Championship Betting Tips: Both Lancashire rivals to notch on Friday night | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Championship best bets for this weekend's games

The Championship makes a full return, and Jack Critchley has picked out his best bets for each of this weekend's twelve games with ramifications at both ends of the table...

Blackburn vs Preston - Entertaining Friday evening fare in the North West of England

Friday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Blackburn will be aiming to put some daylight between themselves and the bottom three on Friday night. A win for Rovers would see them leapfrog Portsmouth and go level on points with Leicester, giving themselves a bit of a cushion heading into the weekend. Michael O'Neill made a good start to his dual role, masterminding a 3-1 victory at Loftus Road, and they appear to be galvanised by the managerial change.

Defensively, Rovers have been solid enough all season, yet it's their lack of firepower which has held them back. Mathias Jorgensen has made a good start to life in the North West, scoring twice from his two efforts on target, whilst the returns of Ryoya Morishita and Andri Gudjohnsen give them more options in forward areas.

Preston have put together a three match unbeaten run, despite suffering injuries in key positions. It remains to be seen whether Daniel Iverson returns for this contest, however, Milutin Osmajic is back and is likely to booed by Blackburn fans throughout the 90 minutes. The Montenegran is a controversial figure, yet PNE look far sharper when he's in the XI and they also have a decent supporting cast of Lewis Dobbin and Daniel Jebbison.

The visitors have only lost four times on the road this season, and have only failed to score on three occasions. BTTS has landed in seven of the last eight meetings and another gritty, but entertaining 90 minutes feels likely.

Hull vs QPR - R's to take a point back to West London

Saturday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports+

Hull are amidst the play-off pack, but they haven't been able to capitalise on three consecutive home matches. The Tigers have taken just a point from their last two matches at the MKM and were soundly beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup. They will need to improve their defensive displays, although the return of Ryan Giles has given them a little more balance.

Sergej Jakirovic's men have been a little better on the road, although they aren't back on their travels until the end of the month. It's a busy period for the Tigers and Jakirovic may opt to shuffle his pack accordingly.

QPR have received a boost this week with news that Ilias Chair is set to return to the XI for this weekend's clash. Jonathan Varane is also likely to be available, with Nicholas Madsen passed fit. That gives Julian Stephan plenty of options and their bench should be much stronger as a result.

Their away record has been a mixed bag, although they are unbeaten in four of their last five and the re-emergence of key players makes them slightly overpriced.

Stoke vs Leicester - Rowett's arrival to prompt an upturn in performance

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

Stoke's underwhelming run of form continued at the weekend with a 1-0 defeat at the Valley. Mark Robin's side remain fairly obstinate and aren't likely to get battered anytime soon, yet they are struggling for firepower and creativity and have scored just twice in their last six outings.

The Potters have also failed to collect maximum points since December 13th, and having drawn a blank in three of their last five here, the fans have had very little to celebrate. Injuries haven't helped their cause, although the January arrivals haven't hit the ground running. Jeserun Rak-Sakyi adds some unpredictability, but Milan Smit looks ill-equipped for the second tier on the evidence so far.

Leicester appointed Gary Rowett as Marti Cifuentes' successor, with the club turning to a Championship pragmatist as they aim to secure their survival. The Foxes are hovering dangerously close to the bottom three and only rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday have conceded more goals than the former Premier League champions.

Rowett isn't a particularly glamorous choice, but he should make them tougher to beat and they may be able to squeeze out enough points from their remaining fixtures to secure their status. They do have plenty of talent in their squad, particularly in wide areas and they should be able to take at least a point back from Staffordshire.

Swansea vs Bristol City - Entertaining clash in South Wales

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

Swansea suffered a defeat on the road at Pride Park last weekend, although they could easily have taken something from the game. The visitors made some questionable decisions in the final third, and Vitor Matos was questioned by some fans for his decision to recall Liam Cullen to the XI.

Fans are expecting a few changes this weekend with Leo Walta potentially deemed ready to start, alongside Gustavo Nunes and Malick Yalcouye.

At home, the Swans have been fantastic under Matos, winning six of their last seven and keeping clean sheets in over 50% of those encounters. Nevertheless, Ben Cabango struggled to deal with the Derby frontline last weekend and Bristol City are likely to test the home defence.

The return of Max Bird and Jason Knight helped the Robins to a 2-2 draw with Wrexham in midweek. Although neither may be deemed ready to start this game, they are handy weapons to deploy from the bench and that should enable them to make this a competitive contest. They've scored five times in their last two outings and should be able to get on the scoresheet.

