CLICK TO BET: Coventry (17/10), Draw (11/5), Nottingham Forest (3/2)
Life in the Championship has been far from perfect for Coventry and Nottingham Forest so far this season.
Sitting uncomfortably close to the bottom of the table, both teams have been distracted by off-the-field problems in recent weeks and will undoubtedly be looking to kick-start their season with a win on Saturday.
For Coventry, financial woes have hampered the club’s attempts to bring a sense of stability to the club. The recent departures of chief executive Paul Clouting and chairman Ray Ranson have only served to deepen the crisis.
Forest, too, enter this weekend with a number of key issues unresolved. Their search for a new manager continues following the departure of Steve McClaren earlier this month and their performances on the pitch remain uninspiring after a run in which they have taken just eight points in ten games.
The precarious position of both clubs means that this weekend’s encounter at the Ricoh Arena is likely to be a close one.
Odds of 17/10 for a Coventry win and 3/2 for an away Forest victory reflect this, as does the 11/5 odds on offer for a draw.
Sky Blues fans will find little comfort in the upcoming fixture list, with their team set to face promotion contenders Southampton, West Ham, Brighton and Cardiff in November.
Securing points before then is therefore a priority and with Lukas Jutkiewicz at least showing some good form with four goals so far this season, this may be possible this weekend.
And having scored five out of their seven goals this season in the second half, punters should strongly consider backing Coventry to score more goals in the second half compared to the first at 7/4.
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Coventry boss Andy Thorn will be well aware of Forest’s frailties and will be looking to exploit their weaknesses at the back.
Indeed, having conceded 21 goals this season – an average of over two per game – the Reds have the worst defensive record in the league.
Odds of 25/2 for Coventry to use this to their advantage and secure a 2-0 victory should therefore be considered seriously.
Both teams will regard this as a six-pointer and whoever wins is likely to avoid spending the rest of the week in the relegation zone – a morale boost which, in itself, is worth fighting hard for.
With home advantage, and facing an opposition seemingly on the way down rather than up, it might just be Coventry who are smiling come 4:45pm.
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