Championship Betting Tips: Nine best bets for Saturday afternoon's games | OneFootball

EFL Championship

John Eustace will be keen to avoid defeat to his former employers

Using the Betfair Sportsbook, Jack Critchley has crunched the numbers and looked at the nine games taking place on Saturday afternoon. He has picked out his favourite bet from each fixture...

Derby vs Blackburn - Tactical affair to favour the visitors

Saturday, 15:00

Derby are struggling in the final third and have found the net on just two occasions in 2025. It's been particularly painful viewing for the home fans, who have not witnessed their side find the back of the net since Boxing Day. John Eustace, who will be desperate to avoid defeat against the team that he recently turned his back on, isn't renowned for improving attacking numbers and rumours of striker Lars-Jorgen Salveson supposedly picking up an injury won't help matters. The Rams will keep it tight and this is unlikely to be a high-scoring game. Watford are the only side to score 2+ at this venue since the beginning of December and Blackburn may find it tough to break through.

Rovers picked up a point in their first match under Valerian Ismael last time out, however, they've won just one of their last seven on the road and will need to be at their robust best to take all three points. Nevertheless, they're unlikely to lose this.

Plymouth vs Sheffield Wednesday - Entertaining afternoon at Home Park

Saturday, 15:00

Plymouth's survival hopes took a hammering on Tuesday night as they slipped to a tame 2-0 defeat at Hull. They've been much stronger at home and have netted eight times across their last three fixtures here. They've scored 71% more goals at home this season than on their travels, however, their continued failure to keep clean sheets isn't helping them climb out of the danger zone.

Sheffield Wednesday have failed to score six times on the road this season, although five of those blanks came against sides who currently occupy the top seven. Against bottom-half sides, they tend to register and should be able to find a way past the Pilgrims this weekend.

Watford vs Millwall - Points shared in the lunchtime KO

Saturday, 12:30

Watford have quietly put their barren run behind them by taking seven points from the last nine. The Hornets have also kept three consecutive clean sheets and have reignited their faint play-off hopes. Tom Cleverley is the kind of manager who can set up his team differently on a match-by-match basis and they will need to be defensively robust throughout this contest.

Millwall's top six ambitions suffered a blow on Tuesday as Alex Neil's men went down 2-0 to Bristol City. Although they attempted 13 efforts, only one of those was on target and Raees Bangura-Williams was the only player who looked capable of creating anything. They tend to be slightly better on the road, but they may have to settle for a point in this one.

Sunderland vs Cardiff - Bluebirds to make it difficult for the hosts

Saturday, 15:00

Sunderland bounced back from consecutive defeats with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last weekend. The Black Cats turned in an excellent performance and although Eliezer Mayenda will take the plaudits, there were notable performances from Jobe Bellingham, Patrick Roberts, Dan Neil and Denver Hume. Regis Le Bris' side have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven and they are coming up against a side who appear to be playing with a little bit of confidence.

Cardiff found a way past Burnley on Tuesday night, becoming just the tenth side to breach their defence this season. Yousef Salech has been a superb January signing and he has been a handful for opposition defences. He's netted five times for the Bluebird and will be integral to their chances here. They have avoided defeat in four of their last six away games and have found the net in nine of their last ten.

Bristol City vs Hull - Low-key encounter at Ashton Gate

Saturday, 15:00

Bristol City are in excellent form and they put themselves firmly in the play-off picture with a 2-0 victory over Millwall in midweek. The Robins have lost just one of their last eight, a game against Swansea which they completely dominated. Across their last four matches, they have produced an xG of 7.2 and had five efforts on target on Tuesday night. Nahki Wells felt a twinge ahead of that game and he is unlikely to return straight into the XI here. It was a quiet evening for Max O'Leary and he'll be hoping to keep a third clean sheet in five on Saturday afternoon.

Hull picked up a much-needed three points in midweek giving them a five point buffer over the sides in the relegation zone. Ruben Selles' men are a bit streaky and hard to predict, yet scoring goals remain an issue for the Tigers. They have netted just five times across their last six matches and may struggle to find a way past the in-form hosts.

Swansea vs Middlesbrough - Absorbing 90 minutes in Wales

Saturday, 15:00

It was a back-to-the-wall job for Swansea in midweek as they ground out a 0-0 draw at Deepdale. Fans praised their side's workrate and Lawrence Vigouroux emerged with plenty of credit having made five important saves throughout the 90 minutes. The Swans are still adapting to life under Alan Sheehan, who will remain in charge until the International Break at the end of the month, however, this has the potential to be a tricky fixture for the caretaker boss.

Middlesbrough are back on track with two consecutive victories. They had to fight against Derby with Finn Azaz running the show in midfield. Boro have been sloppy at the back all season and have conceded ten goals across their last five away matches. They've kept just a single clean sheet on the road since October 1st and are likely to be vulnerable in this one.

Sheffield United vs Preston - Value in backing BTTS at Bramall Lane

Saturday, 15:00

Sheffield United continue to pick up points, winning five of their last six. They are keeping the pressure on the leaders, yet their performances haven't matched their recent results. The Blades have looked good going forward, but they have been unable to keep the door bolted and have managed just two clean sheets across their last eight fixtures. With an xGA of 9.0 in their last five matches, they always look liable to concede and there is still plenty of value in backing BTTS in Sheffield United fixtures.

Preston are winless in four, yet they looked dangerous going forward against Swansea in midweek. PNE took 20 shots, registering an xG of 1.88 and creating multiple chances. If they can recreate those energy levels and put pressure on the hosts, they could easily get on the scoresheet.

Burnley vs Luton - Tight and tense at Turf Moor

Saturday, 15:00

Burnley have set several records already this season and there is a possibility that they will make it through the campaign without conceding more than a single goal in a game. They've also had 20 different goal scorers so far, two shy of the Championship record which is held by Blackpool. They are still five points shy of the leaders Leeds and will be expected to collect three points from this fixture against struggling Luton. They are yet to concede a goal at Turf Moor in 2025 and will be looking to extend their run of home clean sheets to seven.

The Hatters are improving and have become tough to beat under Matt Bloomfield. They kept their first clean sheet of the campaign at the weekend and have conceded just eight goals in their last seven outings. They don't score many goals, so this game could be decided by a single strike, likely to come from a set-piece.

West Brom vs QPR - WBA to extend their unbeaten run

Saturday, 15:00

West Brom are unbeaten in their last three and are starting to click under Tony Mowbray. They matched Leeds last weekend and produced one of their best performances of the campaign at Elland Road. Quicker passing and an increase in the intensity has been enjoyable to watch, yet there are still some inconsistencies in this XI. Mowbray will be hoping that his side can recreate their performances against Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford as opposed to their insipid showing against Blackburn.

QPR are yet another inconsistent outfit, losing five of their last seven. Marti Cifuentes' side have struggled on the road recently, losing each of their last three. Their only four away victories were against the current bottom six and they are unlikely to turn that form around on Saturday afternoon.

Recommended bets

Back Blackburn to Win or Draw and Under 2.5 Goals @ 11/10

Back BTTS in Sunderland vs Cardiff @ 9/10

Back BTTS in Sheffield United vs Preston @ 11/10