Plenty of action to look forward to over Tuesday and Wednesday and not just because we have the Champions League, we too have plenty of lower league football in England and below we have picked out three of those ties where we can see both teams scoring as well as a winner. Take a look.
Barnsley v Leicester City – 7.45pm Tuesday
Leicester to win and BTTS – 27/10 with Coral
Both sides have plenty to play for as the season hits the home straight. Barnsley are fighting it out for survival as they tend to do so at the end of each campaign. Currently the Tykes are sitting second from bottom in the Championship but are only two points away from Millwall who are just above in the safety of 21st. At the weekend Barnsley pulled off a shock victory over fifth placed Nottingham Forest with a 1-0 win at Oakwell. Unfortunately for them, the sides around them in Yeovil and Millwall also won, so they turn to Tuesday’s game for another attempt at pulling off an upset. The Yorkshire outfit have scored in each of their last seven home games and I am expecting them to make it eight here against Leicester.
Leicester have an important five point lead at the top of the Championship with a game in hand but know that Burnley and Derby County are going to carry on catching them up in a bid to take the title, so each win is vital at this stage. After seeing Nottingham Forest lose on Saturday at Oakwell, nothing will be taken for granted against lowly Barnsley. Due to the FA Cup last weekend City ended up without a fixture and therefore having been planning for this tie since the March 1st, giving them ample time to set up the perfect plan for three points. I am predicting the same outcome as the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium where it ended 2-1 to the Foxes.
Port Vale v Leyton Orient – 7.45pm Tuesday
Leyton Orient to win and BTTS – 31/10 with Coral
Port Vale will be very confident going in to this game after beating Carlisle 2-1 at the weekend where they were spectacular for a 20 minute period that put the game to bed. The Vale fans believe that a terrific season can get even better and I dont see this side defending for 90 minutes- it should be end to end. In Tom Pope they have a goal scorer on form and i can see the striker getting a goal here against an Orient side who are prone to conceding on their way to wins.
When these two met back in September, Leyton Orient won 3-2 which is a good omen for our bet, in fact three out of their last four meetings have seen this market fulfilled with Orient picking up the points. Previous to their surprise 0-0 (the first this season) with Nott County over the weekend, the O’s had won three games in a row and continue to look good for that automatic promotion place as they sit second in the table. To ensure the Championship is where they will be playing their football next season they need to keep on winning and an away result over Port Vale is vital. Expect goals, especially as Mooney, Lisbie and Odubajo have 39 between them!
Mansfield v York City – 7.45pm Tuesday
York City to win and BTTS – 5/1 with Coral
After a dreadful start to the season, Mansfield looked destined for a relegation dog fight. The Stags have managed to turn things around since, and are now in a far more comfortable 17th place in the division, however that is only eight points above the drop and a return to the awful form they showed at the start of the season could see them having a nervous end to the campaign.
In recent times they have managed three wins in their last four home games, but these were against Newport, Fleetwood and Southend who may well all be above Mansfield in the league table but are on awful runs in the league which has seen each of them drop down the table. York come into the tie, on great form. I do expect the home side to score though, due to their confidence at Field Mill in their last few games.
Since Christmas, York have been getting better and better and are now unbeaten in six matches. I was fortunate enough to see them play over the weekend as they registered a 1-0 victory away at AFC Wimbledon, which could have easily been three or four if their strikers had brought their shooting boots as chances were plentiful. York looked a very good outfit, playing confident football and so they should be with three wins in a row on the road. Here against a Mansfield side, the difference in quality should be evident and I am expecting a win for the Minstermen. Look out for Wes Fletcher who is top scorer with 10 goals as he has just returned from injury and is hungry to make amends for his miss of the season last weekend.
