The Championship weekend kicks off with a bang on Saturday as we have a Welsh Derby. Swansea are the hosts and they welcome Cardiff, with the visitors arriving here in great form. Having said that, to a certain extent, you can throw the form book out of the window for a derby, with the rivalry meaning both are going to be up for this one.
Swansea Form GuideOverall, it's been a really disappointing season, and I think for the past few weeks, Swansea have already had at least one eye on the summer and next season, where they will look to start again under Luke Williams with him being allowed a fresh look at the team he has inherited.
They're not quite safe yet, five points ahead of the bottom three, but they are in 15th and there's a lot of teams involved down there, so I do think Swansea will be fine, even though they need a few more points. They did lose narrowly 1-0 to Bristol City last weekend, but won against Blackburn and Sunderland before that, so signs of improvement are there for all to see.
Cardiff Form GuideI'll happily admit to saying Cardiff were out of the playoff race a few weeks back, but four wins in a row and they're back in it. It'll still be tough, in 11th and five points off the top six, but it's possible, and a win here would give them a bigger lift than normal, considering who the game is against.
A win over promotion chasing Ipswich came last weekend, scoring two goals in injury time in what was a dramatic ending. Before that, they secured three points in games against Huddersfield, Bristol City and Stoke, to really keep the ball rolling, and continue to prove me wrong about them.
Match PredictionI'm surprised at the odds here, and think there's great value to be had on any bet other than a Swansea win. I will take Cardiff on the double chance market, covering them to win or draw the game, this looks good value to me for a team coming here on the back of four wins.
