Championship Tips: Back Baggies and Blades to serve up a pre-Christmas cracker on Friday night | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Betting tips and predictions for this weekend's Championship action

It's been an exceptionally busy week in the Championship, but Jack Critchley keeps trucking! Our man has picked out the best bets from each of this weekend's games in the second tier...

West Brom vs Sheffield United - WBA to extend their home scoring streak

Friday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports Football

Chris Wilder admitted that his side didn't deserve anything more than a point on Tuesday night. The Yorkshireman made eight changes to his starting XI, owing to an illness in the camp and this exceptionally quick turnaround. Unfortunately, this disrupted the Blades' fluidity and although they created a few decent chances in the second half, a 1-1 draw was probably fair. Oli Arblaster was given his first start in 12 months, and Danny Ings ended his 15-month wait for a goal.

This is a tough assignment for the Blades, who are likely to rotate considerably once again. Away from home, they've won three of their last five, scoring 12 times during that run, and they've made some exceptionally quick starts in those encounters. Holding onto leads has been tough for the South Yorkshire club, and they've scored the opening goal within the first 25 minutes in each of their last four on the road, but have kept just a single clean sheet.

Leicester, Coventry and Preston have all found a way past the Blades in the second half and they could be vulnerable here.

The pressure is back on Ryan Mason with WBA suffering a 3-2 defeat to Southampton in midweek. The Baggies did show plenty of character to fight back in the second half, but they are making too many mistakes at the back. Their home and away form is chalk and cheese, with the Baggies unbeaten here since September 13th, and are averaging over 16 shots per game at the Hawthorns. Recent matches haven't been particularly explosive, but they have netted eight times in their last five here and have managed just a single clean sheet in front of their fans since the opening weekend.

Norwich vs Southampton - Saints to cause issues for Norwich's defence

Saturday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports Football

Philippe Clement has restored some respectability to Norwich. The Canaries are slowly improving under the Belgian and are unbeaten in three of their last four. They are playing with more energy and producing better chances with several players such as Pelle Mattsson, Oscar Schwartau and Jacob Wright, having all stepped up under the new boss. Unfortunately, both Josh Sargent and Kenny McLean both looked to have picked up injuries in midweek and are doubts for this contest. The latter could be a huge loss, especially against Southampton, where he would be tasked with preventing the Saints from breaking quickly and exposing Norwich's back-line.

Norwich aren't quite out of the woods yet, and there are still improvements to be made, particularly at the back. They haven't kept a clean sheet since beating Blackburn 2-0 on August 30th.

Southampton beat West Brom 3-2 in midweek, with the game ending far closer than many Saints fans would have anticipated. Tonda Eckert was pleased with his side's attacking prowess, yet he was disappointed with the way his team defended dead-ball situations. They are far from perfect at the back and Joshua Quarshie struggled at times. Nevertheless, they are potent in the final third and have scored some fantastic goals since the change in the dugout.

Adam Armstrong is back to his best, with Finn Azaz and Leo Scienza providing plenty of quality in behind the former Blackburn striker. They've scored 2+ goals in each of the last seven games and there's no reason to assume that their superb record will be halted by the hosts.

Oxford vs Preston - Points shared at the Kassam

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

Oxford picked up a point against Blackburn in midweek in a game which lacked quality in the final third. The Yellows looked ponderous at times, and despite having plenty of possession, they were unable to carve open the hosts. Gary Rowett's side lacks firepower, but they will dig deep and they are tough to beat. They've suffered just a single defeat in their last five games and have been defeated just twice at home since the opening weekend of the campaign.

Preston picked up an eye-catching point at league leaders Coventry on Tuesday night despite being reduced to ten men. Paul Heckingbottom's side gave everything against the Sky Blues and that has the potential to lead to a slow start here. Odeluga Offiah stepped back into defence following the dismissal of Liam Lindsay and he was superb in the second half.

PNE are another side who don't lose many games, suffering just a single defeat since October 21st. They will be aiming to make it five unbeaten on the road and they should be able to take something from this fixture, despite the energy-sapping tie on Tuesday night.

Stoke vs Swansea - Improving Swans to keep it tight

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

Stoke's form has taken a nosedive and the Potters suffered yet another defeat on Wednesday night. The players were sat on the turf, disappointed at the end of that contest, and Mark Robins must find a way to arrest this alarming slide. They battled well throughout the 90 minutes, yet produced just 0.33 xG and seem to be lacking confidence in front of goal. Divin Mubama desperately needs a goal and Million Manhoef has been frustrating, despite clearly being gifted.

