Monday Night Football - Charlton to tighten grip at top of League One

There's no Premier League football this Monday but there's the usual NFL game plus a great game in prospect between two of the leading lights in League One, we're looking at both games for any edge that can be found in the markets & selecting our best bets. Get involved by leaving comments or by following our Twitter feed @likebuyingmoney - we're often on & happy to discuss betting & sports in general & field any questions.

 (League One top scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips can score for Charlton against Huddersfield)

League leaders (& our 9/1 pre-season tip!) Charlton Athletic take on 3rd placed Huddersfield Town at The Valley, even at this relatively early stage of the season this is a huge game as with a win Charlton can pull 7 points clear of the pack. Huddersfield meanwhile are unbeaten in the league through 18 games & have the exceptional 21 year old Jordan Rhodes leading their attack with 13 league goals - ranking 2nd only to Charlton's pocket sized star Bradley Wright-Phillips. Both sides are excellent defensively as well, Charlton have conceded 14 & Huddersfield 15, they retain the ball well, especially Charlton who have rallied after their first loss of the season to Stevenage with 5 straight wins. Clearly both of these sides are good but we like the midfield of Charlton with Scott Wagstaff, Danny Hollands, Dale Stephens & ex-Spurs player Johnnie Jackson combining to control games, they have exceptional quality in terms of control & accuracy of passing & can blunt Huddersfield's forward threat by not letting them have the ball. Unfortunately Stephens & Jackson have injuries but Charlton have drafted in Hogan Ephraim from QPR & Darel Russell from Preston to provide cover & competition for places. We wouldn't be surprised to see Charlton start with 5 in midfield & just Wright-Phillips up front by himself & he can take advantage by scoring first at odds of 5/1. We like Charlton but they shouldn't be able to run over Huddersfield like other teams & could nick this with a single goal, they are as short as 6/1 to win 1-0 with some firms but we'll take the 9/1 on offer at Ladbrokes.

(The New Orleans Saints offense can keep firing against the New York Giants)

In Monday's NFL game the New Orleans Saints host fellow NFC side the New York Giants in a game that is key for both sides with the Saints needing to stay ahead of Atlanta & the Giants trying to keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys. The Saints have lost only 3 times this year & are unbeaten at home & their passing game is just about the best around, the teams who have had success have tended to run the ball well meaning they've controlled possession but the Giants trail the league in yards per carry at just 3.2. The Giants offensive line hasn't played that great, letting Eli Manning be sacked 19 times already & not getting enough of a push for the running game, it means they'll struggle to keep up with the high powered Saints offense. The Saints lead the league in offensive yards per game & will fancy themselves to put up some numbers against the Giants ordinary defense, Brees will be looking to find tight end Jimmy Graham in the end zone as usual & their running game is pretty good too with Mark Ingram, Darren Sproles & Pierre Thomas covering all types of situations. This could be a high scoring affair but we see most of the points being scored by the New Orleans Saints & they can cover the -7 point handicap to win this one & leave the Giants in crisis with their 3rd loss in a row & having to face the Packers next week.

Selections:
Charlton Athletic to beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 at 9/1 (Ladbrokes)
Bradley Wright-Phillips to score 1st at 6/1 (Victor Chandler)
New Orleans Saints to beat New York Giants with -7 points on the handicap at 20/21 (Sportingbet & Stan James)