Championship 
/ Andrew French / 16 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Steve Cotterill shouts instructions to his misfiring Nottm Forest side
"Nottingham Forest are right in the mire and simply have to beat Coventry – if they do, they will move above them and could be as close as three points to safety."
It's been a dreadful season so far for Nottingham Forest, but they simply must beat Coventry this weekend if they are to keep their survival chances alive says Andrew French.
Peterborough v Bristol City, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: Peterborough [2.32], Bristol City [3.2], The Draw [3.5]
Is it too early to start throwing in the phrase 'six pointer'? Probably not. Especially when you consider that there is only a third of the season to go and both these sides are lingering uncomfortably close to the drop zone.
Bristol City were bottom, rose to 19th, but a run of one win in six has put the skids under them again. They have failed to keep a clean in any of those six, and that will surely be a worry visiting London Road, where goals fly in at an alarming rate. Posh average two a game at home - a rate only bettered by four teams in the division - yet they let them in nearly as fast and have the worst home defensive record in the Championship.
You could look at this fixture and say 'cagey', but I don't think Peterborough know how to do 'cagey'. Ten of their home games have delivered 2.5 goals or more, while nine of City's away games have done the same. Bearing in mind City are struggling to keep the ball out of the net, and both sides badly need something from this game, I think the Over 2.5 Goals price looks generous.
Barnsley v Portsmouth, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: Barnsley [2.46], Portsmouth [3.2], The Draw [3.4]
In the list of people who are not too to sad to see Scottish giants Rangers going into administration, Portsmouth fans are probably second only to Celtic fans. It's not that Pompey have any malice towards the Ibrox club - but it must be nice not to be the main story when it comes to parlous club finances. The south coast club are once again at death's door, and though they showed plenty of spirit in drawing at Blackpool last week, the midweek home defeat to Ipswich suggested their resolve is now fully stretched. As it is, they are bad enough on the road: just two wins in 16 outings.
Barnsley have lost their last two but they were both away from home: they beat Leicester in their last game at Oakwell. The Tykes have only failed to score once at home this term (against Southampton) and if they can maintain that sequence it will probably be good enough to take the points.
Nottingham Forest v Coventry, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: Nottm Forest [1.92], Coventry [4.2], The Draw [3.8]
If Forest don't win this one, it'll simply not be justified to cite 'they are too big to go down' as a defence against the possibility of the former European Champions dropping into the third tier of English football. With just one win - but 10 defeats - in their last 13 league games, Forest are serious relegation contenders. Their problems in scoring goals are well documented - but there have been some glimmers of hope lately. They finally found the net at home last weekend and missed a string of chances to win in the 1-1 draw with Watford, before giving 10-man Middlesbrough a scare in midweek. However, they are right in the mire and simply have to beat Coventry - if they do, they will move above them and could be as close as three points to safety.
The Sky Blues' away results must offer the hosts plenty of hope: they have lost their last eight on the trot on their travels, and overall have drawn just three and lost the other 12. Significantly they have not managed a clean sheet in any away game, and even a team that has struggled to find the net like Forest must do so in this one. Given that Coventry have failed to score in more than half their away games, one goal might be enough.
A full midweek programme of Championship action has had Andrew French scouring for the best bets of the night, and he believes Brighton to beat Millwall is exactly that....
Home games at Barnsley and Ipswich have produced plenty of goals in recent months, and Andrew French believes that trend will continue when Birmingham and Middlesbrough visit this weekend....
Birmingham have won six consecutive games in all competitions says Andrew French and he believes they have an excellent chance of beating promotion-chasing Southampton....
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