Oxford United v Coventry City
EFL League 1. Kick Off: 12noon, Sunday 9th August 2018. Live on Sky Sports Football
AAAH, Coventry. Had to go there once with work, and if my tipping doesn't improve soon I'll probably be getting sent back there!
Lovely people in the Midlands though, and I get nostalgic thinking back to underdogs Coventry City`s 3-2 victory over Spurs in the 1987 FA Cup final (yes, I am that old!), a really great game spoiled for me by the presence of Maggie Thatcher in the crowd, as my Dad spent the rest of the TV coverage regaling me with some er, diplomatically put, reasons why he didn`t like her.
Keith Houchen's great diving header shut him up for a bit, after uttering the only expletive he reserved for the game and not the PM. Lessons learned? Politics rarely mix with anything, especially football! And always be passionate and vocal in your beliefs, but don't drown out the commentary. Cheers, Dad.
So, arriving back from memory lane, here's a game at the Kassam Stadium between two sides who haven't started the season brilliantly, as both are in the bottom half after six games played. Oxford have shown they can score goals though, while Coventry are the opposite, having difficulty converting good play and chances into the end result of hitting the back of the net.
I'd much rather watch a game like this though to pick up some knowledge about these sides for later betting opportunities, than more Internationals.
Oxford United are under the guidance of ex- Charlton and MK Dons boss Karl Robinson, and he has stated the squad is far from where he wants them to be. Coventry City's fortunes over recent years haven't been the best, with all the wrangling over their Ricoh Arena home, so manager Mark Robins is trying to give the fans a lift by building something on limited resources too. Both sides had a lot of player movement in and out during the close season. They met recently in the Carabao Cup, with Oxford winning 2-0.
Coventry City are currently involved in low-scoring affairs and are grafting for results, but even though they are winning in Cup games and not the league, Oxford can make their ability to score at home count. Karl Robinson really rates Marcus Browne, who is on-loan from West Ham, and in the recent cup clash he scored. Experienced midfielder James Henry weighed in with a couple of assists in that game, so for all the visitor's guaranteed hard work the home side should prevail.
Recommended Bets
- Oxford to win@ 29/20 (Bet 365)
- Oxford to score 2+ goals@ 11/8 (William Hill)
