Championship Tips: Best bets for Tuesday and Wednesday's fixtures | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Tips for the midweek Championship fixtures

It's time for the first full Championship midweek round of the season and Jack Critchley has picked out his favourite bets from each of the 12 games which are spread across Tuesday and Wednesday...

Birmingham v Sheffield Wednesday - Dykes to deliver

Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Birmingham fans' expectations have been tempered in recent weeks, with the Blues stumbling through September. Chris Davies has come under criticism and there are a few issues with the squad that need addressing. The midfield combo of Paik and Iwata looks lightweight, and there is no backup for Alex Cochrane at left-back.

Marvin Ducksch was injured in the warm-up at the weekend, and that may result in Lyndon Dykes being deployed from the start. The Scot is the club's joint-top goalscorer and has scored twice despite being limited to mainly appearances from the bench. His physicality could be too much to handle for the Sheffield Wednesday defence, and even if he doesn't start the game, there is still a chance that he can make the difference in the final stages of this contest.

Sheffield Wednesday have looked far better than everyone has expected, and credit must go to Henrik Pedersen for galvanising his young squad in a tough environment. Nevertheless, they might struggle to break down Brum's stubborn defence, and a fine margin may decide this game.

Blackburn v Swansea - Tight encounter at Ewood

Tuesday, 19:45, Live on the Sky Sports+ App

Blackburn put in a horrible performance at the weekend, coming off second best at the Valley and managing just a couple of shots on target throughout the 90 minutes. Perhaps distracted by the ongoing saga surrounding their rearranged match v Ipswich, Rovers were second best throughout, and they must improve substantially here.

Notwithstanding the postponed fixture, they are winless at Ewood Park so far, scoring just once. Three of the four goals that they've conceded have come after the 90th minute, so they are likely to be much harder to breach here.

Swansea weren't at their best at the weekend, yet they managed to clinch a point at home to Millwall. Only four sides have taken fewer shots than the Swans this season, however, with just 0.86 goals per game conceded so far, Alan Sheehan's side are likely to be hard to breach.

They've scored just twice away from home, both of which came against Sheffield Wednesday, and they barely laid a glove on Middlesbrough on the opening weekend. An xG of just 0.91 against Birmingham doesn't inspire confidence in their ability to find a way through the Rovers' defence, and this could be a low-scoring 90 minutes.

Bristol City v Ipswich - Entertainment in store at Ashton Gate

Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Bristol City took a point back from Deepdale at the weekend, yet they will feel like it was two points dropped, having racked up an xG of 2.32, landing seven shots on target and missing four big chances. Gerhard Struber's young side are full of enthusiasm, and they are very entertaining to watch.

They can also be vulnerable, as they proved when hosting Oxford 10 days ago. With eight goals in their last four and Ipswich's propensity to concede on the road, they will fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet.

The Tractor Boys haven't quite clicked on their travels, yet they appear to have found their groove at Portman Road. Despite drawing blanks at PNE and Ewood Park (for 80 minutes at least), they should have enough to find a way past the hosts on this occasion. Jaden Philogene has hit a purple patch, and Matusiwa appears to be growing into his role in central midfield.

Hull v Preston - Tigers' chaos to continue

Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Hull were expected to be in a relegation battle this season but they are currently five points clear of the drop zone. Unfortunately, they cannot defend and have shipped 2+ goals in all but two matches so far. That feels quite unsustainable, and they must tighten up, as they cannot be expected to score three times each week to overcome that deficit.

Oli McBurnie has been a real nuisance, and he is an excellent focal point of the side. Unfortunately, injuries are starting to bite with Joel Ndala, Matt Crooks, Mohamed Belloumi and Semi Ajayi all missing for the next couple of weeks.

Preston are unremarkable on the road and Paul Heckingbottom's side will be looking to take the majority of their points on the road this season. They don't score many goals away from Deepdale, but they will surely take advantage of the hosts' clumsiness at the back and find a way through. They let Bristol City create plenty of opportunities at the weekend and are unlikely to keep a clean sheet at the MKM.

Leicester v Wrexham - BTTS at the KP

Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Leicester are unbeaten since 16 August, yet they've rarely convinced in the subsequent performances, and they managed just a single shot on target at the Hawthorns on Friday night. If WBA had taken their chances, the Foxes would have slipped to their second defeat of the campaign.

Marti Cifuentes' side has a decent collection of individuals who are capable of winning games but, as a unit, they haven't clicked. Nevertheless, they are yet to taste defeat at the King Power. They were the better side against Coventry here a fortnight ago, and they easily dispatched Birmingham before that.

Wrexham have been better on the road so far this season, although they weren't far off collecting maximum points at the weekend at the Racecourse. The Welsh side have plenty of attacking riches and they appear to be finally finding the right balance in midfield, but they still give up too many opportunities, and that should play into Leicester's hands. I'm not convinced by the hosts, but I'm also not sold on Wrexham's ability to keep a clean sheet.

Middlesbrough v Stoke - Boro to sneak past the Potters

Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Middlesbrough were far from their best at the weekend, yet they managed to take a point back from St. Mary's and will be satisfied to be four points clear at the top of the table at this stage of the season. Rob Edwards' in-game management and his ability to problem solve helped the Teessiders to fight back from a goal down and there will be plenty of confidence amongst the players coming into this game. They are unbeaten in all three home games so far, winning each of those fixtures by a single goal margin, and this could be a similar scenario.

Stoke were one of the early pacesetters in the second tier, yet the Potters are in danger of falling away. They've taken just four points from their last four matches and were easily beaten by QPR at Loftus Road in their last away outing. Both of their away wins came against teams currently in the bottom six, and this will be tougher for Mark Robins' men. Sorba Thomas is a threat and they will look to create opportunities. However, Boro have faced the fourth fewest shots so far and Stoke could find themselves restricted.

