Championship Tips: Expect a glut of goals between Watford and Ipswich | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Championship best bets for the midweek games

There's very little rest for Championship sides with a full set of midweek fixtures taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Jack Critchley has crunched the numbers and selected a standout bet from each of the 12 matches...

Blackburn vs Bristol City - Points shared in Lancashire

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

Blackburn were able to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three with an injury-time victory over Lancashire rivals Preston on Friday night. Michael O'Neill was delighted to pick up a maximum in his first home game in charge, and although he admitted that he would love to play swashbuckling football, he conceded that Rovers needed to approach the match more pragmatically. They restricted PNE for large periods of the game, and they are likely to take a similar approach to this contest.

O'Neill did a decent job at Stoke and lost just one of his first eight home matches, a defeat against his current employers. He has a knack for making his teams tough to beat and they will be full of confidence following Friday's last-gasp success. They have also had an extra few hours to prepare for this fixture.

Bristol City slipped up at the Swansea City Stadium on Saturday lunchtime. Some fans criticised Gerhard Struber's selections and subs, but it wasn't a bad performance from the Robins. George Earthy has struggled to impact games, whereas Adam Randell appears to be carrying an injury. The Robins have lost consecutive games just once this season, and that came back in November. Struber is likely to make changes for this game and that could prompt an upturn in performance levels.

Rovers are unlikely to lose this game, but Struber tends to get a response from his side following a defeat and this could be a closely fought contest.

Hull vs Derby - Rams to bounce back from a lethargic display

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

Hull seemed oddly muted on Saturday lunchtime, tamely losing 3-1 to QPR at the MKM. Sergej Jakirovic was upset with his side's performance, and he must find a way to prevent the Tigers from sliding back into midtable. The men from Humberside are amidst a run of four consecutive home games, and they've so far managed to pick up just a single point from a possible nine.

Although they remain level on points with fourth-place Ipswich, Wrexham and Birmingham are breathing down their necks and both are in good form.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact reason for the downturn in form, although it is noticeable that there is a distinct lack of energy in their recent performances.

Derby also suffered a blip at the weekend, easily being swept aside by Watford. John Eustace admitted that the Hornets 'wanted it more' and his side were slow to get going. The Rams failed to land a shot on target in the first half, and both Patrick Agyemang and Lewis Travis struggled to get into the game. Nevertheless, they have an excellent away record this season and Eustace will not allow his side to turn in a similar performance on Tuesday night.

Middlesbrough vs Leicester - Boro to compensate for Saturday's misfire

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

Boro missed the opportunity to keep tabs on leaders Coventry on Saturday afternoon as they laboured to a goalless draw with Oxford. The Teessiders ramped up the pressure in the second half, yet they couldn't find a way through and had to settle for a point. It wasn't entirely one-way traffic with Stanley Mills hitting the woodwork and Myles Peart-Harris going close. Boro may have kept a clean sheet, but they are likely to come under threat from a Leicester side who looked sharper under Gary Rowett at the weekend.

The Foxes will improve under Rowett, yet he appears to have his work cut out with their defensive structure. They showed plenty of quality going forward and will surely create chances on Tuesday night. They should have put the game to bed at the weekend, but they were wasteful and Rowett will demand a response from his team.

Kim Hellberg will be hoping that his side can be more clinical this time around and they should be afforded plenty of opportunities by the defensively generous visitors.

Swansea vs Preston - Hosts to potentially edge another tight contest

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

Prior to Vitor Matos' arrival, the Swans were nervously glancing over their shoulders, however, the Portuguese coach has successfully guided the Welsh outfit into the warm bosom of midtable security. Matos has made his side incredibly tough to beat at home and they once again came out on the right side of a narrow success against Bristol City at the weekend.

It wasn't the most convincing performance from the Swans, yet it's another three points in the bag. Zan Vipotnik's quality made the difference, with the Slovenian continuing to be frighteningly prolific. Goncalo Franco and Jay Fulton also contributed significantly, with Josh Tymon and Cam Burgess also catching the eye.

Visiting this stadium is a daunting task for most Championship sides and PNE will have their work cut out on Tuesday night.

Paul Heckingbottom's men weren't at their best on Friday evening with a few injuries impacting their squad at the moment. Nevertheless, they can be dangerous on the road. Having said that, they have only scored twice in their last six away trips and they will have to be at their creative best to unlock the home defence.

