Play-off rivals Norwich and Watford face off in the Sky Bet Championship, James Cantrill previews the game picking out his best bet.
Football betting tips: Championship
2pts Watford/Draw double chance at 4/5 (General)
Norwich were the pre-season title favourites, but poor results led to the dismissal of Dean Smith following the Boxing Day defeat to Luton.
The headline figure of a 28.57% win ratio across his 13-month spell at the club highlights just how bad his time at the helm was, with the Canaries sitting 10th in the Sky Bet Championship table after just ten wins from their 24 games so far.
That comes after falling out of the Premier League is some style - sitting 15 points adrift of safety and holding a goal difference of -61 when the full-time whistle went on game number 38.
All focus will be on the next person in at Carrow Road, with David Wagner the 6/4 favourite, followed by ex-defender Russell Martin at 5/2 and Steve Bruce at 6/1 - a trio of names who have caused mixed reactions from the Norwich faithful.
What we can predict is that the home crowd won't be filled with optimism for this clash, with the team in poor form and certain names linked unlikely to inspire a second-half of the season revival.
Kick-off time: 15:00 GMT, Monday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
Norwich 1/1 | Draw 5/2 | Watford 13/5
Just two points separate these sides in the standings. The hosts have taken seven from their last six, the visitors eight, both have won ten games and the Canaries (31) have scored one more than Watford (30).
Like Norwich, the Hornets had lofty ambitions of promotion this campaign, but they have fallen short so far.
They were dealt a huge blow as talisman Joao Pedro has been ruled out for a while, although I do not think that justifies the visitors' chunky price. That is why taking WATFORD/DRAW DOUBLE CHANCE is the bet here.
Against sides above them in the league, Norwich have only won two of their ten games, losing six, which includes the reverse of this fixture, alongside taking just eight points in total.
In comparison, Watford have faired considerably better racking up 17 points from their ten contests.
Norwich v Watford best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Watford/Draw double chance at 4/5 (General)
Score prediction: Norwich 1-1 Watford (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
Odds correct at 1400 GMT (30/12/22)
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