Sheffield United v Southampton - Wilder's men to pick up first home point(s)

Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Sheffield United picked up a much-needed victory on Saturday, edging past Oxford. It was a scruffy success, but it was vital for Chris Wilder and his squad that they didn't come out on the wrong side for the seventh consecutive time. Ben Mee's leadership and know-how made the difference at the back and, assuming that he starts again on Tuesday night, he could be the man to thwart misfiring Southampton.

Mee must be carefully managed by Wilder this season, yet he is unlikely to be dropped for a game, which could see the Blades get off the mark at Bramall Lane. Further forward, they are less convincing, and Sydie Peck has struggled so far this campaign. The ball doesn't tend to stick up front for long, and Wilder must find a way to correct this. Nevertheless, the atmosphere in S2, will be much improved, and they could be facing the Saints at the right time.

The visitors have been less than convincing so far, and Will Still is starting to feel pressure. His side is winless since 9 August, and although they played fairly well against Middlesbrough at the weekend, they've already conceded six times on the road. This could be another tough away trip for the south coast club.

Derby v Charlton - Addicks to take something from Pride Park

Tuesday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Derby remain tough to break down and despite giving up a fair few chances to Wrexham at the weekend, they were still able to salvage a draw at the Racecourse. Although the stats would suggest that they are far more open at Pride Park, their 5-3 loss to Coventry is doing a fair amount of heavy lifting. Since that defeat, they have conceded just five goals in five matches, although creating meaningful chances at the other end of the field has been less fruitful.

John Eustace has navigated an early-season injury crisis and a tough fixture list which has seen them face five of the current top eight. None of their home matches have been against bottom-half sides, so this, in theory, should be a little easier. Nevertheless, they've taken just 45 shots so far, 18 fewer than the second-lowest-ranked side.

Charlton were excellent at the weekend, easing past Blackburn. They've kept more clean sheets than any other side and have topped the charts when it comes to winning possession in the final third. Their fitness levels are exceptional, and they will fight for every ball. QPR are the only side to score more than one against them, and they could easily keep Derby's attack at arm's length.

Millwall v Coventry - Points shared at The Den

Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Millwall have taken five points from their last three matches, and have conceded just twice during that run. Alex Neil's side have lost twice in Bermondsey already this season, which is unusual, but they were the better side against Wrexham, and put on a decent show against the current league leaders. The Lions have endured significant injury issues with Casper de Norre, a huge loss in the centre of the park.

Coventry have an excellent start to the season, and were fantastic at the weekend when hosting Birmingham. This is a tough run for the Sky Blues who are on the road late Wednesday before an early KO on Saturday lunchtime. They will be missing Jack Rudoni for these fixtures, which is a significant loss, although Ephron Mason-Clark's return to action is timely.

Josh Eccles is back, but he looked to be struggling after 40 minutes on Saturday, and he hasn't played many minutes so far this season. Coventry have a poor midweek record on their travels, and they've already lost here in the EFL Cup on a Tuesday night. They might avoid defeat here, but at 13/10 is a bit short for the visitors.

Norwich v West Brom - Baggies to leave Carrow Road with a point

Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

There is discontent swirling around Carrow Road. Liam Manning has struggled to turn the Canaries into a cohesive unit, and they have relied on a fair amount of individual brilliance and luck so far. Fans have complained about the lack of attacking patterns and the lack of movement in midfield over the last few weeks. At the weekend, Stoke took 23 shots and had double the number of efforts on target throughout the 90 minutes. They are yet to win at this ground, and the goals have started to dry up for Josh Sargent, too.

West Brom aren't free-flowing either but they have been fairly tough to beat under Ryan Mason. They missed a few big opportunities to put the game to bed against Leicester on Friday night, and they have had an extra day to prepare for this away trip. WBA won't make this easy for the hosts, and they should have the extra quality in midfield. It's hard to trust them to win games based on their recent performances but they should be able to leave with something.

Portsmouth v Watford - Low-scoring encounter at Fratton Park

Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Portsmouth's season has been a curious one so far. They've looked effective at the stopping the opposition, particularly on the road, yet they haven't found their groove at Fratton Park. They were beaten at an odds-on price when hosting Sheffield Wednesday recently, despite having the best of the game and creating several chances. Their only success was a narrow 1-0 win over Preston, and a similar outcome is a possibility here.

Despite beating Hull at the weekend, there is discontent surrounding Paulo Pezzolano. A section of Watford fans were calling for the manager to be sacked, despite their form at Vicarage being relatively acceptable. Fans are upset with Pezzolano's team selection, with questionable decisions, particularly when it comes to chopping and changing successful XIs.

The Hornets went more direct against Hull and pushing Imran Louza further forward undoubtedly helped. Unfortunately, their away form is lousy and they rarely looked like scoring at The Den. Just one goal in three away games does not suggest that this encounter is likely to be a classic.

QPR v Oxford - BTTS at Loftus Road

Wednesday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

QPR have significantly improved in September, and Julian Stephan's side are moving in the right direction. Despite dropping points against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, they are routinely creating chances and have plenty of threats going forward. They beat Stoke 1-0 in their last home game, nulifying the threat of the Potters, but Oxford are likely to offer a little more in the final third on Wednesday evening.

The Yellows became the first side to lose to Sheffield United at the weekend. But they looked efficient going forward in their last away trip to Ashton Gate. Despite losing at the Kassam, they created more chances than the visitors, but were a little wasteful. They're averaging 1.67 goals per game on the road, and Gary Rowett's side are surprisingly open on their travels. This could be a good game.

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