Championship Betting Tips: Predictions for all of this weekend's fixtures | OneFootball

Birmingham vs Coventry - Low-key Midlands affair

Sunday, 12:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Birmingham fans were left infuriated by yet another insipid away performance on Thursday afternoon. It's now seven games without a win, and their form on the road has been particularly concerning for Blues fans. Chris Davies is feeling the pressure, yet the former Spurs boss will be backed in the winter window with Philadelphia Union's Kai Wagner rumoured to be the first through the door at St. Andrews.

They have been slightly better at home this season, although the goals have dried up following Jay Stansfield's injury, and Kyogo Furahashi's profligacy has proven costly. Keshi Anderson looked like he picked up a knock in the latter stages of that defeat at Vicarage Road and that leaves their squad looking a little stretched.

Despite their position at the summit, Coventry's squad has also been pushed to its limits over the last few weeks. They don't have the biggest squad in the Championship and in an ideal world, neither Josh Eccles nor Jamie Allen are unlikely to be first choice options.

Frank Lampard will be hoping that his side can muddle through to the next week. They can rest key players for the FA Cup and make some January additions. The Sky Blues haven't won away since November 25th, and for all of the hosts issues, they are hard to trust on their travels.

QPR vs Sheffield Wednesday - Exhausted visitors to fall short in West London

Sunday, 12:00, Live on Sky Sports+ App

QPR haven't been convincing at all recently, winning just one of their last five. It's hard to put your finger on exactly what isn't working, although their propensity to concede avoidable goals is a source of frustration for their fans. At home, they've tended to be stronger and odds of 4/11 suggest that this should be a straightforward task for the West Londoners. They produced just 0.65 xG when hosting Norwich on Thursday and they need to show more going forward here.

Sheffield Wednesday expended an incredible amount of energy when securing back-to-back draws over the festive period and they had very little left in the tank at Deepdale on NYD. The Owls have limited resources and consecutive away trips is far from ideal for the struggling visitors. They should give 100% and they will not give up the fight, but their lack of options from the bench is likely to count against them.

Sheffield United vs Oxford - Another entertaining afternoon for the Bramall Lane faithful

Sunday, 12:00, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Sheffield United climbed to 15th in the Championship table when securing back-to-back home wins on Thursday teatime. The Blades' form at Bramall Lane has been almost exemplary recently, with a 4-2-1 record here since the beginning of November. Scoring goals has not been an issue here, with the hosts netting 14 times across their last five games and the goals have been shared around with Tom Cannon, Patrick Bamford, Gus Hamer and Femi Seriki amongst the players who have chipped in.

Andre Brooks has looked particularly dangerous on the right and many of the hosts' best moments have come down that side of the pitch. They chalked up an xG of 2.42 against Leicester and are likely to create plenty of chances on Sunday lunchtime.

Oxford were unable to take anything from Portman Road last time out, yet, they left with their heads held high. They created a few notable chances and had Brian de Keersmaecker managed to keep his composure at the end of the first half, they may have been able to leave Suffolk with a valuable point. Will Lankshear has caught the eye and Filip Krastev's performances seem to be heading in the right direction. They are playing with the handbrake off since Rowett's departure and they should play their part in an entertaining contest.

Blackburn vs Charlton - Addicks to fight their way to a precious point

Sunday, 15:00

Blackburn have won just one of their last nine and are heading in the wrong direction. Their underwhelming home form remains an issue and Val Ismael bemoaned his side's lack of energy against Wrexham on Thursday lunchtime. It was a low-key contest, with Rovers creating just 0.64 xG and managing just a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.

It's now three games since Rovers last found the back of the net and with just six goals in their last nine, they will need to be a little more creative to break down Charlton's stubborn back-line. Their squad has taken a hammering and an injury to Ryan Hedges will not help their cause. Their strikes appear to be bereft of confidence and they are likely to struggle here.

Charlton battled their way to a point against leaders Coventry, putting four points between themselves and the bottom three. All of their recent defeats have been by single goal margins, and although they aren't high-scorers, they do have the habit of edging tight games. Joe Rankin-Costello put in a man of the match performance on Thursday, and the former Blackburn player could be the difference maker at Ewood Park.

