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Coventry, Leeds and Mansfield can all win this weekend

18 April 2008

1. Coventry to beat Colchester @ [2.3]
2. Leeds to beat Millwall @ [2.0]
3. Mansfield to beat Shrewsbury @ [1.86]
£10 @ [8.5]

It's been a season of much change at Coventry City - but they will be going all out this weekend to ensure they don't start next season in a different division.

With a new manager and a new chairman, the last thing the Sky Blues want is to drop down to League One - so they must beat Colchester at Layer Road this weekend. With a derby against Wolves and then a potentially tricky away journey to Charlton on the last day, Coventry will feel the trip to Essex this weekend represents their best chance of securing three points which could be enough to keep them up.

City have lost their last two, but they were against teams in the top six and there was an element of bad luck about both defeats. Prior to that they had been beaten just once in seven, and although they haven't been prolific scorers, they would settle for nicking a one-goal win.

And Colchester is the ideal place to be hoping to do so. Relegated already, they have the worst home record in the division and have conceded 35 goals in the league at Layer Road this season, far more than any other team.

It might not be pretty, but I think Coventry will get the result they crave - so I'm backing them at [2.3].

In League One, Gary McAllister will be only too aware that he and his Leeds United team must focus on winning what games they have left, and not on the outcome of arbitration.

Therefore, they will be well fired up for a trip to struggling Millwall, who are still not completely out of the woods at the foot of the table.

However, although the London club needs the points I don't think they will be able to handle a Leeds team that has really turned out some impressive results of late, beating fellow promotion hopefuls Carlisle, Doncaster, Brighton and Walsall.

The midweek defeat at Huddersfield will only heighten their need to win this one.

With promotion an essential for this once great club, I'm including Leeds at [2.0].

Into League Two, and I'm hoping that Mansfield Town are going to take what will surely be their last chance to save themselves from relegation into the realms of non-league football.

The Stags have spent much of the season under the 'dotted line' in the league table alongside Wrexham, but with a win over Shrewsbury this weekend possibly moving them to within a point of safety, it's now or never for the Field Mill club.

A battling draw at Macclesfield last time out made it only one defeat in five games for Paul Holland's side. They may not have a great home record but the Shrews are pretty awful on their travels, and have not won on the road in 10 outings, dating back to before Christmas.

They'll not get a better chance to make their bid for safety - so I'm backing Mansfield at [1.86].

That makes this week's French Connection Coventry (at [2.3]), Leeds (at [2.06]) and Mansfield (at [2]), for a treble that pays around [8.5].