Championship Tips: Watford to take advantage of the Robins' injury woes on Friday night | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Tips and predictions for all 12 of this weekend's Championship fixtures

It's the final set of Championship fixtures before the international break, and Jack Critchley - who had eight winners from his 12 tips in midweek - has selected the best bets from this weekend's games in the second tier...

Watford vs Bristol City - Home advantage for the Hornets

Friday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Watford sit comfortably in mid-table on 19 points. Sixteen of those points have come at Vicarage Road, although they did pick up a useful point at Portman Road on Tuesday night. The appointment of Javi Gracia has given the fans plenty of hope, and the supporters are starting to believe that their side can realistically challenge for the play-offs. Gracia is partial to rotation, yet he has a core of players, including the impressive Imran Louza, Hector Kyprianou and Matty Pollock, all of whom are likely to start on Friday night. Luca Kjerrumgaard has emerged as a potential favourite, and he has looked much sharper following the managerial change.

The hosts executed their game plan perfectly against Middlesbrough last weekend, and having taken four points out of a possible six from two tough games, this home meeting with out-of-form Bristol City looks an easier assignment.

Bristol City's injuries continue to stack up. Neto Borges was the latest player to hobble off in midweek, joining Rob Atkinson, Cam Pring, Max Bird, Mark Sykes, Luke McNally, and Jason Knight on the treatment table. It leaves the Robins desperately short of bodies, with barely enough players to fill the bench. In midweek, 19-year-old Jed Meerholz, 17-year-old Leo Pecover, and 20-year-old Olly Thomas were all amongst the subs, and a few more youth players may be called up for Friday evening.

Although Gerhard Struber has done a superb job so far, he is putting square pegs in round holes and this is a quick turnaround for the players, many of who were forced to play a full 90 minutes due to the lack of cover. This could be a tough 90 minutes for the visitors.

Blackburn vs Derby - Lively encounter in the John Eustace derby

Saturday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports Football

Despite sitting 18th in the Championship table, Blackburn are on a roll. Val Ismael's side have looked dangerous going forward, finding a way to cope without the creative Todd Cantwell. Rovers have looked particularly dangerous from wide areas with the two Ryans, Alebiosu and Hedges supplying ammunition. Ryoya Morishita is industrious, creating plenty of chances and Andri Gudjohnsen looks a real handful. They have won three consecutive fixtures, taking advantage of Bristol City's injuries, Leicester's poor form and Southampton's struggles. This is likely to be tougher as they take on a side, who have also rediscovered their form this month.

John Eustace poached several players from Ewood Park during the summer and the former Blackburn boss will be desperate to take three points off his former employers. The Rams, who have recently reverted to a back five, have kicked on, following a tricky start to the season. They've picked up four consecutive victories, climbing away from the danger zone in the process. A front three of Patrick Agyemang, Ben Brereton-Diaz and Carlton Morris has clicked whereas the return of Sondre Langas has coincided with the club's upturn in form.

Both sides are playing with confidence and this could be an entertaining tie.

Hull vs Portsmouth - Tigers to take advantage of the extra day's rest

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

Hull suffered their first defeat in over a month in midweek as they were downed by Derby County at Pride Park. It was a disappointing outcome for the Tigers, who sit on the fringes of the play-off spots. Sergej Jakirovic's side created plenty of chances in that game and won the xG battle. This is a side who do not know how to sit back and they will always play on the front foot. It has resulted in some hugely entertaining games this season, with their matches averaging 3.21 goals per game.

They also have a bunch of hard working players with Matt Crooks, Joe Gelhardt and Kyle Joseph all buzzing about, giving the opposition very little time on the ball. Only one side has been to the MKM this season and taken all three points so far with Blackburn taking full advantage of a sickness bug which had swept through the home camp in the hours leading up to the fixture.

Portsmouth picked up a point at home to Wrexham on Wednesday night and were good value for the point. Arguably, John Mousinho's side should have won the match, but they weren't able to make the breakthrough. Jacob Murphy is key to their chances and everything went through the talented wideman, who created five chances and managed four shots on target.

This is a quick turnaround for the visitors and a long trip north for a lunchtime KO. Their injury-hit squad may struggle to take anything from this contest.

Millwall vs Preston - Points shared in Bermondsey

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

It's been a demoralising week for Millwall who were pegged back by Oxford at the Kassam last weekend, lost Femi Azeez to injury and were hammered at St. Andrews on Tuesday evening. Alex Neil's side have enjoyed far better weeks and they must pick themselves up and go again for this lunchtime contest. They'll be pleased to get back to home comforts, having won three in a row at The Den. They haven't conceded a goal at this venue since October 1st and will fancy their chances of putting the last seven days firmly behind them.

