Championship Best Bets: Tips for Saturday afternoon's fixtures | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Paul Warne will be hoping that his side can avoid slipping to three consecutive defeats

It's an exceptionally quick turnaround in the Championship but Jack Critchley has managed to look at the latest stats and pick out his seven best bets for Saturday afternoon's fixtures...

Derby vs QPR

Punchy affair at Pride Park

Many Sunderland fans left the SOL full of praise for Derby County. The Rams competed admirably, yet they were undone by a Jobe Bellingham wonder strike. Paul Warne was pleased with his side's second-half display and despite slipping to back-to-back defeats, fans should be encouraged by their side's recent performances. At home, they tend to be much punchier and they've yet to draw a blank in front of their own fans.

QPR are struggling. The R's slipped to yet another defeat in midweek, however, they are managing to create chances and probably should have taken something from their midweek match with Hull. Marti Cifuentes' men need to tighten up at the back, but they have decent xG numbers going forward and they produced 1.32 xG from open play at Loftus Road on Tuesday. This could be a thoroughly entertaining match-up.

Watford vs Middlesbrough

Cleverley to suffer his first home defeat

Watford put in a fairly insipid performance on Wednesday night as they slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Deepdale. Under Tom Cleverley, the Hornets have been poor on the road, yet they are a completely different beast at Vicarage Road. The former midfielder still hasn't suffered a home defeat since taking charge of the club at the end of last season and they should be competitive in this contest. Vakoun Bayo missed a glorious chance against PNE and the hosts are likely to create opportunities in this contest.

Middlesbrough have had an extra day to prepare for this contest having beaten West Brom 1-0 at the Hawthorns. Michael Carrick's men were superb and looked sharp in attack. The return of Rav van den Berg is a sizeable boost for the Teessiders who have largely kept things tight on the road. The visitors should have enough to take away maximum points on Saturday afternoon.

Plymouth vs Blackburn

Pilgrims firing on all cylinders

Plymouth slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor on Tuesday night. Wayne Rooney's men failed to muster a shot on target, yet fans shouldn't be too concerned by that performance. The Pilgrims are expected to pick up the majority of their points at home and they have won two of their last three at this venue. They've also netted six times in those games and have fired in 19 shots against Luton last weekend. Darko Gyabi has found his rhythm and Rami Al Hajj looks a real handful.

Blackburn suffered their first defeat of the season on Tuesday night, conceding three times to Coventry. John Eustace's side weren't at their best and they must quickly pick themselves up. Rovers have failed to score in their last two outings, yet they should get a few opportunities, particularly from set-pieces, against Plymouth's questionable back-line.

Sheffield United vs Luton

Obstinate Blades to keep the Hatters at arm's length

Sheffield United have the meanest defence in the Championship and they haven't been breached since the end of August. Despite living dangerously at times against Swansea, Chris Wilder's side managed to keep yet another clean sheet and they will fancy their chances of keeping Saturday's opponents off the scoresheet. The hosts need to improve their attacking output and must start converting their chances.

Luton will have been disappointed with dropping points against Oxford on Tuesday night. The Hatters are hard to pin down with Rob Edwards seemingly struggling to nail down an identity. Although Jordan Clark has returned to form in the last seven days, Edwards must find a way to restore the confidence in striker Elijah Adebayo, who has been exceptionally wasteful so far this season. They've netted just twice on the road and picked up a single victory on their travels so far.

West Brom vs Millwall

Albion's mean defence to strike again

Following their blistering start to the season, West Brom have now suffered back-to-back defeats. Their only defeat at the Hawthorns came against an impressive Middlesbrough outfit and they will be hoping to bounce back here. Alex Mowatt has been fantastic and is likely to orchestrate things in the centre of the park. WBA fans haven't witnessed much action so far with their side scoring just twice at this ground and being breached on just one occasion.

Millwall slumped to a 1-0 defeat in midweek, although they probably deserved to take at least a point from that game. Somewhat surprisingly, the Londoners have one of the highest xGs in the division, yet away from home, they've drawn blanks in two of their last three. They might not have enough to breach the home defence.

Swansea vs Stoke

Confident Cannon to continue firing

Swansea will have been disappointed not to have found the back of the net against Sheffield United in midweek. Luke William's side have become surprisingly tough to beat, particularly at home, where they have been breached on just two occasions. They look far more organised with Matt Grimes catching the eye in midfield. The signing of Ji-Sung Eom has also given them some purpose from wide areas.

Narcis Pelach suffered consecutive defeats in his first two games in charge, however, he enjoyed a significant change in fortunes on Wednesday night. Stoke were rampant against Portsmouth, firing in six goals. Tom Cannon was responsible for four of those strikes and his link-up play with Sam Gallagher is likely to get the fans excited. Cannon is a confidence player who tends to score his goals in clumps. At Preston, all eight of his goals came during an 11-game period between the end of February and the beginning of April and he should be able to strike again.

Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday

Sky Blue momentum to carry them through

Coventry got their season up and running on Tuesday night as they raced into a 3-0 lead against Blackburn. Although there was an element of fortune about a couple of their goals, it was a much-needed victory for the hosts. Their xG numbers have been in the top six and they've already netted seven times at the CBS Arena. The return of Ben Sheaf should further enhance their chances of climbing the table and they will be feeling confident of securing back-to-back wins.

Sheffield Wednesday left Ashton Gate with a point and this is another tricky away fixture for the Owls. Danny Rohl's side are yet to pick up a victory on the road and they've found the net just once on their travels. They should be solid and competitive throughout this contest, yet they may just have bumped into the hosts at the wrong time.

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