Jake Pearson previews the Sky Bet Championship clash between Derby and Fulham, picking out his best bet and score prediction.
Football betting tips: Championship
1pt Aleksandar Mitrovic to score anytime at 10/11 (Betfair Sportsbook, Paddy Power)
Nine points from safety with just five games to play leaves Wayne Rooney’s Derby in an unenviable position, and a drop down to the third tier of English football looks all but inevitable for the Rams.
Derby, or at least the players and coaching staff, will emerge with plenty of credit at the end of the season, putting up a terrific fight in the face of a 21 points deduction at the beginning of the campaign, but a fixture against the league’s runaway leaders is hardly what Rooney’s men will have wanted at this crucial stage.
The Cottagers are ten points clear of second-place Bournemouth, though the Cherries do have a game in hand, but it will be a big ask for Scott Parker’s men to catch up with his former team.
Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Friday
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Derby 5/1 | Draw 3/1 | Fulham 11/20
Fulham have been relentless this term and, speaking of relentless, Aleksandar Mitrovic has been in unprecedented form.
Having broke the record for most goals in a Sky Bet Championship season by February with 14 games left to spare, the Serbian forward hasn’t let up since, adding a further five goals to his tally which now stands at an incredible 38 for the season.
Mitrovic is averaging 1.02 goals per 95 minutes this term, and with his figures of 4.68 shots per game, and 2.12 on target, it isn’t difficult to see why.
That this Fulham team are on track to become the most creative Championship outfit since Infogol began collating data in 2014 – averaging 2.12 xGF (expected goals for) per game – means that the striker is never short of opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net.
MITROVIC TO SCORE ANYTIME is available at a top price of 10/11, but most firms have the Serbian heavy odd-on to find the back of the net, and understandably so.
The price on offer with Betfair Sportsbook and Paddy Power about Mitro adding to his ever-growing goal tally is a generous one and is worth getting on side.
Derby v Fulham best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Aleksandar Mitrovic to score anytime at 10/11 (Betfair Sportsbook, Paddy Power)
Score prediction: Derby 1-3 Fulham (Sky Bet odds: 11/1)
Odds correct at 1900 BST (12/04/21)
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