Championship Best Bets

League Tables never lie goes the old saying, but the fact is, that after 8 or 9 games, they very often do. Football matches are decided by very few goals, and whether a goal is scored or not can often be decided my centimetres. Over 40 games it is certainly true that they regress to somewhere about right, but at this stage noone should be getting carried away.

And so onto Brentford - a side who would have been bottom had they lost against Bolton on Saturday, and the case for why the table will surely begin correcting itself over the coming weeks. Dean Smith's side have actually been extremely good this season and it's only a matter of time before they catch fire. In four games at Griffin Park, they have produced no fewer than 78 shots on goal (for 46 against), yet find themselves with just three points on the board from those fixtures. A more reasonable total might be in the order of eight. Away from home things have been similar - they have collected just four points, but have outshot their opponents in every game so far this season. It's a case of when, not if their form improves in our view.

Derby's goal difference column looks a good deal better than it might do, thanks to that 5-0 thumping of Hull, but that scoreline flattered them in the live tv match, and they will need to be better than they played that might to challenge Brentford.

The Bees look good value at 7/5 in this one, and they may well appear in our next antepost update!

2pts Brentford to beat Derby at 7/5 (BetWay)

A side who have put a lot more points on the board than many expected by this stage of the season are Preston and Alex Neil's side are enjoying themselves more than they have in years.

While they have only scored nine times in as many matches, their efficiency at the back has allowed them to register four wins and three draws already.

They travel to Hull this week having sold out their entire allocation (and extras) for travelling fans, which says a lot about the feeling around the club.

Their organisation throughout the side should ensure they keep things tight, and given that only Bolton have conceeded more than Hull this campaign, it's a fair bet that Preston will be given the odd chance to convert.

1pt Preston to beat Hull at 12/5 (BetVictor, Betfair)

Finally, we wrote a little last weekend about how Middlesbrough games look likely to produce their fair share of "Under 2.5 Goals" winners given their quality across the backline. It's the same core group who conceeded just 31 goals in 2015/16 in this division enroute to promotion, so expect more of the same.

So the Under 2.5 Goals bet has copped for us against Preston and Fulham already this season, and we are hoping Norwich are prepared to dance the right jig once again and make it a hattrick.

Boro have kept seven clean sheets already this season in 11 outings, and seven of those 11 have gone Under 2.5. While Norwich are a little more adventurous (six of 12 have been Under 2.5), we should trust Boro to keep them down to just a few efforts. Don't forget Gary Monk oversaw 29 matches last season at Leeds which ended with two or fewer goals.

2pts Boro v Norwich Under 2.5 Goals at 4/5 (General)

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