Welcome to the first edition of Ben's bet builder. As well as being the face of youtube for the Saturday Superstream, I'm also trying my hand at a good old bet builder. The Championship is my bread and butter so it seems a safe place to start! Bet Builder build Up The prevailing mood around the Championship relegation zone is that it’s three teams from four for the drop. In recent weeks we’ve seen short winning streaks from Cardiff and Hull put them into relatively safe looking positions. Those two are now 15 and 12 points clear of Peterborough down in 22nd. Add to the equation the nil-nil draw between Posh and Reading in midweek as a further illustration of those two teams very much being stuck in the mud and going nowhere fast. Reading have got a shocking three points in their last 11 games and Peterborough just seven in 16 games. No wonder they are one of the Championship betting favourites to be relegated. Intriguing relegation battle While all of this has been going on Derby County’s potential escape has gone from impossible, to improbable, to unlikely, to possibly and is now almost plausible. Forgetting about the deductions, the Rams points per game across the season is 1.25, significantly superior to their rivals in the bottom four. Reading are closest to the normal survival rate with 0.93, while Peterborough’s 0.7 and Barnsley’s 0.56 need vast improvement or relegation is a formality. This weekend we get the juicy matchup of Derby facing Peterborough. With the Rams knowing a win would take them above Posh and into 22nd position. With that in mind, Derby v Peterborough will be the focus of this week's bet builder. Ben's Bet Builder tip selections LEG 1 - Derby to win Given the narrative set out above, you’ve got to fancy a Derby win here. The points per game number suggests Derby are superior to Peterborough. Derby would clearly be way above them were it not for that vast 21 point deduction. When you factor in the home and away form it starts to look more of a banker. Peterborough have an abject away record and have lost a staggering 13 of 15 games on the road this season. Derby are in the top 10 for seasonal home form. And the top four, for the past eight home games. It’s a huge opportunity for the Rams to take a step towards a miraculous survival. LEG 2 - Under 3 goals Despite being a little bit leaky lately, Derby’s survival push has been predicated on strong defensive numbers. Only 10 teams have conceded fewer goals than the Rams. The same cannot be said for Posh who have the joint worst defensive record in the League. Both teams are however in the bottom five for goals scored and neither side possesses a player in double figures for goals scored this season. If Derby are indeed favourites for this game, I suspect any kind of win would be a low scoring affair. LEG 3 - Tom Lawrence anytime goalscorer As mentioned in leg 2, neither team has a player in double figures for goals this season but the only player close is Tom Lawrence. Lawrence has rehabilitated his standing with Derby fans following the unfortunate incident that saw Richard Keogh and Mason Bennett ultimately leave the club. He was named captain by Wayne Rooney and has stepped up to the plate this season as an on pitch leader. Lawrence loves a long range shot and will likely take attacking set plays. He’s also the only player in either squad with more than five goals this season. If you want to take on this week's bet builder you can do so at odds of 11/1 over on bet365. Come and join me on the Benjamin Bloom Football Channel from 2.30pm for the Saturday Superstream. See how the picks for this bet builder and all the What Acca selections get on.
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