Monthly Archives: January 2018

The 2018 Championship promotion race is on!

on January 14, 2018 None comments

Having lost just three league encounters during the 2017-18 campaign so far, Wolverhampton Wanderers have already made a positive start to 2018, opening the New Year with a convincing 3-0 victory against Brentford at the Molineux Stadium. Extending their lead at the top of the Championship to an impressive 12 points, the side managed by Nuno Espirito Santo are beginning to run away with the title race.

After extending their unbeaten run to twelve games, ahead of the fixture away at Barnsley on 13th January, it’s no wonder that that Championship betting odds mark Wolves as 1/20 favourites for the title, and 1/200 certainties for promotion to the Premier League. Boasting a much greater goal difference than any other team in the English second tier with +30 already, they practically have one hand on the Championship trophy already.


Nevertheless, there remains fierce competition amongst the chasing pack, in the battle for second position and automatic promotion, with Derby County mounting a serious charge to reach the Premier League this season, having finished the 2016-17 campaign in a disappointing 9th position. Gary Rowett’s side were unbeaten throughout December 2017 and started 2018 with a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United on New Year’s Day.

One of the early season favourites for promotion, Cardiff City struggled in December 2017 and slipped to a fourth consecutive defeat in their first Championship fixture of 2018, suffering a 2-1 away defeat at QPR. Their boss Neil Warnock will need to use every ounce of his vast managerial experience to turn things around, and quickly, if his side are to avoid missing out on promotion again, because their current position in the play-off zone is by no means guaranteed.


Riding high in the Championship table and exceeding all expectations are Bristol City, who have also been exceptional in the EFL Cup this season in their march to the semi-finals, eliminating several Premier League sides along the way; including a stunning victory against Manchester United. However, cup success may have also taken their eye off the ball in the league, having ended 2017 with a home defeat against Championship leaders, Wolves, then opening 2018 with a dismal 5-0 thrashing suffered away at Aston Villa.

Indeed, that convincing win for Aston Villa was an important return to form for the side managed by Steve Bruce, pushing them back into the play-off zone and restoring much needed faith in the bid to bounce straight back to the Premier League. December 2017 was a month to forget, with just one win in six games, and if they’re to achieve their objective, improved consistency will be required in the second half of the campaign.


Holding out in 6th position and the final play-off spot at the start of 2018, are Leeds United, who started the campaign superbly with a run of seven games unbeaten, but hit a disastrous run of form through between the end of September and the start of November, with seven defeats in nine encounters. December was positive, with four wins on the spin, but once again the doubts have returned, especially after the embarrassing 2-1 FA Cup defeat against Newport County, who are struggling for survival in League Two.

Outside the play-off zone, there are plenty of teams ready to pounce. Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Preston, and even Fulham in 10th position at the start of 2018, are all within a couple of wins of rising amongst the top-six teams in the Championship. Indeed, between Derby County in 2nd position and Fulham, there’s only a difference of 10 points. That might seem like a wide margin at first glance, but with 60 points still to play for, the race for promotion remains completely wide open.

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Real Madrid Facing the Unthinkable

on January 10, 2018 None comments

While they’ve not always claimed their domestic league title on a regular basis, we’ve become accustomed to seeing Real Madrid dominate in Europe, taking three Champions League trophies in four seasons. They’re still in the mix for European glory in 2017/18 but issues in La Liga means that the unthinkable may become a reality.

Could Real miss out on qualification for the Champions League next season? As they returned from the Spanish winter break in fourth place, there is much work to be done to book their customary place amongst Europe’s elite.

Dominant

Attention among the football betting community is starting to turn to the World Cup, with odds comparison site Oddschecker listing a number of free bet options for Russia 2018. Before that main event, there is much to be decided in Spain and in other domestic leagues around the world.

In La Liga, Barca started January with a 16-point lead over Real in what has been a dominant campaign so far for the Catalans. Real are a general 14/1 shot to win the title this season, but perhaps Barca are more concerned about the challenges from Atletico Madrid and Valencia, who sit in second and third respectively.

Meanwhile, fourth place would be enough to take Real Madrid into the early stages of the Champions League but they cannot afford to be complacent. Sevilla, Villarreal and Eibar all sit within five points of Zinedine Zidane’s men and harbour genuine ambitions of claiming that fourth slot.

Crucial Fixtures

A home defeat to Barcelona just before Christmas has rather summed up Real’s season so far as they went down 3-0 to their rivals while having Dani Carvajal sent off in the 63rd minute. If they are to stay in the top four, Zidane’s men simply must pick up points against the teams around them and January sees the side face crucial fixtures against Villarreal and Valencia.

Of course, the club can get back into the Champions League by winning it for the third time in succession. That would be an unprecedented event and Madrid’s form in the group phase makes that far from certain. Real were taken apart by Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, failed to finish top of their group and as a result face a tough tie against high-flying Paris St Germain in the last 16.

As a club known for a lack of patience, it’s a surprise to some that Zidane is still in the manager’s chair after such a poor start to the 2017/18 campaign. As one of Real Madrid’s greatest ever players, ‘Zizou’ is perhaps being given more time to resolve these issues than others may have been afforded.

Naturally, there is enough time to turn things around but with a successful defence of their La Liga title now looking doomed, the club simply must focus on their remaining games as the Champions League just wouldn’t be the same without Real Madrid.

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