Easter Monday Championship Tips: Back Ipswich to keep their promotion hopes alive | OneFootball

Portsmouth vs Oxford - Tense and nervy relegation battle at lunchtime

Click for Portsmouth vs Oxford odds Monday, 12:30, Live on Sky Sports Football

Both of these sides picked up a point on Good Friday, which did very little to improve their hopes of survival. Oxford are in better overall form, and, with the exception of a 2-0 defeat at in-form Southampton, they have remained unbeaten in five of their last six. Mark Harris probably should have won it for the Yellows on Friday afternoon, and they are likely to create a few decent chances here.

Portsmouth were involved in a low-key game against Norwich, producing an xG of just 0.50 and managing just a single shot on target. They created very little in the final third, and this may be another long afternoon for the Pompey faithful. Carving out chances has been an issue lately, and they haven't scored more than a single goal in a game since February 21st. Colby Bishop, who led the line on Friday, is effective at disrupting the opposition defence, yet he has managed just three goals this season, one of which came in the FA Cup.

Pompey have home advantage, yet they are incredibly short. Oxford don't tend to get beaten easily, and they have managed to take something from their trips to Leicester, Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday this season. There won't be much in this game, and it will be a cagey affair, but backing the away side to get at least a point looks like the logical option.

Millwall vs Norwich - Motivated Lions to thrive in Bermondsey

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Millwall moved into second with a comeback victory over Middlesbrough on Good Friday. For the second successive match, the Lions started slowly and could easily have conceded more than a single goal in the first 45. Alex Neil is an excellent tactician and motivator and his side came out fired up for the second half.

They have won five of their last seven overall, yet they've managed just two wins from their last five in front of their own fans. Millwall have a reputation for being tough to beat at The Den, yet their best recent results have come on the road.

They have several players returning from injury, and having moved into second place, they will be highly motivated to maintain their place in the automatic promotion spots.

Norwich laboured to a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on Friday. They don't have a huge amount to play for this season, and their performance at Carrow Road was a little lethargic. Phillipe Clement has done a brilliant job since taking over, steering the club to safety, and they will be competitive throughout the 90 minutes. The Canaries do not concede many goals, although they have also dried up at the other end with just four in their last four.

Blackburn vs West Brom - In-form hosts to edge out fellow relegation battlers

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Neither Blackburn nor West Brom are safe from relegation yet. Rovers are unbeaten in their last four and are certainly much harder to beat under Michael O'Neill. They beat Birmingham on Friday, chalking up an xG of 1.52, taking 16 shots and testing the reflexes of James Beadle. Having beaten Birmingham and Millwall and picked up a point against Millwall, confidence will be high in the camp, and they will surely be able to clinch their survival in the coming weeks, especially if they continue performing at this level.

Despite collecting three points, they required goalkeeper Balazs Toth to make five saves, which helped to preserve yet another clean sheet.

West Brom blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Wrexham. James Morrison's side have improved dramatically, and they are certainly far more adventurous going forward. They've netted six in their last three and have found their rhythm in the final third.

This will be tough for the Baggies, who could find it hard to break down Rovers' stubborn rearguard. The Northern Irishman certainly has his side fighting and they will battle for every ball. There won't be much in this, and the draw is a possibility, but the hosts may have enough to take a big step towards safety.

Bristol City vs Sheffield United - Porous defences on show for both sides

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These two sides met at the beginning of the season with Bristol City springing a surprise on the hapless Blades, winning 4-1 at Bramall Lane. Both teams have had their ups and downs, subsequently changing managers, and with very little to play for, this could be an equally entertaining 90 minutes.

Roy Hodgson's arrival was highly unpredictable, yet it seems to have given the squad a much-needed lift, with the Robins creating 2.59 xG and taking 17 shots in their 2-1 victory over Charlton at the Valley. They looked confident and should take the game to the Blades on Monday afternoon.

