Cardiff return to the head of the promotion market following emphatic win
Malky Mackay’s men are now odds-on to make the Premier League after thumping Burnley, while Blackburn, Middlesbrough and Forest have also seen their prices shorten.
Cardiff City returned to the top of the Championship following their 4-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday and went three points clear thanks to Crystal Palace’s shock 2-1 victory at previous leaders Leicester City.
The Welsh side are now priced at 91/100 to gain promotion and 11/4 to win the title after goals from Joe Mason, Craig Noone, Matthew Connolly and Aaron Gunnarsson gave them a straightforward triumph over the Clarets.
Malky Mackay’s men, who have won all seven of their home league games to date, are playing like real contenders and punters backing them to win the league with their free £20 bet after registering with bwin would pocket £75 if successful.
Leicester have gone out to 4/1 to lift the trophy after their defeat by Palace, who are searching for a new manager following Dougie Freedman’s decision to join league rivals Bolton Wanderers and remain an 8/1 shot to be promoted after extending their unbeaten run to ten league games.
| Champions League | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dortmund | 1-1 | Bayern Munich | £150.00 | (13/2) |
| Dortmund | 1-2 | Bayern Munich | £160.00 | (7/1) |
| Dortmund | 0-2 | Bayern Munich | £175.00 | (31/4) |
| Dortmund win | £84.00 | (16/5) | ||
| Draw | £82.00 | (31/10) | ||
| Bayern Munich win | £34.00 | (7/10) | ||
Blackburn Rovers are still to appoint a replacement for Steve Kean but they are third favourites to be champions at 15/2 after securing their second win in four days, with Jordan Rhodes’ 90th-minute goal enough to get them past Gianfranco Zola’s Watford at Ewood Park.
Middlesbrough stretched their unbeaten run to five games with a narrow 2-1 victory at Bolton and are now 12/1 to win the division – the same price as Nottingham Forest, who came from behind to beat Barnsley 4-1.
Wolverhampton Wanderers dropped out of the play-off places after their 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic and are now 14/1 to win the title, though they are still just 3/1 to be promoted.
Despite being just three points above the relegation zone, Bolton are priced at 5/1 for promotion, while Blackpool and Brighton and Hove Albion, who played out a 1-1 draw at the weekend, are 5/1 and 6/1 respectively.
Leeds United, who fell to a 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham City, are out to 5/1 for promotion, with sixth-placed Hull City now just 6/1 to return to the Premier League after their 2-1 win at struggling Bristol City.