Tuesday was particularly poor with a total xG of just 0.12 and just one effort from inside the box. They are lacking a focal point with Josh Coburn out injured, Mihailo Ivanovic badly out of form and Macauley Langstaff out of his depth. They could struggle to find a way past the visitor's defence.

Preston beat Swansea on Wednesday and this is a fairly quick turnaround for the Lilywhites. Nevertheless, Paul Heckingbottom's side will battle throughout the 90 minutes and should be able to take a point back to Lancashire. They are searching for their fourth consecutive success and have only been beaten twice on the road so far, with both defeats coming by one goal margins.

Listen to this week's Football...Only Bettor Saturday preview

Middlesbrough vs Birmingham - Blues to take something back to the West Midlands

Saturday, 15:00

Middlesbrough's bright start to the season has fizzled out. Rob Edwards' side are on a winless run of three matches and only just rescued a point in midweek at the KP. Boro have a solid spine, yet Edwards still hasn't found his best combination in the final third and several players, notably Kaly Sene and Morgan Whittaker have failed to meet expectations. Alfie Jones, who has recently made himself eligible to play for Canada, will miss this game due to suspension, and fans will be hoping that Dael Fry's late fitness test ahead of the midweek game was just a precaution.

Sontje Hansen and Sverre Nypan may come back into the XI here, as Edwards looks to arrest the recent downturn in results. The former Luton boss has been linked to the Wolves job, however, he must concentrate on his current role and find a way to restore some confidence ahead of the international break.

Birmingham were superb on Tuesday night as they dismantled Millwall at St. Andrews. Chris Davies has found an effective system and the combination of Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch works well. Although using Tomoki Iwata at right-back is far from ideal, the Japanese midfielder is a hard worker and has done an effective job in an unfamiliar role. This has allowed Tommy Doyle to step into midfield and he has complimented Seung-Ho Paik.

Brum look confident and have won three of their last four. They should be able to take at least a point from this game.

Norwich vs Leicester - Forgettable 90 minutes in East Anglia

Saturday, 15:00

At the time of writing, Liam Manning is clinging onto his job at Carrow Road. Many fans were bemused by the boss' decision to opt for a back five against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night, and footage showed defender Shane Duffy berating the under-fire boss. Nevertheless, the Canaries managed to take a point from the game and scored a decent goal, just their third in seven matches.

The hosts have lost every single home match so far and the fans have vented their frustrations towards both Manning and sporting director Ben Knapper. The players have struggled to find a cohesive rhythm and they've been unable to carve out chances in recent weeks.

Leicester's form has taken a nosedive throughout October and Marti Cifuentes is feeling the pressure. The Foxes secured a point against Middlesbrough, failing to hold onto their slender advantage. Scoring goals has been an issue for the hosts and they created just 0.03 xG from open play on Tuesday night. They've scored 2+ goals in a game just once since September 13th and another low-key fixture feels inevitable here.

Sheffield United vs QPR - Defensive errors expected at Bramall Lane

Saturday, 15:00

Sheffield United were plunged deeper into the relegation mire at the CBS in midweek. The Blades' penchant for second half implosions continued with the Blades blowing a 1-0 lead and being comprehensively outplayed by the league leaders after the break. They allowed the hosts to take 13 shots from inside the box, and managed an xG of just 0.92. Chris Wilder has plenty of work to do, and needs to start picking up points sharpish.

Defensively, they have looked suspect, conceding exactly three goals in each of their last three games with Mark McGuiness and Japhet Tanganga both struggling for form and confidence. Nevertheless, they do have players at the other end of the pitch who are capable of producing moments of magic including Callum O'Hare and Tyrese Campbell.

QPR appear to be freefalling following a positive start under Julian Stephan. The Frenchman, regarded as a streaky boss, is struggling to get a tune out of his squad, although they were the better side against Southampton on Wednesday night. With an xG of 1.65, 1.31 of which came from open play, they will surely continue to create chances and the pace of Rumarn Burrell will cause issues for the home defence.

Southampton vs Sheffield Wednesday - Lively encounter in Hampshire

Saturday, 15:00

Southampton secured a much-needed victory on Wednesday night as they snuck past QPR at Loftus Road. The Saints are yet to appoint Will Still's successor and although they picked up maximum points, they were far from convincing. They scored a goal via a hefty deflection and they let QPR have ample opportunities to force their way back into the reckoning.