Sheffield United were involved in yet another entertaining contest, drawing 3-3 with Swansea at Bramall Lane. Chris Wilder's side has loads of individual talent, yet they just cannot seem to defend. They were unable to hold onto the lead, blowing a 3-1 lead to a side which tends to struggle for goals on the road.

It's now five games without a win for the visitors and they haven't kept a clean sheet in any of those games. They've also taken the lead in four of those matches and have been pegged back.

Derby vs Stoke - Potters' away troubles set to continue

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Derby could still sneak into the play-offs, although both Wrexham and Southampton are far more likely to make the top six. Nevertheless, John Eustace's men will keep fighting and their recent form at Pride Park has been much improved. They are searching for a fifth consecutive success here, and this looks like a winnable game.

They were competitive on Friday night, twice fighting back from a goal down. They produced an xG of 2.27 and took 26 touches in the Coventry box. Their defence was haphazard at times, but they have plenty of options going forward. They haven't drawn a blank here since September 20th and should find a way past Stoke's defence.

The Potters have struggled on the road, often performing better in Staffordshire. They've averaged just 0.85 goals per game on their travels, and have failed to net in six of their last 11 away games. Furthermore, they've failed to score in five of their last six visits to this ground, and another difficult 90 minutes surely awaits.

Ipswich vs Birmingham - Tractor Boys to increase the pressure on Chris Davies

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Ipswich didn't play on Friday and in theory, they should be well-rested ahead of this home game. The Tractor Boys are in contention for automatic promotion and have a couple of games in hand on both Middlesbrough and Millwall. They've been strong at home all season, and although they could only draw with the Lions last time out, they should have been out of sight by halftime.

They've suffered just a single defeat at Portman Road this season, although fans would argue that they've drawn too many games here. They've conceded just five goals here since the beginning of November, and no side has managed to score 2+ here since Charlton's incongruous 3-0 victory in mid-October.

Birmingham were beaten by Blackburn at St. Andrews on Friday. The club is in a bit of a malaise and some fans have asked for Chris Davies to be sacked. He's unlikely to be fired before the end of the campaign, given that the Blues now have very little to play for. He's been unable to take this squad to the next level and has struggled tactically, particularly away from home.

Brum have lost five of their last seven, and have failed to score in three of their last five.

Preston vs QPR - End of season chaos at Deepdale

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Preston were incredibly clinical against Leicester on Friday, netting twice from an xG of just 0.48. Since Andy Moran and Alfie Devine were brought into the side, they have looked much slicker going forward, and they've managed to score five times in their last 180 minutes of football.

Paul Heckingbottom seems to have found the right balance, and although there is nothing left to play for, they seem to have stepped it up recently. Their home form has been a little bit inconsistent, although there have been 14 goals across their last four here, so the fans have certainly been getting value for money.

QPR have also rediscovered their attacking mojo recently with 11 goals scored in their last three matches. Paul Smyth, Rayan Kolli and Richard Kone have all contributed, with the latter pair having established a productive partnership. The Londoners have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four away games and with neither side having much to worry about here, this should be an open and entertaining 90 minutes in Lancashire.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Leicester - Foxes to eventually grind battle-hardened Wednesday down

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Leicester will have been disappointed to have only taken a point from their game with Preston on Good Friday. The Foxes dominated with an xG of 2.01 and 34 touches in the opposition box (compared to nine for PNE). Gary Rowett's side have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot and their defending has left plenty to be desired, which is not a characteristic that you would strongly associate with the former Derby and Birmingham boss.

They are unbeaten in four of their last five and were also the better side during their recent visit to Watford. They will see this as a fantastic opportunity to pick up three points and give themselves a lifeline. They haven't won away from home since December 6th, although they're unbeaten in five of their last six.

Sheffield Wednesday have picked up just a single point since the end of December, yet they looked quite bright against Stoke on Good Friday. There isn't much left to say about the Owls, except that they tend to give 100% and are battling, despite a constant stream of setbacks. At home, they have tended to keep things much tighter and have managed to keep a first-half clean sheet in seven of their last eight games here.