West Brom vs Coventry - Sky Blues to squeeze past improving WBA

Saturday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports Football

WBA exited the FA Cup last weekend, but showed a little bit more adventure in the final third with Josh Maja managing to land two shots on target despite having the fewest touches on the pitch. Eric Ramsay doesn't have a huge amount of tools to work with, yet he has made the Baggies tougher to beat, securing back-to-back goalless draws with Stoke and Birmingham.

They still lack quality, particularly in attacking areas, but the players now appear to be fighting for the shirt. They were arguably fortunate that Birmingham wasted so many opportunities at St. Andrews, and they may also be required to do plenty of defending on Saturday lunchtime.

Coventry produced a masterclass on Monday evening as they overcame Middlesbrough, and returned to the summit. Frank Lampard's side were excellent throughout and the addition of Frank Onyeka gave them a far better balance in the middle of the park. Haji Wright took the plaudits at the CBS, but Jack Rudoni, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Jay Dasilva all emerged with plenty of credit.

The Sky Blues' away form is a little suspect, but they should take plenty of confidence into this game and emerge with all three points.

Middlesbrough vs Oxford - Boro to respond to Monday's setback

Saturday, 15:00

Middlesbrough were knocked off top spot on Monday night with a 3-1 defeat at Coventry. Kim Hellberg's men could easily have got back into the game and fans should not be too concerned by the loss. Prior to that defeat, Boro had won six in a row, and kept clean sheets in each of their last three matches at the Riverside.

Fans will be expecting a response to Monday's defeat and they will know the outcome of the Cov game by the time they kick off. Hellberg won't be expected to make too many changes, although Jeremy Sarmiento may be given an opportunity to make an impact from the start.

Only one team has notched more than a single goal at this venue so far this season, and the addition of Adilson Malanda has improved their performances at the back.

Matt Bloomfield's honeymoon period was short and sweet. Oxford have reverted to the norm, and have failed to score in their last two fixtures. They have managed to take points off Coventry, but the latter was a bit of a fluke and they seriously rode their luck at times.

The visitors don't have a bad record against the current top six, but this is a tough ask and confidence in the camp is likely to be low.

Millwall vs Portsmouth - End-to-end contest in Bermondsey

Saturday, 15:00

Millwall were spared embarrassment with a quick-fire double at Hillsborough last weekend. Alex Neil's side have now won six of their last eight and can be considered one of the form sides in the division. It has helped the Lions move up to third in the table and they will fancy their chances of extending their winning run on Saturday afternoon.

Josh Coburn was busy last weekend, but he remains far too wasteful and his replacement Macaulay Langstaff is probably better deployed from the bench. With nine goals in their last four matches, Neil's men will surely find the back of the net against a Pompey side who have kept just two clean sheets in their last 17 outings.

Portsmouth picked up a vital three points in midweek and arrested their inferior away form with a 3-1 victory at the Valley. John Mousinho's men still have a lengthy injury list with Keshi Anderson, Josh Murphy, Adrian Segecic, Harvey Blair and Connor Chaplin amongst those on the sidelines. Aji Alese, who joined in January on loan has also picked up an injury and will miss the remainder of the season.

Nevertheless, the visitors should play with plenty of energy and give a good account of themselves.

Norwich vs Birmingham - Points shared at Carrow Road

Saturday, 15:00

This is a clash between two in-form teams at Carrow Road. Norwich have won six of their last seven games and have progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup. Their squad has been hit by injuries lately, although Philippe Clement has plenty of options with Mathias Kvistgaarden and Mo Toure proving able deputies for the Jovon Makama.

As a result of their recent performances, there is a good atmosphere inside Carrow Road and that should give the players a lift. There is still a bit of distance between the East Anglians and the top six, but there is still a slim chance of them bridging the nine point gap.

Birmingham's January signings have revitalised the squad with Jhon Solis and Kai Wagner stepping up admirably. The Blues' away form has been troublesome, although they've won each of the last two games on the road. Those victories came against the current bottom two and this will be much tougher for Chris Davies and his team.

The visitors have stopped conceding cheap goals on their travels, and they should be make it tricky for the hosts.

