Southampton v Reading: Saints to shade top of the table clash

Championship / Richard / 12 April 2012 / Leave a Comment

Rickie Lambert has notched 26 league goals and opened the scoring on 14 separate occasions

"Reading need just seven points from their last four to guarantee a spot in next season’s Premier League."

These two are leading the charge to the top flight and Friday night's meeting should see Southampton take a giant stride towards being crowned champions...

Southampton v Reading, Friday 19:45, Sky Sports 1, Match odds: Southampton [2.36], Reading [3.35], The Draw [3.45]

The Saints have long been involved in a two-horse race for the title, with the subtle difference that it is now Reading rather than West Ham who are mounting the challenge.

The pair are tied on 82 points and though automatic promotion is undoubtedly the main prize, both will be gunning to finish top of the pile. The Saints, who have led for much of the way, are [1.87] to go up as champions, while Reading are currently [2.18] to overhaul them.

A spectacular run of 13 wins in 15 fixtures has seen the Royals into second and they need just seven points from their last four to guarantee their spot in next season's Premier League.

But they will have their work cut out to take anything from a trip to the south coast, where Nigel Adkins' side have lost just twice in the Championship all season. The Saints have won four and lost none of their previous seven league fixtures at St Mary's.

And while Brian McDermott's side are certainly no soft touch on their travels, they have shown signs of vulnerability away from home in recent weeks. Reading were held to a draw at Doncaster, before succumbing to a 3-1 defeat at London Road. But normal service has since been resumed, with hard-fought wins at fellow promotion chasers West Ham and latterly Brighton.

Over/Under 2.5 goals

Eight of Southampton's previous ten league fixtures at St Mary's have produced fewer than three goals, seven featuring exactly two. Meanwhile, Reading's last two contests have contained a total of just three goals.

To score

In Rickie Lambert and Billy Sharp, Southampton possess the league's most potent strike force. The pair have 41 league goals between them and have netted nine in the Saints' last six clashes. The Championship's player of the year will be available at around [2.42] to score at any time, with Sharp at [3.05].

Best Bet: Southampton to win @ [2.36]
Other Recommended Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ [1.92]

Reading have been the outstanding form side in the Championship says Hannah Duncan, with their latest victory moving them level on points with Southampton, three days before the clubs clash in a huge Friday night encounter....

West Ham's home form is a huge cause for concern, and they'll do really well to turn it around against an in-form Birmingham side says Mike Norman....

It's all about momentum at this stage of the season, and Reading have it says Andrew French as the Royals look to cement their promotion push by beating inconsistent Leeds....

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Madrid Masters Daily Tips: Del Potro can shade Nadal on the handicap

Events / Ben Caudell / 05 May 2011 / Leave a Comment

Juan Martin Del Potro has found some serious form on clay over the last two weeks

"Although it’s extremely hard to oppose a Nadal win tonight, there is a strong possibility that Del Potro can take a set off the world No. 1. But my best bet will be to back Del Potro +4.5 Games at even money in the match handicap market."

Nadal is the undisputed king of clay and he should, as ever, find some way of beating Juan Martin Del Potro.

Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Juan Martin Del Potro

Thursday's pick of matches involves a pair of Grand Slam winners that will take centre stage and top billing at the Madrid Masters this evening.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal faces Juan Martin Del Potro - the 2009 US Open Champion - for the ninth time in his career and for the second time in 2011; he currently leads their head-to-head series 5-3.

The Spaniard, who won this event last year defeating Roger Federer in the final, will have his work cut out today against the Argentine who looks to has finally recovered from a wrist injury that kept him out of the most part of the 2010 season. Del Potro has gone from strength to strength since his return and is a strong contender as the number one threat to Nadal's 2011 French Open campaign; he is currently joint-third favourite with Roger Federer, priced at [20.0].

There is no doubting Rafael Nadal's credentials on the clay, he is by far the best player to have ever graced the dirt and his statistics on the surface speak wonders. The Mallorca native has amassed 35 wins in a row on clay and is now 187-6 overall on the surface since 2005.

But the altitude and the stadium courts here play more like an indoor court than outdoor and help the bigger servers in the game with the speed of ball in the air a lot faster than at any other clay court tournament. This was highlighted when Del Potro won 80 per cent of service points to cruise past Marin Cilic 6-3 6-0 in just 64 minutes. His big serve could again benefit the Argentine when he faces Nadal tonight.

The Tandil native's recent form has been up there with the best. He won the Estoril Open last week defeating the number one and two seeds Robin Soderling and Fernando Verdasco respectively( both in straight sets) and he's won seven in a row on clay, seven of the last eight in Madrid and seven in a row in Europe.

Although it's extremely hard to oppose a Nadal win tonight, there is a strong possibility that Del Potro can take a set off the world No. 1. But my best bet will be to back Del Potro +4.5 Games at even money in the match handicap market. From their previous six best-of-three set matches the pair have played, only two have been won by Nadal by more than 4.5 Games. Furthermore, since the court surface change from indoor hard to clay in 2009, Nadal has won by this same margin of games just four out of his last ten matches.

Recommended Bets:

Back Del Potro +4.5 Games @ [2.0]

Gilles Simon is a wily and resilient opponent but stats and form suggest it should be a pretty comfortable match for Andy Murray, says Ben Caudell....

The one-time world number three is back and Ben Caudell anticipates another victory for him in the Spanish capital on day two......

Two big-serving Americans go head-to-head this afternoon on the red dirt of Madrid and we should see the more experienced of the two prevail, says Ben Caudell....

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