The early kick-off in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday sees Stoke welcome Brentford. Tom Carnduff picks out two best bets.
Stoke v Brentford (12:30 BST, Sky Sports Football)
Brentford aren't slowing down as they keep the pressure on the top-two. West Brom's clash with Huddersfield on Friday night may well set up the Bees to move into the automatic promotion places with victory here.
Thomas Frank's side have won all seven games since the lockdown and they are well placed for more points here. However, there is trying to find a balance between saying that their form puts them in a good place while also accepting that they can't win forever.
The Asian Handicap has the away side at -0.75 which shows how the money is willing to follow the form guide. Stoke are an interesting team though and would be out of relegation trouble if Michael O'Neill had been there from the start; they bounced back from a 5-0 hammering at Leeds with a win over Birmingham and a draw away at Bristol City.
A win here will secure their Sky Bet Championship status for another season but Stoke aren't fancied to be in the bottom-three when the campaign finishes. They'd much rather guarantee it as soon as possible as opposed to it going down to final day on Wednesday.
The Potters' home form has been a positive under O'Neill with just two losses from their last 12; that run includes a 4-1 victory over Hull followed by a 4-0 hammering of Barnsley. Even playing behind-closed-doors hasn't affected their positive results.
A star for Brentford throughout the season has been Said Benrahma. The winger has 17 goals on his tally this season which includes six across his last four outings. His performances have alerted the likes of Chelsea who are reportedly interested in signing him.
If Brentford are to be on the front foot throughout, as is expected, Benrahma will be among the chances. He's had a remarkable 25 total shots across his last four appearances and should continue that run against Stoke.
Instead of taking the price available on a high shots count, the 13/5 on a goal anytime is too appealing given his recent form. He is a player who has clearly benefitted from Brentford's good run of form and likewise his team have been aided by his performances.
This could well be a game where Brentford enjoy a high shot count in a victory. There were 17 against Derby, 21 against Charlton, 18 v Wigan and 18 in their win over Reading. It's worth a play on the 5/1 available with Sky Bet for 17 or more total shots for the away side here.
The away side are 4/6 for victory here but a better outright option is to take over 2.5 goals at shades of odds-on across the board. Brentford are the divisions top scorers with 79 while Stoke have seen three or more goals in three of their last five outings.
Score prediction: Stoke 1-2 Brentford (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Best bet: Said Benrahma to score anytime at 13/5
Best bet: Brentford to have 17+ total shots at 5/1
Odds correct at 1600 BST (17/07/20)
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