The hosts rarely draw a blank and they have enough individual talent to trouble the opposition defence. They also have plenty of depth, with this fast turnaround unlikely to be an issue for the recently relegated outfit.

Sheffield Wednesday battled their way to a point in midweek and they will be hoping to head into the international break on a three-match unbeaten streak. Unfortunately, the Owls' squad isn't strong enough to sustain three games in seven days and we may see some tired legs on display here.

Nevertheless, Henrik Pederson's side have been better on the road with a 1-3-2 record away from Hillsborough. They have scored in five of their six away matches, although they rarely keep clean sheets.

Stoke vs Coventry - Potters to edge out the league leaders

Saturday, 15:00

If you'd have asked Championship fans to predict the top two sides at the start of November, very few would have predicted that these two spots would have been occupied by Coventry and Stoke. Mark Robins will face his former employers and he will be keen to keep the momentum going in Staffordshire. It hasn't been plain sailing for the 55-year-old so far, however, he seems to have found his best XI and his ideal system. Stoke have won four of their last five and have netted eight times in the last seven days. They've won four of their six matches in front of their own fans, and had an xG of 1.97 in their victory over Oxford in midweek.

Lewis Baker has been instrumental this season, although the experience and nous of Stephen N'Zonzi and the accuracy and endeavour of Sorba Thomas have also contributed substantially.

Coventry cannot be knocked off top spot and they are guaranteed to remain at the summit heading into the third international break. Nevertheless, their four point advantage could be reduced if they were to slip up here. The Sky Blues have been superb this season, but they have had a few moments of uncertainty, including their 3-2 loss to Wrexham last weekend. Their defence has looked a little uncertain and it's now four games since they managed to keep a clean sheet. This will be a tough test.

Swansea vs Ipswich - Tractor Boys to leave Wales with maximum points

Saturday, 15:00

There have been calls for Alan Sheehan to be sacked this week. Although Swansea's form is far from disastrous, expectations have risen in this part of South Wales due to outside investment and the £6m acquisition of Adam Idah. Just two wins in ten games has left the club in 17th and although the fanbase is completely divided on the future of the boss, a defeat here could force the board into making a decision.

This is a quick turnaround for the Swans, who battled away on Wednesday night to no avail. Although they had far more of the ball at Deepdale and took far more shots than their hosts, they still only managed an xG of 0.84.

Ipswich are starting to motor. Kieran McKenna's side are unbeaten in their last three, yet they will have been disappointed not to take all three points in midweek. The inclusion of Chuba Akpom ahead of Marcelino Nunez caused some consternation amongst fans, and the Chilean may be reinstated for this one.

The Tractor Boys' away form is far from perfect, yet they should have enough to take maximum points as they look to be growing in confidence.

West Brom vs Oxford - Yellows to heap pressure on under-fire Mason

Saturday, 15:00

It was another disappointing evening for West Brom as they succumbed to a late goal at the Valley. WBA looked content to cling onto a point, yet they weren't able to prevent Sonny Carey from netting a late winner. The Baggies had also previously survived a scare with Greg Docherty missing from the spot. Despite the result, this was a slightly better performance from the visitors, who produced an xG of 1.11 from open play.

Mason's pragmatism has caused some consternation amongst the fanbase with the Baggies rarely cutting free in the final third. Aune Heggebo's return to the XI failed to have an impact in midweek and its now three matches since they found the back of the net.

Oxford have been fairly unpredictable this season, failing to win back-to-back games so far. With a 2-1-2 record across their last five matches, it's difficult to know what you're going to get from Gary Rowett's side. Nevertheless, they have a solid spine and they will battle throughout the 90 minutes. They have managed to remain unbeaten in three of their last five away games and there's a good chance that they will take a point from this.

Wrexham vs Charlton - Hosts to sneak past leggy visitors

Saturday, 15:00

Wrexham secured a point against Portsmouth on Wednesday night, despite being under the cosh for large parts of the contest. At home, Phil Parkinson's side have improved their displays, winning each of their last two and they have enough strenght-in-depth to make a few changes to negate any impacts of the quick turnaround.

They haven't been outstanding here, but they did create plenty of chances against the league leaders eight days ago and they should take plenty of confidence from that disply.

Charlton edged past West Brom in midweek with Nathan Jones' side being rewarded for their never-say-die attitude. The Addicks have superior fitness levels, and they rarely know when they're beaten, however, this is a big ask for a squad which has been stretched by injuries. Defensively, they are missing several figures and this may be a match too far for the visitors.

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