As the Golden Boot race is starting to take shape, we take a look back at the last 10 seasons to see what the key ingredients are for picking up this prize. Previous winners Mo Salah, Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero are all prominent again in the Premier League, but will a new hero emerge this term?
Brentford took a while to get over the departure of Dean Smith but now entertain Middlesbrough after showing much more promise of late. The Bees beat Millwall in their last Championship home game and have also impressed in defeat a couple of times on the road recently.
West Brom emerged from a mini slump in emphatic fashion when beating Leeds 4-1 and are fancied to follow up with another victory at Ipswich. The Tractor Boys have shown some encouraging signs since the arrival of Paul Lambert but this is a tough test for the Championship basement dwellers.
Black Friday has quickly become a landmark on the consumer calendar and it would be fascinating to see it introduced for football transfers. We’ve taken a look at the best value signings made by football clubs in the last five seasons, to see who has been getting the top deals.
Stoke took a while to settle into life in the Championship but are now enjoying more ups than downs on our Trueform chart and get the nod over Middlesbrough. The visitors are a dogged bunch but do sometimes fail to impress going forward and that could be their undoing on this occasion.
Aston Villa have struggled on the road recently but can gain a confidence-boosting win over Bolton, judged on their Trueform ratings when playing at home. The Midlands outfit have picked up a healthy 12 points from seven games at Villa Park, with 13 goals scored in those Championship fixtures.
With many of Europe’s top clubs suffering a decline in fortunes this season, we could see some unusual names on league trophies and in Champions League draws next summer. However, fans of more established sides can point to sustained success rather than a flash in the pan, and we’ve looked at the data to identify which clubs’ supporters have the most to brag about.
Danny Murphy had spells in the Premier League with Liverpool, Tottenham and Fulham during a superb playing career. The 41-year-old, who now works as a pundit, was also capped nine times by England, netting once. In a bwin exclusive, he discusses how his former clubs will fare this season.
With Julen Lopetegui paying the price for a poor start to his Bernabeu reign, we’re looking at the leading contenders to replace him in the Real Madrid next manager odds. The former Spain coach has been dismissed after just 14 games in charge, the last of which saw Real thrashed 5-1 by Barcelona.
Middlesbrough have now won just one of their last three games in the Championship although they sit second in the table, behind leaders Leeds on goal difference. Derby achieved a high rating for their fantastic 4-1 win over West Brom at The Hawthorns which moved them up to fifth in the table, two off the top.
QPR have put together a good run on form, picking up three wins and a draw with Derby from their last four Championship matches to see them climb to 11th place. New Aston Villa manager Dean Smith tasted defeat for the first time after seeing his side suffer a 2-1 defeat to Norwich at Carrow Road.
Sheffield United are flying high at the top of the Championship table after four straight wins and are fancied to extend that sequence at Derby. The Rams are capable of competing with any team in this division on their day, but have not shown the same consistency as the Blades.
Blackburn are a touch inconsistent but our Trueform chart suggests they could be a value bet to beat Leeds if on their best behaviour. Rovers have shown they can upset more fancied teams by edging out Brentford and Stoke in the Championship and gave Premier League Bournemouth a scare in the EFL Cup.
Sheffield Wednesday have recovered well from a slow start to the Championship season and now look well equipped to compete with Middlesbrough. However, the Owls have got into the habit of drawing against the better teams in this division on home turf, sharing the spoils with Stoke, Leeds and West Brom.