Bristol City vs Preston - BTTS at Ashton Gate

Sunday, 15:00

Bristol City executed the high press to perfection against Pompey on Thursday afternoon as they destroyed Portsmouth at Ashton Gate. It was the perfect response to their tame 2-1 loss at Millwall and the perfect way for Gerhard Struber to respond to his critics, some of whom had blamed him for Monday's defeat.

They ended the game with an xG of 1.51, however, it was the clinical nature of their finishing with the much-maligned Sinclair Armstrong keeping his composure to net an unlikely double. The hosts are fairly effective at home, netting nine times across their last three games here and only failed to get on the scoresheet twice since mid-August.

Preston eased to victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Thursday and were able to rotate their XI in the process. Although there are rumours surrounding his potential departure this month, many fans were pleased to see the return of Milutin Osmaijic, who was back amongst the goals at Deepdale.

PNE's form on the road is decent, losing just three times outside of Lancashire and avoiding defeat in six of their last seven. They've also drawn just two blanks and if Osmaijic is back in the starting XI, they have a far better chance of finding a way past Max O'Leary.

Derby vs Wrexham - Points shared at Pride Park

Sunday, 15:00

Derby ended their three-match winless run with an unlikely victory against Middlesbrough on Thursday. The Rams were forced to defend deep and needed Jacob Widdell Zetterstrom to a handful of important stops to keep the game goalless. Nevertheless, John Eustace's gameplan worked and they were able to frustrate their high-flying visitors.

Eustace has reverted back to his preferred low-margin approach, although the Rams do have players who are capable of making a difference and Patrick Agyemang has looked sharp. Reinforcements are likely in January, however, they are unlikely to arrive in time for this fixture.

Wrexham have climbed to tenth in the table following three consecutive victories. Ollie Rathbone's return to the XI has coincided with an upturn in form, and they are unbeaten with the former Rotherham midfielder in the XI. They managed to beat Blackburn without Josh Windass and Kieffer Moore and although they still have various fitness issues, they should be able to take at point back to North Wales this weekend. They've lost just two of their last 15 and will be hard to beat.

Hull vs Watford - Confident Hornets to maintain their festive form

Sunday, 15:00

There is a general consensus that Hull have overachieved this season. The Tigers were expected to be amongst the relegation battlers, yet they are riding high in fifth. Although they beat Middlesbrough with a backs-to-the-walls performance, they have managed just a single shot on target in each of their last two matches. Nevertheless, they hit the woodwork twice and took 12 shots inside the box, almost 50% of which were blocked by the Potters defence.

They will have their work cut out against an in-form Hornets side, who will be aiming to make it five consecutive victories. Hull's home form isn't the strongest, losing three of their last five here and this is the type of fixture in which they may just fall short. Oli McBurnie had a quiet afternoon by his own standards and Kyle Joseph was hooked at the break.

Javi Gracia was purring about his side's performance against Birmingham. He explained how he loves working over the festive period and with his side currently firing on all cylinders, it is unsurprising to see him grinning from ear-to-ear.

Many of their players are returning from injury with Kwadwo Baah fit enough to make a late cameo from the bench. Although Edo Kayembe is on international duty, they have very few injury issues compared to other teams and Gracia has the luxury of rotation for this game.

Middlesbrough vs Southampton - Two misfiring attacks to cancel one another out

Sunday, 15:00

Middlesbrough fans have gone into meltdown having watched their side draw four consecutive blanks. Kim Hellberg's side have created plenty of opportunities, yet their attacking players have squandered countless opportunities. Tommy Conway looks short of confidence, Delano Burgzorg is a complete enigma, and Kaly Sene has yet to impress in a Boro shirt. The Teessiders defending was poor for Derby's winner, yet neither Matt Targett nor Luke Ayling are natural centre backs.

Boro will update their squad in January and they should be able to stop the rot with a few key additions. Their midfield is strong, particularly with Aidan Morris back from injury, so a sprinkling of quality at both ends of the field should keep them competitive for a top two spot.

Southampton looked unstoppable throughout November, yet the wheels appear to have come off at St. Mary's. Some fans expressed their concern surrounding the permanent appointment of Tonda Eckert and he is struggling to rediscover the magic formula. They dominated possession against Millwall, yet managed just two shots on target and we could see a similar story here. They look short of belief in the final third and this could be a tough watch.

