Brendan Rodgers broke his Swansea away-day hoodoo with victory over former club Watford in midweek but now the shoe might be on the other foot when Derby have a pop at breaking the division's only remaining 100 per cent home record on Saturday.

The Rams are in good shape at the moment, although you'd hardly notice judging how recent matches have been reported with the emphasis repeatedly on the shortcomings of the opposition they've faced.

A sorry Crystal Palace defence was the focus when the Midlanders smashed five past the Eagles last weekend and it was much the same story when they came from behind to beat Middlesbrough in midweek with the result sparking further speculation about the future of Gordon Strachan. 

Moreover, nobody batted an eyelid when Nigel Clough's men brought the curtain down on Barnsley's immaculate start at Oakwell in their last road outing and it leaves you wondering what the Rams must do to gain some recognition.

It's a situation punters should be looking to take advantage of but it's not just the bookies who are writing them off as insignificant because the away win is even better value on Bet365.

All of which isn't to say we class Derby as genuine promotion contenders but they can certainly meet the standards of most teams at this level when everything falls into place and they find a bit of form, so we'll gladly take odds of 5.00 about the away win.

Swansea are no mugs, of course, and Rodgers has maybe brought a bit more fluidity to their play compared with how they performed under Paulo Sousa.

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The Jacks are dangerous once they got on top of opposition but they don't seem quite as patient as last season and we're not convinced they will match last season's record of holding firm in the first goal stakes over 75 per cent of the time.

The Welsh club have already conceded first four times, compared with 11 times in the whole of last term, and they've lost on each occasion, so there's enough there for us to be bold about the visitors. The breakthrough could be vital to the destiny of the points. 

Meanwhile, Gordon Strachan just can't seem to put his finger on the cause of Middlesbrough's problems at the moment and it could be worth sticking with Portsmouth to compound the Scotsman's misery in front of what could be quite an impatient crowd at the Riverside.

Pompey did the business over Bristol City in midweek, prompting Steve Cotterill to declare an end to recent negativity as he gave a fascinating insight into the problems he faced in his first few weeks at Fratton Park.

Most importantly, the recent international break seems to have been a godsend for the Hampshire club as it offered them a vital opportunity to compensate for a dreadful pre-season by doing some fitness work, the benefits of which are suddenly there for all to see.

It was clear from the outset that they possessed a starting XI on a par with anything in the division, so they deserve to be chanced again at nearly 3.80 with Boro looking fragile.

We're not totally convinced the doomsayers are right to write off the Teessiders' title prospects just yet but there's enough question marks about their frame of mind for us to take this bet on.

PICKS:
Portsmouth to beat Middlesbrough at 3.80 at Bet365.
Derby to beat Swansea at 5.00 at Bet365.