Free football betting tips and odds: Sky Bet League One clash between Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic
Tom Carnduff is backing Danny Graham to strike when Blackburn meet Wigan in a massive Sky Bet League One clash on Sunday afternoon.
Recommended bets
1pt Danny Graham to score anytime in Blackburn v Wigan at 21/10
2pts Both teams to score in Blackburn v Wigan at 10/11
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Blackburn v Wigan (1200 GMT, Sky Sports Football)
Two of Sky Bet League One’s automatic promotion candidates come face-to-face as Blackburn Rovers host Wigan Athletic on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides have ambitions of lifting the league title at the end of the season and victory would be a massive step in the right direction to doing so.
For Paul Cook’s Wigan side, they already have four games in hand over Rovers going into the clash and they sit six points behind the side in first.
Despite defeat against Blackpool and an in-form Southend side in recent weeks, the Latics will be full of confidence after knocking Manchester City out of the FA Cup and following that up with victory over Rochdale.
Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn side, as expected, have adapted well to life in the third tier as they look to bounce straight back into the Sky Bet Championship.
They’re unbeaten in five in all competitions, winning four games and drawing the other during that run.
Even with Blackburn’s impressive record at Ewood Park, Wigan are one of the top away sides in the division. The defeat to Southend was their first loss away from the DW Stadium since Peterborough back in September.
Cook’s men have shown that they can score goals on their travels. They hit seven against Oxford, whilst also convincingly beating AFC Wimbledon 4-0 at Kingsmeadow.
It’s little shock that Will Grigg is the current top scorer for Wigan. He’s got 16 goals to his name in all competitions and has scored winning goals on multiple occasions this season, including the solo strike in their historic victory over Pep Guardiola’s City side.
On the opposite side, Rovers are a team with goals throughout their ranks. Danny Graham, Bradley Dack and Charlie Mulgrew have 41 goals between them in all competitions this season, whilst on-loan forward Marcus Antonsson and Dominic Samuel have chipped in with eight goals each.
Dack has been dangerous. The 24-year-old has been in great form in recent weeks and grabbed a brace in the 3-0 victory over Wimbledon last time out. He also contributed assists in the win over Bury and the draw with Oldham last month.
He’s been a handful in front of goal for Blackburn, and can be found as big as 13/2 to open the scoring on Sunday afternoon.
Given Mulgrew’s impact for Rovers, 7/2 seems generous odds on him to find the net at anytime against Wigan. He’s proved to be a danger from set-pieces and highlights the fact that Blackburn can pop up with a goal from any position on the pitch.
The first meeting between these two sides was a 0-0 draw, and I’d expect little to separate the two again, but this time there may be a couple of goals in the 90 minutes.
When it comes to goals though, I’d be looking at Danny Graham as the one to hit the back of the net. The 32-year-old has enjoyed a prolific second half of the season, scoring seven goals in his last ten appearances.
Graham found the net when Blackburn met another automatic promotion rival in Shrewsbury Town and also scored twice in the win over play-off candidates Scunthorpe in December.
With little separating the two sides, Graham will be looked upon as the person to pop up to tip the tie in Blackburn’s favour.
I’m backing Danny Graham to find the net at 21/10. Both teams to score can be found at 10/11, which may be a good avenue to explore given the attacking threats that both sides possess.
Prediction: Blackburn 1-1 Wigan - Sky Bet odds: 5/1 (Tom Carnduff)
Posted at 1750 GMT on 02/03/18.