Championship Tipsheet: The best bets from the second tier for Saturday afternoon | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Frank Lampard will be looking to maintain Coventry's momentum

Jack Critchley has looked at Saturday afternoon's Championship fixtures and has picked out his favourite seven bets from the latest set of games...

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Swansea vs Coventry

Cov to make it four on the bounce

Swansea's recent form is troubling. Although they played well in the first half against Sheffield United, they collapsed in the second and were reduced to ten men. They were heavily beaten by Norwich last weekend and Luke Williams will be looking for a response here. Unfortunately, they have been weakened ahead of this contest with Saturday's opponents securing a deal for long-serving midfielder Matt Grimes. Without their captain, the Swans appear to be a little light in the centre of the park and a potential combination of Jay Fulton and Joe Allen is nowhere near as effective. Harry Darling's suspension is far from ideal with the Swans conceding goals for fun in recent weeks. On a positive note, the hosts do tend to find the net at this venue and haven't drawn a blank here since October 28th.

Coventry have won three on the bounce and have quietly crept up the Championship table under Frank Lampard. They still have multiple absentees, particularly in attacking areas, yet they are looking far more assured at the back and have conceded just three times in their last seven outings. They took full advantage of a depleted Blackburn ten days ago and they may be able to do the same to a Swansea side who are in desperate need of reinforcements.

Leeds vs Cardiff

Confident Bluebirds to hit the target

Leeds manager Daniel Farke doesn't tend to like January additions and he has plenty of confidence that he has the right personnel to secure the club's return to the Premier League. The Whites outshot Burnley on Monday night, yet they weren't able to find a way past the Clarets and they'll be hoping for betting luck in front of goal on Saturday afternoon. They've certainly been effective at Elland Road this season and have found the back of the net in every home game since September 14th. They aren't liable to concede at this venue, although Blackburn and Middlesbrough did manage to find a way through.

Cardiff have enjoyed a superb start to 2025 and are unbeaten in their last seven heading into this contest. Omer Riza has managed to get his side playing confident attacking football and the addition of Sivert Mannsverk from Ajax is viewed as a bit of a coup for a second-tier outfit. They've taken 38 shots across their last two matches and are unlikely to simply sit back in West Yorkshire

Hull vs Stoke

Selles' side to see off Stoke

Although there are still plenty of inconsistencies, Hull are steadily improving under Ruben Selles. The former Reading boss can get results and his sides tend to play decent football. He was delighted with his team's 3-0 victory eight days ago at Bramall Lane and he spoke proudly about the identity of his side. They've made several additions in January with Matt Crooks and Kyle Joseph having already contributed and they have been followed through the door by Monaco's Eliot Matazo and Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry. Home wins are still few and far between, yet there should be enough confidence within the squad to pick up a positive result here.

Stoke have picked up just a single victory since November 6th and although there have been some signs of improvement, the arrival of Mark Robins has yet to fully turn the tide. The temporary signing of Ipswich's Ali Al-Hamadi should help with their chronic lack of goals and they will be hoping that the former AFC Wimbledon man can hit the ground running. The Potters have netted just five times in their last seven away games and need to start firing on their travels.

Portsmouth vs Burnley

Clarets to edge out Pompey

John Mousinho admitted that he was left frustrated by Tuesday night's narrow defeat to Millwall. He watched his side spurn multiple opportunities with Callum Lang failing to connect with a sumptuous ball across and Matt Ritchie not able to direct his header on target. Mousinho bemoaned the fact that his side gave a defensively competent team a 1-0 lead and weren't able to wrestle the game back in their favour. Unfortunately for the Pompey boss, his side are coming up against another solid back-line this weekend and they are likely to draw another blank at Fratton Park.

Burnley's defensive record is outstanding and they have been breached on just nine occasions so far this season. They have managed to keep 20 clean sheets in their first 29 games and although it isn't always easy on the eye, Scott Parker has made his team exceptionally tough to play against. They have a fantastic record when visiting bottom half opposition and that sequence is expected to continue.

Derby vs Sheffield United

Leaky Blades to concede on the road

At the beginning of the season, we were praising Sheffield United for their defensive resolve. That probably feels like decades ago for Blades fans, who have witnessed some defensive howlers from their side in recent weeks. It's now just one clean sheet in eight for the South Yorkshire club and even the previously reliable Anel Ahmedhodzic has been culpable at times.

They are facing a Derby side who are desperately trying to keep their heads above water with manager Paul Warne coming under increasing pressure from the fanbase. They are winless in seven and have also been struggling for shutouts. They have failed to score in their last three home games, yet they did find the net at Cardiff last weekend and if they put any kind of pressure on the visiting defence, they could easily find a way through.

Millwall vs QPR

Points shared between two London clubs

Millwall picked up a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Portsmouth in midweek making it back-to-back away wins under Alex Neil. The Scot has tried to make the Lions a little more expansive, yet they have remained true to their roots in the last couple of weeks with rigid displays on the road. Their form at home has been a mixed and they have only won one of their last five. The performances of Cameron De Norre and the goalscoring instincts of Mihailo Ivanovic will give the home fans hope that they can get back to winning ways in Bermondsey this weekend.

Marti Cifuentes has done a brilliant job of steering QPR away from relegation trouble. The R's now find themselves flirting with the play-offs, although their squad still looks a little thin. Last weekend's defeat to Sheffield Wednesday was just their second loss since the beginning of November and they are likely to make it tough for the hosts. There is rarely much between these two Championship stalwarts and it ended 1-1 at Loftus Road earlier in the campaign. A similar result would not be much of a surprise.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Luton

Owls to expose Hatters' fragilities

Sheffield Wednesday beat QPR last weekend continuing their highly inconsistent run of form. The Owls have a 3-3-2 record from their last eight games, scoring 2+ goals in six of those encounters. Although they still need reinforcements in attacking areas, they are pretty handy going forward, although they rarely manage to keep the opposition off the scoresheet.

Luton are still adapting to life under Matt Bloomfield and the Bedfordshire club have been busy in the transfer market bringing back Kai Naismith and recruiting Thelo Asgaard from Wigan. They may take a few weeks to find their feet and they could struggle to keep the lively hosts at arm's length. Although most of their recent run has been under the previous regime, they have conceded 2+ goals in ten of their last 11 away games and it wouldn't be a surprise to see that trend continue.

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