Warrington Wolves will hope to consolidate their spot in the top four of Super League when they travel to the OneBore Stadium to take on Castleford Tigers on Saturday.
Sam Burgess' team are fourth and only six points behind leaders Leeds Rhinos, but their recent form means they are also only two points above seventh-placed St Helens.
While Warrington still have something to play for, Castleford are already planning for next season and have started their recruitment drive.
The Tigers are 10th in the Super League table after seven wins from 20 fixtures and Ryan Carr's team will only be playing for pride on Saturday afternoon.
Castleford Tigers v Warrington Wolves Tips Summary
Best Bet - Warrington Wolves -10.5 @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - 1st-half betting 2-way - Warrington Wolves -5.5 @ 5/6
Bet Builder - Warrington Wolves to win both halves, Matty Ashton to score a try, Albert Hopoate to score a try @ 4/1
Castleford Tigers v Warrington Wolves Prediction
Best Bet: Warrington Wolves -10.5 @ 1/1
Predicting Castleford's results this season has been extremely difficult. Their inconsistency has been a problem all season and that has been particularly evident in the last few weeks.
The Tigers have lost six of their last eight games, but they were only outclassed in two of those.
Both of those heavy defeats came against Wakefield Trinity, with Daryl Powell's side running out 48-6 and 52-14 winners, the latter in which Wakefield had Matty Storton sent off in the first half at 6-6 but still going on to hammer the Tigers.
In between those defeats, Castleford suffered a narrow defeat at Leigh before shocking leaders Leeds with a 36-24 victory, having trailed 16-0 in the first half.
Those wildly fluctuating performance levels are a worry and losing so convincingly with a man advantage is clearly another alarm bell.
Warrington have had their struggles in recent weeks too but they are fourth in the table for a reason, and with a play-off place to secure they can take advantage of the Tigers' recent woes, having smashed Cas 72-6 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium earlier this season.
Alternative Bet: 1st-half betting 2-way - Warrington Wolves -5.5 @ 5/6
Castleford are likely to struggle to compete with Warrington this week, particularly given the injury news this week that Ashton Golding and Semi Valemei are both out long term, as they could not withstand the first-half blitz in the earlier meeting between these two.
The Wolves made a blistering start to that March clash, powering out to a 32-6 advantage by half-time as the Tigers failed to stem the tide, and while that was early in the season and on home turf, Burgess' men only need to lead by six on Saturday, and that looks well within their compass.
Castleford Tigers v Warrington Wolves Bet Builder Tip
Warrington Wolves to win both halves
Matty Ashton to score a try
Albert Hopoate to score a try
Pays @ 4/1
The Wire look good value to win both halves this week, and it's a solid starting point for the Bet Builder, especially with Castleford losing to 12-man Wakefield last week.
Matty Ashton remains one of Warrington's best finishers, scoring four tries in his last five games, and should find plenty of space against a Castleford defence that has conceded 610 points this season; only Huddersfield Giants have conceded more.
Albert Hopoate has also found a purple patch and has what it takes to add to his recent record of three tries in five appearances.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Castleford Tigers have lost six of their last eight games in Super League
The Tigers have conceded 34 points or more in successive games and in three of their last four
Castleford have lost five times at home this season
Warrington Wolves have lost three matches in a row away from home
Warrington ace Matty Ashton has scored four tries in five games
Warrington's Toby King needs one try to reach 100 for his career
Read more rugby league betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