Stoke have lost five of their last six games and have now failed to net in their last two. They do tend to be strong at home and a few weeks ago, this would have been the perfect fixture.

Unfortunately for the hosts, Swansea have picked up under new coach Vitor Matos. They've won back-to-back contests, although both games have come at home against bottom-six opposition. They have improved, but they need to prove that they can do it against better sides and on the road. Matos appears to have lifted the performances of several players and every single member of the XI is working exceptionally hard. They appear to be motivated and should be able to keep this close.

Birmingham vs Charlton - Lively encounter at St. Andrews

Saturday, 15:00

Birmingham's rancid away form continued in midweek as they were defeated in stoppage time by QPR. The Blues had clambered their way back into the contest, although their performance probably didn't merit a point. Chris Davies has been quizzed on his side's inability to win on the road, and he admitted that he isn't prepared to change his set-up for away games. The former Spurs coach doesn't need to tweak much when it comes to their form at St. Andrews, with a 67% win rate here. They're also averaging 2.33 goals per game and have netted 2+ in each of their last six.

James Beadle has come under scrutiny for his semi-frequent errors, with Phil Neumann hardly covering himself in glory either. Tommy Doyle was left on the bench for the midweek clash and he is likely to figure in this one. The midfield duo of Paik and Iwata isn't combative enough for the second tier and they frequently lose the battle in the centre of the park when this technically sound duo are deployed.

Charlton gave a decent account of themselves at the emotional Valley on Tuesday night. Nathan Jones' side have lost five on the spin and this is a tough gig for the Addicks. They tend to create a few chances and they should give the Brum back-line plenty to think about on Saturday afternoon. Their squad has been stretched by this hectic period, but there is no reason to assume that they won't have a good go at this.

Coventry vs Bristol City - Leaders to dust off their shooting boots

Saturday, 15:00

Coventry have had a little wobble. It was inevitable that the Sky Blues' trajectory would plateau at some stage and although they've dropped points in each of their last two matches, their performances should not be a cause for concern. They have started each match strongly, yet their failure to capitalise on that domination has seemingly cost them. Against Preston, they took 21 shots, recorded an xG of 1.95 and had 69% possession. Deepdale isn't an easy place to visit and fans shouldn't be too worried about their current blip.

Although that was a tough 90 minutes, they will have the added benefit of an extra 24 hours rest here and they should be able to take advantage of that. Nevertheless, their defence has looked shaky and nervous and it's been five matches since they last kept a clean sheet.

Bristol City fought back valiantly to secure a 2-2 draw with Leicester on Wednesday night. Nobody can accuse Gerhard Struber's side of not showing enough fight and they could easily have netted a winner at Ashton Gate in midweek. Their away form has been decent enough, losing just twice on their travels and they have plenty of quality in the final third. They created an xG of 2.09 on Wednesday and they should take plenty of confidence into this fixture. They should be able to stretch the Cov defence with their pace and endeavour, especially if Emil Riis has one of his better games.

Leicester vs Ipswich - Cifuentes' side could struggle to contain the Tractor Boys

Saturday, 15:00

Leicester's inability to control a game has been a recurring theme this season. The Foxes have raced into the lead in each of their last two games, and although they held out against Derby at the weekend, they were unable to keep things tight enough on Wednesday night. Marti Cifuentes waited too long to make the changes and his side were fairly lucky to even take a point back from Ashton Gate. The return of Ben Nelson at the heart of the defence is a positive, yet there are some players, such as Patson Daka, who simply look uninterested in fighting for the cause.

Clean sheets have been at a premium for Cifuentes' men and they haven't kept anyone off the scoresheet since their stalemate with leaders Coventry in mid-September.

Ipswich put in a professional display to edge past Stoke in midweek. Keiran McKenna's side could easily have added to the early goal, yet they looked fairly comfortable throughout. The Northern Irishman has the luxury of being able to rotate for this game and he has shown more flexibility with various tweaks to the system which has them set up in more of a 4-3-3 with players continuously rotating.

Their form on the road hasn't been vintage, although they've had one or two excellent results and they should enjoy facing Leicester's back four, which has been far from watertight.