Watford vs Ipswich - Still's men to trouble inconsistent Ipswich

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

Ed Still praised his players for executing the perfect gameplan against Derby at the weekend. He also singled out Giorgi Chakvetadze for replacing the injured Othmane Maamma and maintaining the intensity. It appears that all of the players are singing from the same hymn sheet and there is a togetherness about the squad. Although Still highlighted a period of the game in which his side were a little passive, he was pleased with the level of performance and will be hoping that his side can continue where they left off on Tuesday night. They have also improved defensively, with James Abankwah cutting out the errors and Saba Goglichidze settling in nicely.

The hosts have scored twice in both games since the managerial change and they should be able to ask plenty of questions of Ipswich's creaky defence.

Kieran McKenna has faced some criticism for resting players in the FA Cup, only for his side to collapse against the same opposition eight days later. Ipswich will be sick of the sight of Wrexham, although they may not find this fixture too much easier. They've conceded nine goals across their last three away games and although they look handy going forward, they appear to be susceptible at the back.

West Brom vs Charlton - Ramsay to batten down the hatches

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

Although he is unlikely to be judged on a 2-0 defeat against the league leaders, the pressure is continuing to ramp up for Eric Ramsay. The under-fire WBA boss is yet to pick up a victory and his side are hurtling towards relegation. The Baggies have looked a little better defensively, yet they're offering very little going forward, drawing blanks in each of their last four Championship outings.

Despite Charlton hovering six points above the hosts, this will be viewed as a 'must-win' game for Ramsay by the Albion fanbase. The fans aren't happy with the appointment and with back-to-back away games on the horizon, they simply cannot afford another loss here.

Charlton are slowly crawling towards safety. They took a battering in the first half against Southampton, however, once they'd managed to get a foothold in the game, they could easily have turned the game on its head and taken all three points. Lloyd Jones has been a rock at the back, and the powerful combo of Miles Leaburn and Lyndon Dykes will always ruffle a few feathers.

The Addicks have lost just one of their last five and are also unbeaten in their last two on the road. Nathan Jones will squeeze every drop out of his squad and they should have too much fight for the out-of-form hosts.

Wrexham vs Portsmouth - Another goalfest in North Wales

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

Wrexham moved up to sixth with a topsy-turvy victory over Ipswich on Saturday afternoon. Phil Parkinson's side have ample threats going forward, yet their defensive frailties have still yet to be solved, and only Sheffield United have conceded more home goals than the North Walians. Although they've managed clean sheets on the road, November 26th was the last time that they managed to keep the opposition off the scoresheet at this venue.

Parkinson's men have multiple threats going forward ,and they have coped admirably with these quick turnarounds owing to their hefty squad. He was able to bring Nathan Broadhead and Ryan Longman off the bench and has Sam Smith, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Bailey Cadamarteri as options to freshen things up here.

Pompey are in fantastic form and have climbed out of the relegation zone despite being engulfed in an injury crisis. John Mousinho has received plenty of plaudits for keeping his side competitive and additional praise should be handed out for taking maximum points away from both the Valley and the Den. Gustavo Caballero got his first goals in English football and caught the eye, whereas the leadership of Marlon Pack and the energy of Ebou Adams have helped to carry them through this potentially tricky period.

Portsmouth's away form had been troublesome throughout 2025, but they have found a way to play on the road and they should be able to get involved in an entertaining contest.

Southampton vs QPR - Visitors to cause trouble for the hosts

Tuesday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Southampton were on top and completely in charge during the first half of their 1-1 draw with Charlton at the weekend, yet Tonda Eckert's in-game management killed any momentum and handed the initiative to Charlton. The withdrawal of Ross Stewart, Shea Charles and Tom Fellows thwarted the Saints' impetus and prevented them from extending their winning sequence to four games.

The hosts have ample talent in their squad, but Eckert is a little experienced and many fans have criticised Eckert's lack of tactical nous. Conceding three first-half goals to a struggling Leicester side was a significant red flag, although the comeback was impressive.

Nevertheless, they don't tend to draw many blanks and with a well-stocked bench full of talent, Eckert can afford to rest and rotate for this midweek fixture.

QPR continue to be delightfully inconsistent. They were able to bounce back from a home loss to Blackburn by beating Hull at the MKM. They have been hard to beat on the road recently and they should give the Saints' defence plenty to think about. Ilias Chair's anticipated return did not materialise over the weekend, so he may be reintroduced here, whereas it remains to be seen whether Jake Clarke-Salter can manage two games within a five-day period.

The West Londoners should take plenty of confidence from Saturday's result and have plenty of players who can cause issues for the hosts.

