Championship Betting Tips: Back Eustace's side to thrive on the road on Friday night | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Championship tips for all of this weekend's matches in the second tier

As we edge towards the conclusion of the January transfer window, there is another full set of fixtures, and Jack Critchley has used the Betfair Sportsbook to pick out his best bets for this weekend's games in the Championship...

Bristol City vs Derby - Further discontent in BS3

Friday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Chants against the board could be heard at Ashton Gate last weekend despite the club's 2-0 victory over rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday. Gerhard Struber has also spoken candidly about the transfer policy, which has mainly consisted of selling the club's best and most valuable assets and then failing to replace them. Admittedly, there are still a few days left of the January transfer window; however, the sale of Zak Vyner and the loan acquisition of the inconsistent Delano Burgzorg is unlikely to appease the fans.

On the field, the Robins' form has been reasonable enough, although their performance against Sheffield Wednesday was far from vintage. Failure to find the net against Preston and Oxford is a concern and without Anis Mehmeti, they potentially lack a bit of X-factor.

Derby weren't at their best last weekend, drawing 1-1 with West Brom. The Rams have been far more effective on the road this season, taking 19 points from the last 27 and despite sitting 11th, they still have a shot of making the top six. They have plenty of options in midfield and Eustace is still trying to find the right balance with Ozoh, Fraulo, Travis, Thompson and Clark all available. The latter has been fantastic when pushed further forward and he will allow them to be more progressive.

If Derby can win the midfield battle here, they should be able to take three points. Bristol City remain inconsistent and unpredictable, so taking the Draw No Bet option on the Rams feels like a sensible option.

Leicester vs Charlton - King's reign to start on a positive note

Saturday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Marti Cifuentes departed the King Power this week following an underwhelming run of form, which culminated in a home defeat to Oxford. It leaves the Foxes, with their expensively assembled squad, marooned in midtable and highly unlikely to make a play-off charge. Premier League-winner Andy King takes temporary charge of the club amid the ongoing search for a new manager, and he is likely to be given at least one game in the dugout. Luckily for the former midfielder, this is a winnable-looking fixture and they will fancy their chances of getting back on track following a three-match winless run.

Jordan James' injury is a seismic blow for the Foxes, but they still have plenty of ammunition from wide areas and Cifuentes' departure may just unshackle several under-performing players. Defensively, they've been suspect and haven't kept a clean sheet since September 20th.

Luckily for the hosts, Charlton have struggled on the road this season, and have taken just two points from their last eight on the road. Nathan Jones' side appear to be on a downward spiral and the battling qualities that they displayed at the back-end of 2025 have started to lapse lately.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Wrexham - In-form visitors to dominate at Hillsborough

Saturday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Sheffield Wednesday fans waved goodbye to Barry Bannan last weekend with the midfielder heavily linked with a move to Millwall. It's yet another blow for Henrik Pedersen, who has struggled to make his squad competitive this season. They've performed with plenty of credit here in South Yorkshire, keeping a clean sheet in the first half of their last three matches, yet this looks likely to be a much tougher proposition.

The Owls have failed to score a Championship goal since Boxing Day, and players such as Bailey Cadamarteri and Svante Ingelsson have also been linked with moves away from the club.

Wrexham are upwardly mobile, taking ten points from their last five games. Their comeback victory at QPR highlighted their strength-in-depth, with Phil Parkinson able to utilise his bench to change the game. They have several quality players to bring off the bench, and the potential addition of Zak Vyner adds yet another option.

They should have the quality and confidence to ease past the beleaguered hosts.

Stoke vs Southampton - Points shared in Staffordshire

Saturday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports Football

Stoke took a point off Birmingham last weekend, and although they remain 12th in the table and two points shy of the play-off spots, most of their fans are expecting the Potters to continue their descent into midtable mediocrity. Mark Robins' side have dropped off, although they've been dealt a fairly rough hand, with injuries completely decimating their front line. They've addressed this issue by adding Milan Smit on loan from Go Ahead Eagles, and he is likely to play some part in this fixture.

On a positive note, the Staffordshire outfit are a solid proposition and are not easily beaten. Each of their last four defeats have come by a single goal margin, and they've drawn three of their last seven. They put up a decent fight when hosting Middlesbrough here ten days ago, before a sending off tilted the game in the Teessiders favour. They should fight for every ball and give 100%.

