The Championship and League Two are providing us with a full card of games to choose from on Tuesday, and James O'Rourke returns with his top betting tips.
Wigan v Coventry
Tuesday 7:45pm
There is a full midweek card of Championship action split across Tuesday and Wednesday for us to get involved with, and most, if not all, of the games, has something riding on it. In this case, bottom side Wigan seriously need to start adding to their season tally on seven victories if they’re to avoid an immediate return to League One. They welcome a Coventry outfit that holds play-off aspirations and a seven-match unbeaten run has increased hopes of a Premier League spot for next season.
Shaun Maloney to his credit has made Wigan harder to beat in his eight matches at the helm. For all they may have lost three of their last four, only one of those you could say they weren’t competitive and there is no disgrace in going down 3-0 to runaway leaders Burnley, especially when you have a man sent off in the first half. The Scot is at least unbeaten at home (W1, D2), but with a six-point gap to overcome to outside the drop zone, they could really do with stringing some results together, starting on Tuesday.
For all that Coventry are contesting the higher end of the table, Wigan will still view this as a winnable contest. However, of their seven league wins this season, five of those came versus teams currently positioned 18th and below in the table. On the other hand, Coventry have an excellent record against teams in those positions (W6, D3, L1), including defeating Wigan 2-0 at home earlier in the campaign. The Sky Blues tend to be involved in tight games however, with six of their last eight either win or lost by the odd goal or drawn. Therefore, I don’t have maximum faith in them, especially with the injury list they have as well.
I touched upon that Maloney has made Wigan a tighter ship, and I don’t see any reason why a close encounter won’t materialise on Tuesday. These two teams are generally slow burners in their matches as well, with Wigan failing to be ahead in any of their home league contests this season at halftime and only scoring a league-low four goals in that period, too. Also, Coventry have only been leading three times on the road at the interval, so the facts suggests this clash will come alive in the second half, if at all. 13/8 from Paddy Power for this to be 0-0 at halftime will surely have some legs, especially as midweek games tend to be closer affairs.
Sutton v Grimsby
Tuesday 7:45pm
There are a smattering of fixtures from League Two on Tuesday for our pleasure. The one which certainly catches the eye is Sutton against Grimsby, with both enjoying memorable seasons for different reasons. After narrowly missing out on the play-off last season, Sutton are looking to go one better this time around, and they sit just a point off seventh position with only ten fixtures remaining. Grimsby have consolidated in mid-table just nicely after promotion last season, but an FA Cup run has brought about a real positive feel around the club in recent times.
Speaking of the FA Cup, Grimsby do travel to Brighton this weekend in the quarter-finals of the top cup competition in the English game, and they surely will have more than half an eye on that. It is the first time in 84 years that the Mariners are playing in the last eight, and for all that nobody at the club will say it, this trip to Sutton is something they could have done without. Imagine getting injured here and missing their big day on Sunday. Obviously, Grimsby won’t just play to loss or anything drastic like that, but the Brighton match just cannot be ignored.
This should further play into the hands of Sutton, who are favourites anyway, and rightly so. They are ultimately the team looking to win promotion, and a big part of this is down to their impressive return at Gander Green Lane. 67% of their overall league points have come in front of their own supporters, and only Leyton Orient and Stevenage, both in the top three, have gained more home points. Grimsby are no mugs on their travels either (W7, D1, L8), and have recorded triumphs at Northampton and Stockport, who are both in the play-offs. Still….Brighton is coming.
I suspect this price on Sutton will plummet in the lead up to this game and a price of 11/10 on a home victory just must be snapped up if you can indeed get it. Even putting Brighton aside, Sutton have shown this season to be a much more consistent outfit, whilst they have only lost to Tranmere at home of all the teams below them in the table. Only three times have they failed to score at home as well, and there is plenty to recommend a wager on Sutton on Tuesday.
Tips
Wigan v Coventry – 0-0 Half Time (13/8 Paddy Power)
Sutton v Grimsby – Sutton (11/10 Coral)
