Sport
Tackling The £2,000,000 Millionaire
The penultimate Millionaire before the busy round of Christmas fixtures is a mainly Championship affair with one FA Cup second round replay thrown in for good measure.
If you’ve been studying the form guide for English football’s second tier then you’ll be confident of a festive windfall right? Good luck!
Boro v Burnley
No doubting where the game of week 21 is being played out.
The Riverside plays host to a Burnley side who’ve lost on just three occasions this season, one less than their hosts.
Where Sean Dyche’s team have let themselves down this season is by shipping unnecessary goals. 19 conceded is the worst of the top five teams.
The Clarets have a tough ask to win away here too, at a place where they’ve always struggled.
Only once have Burnley triumphed at The Riverside in its entire existence, and only two more wins at the old Ayresome Park stretching back to 1953!
It won’t stop Dyche from impressing upon his staff that three points takes them to within two of Boro and second place in the table.
One loss in the last eleven is encouraging until you realise that four of the last five have been draws.
In the last nine if Boro have won, they’ve stopped the opposition from scoring but if they’ve lost they themselves have failed to find the net.
With Burnley shipping more than they’d like it’s a 1-0 or 2-0 home win for me.
QPR v Brighton
New QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has had a real baptism of fire to start his managerial career in west London.
A creditable 0-0 draw against Burnley in his opener is followed by the visit of unbeaten Brighton.
Chris Hughton’s men are deservedly top of the pile at the time of writing, playing some sparkling attacking football, but will the wheels finally come off at Loftus Road?
There’s nothing like a new man in charge to get everyone giving their maximum, fearful of losing their place as the new broom sweeps clean.
Hasselbaink brings a seasonal touch to proceedings with his Christmas tree formation, and he certainly has the staff to trouble the Seagulls.
Charlie Austin, Leroy Fer and Karl Henry are just three from a hugely impressive XI that will want to do the business.
They’ll have to be at their very best to beat a side who’ve scored twice in four of their last five although Brighton have drawn their last four away from home.
With ex-Rangers man Bobby Zamora now back at the club where it all began for him, anyone willing to bet against him coming off of the bench to grab a late winner?
Another draw on the cards here, 1-1 or AOD are my selections.
Hull v Reading
Steve Bruce’s Hull side are another who will be desperate for the win to keep the Tigers in the top bracket of the table.
Should both Boro and Brighton fail to take maximum points from their games, Hull will leapfrog the former and be just a point or two behind the latter.
On paper it looks like a routine victory for the hosts however their current for has been the worst of the campaign.
After no defeats in 13 games, Hull have won just once in the last five, losing three of them, and their only win was against bottom-placed Bolton.
It’s been 22 long years since the Royals triumphed in this part of the world and new manager Martin Kuhl has barely had time to get his feet under the table.
Less than two weeks have pass since Kuhl took up the post and losing his opener against Preston probably wasn’t the start he had in mind.
He’ll need to instill some confidence in a fragile Reading side who’ve won just once in the last nine, coincidentally against Bolton.
I’m expecting a pre-Christmas bore-fest here. 0-0 for your coupon or a 1-0 home win. Yawn….
At the halfway stage consider making use of our Partial Cash-Out service. If you’ve still got a 100% record but don’t want to risk it all, then bank some of your ticket now for some Xmas readies and play on with the rest.
Whitehawk v Dag & Red
Non-league Whitehawk deserved this replay after a magnificent hard-working performance in east London.
The Daggers were within a whisker of their first home win of the season, but that we are in December and that still hasn’t been achieved hints at the problems facing Wayne Burnett and his side.
The winners of this second round replay already know that they will be playing Everton in the third round and there can be no bigger and better incentive to give everything on the night.
Aside from the glamourous nature of the game, the finances involved will arguably help to keep either club’s coffers looking very healthy for the foreseeable.
Dagenham & Redbridge perhaps underestimated their opponents in the first game, and will know they’re in for a torrid night down in Sussex.
The home support will be out in force to get right behind their team and if the visitors don’t impose themselves in the opening exchanges, we could be in for a very interesting night indeed.
I think it’ll be a hard fought battle but I expect the magic of the FA Cup to shine through again. A slender 1-0 win and history for Whitehawk.
Wolves v Leeds
Only two points separate these two sides, but they remain four places apart in the Championship table.
The odd win here or there for either can really propel them into the top half and that’s what both managers will be aiming for over the festive series of fixtures.
Starting now.
The hosts will certainly have to improve on their recent record of two wins in the last 11.
Goals haven’t been a problem, scoring at least two in six of those 11 games. Turning goals into wins is where the Midlanders have fallen short.
Benik Afobe leads the way with 11 goals in his 20 appearances in all competitions but needs to improve on just one in the last nine games.
Leeds have won two and drawn one of their last four away games and have stabilized themselves after a poor opening couple of months.
Only two losses in the last seven is a sign of a team on the up, as was a hugely creditable victory over high-flying Hull at the start of the month.
They’ll take the momentum with them from Yorkshire and win a classic. 2-3 or AOA are my selections.
Birmingham v Cardiff
A fantastic game in prospect for two old foes – on and off of the field.
The Welshmen remain on the fringes of the top six whilst Birmingham are a little further back, but there isn’t much separating either side.
The hosts just need to get back on the goal trail. In six of their last eight, they’ve failed to find the net, yet hit five in the only game they’ve won in that time.
Cardiff have also remained scoreless in five of their last 11 yet have scored at least twice in four of their last five.
Never a high scoring game, it’s been eight years since Birmingham have managed to take all three points from Cardiff at St. Andrew’s.
I’ll predict another tight affair with a late, late show from the visitors just edging it. 0-1 or 0-2 are my final selections this week.
