Welcome to our tipping round-up. Most of you know the drill by now, but for those who don't, every week I post my betting suggestions for the weekend (which you may well wish to steer clear of), as well as our predictions contest. The blog can also act as a talkboard for any Football League-related discussions over the weekend.
Nottingham Forest to beat Millwall at 2-1
The goalscoring return of Nicky Maynard in midweek having missed the entire season through injury marks Bristol City out at home against Scunthorpe as a solid-looking bet at evens but, given the number of times they have let this column down in 2010-11, the recommendation switches instead to Forest. Despite having injury doubts over Paul Konchesky, Robert Earnshaw and Nathan Tyson, and failing to seriously impress during the surprise 2-2 draw at home to Preston in midweek, promotion-chasing Forest are worth sticking with, especially at a generous price. Radi Majewski returns to a side that has still won nine of their last 13. Millwall, meanwhile, have lost four of seven, including their last two games against Middlesbrough and Reading, and will be without the injured Jimmy Abdou.
Lincoln to beat Barnet at 9-4
OK, so the Imps slumped disappointingly at home to leaders Chesterfield last weekend, but perseverance is again the call for this trip to the worst team in the Football League. Winless in eight and with just one victory in 12, there is little reason to back the Bees beyond any expectation of this column jinxing Lincoln again. Wycombe also offer an interesting proposition at 6-4 on the road against Macclesfield, but we'll stick with the Imps to prevail against opponents that surely aren't good enough to avoid the drop into the Blue Square Premier this time around.
NB: prices with Betfair and correct at the time of publication
Tipping contest
As you'll note from the scoring, late starters have been awarded one point for every week they have missed. Last week's pools panel result for Rochdale v Southampton is required, with a surprise home win doing little to alleviate the low scores caused by a flurry of draws.
The top of the table so far (The full table will be posted in the comments section below) …
markier 67
PiggyPingoPiglet 63
Bobby142 58
josedinho 56
captainmorganrum 56
TheRealRingo 51
stevegrant 50
Thewalthamstowone 49
horne94 49
Me 49
As for this week: make your result (not scoreline) prediction for each of the games below, with one point per correct result. The deadline is 3pm GMT on Saturday.
Millwall v Nottingham Forest
Preston v Burnley
Carlisle v Sheffield Wednesday
MK Dons v Brighton
Barnet v Lincoln
Bradford v Stockport
I'm tipping Nottingham Forest, draw, Carlisle, Brighton, Lincoln and Bradford. You can also follow me on Twitter if you want more money-losing tips/predictions through the week.
