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2011-08-23 - Wycombe vs Nottingham Forest
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : Carling Cup
Tuesday 23 August 2011 - Kickoff 7:45pm
Wycombe
Wycombe will be hopeful of causing a shock in this 2nd Round contest against an opponent that has not made the impact in their own League as was expected. It is true that Gary Waddock's side are unlikely to be troubling the top half of League One, but they have made a decent start to the new season.
Wycombe are 15th in League One having picked up 5 points from a possible 12 to start the season. They are yet to really make an impact in front of their own supporters, going 0-1-1 in their 2 games there, scoring just 1 goal and conceding 3.
The team beat Colchester United here in the 1st Round, although they were forced to go to penalties following a 3-3 draw. They blew a 2-0 lead in the first half of that game and they lost their last game on Saturday here at Adams Park 0-2 to Bury.
Stuart Lewis is yet to make an appearance this season but could be on the bench for this game. Kevin Betsy is also back in the squad after representing his country in the Indian Ocean Games.
Nottingham Forest
Steve McClaren's appointment was expected to help push Nottingham Forest up to the Premier League after they came close twice in Billy Davies' time, but the start of his era has not exactly gone to plan. However, the team showed a lot of heart in their latest outing which could help kick start their season.
The Reds are 12th in the Championship after earning 5 points from their opening 4 games this season. They are 1-0-1 away from home, scoring 1 goal and conceding 2, and Forest earned a decent 2-2 draw with Leicester City at the City Ground on Saturday after recovering from a 2 goal deficit in the last 20 minutes.
Forest beat local rivals Notts County on penalties in the last Round in a topsy turvy contest. The team went down 0-1, but could not hold on to a 2-1 lead in the 2nd half before Wes Morgan scored a last minute goal in extra time to take the game to penalties. Forest are unbeaten in their last 2 games, including winning at Doncaster in their last away game.
Joe Garner and Marcos Tudgay are hopeful of being included in the squad after being left out on Saturday. Paul Anderson and Guy Moussi are both missing out through injury.
Prediction
As with all my Carling Cup previews, I would not dive into these games as they can be very unpredictable with team changes being made by managers.
I have picked Nottingham Forest to grab the win here as Steve McClaren has played a strong side in the 1st Round and is unlikely to want to lose momentum after picking up 4 points in the last 2 League games they have played.
They should have too much in hand to beat Wycombe, although it will be a tough game as the home side will have nothing to lose. They are expected to struggle this season in the bottom half of the table and should present Forest with enough chances to move through to the 3rd Round and a potential money-spinning tie against one of the big boys from the Premier League.
At odds against, I think Forest are worth chancing.
The Pick :
Wycombe 1-2 Nottingham Forest
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Nottingham Forest @ 2.10