Southampton picked up a point at Fratton Park on Sunday lunchtime. It was vitally important for Tonda Eckert that his side didn't lose that game, and the German will be hoping for a response here. It's been a tough run of games for the visitors, having faced high-flying trio Middlesbrough, Millwall and Hull, and this should be a slightly easier task. Nevertheless, it all depends on whether they are up for the battle on a cold Saturday lunchtime in Stoke.

Blackburn vs Hull - Entertaining encounter at Ewood Park

Saturday, 15:00

Blackburn's winless run stretched to seven matches with a 1-1 draw against Watford last weekend. With just a single victory since November 21st, Rovers are in danger of sleepwalking towards relegation, although their midweek game against Sheffield Wednesday should give them a chance to finally end their barren sequence.

Val Ismael's team is slowly getting stronger with the return of Ryan Alebiosu from AFCON and Andri Gudjohnsen reportedly back in contention. They were dumped out of the FA Cup by the Tigers at the start of the month, and beat them 3-0 in the reverse fixture amid a bout of flu that had swept through the Hull camp that weekend.

Their home form has been underwhelming all season, but they have managed to hold Ipswich, Charlton and Watford, and beat Millwall pre-Christmas. Hull will be expected to win this game and they should be able to take all three points, yet they still give up far too many chances. Oli McBurnie will look to bully the Blackburn defence, with Joe Gelhardt and Kyle Joseph offering plenty of support.

Sergej Jakirovic has found the right balance recently and they are particularly handy on the road, winning four of their last five. They will approach this game with plenty of gusto and that should result in an open and entertaining contest.

Ipswich vs Preston - Tough trip to Portman Road for PNE

Saturday, 15:00

If Ipswich fail to clinch automatic promotion this season, the reason is likely to be their inconsistent form on the road. At Portman Road, they have been virtually foot-perfect, winning each of their last six and taking maximum points in ten of their last 13. It has been a fortress for Kieran McKenna's side, with the watertight hosts conceding just three times since their sole home defeat on October 21st.

They also have some new additions for this weekend's clash with Anis Mehmeti joining from Bristol City and Dan Neil arriving to provide some steel and poise to their midfield. They have a seriously talented squad and with McKenna having been backed, their ambitions to return to the PL should be fulfilled this season.

Preston aren't spending money on players. They have splashed out to improve the state of the Deepdale playing surface, but the general message is that the club will be heavily reliant on loanees, once again. They desperately need to bolster their squad, with Daniel Iverson out for an indeterminate amount of time, and both Milutin Osmajic and Jordan Storey banned for this one. An overreliance on Michael Smith makes them a little predictable going forward, whereas Liam Lindsay averages at least one critical error per 90 minutes at the back. Having shipped four to Middlesbrough last weekend, the fixture list has thrown up another tricky test for the out-of-form visitors.

Middlesbrough vs Norwich - High-scoring clash at the Riverside

Saturday, 15:00

It was the perfect weekend for Middlesbrough with both Ipswich and Coventry dropping points. Boro held up their end of the deal with a convincing demolition of Preston, and they remain at the Riverside for a far trickier test on Saturday afternoon. Kim Hellberg's side are firing on all cylinders and look irrestistable going forward at times. Tommy Conway, Morgan Whittaker, Leo Castledine and Alan Browne all had outstanding games last weekend, and the addition of Jeremy Sarmiento has ramped up the competition for places. The Ecuadorian is a Championship promotion specialist and a bit of a loose cannon from an attacking perspective, and feels like a good fit for this adventurous Boro outfit.

At the back, Adilson Malanda has slotted in perfectly, although he was barely tested last weekend. A battle with Jovon Makama awaits the Frenchman this time around.

Norwich did Middlesbrough a huge favour on Monday night, but that may be where their generosity ends. Philippe Clement has transformed the Canaries, aided by some savvy January additions. Having taken just nine from 15 previously, they've since bagged 24 in their subsequent 14 under the Belgian.

They've scored seven times in their last two away games, and although they've rode their luck at times, they have enough quality for get on the scoresheet here.

Millwall vs Sheffield United - Blades away day inconsistenties to strike again

Saturday, 15:00

Millwall have ruffled plenty of feathers this season and have emerged as genuine promotion contenders. Alex Neil's side have withstood a mass injury crisis, with the Scot forced to deploy square pegs in round holes over the festive period. He now has the luxury of being able to pick from several key players.

They blitzed Charlton last weekend, even affording the luxury of Josh Coburn wasting a glorious opportunity. With Alfie Doughty able to return to left-back and both Casper de Norre and Billy Mitchell lasting over 70 minutes, they should be able to exert plenty of control on this game.