It may be worth backing the Foxes to succeed in the second half as the fatigue begins to set in for the hosts.

Watford vs Charlton - Hornets to sneak past the Addicks

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Watford have been one of the more unpredictable sides over the last few weeks, with Ed Still's side veering between brilliant (vs Wrexham) and hopeless (vs Leicester). They were defeated by in-form QPR on Good Friday and need to bounce back here. They have been better at Vicarage Road and are unbeaten in three of their last four here.

Since January 24th, they have a record of 3-4-5 and haven't had the same result in consecutive matches during that spell. That makes them extremely difficult to predict, however, if they were to follow that recent pattern, then they are due a victory in this one.

Nathan Jones blamed his side's 'sloppy start' to each half for their home defeat to Bristol City. They came up against a side motivated by the managerial change and their lack of quality in the final third made the difference in the end.

It's now three without a win for the visitors and the goals have seemingly dried up with just four in their last six. There won't be much in this contest, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the low-scoring Addicks on the wrong side of yet another tight game.

Swansea vs Middlesbrough - Another tough test for Boro

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Having suffered yet another defeat to Millwall on Friday, this is far from the ideal fixture for Middlesbrough. They remain in automatic promotion contention, yet visiting Swansea is not an easy task these days, and they will be hoping for better than the 1-0 defeat they suffered on their last visits here.

Boro are badly missing Hayden Hackney, who helps to drive them forward and they are struggling for goals. Once again, they dominated the xG count, chalking up 3.35 against Millwall, yet managed just a single goal. Since knocking four past QPR, they have netted just twice in four games, and very few of their strikers are firing on all cylinders.

Swansea have very little left to play for, yet they appear to be motivated and happy to create opportunities. Against Coventry, they hit the woodwork twice despite losing 3-0, and were happy to pour forward at every opportunity. Although they've improved defensively under Vitor Matos, they are unlikely to keep Boro off the scoresheet and this could be a highly absorbing contest under the lights.

That defeat to Cov was the first time that they have drawn a blank here since October 22nd.

Hull vs Coventry - Another entertaining night at the MKM

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Mathematically, Hull can still reach the automatic promotion spots, yet, realistically, they are far more likely to settle for the play-offs. The Tigers haven't been in peak form lately, winning just two of their last six, with one of those victories coming against rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday.

Their squad is packed full of experience, and they have numerous threats in their XI. Their games at the MKM have been thoroughly entertaining lately, with an accumulative total of 23 goals across their last five outings in Humberside. They've been behind by the 33rd minute in each of those contests, yet they have a knack for bouncing back.

Coventry showed tremendous spirit to twice fight back against Derby on Friday night. Haji Wright is struggling with an injury, yet they have numerous players who have stepped up, including Jack Rudoni, who has recaptured his goalscoring form. The Sky Blues have scored 2+ goals in each of their last four away games and they will certainly be able to exploit the gaps in the Hull back-line.

Their away games have averaged 3.3 goals per game, and this could be another end-to-end, topsy-turvy 90 minutes.

Wrexham vs Southampton - Saints to potentially sneak past the hosts

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Wrexham battled back from two goals down to take a point off West Brom on Friday. The Welsh side barely threatened in the first half, opting to sit back before pouncing after the break. They could easily have won the game, yet a point against an upwardly mobile Baggies outfit isn't a bad outcome.

Phil Parkinson's side aren't having any issues finding the back of the net, yet their defending has been a little lax lately. Their 2-0 win over Swansea was their first clean sheet since November 26th and this is one of their toughest matches of 2026.

Southampton have had a day less to prepare following their FA Cup exertions. The Saints return to action in superb form, winning eight of their last ten. They are the form side heading into this fixture, and they have been ruthlessly efficient on the road. They have a deep enough squad to cope with the hectic schedule, and they should be able to take something back to Hampshire here.

There won't be much between these two sides. The visitors have looked unstoppable lately and they should continue their late-season ascent.