 Newcastle.