Both East Midlands rivals are in the Championship promotion hunt and our tipster believes the value lies in backing this clash to end all square
Monday's Championship action is a mouth-watering encounter between Derby County and Nottingham Forest.
Just three points separate the bitter rivals in the table and 888Sport make the Rams Even money (2.0) favourites to secure a victory.
Forest for their part are 27/10 (3.70) outsiders having lost each of their previous three trips to this venue. The draw available at 47/20 (3.35) and has paid out in two of the last three head-to-head meetings between these teams.
The points tally isn't the only marginal difference between the pair. After 21 games Forest have scored 32 goals with Derby registering 31. Defensively they both rank inside the top five in the division with 22 and 24 goals conceded respectively.
Form-wise both have fared well too, in their previous eight games Derby have picked up 16 points and Forest 15. Those factors mean the draw at 47/20 (3.35) looks the way to go in what promises to be a highly-charged affair at the iPro Stadium.
With two strong defences facing attacks that rank outside the top eight, the temptation could be to oppose a high-scoring clash on Monday evening. At least one team to draw a blank is 6/5 (2.20) while under 2.5 goals is another Even money (2.0) chance with 888Sport. Neither of those look especially appealing compared to backing the game to finish all square at a much bigger price though.
Not only do the teams look well-matched based on their performances so far, but Forest have also become the second tier's stalemate specialists. A staggering 10 of 21 matches league matches involving Aitor Karanka's men this term have ended level with six of those coming on the road.
Adding in the local rivalry factor makes the draw even more appealing at 47/20 (3.35). This could be a cagey opening with neither team wanting to give anything away in the early stages and a point apiece would probably be viewed as an acceptable outcome given how both teams sit in the current standings.