Millwall vs Swansea - Low-scoring encounter at the Den

Sunday, 15:00

Millwall picked up a point against Southampton, with Alex Neil's side frustrated the Saints throughout the 90 minutes. The Lions are heavily patched up and the Scot was forced to change shape to accomodate the remaining fit players. The combination of Jake Cooper and Caleb Taylor was superb and Femi Azeez, who was tasked with leading the line, worked his socks off. The Bermondsey outfit have managed to remain unbeaten in their last three, with the majority of their games being decided by slender margins.

Only one team have left this ground with maximum points since October 1st and Swansea will find it tough to break the hosts' obstinate rearguard.

Vitor Matos' side picked up maximum points against West Brom on Thursday, although they were helped by several errors from the out-of-form visitors. Swans were far from vintage, clocking up an xG of just 0.67 and managing just three shots on target. With Adam Idah out for several months, they are lacking numbers in the striking department, although Meiker Widell plundered away admirably. They are unlikely to break down the hosts, although they should keep things fairly compact at the back.

Norwich vs Stoke - Tight affair in East Anglia

Sunday, 15:00

Norwich boss Philippe Clement praised the fight and desire of his squad as they ground out a 2-1 victory at Loftus Road on Thursday. The Belgian was indebited to his strikers with both Josh Sargent and Jovon Makama getting on the scoresheet, although it was the quality of Matej Jurasek's delivery which made the difference. It was a low-key encounter, with very little happening in the first half. Norwich showed a little more quality in the second half and it was enough to collect maximum points.

The result lifted them above Oxford and leaves them a point shy of safety. Clement has improved results and performances, however, they have been far from swashbuckling lately. Their last six matches have averaged just two goals per game and it's been almost a month since they conceded a first half goal.

Stoke finally got back to winning ways during the week. Mark Robins had a pop at the fans following their defeat on Monday, yet whatever it is that he has said to the players, it appears to have done the trick. Stoke were far more resilient, yet the injury to Robert Bozenik cast a dark shadow over the result. The Potters aren't the most entertaining or enterprising side in the second tier, and they will look to keep things tight at Carrow Road, potentially nicking one on the break.

Portsmouth vs Ipswich - Tractor Boys to break down the injury-plagued hosts

Sunday, 15:00

Pompey's positive result against Charlton was soon forgotten on Thursday afternoon with John Mousinho's men conceding five goals at Ashton Gate. It's been a hectic and exhausting period for most sides in the second tier, yet Portsmouth have endured some pretty rough luck when it comes to injuries. 21-year-old MacKenzie Kirk was tasked with leading the line against Bristol City with Olutayo Singerr being deployed from the bench.

The fast turnaround isn't going to help Mousinho's men with the likes of Callum Lang, Connor Ogilvie, Josh Knight, Josh Murphy or Marlon Pack likely to return in time for this game. There is half a chance that Colby Bishop will shake off his ankle issue.

Ipswich had a few wobbly moments, yet they were able to overcome Oxford at Portman Road on Thursday. They've been dealt a fairly kind set of fixtures and they will be expected to win this. They are unlikely to have it all their own way at Fratton Park, and they cannot afford to be complacent on the south coast. Their away form has been patchy, but this is a good time to be playing the injury-plagued hosts.

Leicester vs West Brom - Albion's struggles on the road set to continue

Monday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Inconsistency continues to plague Leicester and they have lost three of their last four. That has left them treading water in midtable and Marti Cifuentes has struggled to improve his side's defence. Their games at the KP have been very entertaining and they are able to score freely in front of their own fans. They have netted ten goals across their last five matches here, scoring the opener in their last three. They have plenty of attacking talent in the squad and should be good enough to find a way past a Baggies side who have struggled away from the Hawthorns.

Ryan Mason continues to struggle, particularly on the road. There is a lack of identity with WBA, with no discernable playing style. They were defeat by a fairly bog-standard Swansea side on Thursday, making it nine consecutive defeats on their travels. They've failed to score in each of their last two, however, Leicester's defence is fairly generous and I'd expect to get on the scoresheet, at the very least. January is an important month for Albion, yet this fixture will come too soon for any major moves to be completed.

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