Betting.Betfair

[u]Aston Villa v Tranmere[/u] You can't be confident about anything in the early rounds of the League Cup, especially team selections, and as a general rule you'd imagine that Premier League clubs would rest some of their better players and give the 'second string' a chance. That could well be the case when Villa host Tranmere but such is the need for Paul Lambert to get his first win I have a hunch that his starting XI will be a pretty strong one and they'll be fully fired up to get the win. Two league defeats on the bounce has put the new boss under some early pressure; a defeat tonight will be a huge blow. Tranmere have started the season very strongly, recording two wins out of three (in which they scored three goals both times) and gaining an excellent draw at Shrewsbury at...

[u]Peterborough v West Ham[/u] I'm a massive believer in digging out current form, short-term trends and recent results when looking for bets in the all-too-unpredictable world of the Championship. But with this one I am shifting slightly, simply because even allowing for their indifferent recent form, the Hammers should be able to win this. If they don't, then their game in hand is spent and they will be at least a win behind the top two. And let's be honest, even though their recent form is no wins in five attempts, this is a West Ham side that has not lost in 10 league games, dating back to January 31. The fact they have drawn seven and only won three of them is the reason why we can back a team arguably stronger than any in this division at 2.06 to win at a side that was playing...

[u]Ipswich v Bristol City[/u] You have to go back to late August to find the only time Bristol City have been out of the bottom six this season. Although the arrival of manager Derek McInnes sparked a run of four league wins from five in November, the Robins have not managed to climb higher than 19th since those embryonic league tables back at the start of the season. And currently they are on a slide, five defeats from their last six league outings dropping them to 21st in the table. They have lost six of their last seven away matches, and I can see that becoming seven out of eight when they visit a rejuvenated Ipswich. Paul Jewell's side had won four on the spin before last weekend's defeat at Brighton and have lifted themselves into the relative safety of mid-table - their last...