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Championship

Championship 2019-20: Top scorer predictions, odds, tips & betting guide

Huddersfield's Karlan Grant set to outscore rivals

Karlan Grant: Huddersfield striker has the right qualities to shine in the Championship
Karlan Grant: Huddersfield striker has the right qualities to shine in the ChampionshipCredit: Tony Marshall (Getty Images)

Karlan Grant has scored goals in three of the top four divisions in English football and can complete the full set in style by topping the Sky Bet Championship charts this season.

The 2018-19 Premier League season was a disaster for Huddersfield, who finished bottom on just 16 points.

There were very few positives but supporters liked what they saw of Grant, who impressed after joining from Sky Bet League One highfliers Charlton in January.

Despite the significant step up in class, Grant settled quickly and finished the season with four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.

That was enough to make him the club's top scorer but was never going to have an impact on the battle for survival.

The serious business for Grant is about to begin because Huddersfield are relying on him to fire them back to the Premier League.

However, the 21-year-old is unlikely to be fazed by the weight of expectation and has the right qualities to flourish with decent pace, intelligent movement and lethal finishing.

Having asked serious questions of top-tier defences, Grant looks well-prepared for his Championship season debut and is a tasty bet to outscore his rivals.

Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic heads the betting

Aleksandar Mitrovic is the market leader after signing a new five-year contract for promotion hopefuls Fulham.

The Serbian was widely expected to attract interest from rival clubs after netting 11 goals for the relegated Cottagers last term.

Dropping down a level, Mitrovic should find the net with greater regularity but his odds look short, bearing in mind he has never scored more than 13 league goals in any of his four seasons in English football.

Stoke striker Benik Afobe is a better-value bet.

The Potters have boosted their firepower this summer with the addition of Lee Gregory from Millwall but manager Nathan Jones appears keen to persevere with Sam Vokes and Afobe as his preferred front two.

Benik Afobe strokes home a penalty for Stoke last season
Benik Afobe strokes home a penalty for Stoke last seasonCredit: Nathan Stirk (Getty Images)

Afobe had an ordinary 2018-19 – scoring eight goals in 45 appearances – but it wasn’t all his fault. Stoke lacked creativity and their goal tally (45) was the third-lowest in the division.

Jones is keen to build a more attack-minded side and Stoke’s full-backs will be given license to get further forward this season which should result in more opportunities for likes of Afobe, who has the pace and power to take advantage.

Charlton may have unearthed a gem in Chuks Aneke

Cash-strapped Charlton have had to be clever with their transfer business and may have unearthed a gem by snapping up Chuks Aneke from MK Dons.

The 26-year-old is a former Arsenal academy graduate with fantastic technique but had to drop down to Sky Bet League Two to realise his potential.

He netted 17 league goals for the Dons last season even though 12 of his 38 appearances came from off the bench. The gap between the fourth and second tiers is huge but Charlton manager Lee Bowyer has great faith in Aneke and it may be rewarded.

Recommendations
K Grant
1pt each-way 16-1 general
B Afobe
1pt each-way 40-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
C Aneke
0.5pt each-way 150-1bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes


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Dan ChildsRacing Post Sport

Published on 6 August 2019inChampionship

Last updated 12:17, 6 September 2019

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