Thursday, 7.45pm (Live on Sky Sports 1)
WATFORD'S nightmare end to the season could be about to get worse when they travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester in their play-off semi-final first leg clash.
The Hornest endured two goalkeeping injuries, a red card, a late winner from Leeds' Ross McCormack and a comeback from Hull against Cardiff on the last day of the league seasonas Gianfranco Zola's side lost out on automatic promotion.
Zola must now rouse his team for a difficult trip to Leicester – although they did triumph there 2-1 there just two weeks ago. But the Hornets will be without the man that opened the scoring that night,as striker Troy Deeney starts serving a suspension for his sending-off against Leeds.
Despite recording the most away wins in the league this campaign (12) Watford have won on the road just twice from their last six attempts. Championship Player of the Year Matej Vydra should return to the starting XI to replace Deeney and the 20-goal forward looks the most likely to score for the visitors even though he has not found the net in 12 games for the club.
Leicester will go into the game the more confident of the two sides given they found a stoppage-time goal against Nottingham Forest to secure their play-off chance. French midfielder Anthony Knockaert has been a solid performer all season and his strike ensured the Foxes pipped Bolton to sixth place in the league.
Nigel Pearson's side have been inconsistent this season – two wins in 13 is hardly strong form going into a knockout format – but they will feel uplifted after winning at Forest while Watford may be deflated after coming so close to automatic promotion.
In winger Lloyd Dyer and strikers Dave Nugent and Chris Wood, Leicester have the necessary firepower to punish Watford at home and could take a lead back down to Vicarage Road at a tempting price of 2.05.
Leicester's 46 home goals during the league campaign is the second highest in the division and they could capitalise on Watford's disappointment by overpowering them with a win to nil at a healthy 3.5.
Recommended Bets
Back Leicester at 2.05
Back Leicester To Win To Nil at 3.5
Milesey (Betfair)
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
over 3.5 goals double in az v psv and leicester v watford
Leicester 2-1.
Wood 1st goal.
Promotion treble
Leicester
Brentford
bradford
Took Leicester to win 2-0 at 17/2.Watford have gone off the boil and I don’t see them winning three in a row against the ex Filbert Street lads.
Il stick my thoughts on Thursdays fixtures on your post started back full duties today and now off till Monday I believe that calls for the casino for a good few jars and a gamble GOOD LUCK tonight lads and shall check in later
THURSDAY FOOTBALL
Treble – Molde – Panathinaikos – Pandurii
Double (Finland) – MYPA – InterTurku
Single – Ronnie Schwartz (Randers) Anytime Scorer
Both 2 Score
Mjondalen – Kristiansund
Odd – Stromsgodset
Servette – Thun
Cercle Brugge – Genk
DENMARK: 2nd Division East 2:00 K/O
Hvidovre V Bornholm
HVIDOVRE -2
OVER 2.5 GOALS AND OVER 3.5 GOALS
Will have to wait for this game inplay for the selected markets, it is scheduled inplay on BET365, 2pm K/O, at the moment the market for this game are very limited, with the home win priced at 1/10, 1/3 for the home team to win the first half, and 2/5 for the home team half time / full time, so no value at all. Hope for some inplay action on this one later, with over 2.5 match goals and also over 3.5 match goals, and hope the handicap market will also become available for -2 HVIDOVRE looks like the way to go.
Milesey
FORMULA ONE
———————-
We all know the drivers are the stars of the Formula One show, but the Spanish Grand Prix is where the mechanics take over.
The three week break from Bahrain to Barcelona gives the garages the time to take stock of the opening results of the season and work out what to do next. They pore over the data – telemetry to give it its proper name – and bring out all the upgrades. By the time the F1 circus sets up camp again the form from the first four races becomes only a vague guideline.
Certainly all the teams are talking up their technical work this week. McLaren say they will give Jenson Button a “significant” number of updates to the troubled MP4-28 car (and they need to after not finishing higher than fifth so far). Ferrari have revealed they are making changes to the bodywork, floor and wings. Lotus, the surprise package of the early races, are just as bullish about the “continuing development programme for the E21”. And Ross Brawn reckons long hours in the Mercedes factory has helped solve the lack of race pace compared to qualifying times so far.
In fact the only people who aren’t talking about their upgrades are Red Bull. The official quotes released by the team on behalf of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are more of a travel guide than a race preview, talking about the weather, the hotels, the relaxed atmosphere of the Circuit de Catalunya, in fact about pretty much everything except what work has been done to improve their cars.
Now that can mean one of two things. It could mean they’ve given themselves a three-week holiday to pat themselves on the back for the way Vettel shot away from Nico Rosberg at the start in Bahrain and cruised to his second victory of the season. Or far more likely it means they think actions will speak louder than words when they put the cars on the track in Barcelona.
The early market for the Spanish Grand Prix race winner, however, seems more entranced by the technical talk. Vettel, despite winning two of four races, is a generous 3.35 for victory. I know that second favourite Fernando Alonso (4.0) has a superb record in his home event – he may have won only once in Barcelona be he has been on the podium in seven of the 11 times he’s raced there. But I’m intrigued by the secrecy around Red Bull’s development work and that makes me suspect it’s at least equal to, or probably better, than anybody else.
The other stats worth knowing for Barcelona are that it is a tough track to overtake on. Last year there were less than 30 overtakes in the race, less than one every two laps. And on 17 occasions the driver who started on pole has still been in the lead when the chequered flag was waved. That seems to suggest a flutter on Vettel/Vettel at 4.5 in the Qualifying/Winner Double market.
Milesey
( betfair )
2-1 az ht :D 1 more then we wait on the watford game for goals
Recommended Bets
Back Leicester at 2.05
Back Leicester To Win To Nil at 3.5
RESULT
————
ENGLAND: Championship – Play Offs
Leicester 1 – 0 Watford
Milesey