Millwall vs Birmingham - BTTS at The Den

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

Millwall were incredibly sloppy at the weekend as they slipped to a deserved home loss to Portsmouth. They looked more threatening once Barry Bannan had been introduced, yet the general consensus is that Alex Neil got his tactics wrong on this occasion. Josh Coburn was a late drop-out with illness, and his replacement, Mihailo Ivanovic is a completely different type of striker, struggling with the long balls being pumped forward by his teammates.

Neil will probably opt to make some changes for this fixture against in-form Birmingham. His side have failed to win either of their last two matches here, but they rarely draw a blank.

Chris Davies came under scrutiny throughout December, yet he has managed to answer those critics in recent weeks. He has been helped by some savvy January additions, many of whom have filled problematic positions. The Blues are unbeaten in eight and went to Norwich at the weekend, emerging as 2-1 winners. They gifted the Canaries plenty of opportunities, and look far from watertight on the road. This could be an entertaining contest.

Sheffield United vs Coventry - Cov to take a point back to the CBS

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

Sheffield United relegated their city rivals on Sunday lunchtime at Bramall Lane. It was a game that they were expected to win, yet they made fairly heavy weather of it, especially once Kalvin Phillips' disappointing loan spell continued with his second-half dismissal. Nevertheless, their home form has been strong all season, boasting an 8-2-6 record at this venue.

One of the main issues for Chris Wilder's men has been their inability to beat the better sides in the division. Away from home, they've taken just a single point from a possible 24 against top-half opposition, and here, they've been soundly beaten by Middlesbrough and Millwall, both of whom occupy the top three spots, and have lost to Derby, Bristol City and Southampton too.

Coventry enjoyed a fantastic weekend, extending their advantage at the top of the table. They were able to ease past West Brom on the road and although this will be much tougher, they should have enough to take at least a point back home. They have looked far better since the late January arrival of Frank Onyeka, who has offered a nice balance in midfield. That has allowed Rudoni to enjoy a little more freedom and has taken the pressure off the central defenders, who had been prone to frequent mistakes.

They have conceded just once in their last three games and should be able to take advantage of having an extra day's rest.

Norwich vs Sheffield Wednesday - Norwich to make light work of their relegated visitors

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

Philippe Clement suggested that his side were unlucky not to take anything from their 2-1 defeat here against Birmingham. Looking at the stats, it's hard to argue with the Belgian, whose side dominated the second half, hitting the woodwork and spurning several decent chances. They have the perfect opportunity to bounce back on Wednesday evening, and although his options are limited by injuries, he may opt to freshen things up here.

The Canaries have won five of their last seven and although Saturday's defeat ends any faint hopes of making a late dash for the playoffs, they are unlikely to down tools anytime soon. They have plenty of attacking options, although their options in wide areas have been hampered by Oscar Schwartau's hamstring injury, alongside the continued absence of Papa Amadou Diallo and Matej Jurasek.

Jakov Medic and Amankwah Forson should be back in the fold for this one.

Sheffield Wednesday were officially relegated to League One on Sunday lunchtime. There has been an inevitability about their season and although it may take the pressure off the players, they just lack enough quality to compete. I don't expect them to find the net here or put up much of a fight, especially with this young squad coming off a short turnaround, and having a day less to prepare for this fixture.

Stoke vs Oxford - A point each for two struggling sides

Wednesday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Mark Robins lamented his side's performance against Leicester at the weekend, suggesting that poor execution and poor decision making was to blame for the Potters dropping points, despite leading. There was little wrong with their first-half performance, yet they retreated in the second half and could easily have lost the game.

The hosts are now winless in seven games and have fallen back into midtable. Although there is little danger of being dragged into the relegation mire, they cannot afford to be too complacent. Robins has pointed to the club's injury list, which is fairly extensive, yet they have added somenew faces in the January transfer window, although they've done very little to move the mid-season malaise.

Oxford battled their way to a point at Middlesbrough on Saturday, and did have chances to take the lead in the first half. The Players are clearly working hard for Matt Bloomfield, and they will give 100% throughout the 90 minutes. Unfortunately, a lack of composure and quality in the final third is making it difficult to turn draws into wins, and this could be another game in which they have to settle for a point. An injury to Jamie McDonnell is a blow to their hopes of creating opportunities.

They are unbeaten in three of their last four away games, and they could potentially extend that sequence here.

Recommended bets

Back Over 2.5 Goals Watford vs Ipswich @ 1/1

Back Over 2.5 Goals in Wrexham vs Portsmouth @ 23/20

Back Coventry Draw No Bet (vs Sheffield United) @ 11/10