Although the standard of opposition here hasn't been too steep, they have previously frustrated Ipswich and they should be able to take advantage of a Sheffield United side, whose form away from Bramall Lane has been riddled with inconsistencies.

The Blades will be without Patrick Bamford, who was dismissed last weekend, alongside Japhet Tanganga and Djibril Soumare. Chris Wilder's men have lost their two previous away games, although they were playing well enough before going down to nine men at the Valley. Stoke are the only side that they've beaten on the road since the end of November and this is an incredibly tough place to go.

Oxford vs Birmingham - Bloomfield's men to frustrate the Blues

Saturday, 15:00

Matt Bloomfield's appointment may have been questioned by many fans and pundits, yet the former Wycombe and Luton boss has managed to take five points from a possible nine, whilst restoring confidence to the squad. The Yellows remain in trouble, and Bloomfield must continue to squeeze everything out of the players at his disposal. Last week's goal should give Mark Harris some much-needed confidence, and with his supply line boosted by the arrivals of Myles Peart-Harris and Jamie McDonnell, they should create chances once again.

Oxford's last two home games have ended goalless, and they will be able to keep things tight once more.

As expected, Birmingham have splashed the cash in the January window with August Priske and Vicente being added to the squad. They have added five and with a few outgoing expected, it's all change at St. Andrews. Their away form has improved slightly, although their only away victory since October 21st came at Sheffield Wednesday, and this will be much tougher.

Portsmouth vs West Brom - Close encounter expected at Fratton Park

Saturday, 15:00

Pompey battled their way to a point in their local derby against Southampton at the weekend. They are on a decent run of form, losing just one of their last eight, although they've been aided by a relatively kind fixture list that has included games against out-of-form bottom-half dwellers. Nevertheless, at Fratton Park, they do not make it easy for the opposition, suffering just a single defeat since October 25th. Leaders Coventry were the last side to score 2+ goals here, three months ago and they will battle their way through the 90 minutes.

They've made some savvy January additions with Ebou Adams already making an impact in midfield. Adrian Segecic's return to form, coupled with Millnic Alli's arrival, has added more competition for places, although their bench still looks a little light.

Eric Ramsay got off to a terrible start, although the unkind fixtures did not help his cause. They rallied to a point at Derby last weekend, giving them something to build upon. The former Minnesota man is still working out his best XI, and having Ousmane Diakite and Jayson Molumby back does allow him a little more flexibility.

WBA should create chances, and Aune Heggebo will give the Pompey defence a tough afternoon. This could be close, but don't be surprised if both sides score at least once.

QPR vs Coventry - Two attack-minded sides to create chaos

Saturday, 15:00

QPR's form has dropped off. They have won just one of the last seven and that came against Sheffield Wednesday. Rumarn Burrell's injury hasn't helped matters, although the return of Harvey Vale has improved their creativity. Other fitness issues at the club, including Koki Saito, Kwame Poku, Jonathon Varane, Ilias Chair and Jake Clarke-Salter, and although it isn't quite bare bones just yet, it has proven to be a hindrance during this busy period.

The hosts tend to score plenty of goals at Loftus Road, knocking two past in-form Wrexham, and finding a way past Norwich. Before Christmas, they also hit Leicester for four. Although they've kept back-to-back clean sheets, they simply cannot keep the opposition off the scoresheet, with Sheffield Wednesday the only side to draw a blank here since October 1st.

Coventry dropped points on Monday night, although they still showed plenty of adventure going forward and probably should have taken a point from the game. The Sky Blues have added yet another wide-man to their ranks this week, and they have an abundance of riches in attacking areas. Cov's issues have come at the back, with Frank Lampard's men leaving too much space down the flanks, putting undue pressure on the full-backs.

It's seven away games since they last kept a clean sheet and it's hard to see them shutting the hosts out here.

Swansea vs Watford - BTTS in Hertfordshire

Saturday, 15:00

Swansea have been much better under Vitor Matos, although their away form remains troublesome. They've won five of their last six at home, although they've picked up just three points from a possible 24 on their travels. They did find the net against Hull last weekend and have notched in five of their last six away from home. They haven't made too many movements in the market just yet, although Matos will be keen to bolster their squad before the end of the month.

Watford's early 2026 form has dropped off recently, and it's now three without a win. During that run, they've faced Blackburn, Portsmouth and Millwall. They were never expected to beat the Lions, yet the fans would have been expecting more than two points from those other two games.

They rarely draw a blank at home, with just one blank since September 13th and they should find a way past Swansea's creaking defence.

Now read this weekend's betting tips

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