Southampton vs Charlton - Saints to make it four on the bounce

Saturday, 15:00

Saints have quietly returned to form over the past few weeks with Tonda Eckert managing to relieve any pressure that was beginning to mount on his shoulders. They haven't neccessarily done things the easy way, coming from 3-0 down to beat Leicester, however, their performances against Stoke and Watford contained far less jeopardy.

They still have a little bit of a gap to bridge between themselves and top six, yet they have one of the stronger squads in the division and there is plenty of depth with Cyle Larin, Ross Stewart and Adam Armstrong all competing for the single striker spot.

Eckert had the luxury of being able to rotate for last weekend's cup success over Leicester and following a rare midweek off, they should be nicely prepared for this clash and suitably well-rested.

In contrast, Charlton played in midweek and were handsomely beaten by Portsmouth at the Valley. The Londoners do not lose many games on their own patch, yet their away form has been far too inconsistent. Nathan Jones described his side as 'poor' on Tuesday and acknowledged that his team were outbattled and outfought.

You'd expect a response from a team managed by the highly intense Welshman, and they may keep this tight for long periods, however, they may not have enough quality to take anything from the game.

Watford vs Derby - BTTS at Vicarage Road

Saturday, 15:00

Ed Still was unhappy with his side's first half performance against Preston last weekend, yet he was encouraged by his team's second half display. The Hornets ramped up the intensity, played with plenty of energy and could easily have left Deepdale with maximum points. It's too early to draw any conclusions from Still's tenure, however, the fans seemed to be pleased with the vitality of that display and they should be able to test the Derby defence this weekend.

The Hertfordshire side will be determined to end their winless sequence which stretches back to New Year's Day. They've failed to score in two of their last three matches here, but those were under the previous regime and this is a fresh start at Vicarage Road. They have several young, enterprising players in the squad and should create a few opportunities.

Derby beat Swansea last weekend without too much fanfare. John Eustace's side have won four of their last six and have particularly handy on their travels. They've found the net in each of their last ten away games, winning seven of them. Although they've managed to keep three clean sheets, those shutouts have come against Sheffield Wednesday, Preston and an undercooked Bristol City outfit. This will be tougher.

The Rams are creating plenty of chances and are finally getting some consistent performances out of Rhian Brewster. This could be a watchable contest.

Wrexham vs Ipswich - Very little between these two re-opposing sides

Saturday, 15:00

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna made sweeping changes for his side's FA Cup defeat to Wrexham last weekend. As a consequence, the Tractor Boys produced a disjointed display which resulted in them failing to land a shot on target. McKenna is likely to re-introduce the likes of Jack Clarke, Anis Mehmeti and Ivan Azon to the starting XI for this Championship encounter. The Suffolk side have been relegated to fourth spot, yet they have two games in hand on each of the three sides above them. With Middlesbrough, Coventry and Millwall having seemingly winnable games this weekend, the pressure is on Ipswich to keep the heat on the high-flying trio.

Their away form has been a little suspect so far, yet it has improved lately with victories at Pride Park and the CBS. They have back-to-back games on the road and need to take something from this long trip to North Wales.

Unfortunately for the visitors, Wrexham are in decent form and will be keen to keep their play-off hopes alive. They have dropped points in each of their last three here, and Phil Parkinson will be keen to get back on track. Given the amount that they've spent, the fans will be expecting a top six finish and they have an abundance of attacking options at their disposal.

They haven't been particularly rock solid at the back, yet they rarely draw a blank.

Sheffield United vs Sheffield Wednesday - Owls to turn up the heat after the break

Sunday, 12:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Sheffield United have been flat-track bullies this season, easily sweeping aside bottom-half opposition, yet failing to trouble the top six. They've picked up just seven points when facing the top eleven teams home and away, yet they have suffered just a single defeat when coming up against the current bottom six.

In the reverse fixture, the Blades were imperious, winning 3-0 and managing seven shots on target. Sheffield Wednesday couldn't get anywhere near them throughout the 90 minutes and Sunday's match-up at Bramall Lane could play out in a similar fashion.

At home, Chris Wilder's side have been scoring for fun, with a 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough a mere blot on their copybook. They've recently put three past Leicester and Oxford, both of whom are languishing at the wrong end of the table.

Sheffield Wednesday have been battling admirably, yet they haven't had enough quality in the final third. Henrik Pederson's side have restricted the opposition for long spells, and have conceded just two first-half goals across their last seven fixtures. Their lack of options from the bench have resulted in second half slumps and many of their players have been forced to play for a full 90 minutes.

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