Championship Betting Tips: Best bets for Saturday's fixtures including Luton to avoid defeat | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Matt Bloomfield will hope that his side can build on their midweek victory

Jack Critchley has delved into this weekend's Championship fixtures and selected his favourite bets for each of the games taking place on Saturday afternoon...

Betfair Saturday Football Superboost

It is a credit to Chris Wood's excellence this season that he is up there with Erling Haaland as one of the biggest attacking threats in the Premier League at the moment. Wood's Nottingham Forest travel to Ipswich while Haaland will lead the line for Man City at home to Brighton Saturday.

Betfair have boosted the odds on the pair each having one or more shots on target from 1/2 to 1/1 for this week's Saturday Football Superboost. With seven between them in their last six games we reckon it has a good chance of landng.

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Luton vs Middlesbrough - Boro's inconsistencies to plague them once again

Luton picked up their first away win in six months on Tuesday night. Matt Bloomfield looked hugely relieved to have finally got off the mark on the road, with his side having lost 21 of their previous 24 away from Kenilworth Road. Jordan Clark's fantastic goal gave the Bedfordshire outfit enough confidence to turn the game around and their tails will be up heading into this contest. At home, the Hatters have only lost six times, 50% of which came against the current top four sides. All except one of those defeats came by a single goal margin and this fixture gives them an ideal opportunity to add at least a point to their disappointing tally.

Middlesbrough were also victorious in midweek, although they rode their luck towards the end of the tie. Boro are still a bit of an enigma, and they are always capable of throwing in some kamikaze defense. Michael Carrick's men have lost five of their last six away games and have dropped points at Plymouth and Derby this season. Despite having more firepower than the hosts, they will not find this a straightforward task.

Preston vs Portsmouth - Game of few chances at Deepdale

Preston produced a tremendous performance in midweek as they dominated against Sunderland and almost took all three points back to Lancashire. Paul Heckingbottom was delighted with his side's display and they will take plenty of confidence into this one. PNE are winless in six, yet they haven't got the points that their performances have necessarily deserved. The midweek results have results in the Lilywhites being dragged a little closer to the drop zone and they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas just yet.

Pompey beat Leeds last weekend, yet they've lost games against the current bottom two - Plymouth and Luton. John Mousinho's side are much better against sides who want plenty of possession, however, they struggle to break down sides who set up robustly. The visitors' away form isn't particularly good and they may struggle to find a way through.

Plymouth vs Derby - Hardie to be the difference maker

Miron Muslic was delighted with his side's midweek victory at Fratton Park. He claimed that his team showed that they are 'alive' and they will come into this contest with plenty of confidence. It remains to be seen how much energy they have exerted defending their 2-1 lead throughout the 11 minutes of injury time and they will also be without the suspended Matthew Sorinola. Nevertheless, the return of Ryan Hardie has given them more impetus in the final third and he looked sharp on Wednesday night. Only the now-departed Morgan Whittaker has taken more shots than the former Blackpool striker and he could be heavily involved here.

Derby are fighting for their lives under John Eustace and they have now picked up back-to-back home victories. Unfortunately, the Rams aren't particularly effective on their travels, although they will look to keep it tight.

West Brom vs Hull - Fine margins at the Hawthorns

West Brom have become un-Mowbray-like in their recent results. The Teessider is associated with free-flowing football, resulting in open affairs and goals at both ends. WBA are unbeaten in five and have conceded just three goals despite facing both Leeds and Burnley. They remain in the play-off positions, yet with just a two point cushion, they can't afford to drop any points this weekend.

Hull gave their survival hopes a sizeable boost in midweek as they came from behind to beat Oxford. They will be without the services of Gustavo Puerta, who was dismissed in added time. Ruben Selles' changes turned the game in their favour and they have been much better on their travels lately. They've conceded just four goals in their last six away trips, beating Sheffield United and Sunderland in the process. They will look to avoid any errors here and keep things tight.

Oxford vs Watford - Winless run to continue for Yellows

Gary Rowett was furious at his side's inability to keep hold of a lead. Oxford took the lead before losing concentration and conceding two quick-fire goals. They are now winless in nine and the bounce that they enjoyed upon Rowett's arrival feels like a distant memory. They are conceding far too many goals and have shipped ten goals across their last five outings which will irk their defensively-minded boss.

Watford have won three of their last five, reigniting their faint play-off hopes. Tom Cleverley is a decent tactician and he's done a decent job despite the obvious lack of available frontmen. He will be hoping to celebrate 12 months in charge with a victory on Saturday afternoon. They have conceded just five times across their last six away trips and should have enough about them to take something back to Vicarage Road.

Coventry vs Sunderland - BTTS at the CBS

Coventry continue to occupy the final play-off spot, despite dropping points to Derby in midweek. The Sky Blues have been fantastic under Frank Lampard, yet they looked a little fatigued on Tuesday night and except Sakamoto, they failed to show much quality in the final third. Injuries have taken their toll on the Sky Blues. Nevertheless, at home, they are effective and tend to score goals. There have been eight goals across their last two matches here and the home fans have certainly got their money's worth lately.

Sunderland struggled against Preston in midweek, however, they are still unbeaten in 11 of their last 13 and are on course for a play-off spot. The Black Cats have plenty of thrust going forward, yet they are struggling to keep clean sheets, conceding in eight of their last nine. They rarely draw a blank and will be expected to find a way past Coventry's tired back-line.

Swansea vs Burnley - Blunt Swans to draw a blank

Swansea are cruising a mid-table finish and their fans can be excused for beginning to think about next season. Alan Sheehan is in temporary charge of the club, suffering his first defeat on Wednesday night. The Welsh side produced an xG of just 0.68 against Watford in midweek and need to show more adventure in the final third here. Goncalo Franco produced an uncharacteristically error-strewn performance, although Lewis O'Brien and Ronald Perreira looked good going forward.

Burnley dropped points against West Brom on Tuesday night and have had an extra 24 hours to prepare for this fixture. The Clarets weren't at their best, yet they should be able to bounce back this weekend. They have conceded just a single goal across their last six away games, although they've netted just eight times and rarely get carried away. One or two goals may be enough for the high-flying Lancastrians.

Cardiff vs Blackburn - Points shared in South Wales

It was a terrible midweek for Cardiff who were defeated by Luton and then watched as Stoke and Plymouth collected maximum points 24 hours later. The Bluebirds need to return to form and Omer Riza must lift spirits within the dressing room. They've suffered five defeats in their last eight and have won just once since January 25th (vs Hull).

Blackburn's identity is still to be established under Val Ismael, although he was pleased with their second half display. They could easily have got on the scoresheet, although they were thwarted by Viktor Johansson, who was in imperious form. With four wins in 17 games, it's impossible to rely on Rovers.

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