Bournemouth are in action in Friday’s Championship as they look to give their automatic promotion hopes a further boost against Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest.
Scott Parker’s men are currently second and four points clear of Blackburn Rovers in third after winning each of their last three, and a victory would temporarily put them only three points behind top dogs Fulham.
The Cottagers face a home game against Huddersfield Town on Saturday with Marco Silva’s free-scoring side seeking to push their promotion campaign further.
At the bottom of the table, there is a massive clash between Derby County and Peterborough United as Wayne Rooney’s side attempt to pull off one of the greatest escapes in football history.
Strong Squad To Lead Cherries To Victory
A month ago, it looked like Bournemouth’s season was crashing to a halt – they went through a spell of winning only three of their past 12 Championship games.
However, they made a spate of impressive signings on deadline day and they seem to have rejuvenated the squad after helping them to three successive wins.
They now face a tough assignment in the form of Cooper’s Forest, who are sat just outside the play off places.
Forest had to grind out a draw against Stoke last weekend after going down to ten men and that is more evidence that Cooper has instilled some real spirit in his group.
Goals are to be expected in this game – the Cherries have won their last two despite conceding while Forest have seen at least three goals scored in five of their last six matches.
Bournemouth are 9/2 to win with both teams scoring.
Fulham Too Strong For Huddersfield
At this point in the season, there is almost an expectancy that Fulham will win, given how strong they have been.
Their goalscoring record is phenomenal – 78 in 30 games with Aleksandar Mitrovic netting 31 of them- more than one per game.
In their last seven games, which is the length of their Championship unbeaten run, Fulham have scored 27 goals and they appear primed for a return to the Premier League.
Huddersfield have been one of the surprise packages in the Championship this season and are in the middle of an impressive unbeaten run themselves, which stands at 12 games.
However, seven have been draws and Fulham will have too much power – they can be backed to win to nil at 7/5.
Rams Clambering Towards Safety
At the bottom of the table, Derby host Peterborough in a pivotal survival contest.
Wayne Rooney’s side would be sitting pretty in 16th but for a points deduction tally of 21, despite their meagre squad.
They have dipped in form over the past month, winning only one of their last five, but they prepare to face a Peterborough side who will be severely lacking in confidence.
Darren Ferguson’s team have won only one of their past 16 Championship games and failed to break down Reading in a goalless draw against one of the other relegation-threatened teams.
The Rams have generally been sound defensively this season, conceding one fewer goal than fourth-placed QPR, and they can be backed to beat Peterborough to nil at 47/20.
*All odds correct at time of writing
