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[u]Leeds v Blackburn[/u] Leeds are playing well, there's no doubt about that. An opening day victory over Wolves was followed by an unlucky loss to early league leaders Blackpool before Neil Warnock's men got back to winning ways by beating Peterborough. Add in two impressive cup wins and it's four wins from five for United, 11 goals scored and just three conceded. Blackburn have also started the season well going on results alone, but they haven't been playing great and that showed in midweek when they lost in the Capital One Cup to League One outfit MK Dons. I sense Leeds are in for a good season and their form at Elland Road is going to be crucial if they are to be in the promotion picture come May. I'm not at all confident that Rovers will be there at the death however and ...

[u]Reading v Leicester[/u] Let's jump on the Reading train! The Royals are flying - how else do you describe seven successive league wins with only one goal conceded? Suddenly, what appeared a two-team love-in for automatic promotion between Southampton and West Ham has evolved into a three-way tussle. Reading are only two points behind the leading pair now and, as a club that has traditionally ended the season well, they must surely be seen as capable of avoiding the need of a risk of last season's Play Off agony and going straight up. Brian McDermott's side have actually won 12 of their last 14 league games and at the Madejski their recent record is eight wins out of nine: they have conceded just one goal in their last 12 hours of league football at home. Leicester really are...

[u]Leicester v Nottingham Forest (Tuesday, 19:30, ESPN) [/u] With Leicester and Nottingham Forest starting the season with former England managers, few would have guessed that Derby would be the east midlands' leading light midway through the campaign, but that reflects how miserable things have been for their neighbours. Both have changed bosses without any noticeable improvement, Leicester still seven points off the play-off pace under Nigel Pearson and Forest stuck in the bottom three with Steve Cotterill, and they head into this clash on the back of home defeats to Barnsley and Southampton. Leicester have a better squad, however there are several reasons to believe that laying them is the best option here at 1.8. For starters, they have bowed out at this stage in four of the...

Weighing up form between teams from different divisions is the major problem for FA Cup punters, but there are some statistical guidelines that might make this weekend's third-round ties easier to solve. One group that does consistently well is the top-12 in the Championship, who enter the competition with good form behind them in the first half of the season and often feature a surprise performer in the FA Cup, granted a favourable draw. Last season, for example, Reading were eighth in the Championship at this stage of the season and they progressed furthest of the teams from outside the Premier League, going out 1-0 away to eventual winners Manchester City in the quarter-finals. With momentum on their side, the top-12 in the Championship usually deliver the goods when paired against...

[u]Blackpool v Ipswich[/u] A year ago Blackpool were confounding the doubters in the Premier League. Of course, it didn't last and down they came, but Ian Holloway's side have made a decent start to life back in The Championship and they should be able to account for an Ipswich outfit which has been woeful defensively so far. The Seasiders are the only team to have taken a point off leaders Brighton so far, and they followed that with a hard-earned point at Crystal Palace. After two tough away trips they will be glad to be home and hosting opponents who have been shipping goals for fun. Ipswich have not kept a clean sheet since the opening day and conceded 12 in two games against Southampton and Peterborough. A win over Leeds before the international break will have helped but they...