Middlesbrough vs QPR - Hellberg's honeymoon to continue

Saturday, 15:00

Middlesbrough's sensational form shows no signs of abating with the Teessiders leaving the Valley with maximum points in midweek. They have closed the gap at the top of the table to just five points and the players have clearly responded to Kim Hellberg's coaching style. They've netted ten times in their last four matches with Morgan Whittaker returning to form and starting to repay some of that £6million outlay. Tuesday's victory in the capital wasn't Boro's best performance under the new boss, yet they always looked in control, despite struggling for numbers at the back.

David Strelec missed the midweek fixture through illness and could potentially return for this one, giving Hellberg a few options for rotation if necessary. He has also got the best out Riley McGree, Alex Gilbert and has successfully converted Matt Targett into a centre back.

It would have been an injustice had QPR not managed to take all three points from their midweek clash with Birmingham. Julian Stephan's side have drastically improved over the last few weeks, winning four of their last five, although three of those successes have been at Loftus Road. Away from home, they are still a little inconsistent and this is their toughest test since the 7-1 defeat at the CBS. I expect them to be competitive, but they could fall short.

Millwall vs Hull - Tigers to take at least a point back to Humberside

Saturday, 15:00

Millwall remain third in the Championship table, but their 1-1 draw with Derby on Wednesday is unlikely to live long in the memory. It was a tired-looking display from a team who have ten players out injured and this weekend's clash with an energetic Hull outfit may just be a step too far. Alex Neil praised his side's discipline, but he was disappointed to concede such a late goal. This is a quick turnaround for both sides, and the lack of fit and available central midfielders is a real concern for the home fans. Casper de Norre's calf injury is a blow and although Thierno Ballo and Dan Kelly did an admirable job on Wednesday, they just lack the composure of the Belgian.

Hull's 2-0 victory over Wrexham was the perfect way to respond to the setback against Middlesbrough. It was a rare complete 90-minute performance from the Tigers, who welcomed back Oli McBurnie and Liam Millar. Unfortunately, top scorer Joe Gelhardt has picked up an injury and is unlikely to be risked for this fixture, but they should have enough strength-in-depth to take at least a point from the jaded-looking hosts.

Portsmouth vs Blackburn - Away specialists to sneak past out-of-form Pompey

Saturday, 15:00

Portsmouth's struggles continued in midweek as they were downed 1-0 by an improving Swansea. They've dropped into the relegation zone, having suffered three consecutive defeats and seven losses in nine. John Mousinho has praised the effort levels of his side, but bemoaned their propensity to switch off at crucial moments. For the first time, Mousinho is feeling the pressure and some fans have called for a change. Their home form has been largely fine with only narrow defeats to Bristol City, Stoke and Coventry. This will be deemed as a potentially winnable game and the 39-year-old simply must find a way to take something from this fixture to stop the rot.

Blackburn picked up a point in midweek in a largely forgettable 1-1 draw with Oxford. Val Ismael's side still have just one home win to their name, yet they've been far sharper on their travels. They're unbeaten in seven of their last nine and haven't been defeated on the road since mid-October. With Todd Cantwell back in the XI, they have a little more creativity and Ryoya Morishita has also slowly improved since being introduced to the side. Ryan Alebiosu continues to churn out chances and his industry and width is likely to trouble the under-cooked hosts.

Wrexham vs Watford - Back BTTS at the Racecourse

Saturday, 15:00

It was an uncharacteristically insipid performance from Wrexham in midweek with Phil Parkinson admitting that he should have opted for more rotation amid a busy period. The Welsh side are likely to mix things up for this weekend fixture as they aim to get back to winning ways. It's three games since their last Championship victory and Parkinson has a few issues to deal with, particularly at left-back where James McClean may need to be rested. Lewis O'Brien may also return to the XI here. They are unbeaten here since September 13th, and they don't concede many goals in front of their own fans. They will look to keep things under control on Saturday afternoon.

Some Watford fans questioned Javi Gracia's tactics on Tuesday night as the Hornets huffed and puffed to a 1-1 draw with rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday. It isn't the first time that the Hornets have let punters down when going off as odds-on favourite at home this season and there is a tendency for Gracia to overthink his setup. They do have a young squad, and inconsistencies are expected. They do tend to find the back of the net on the road and there have been 14 goals across their last four away trips.

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