EFL Championship Tips: The Best Bets for MD2 including a 4/1 anytime goalscorer | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Liam Manning will be hoping that his side can continue their fine form at Ashton Gate

Jack Critchley has taken a close look at the 3pm KOs in the Championship and has picked out his favourite bet in each of the seven matches....

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Bristol City v Millwall

Lions' weakness to be exploited by Manning's men

Bristol City opened the campaign with a hard-earned draw against Hull at the MKM. Liam Manning's side ended the 2023-24 season positively and turned themselves into an exceptionally well-organised side who were tough to break down. That approach has continued and they managed to largely nullify Tim Walter's 'heart attack football' seven days ago. A needlessly clumsy challenge gifted their opponents a way back into the game and fans will be hoping that their side can improve their game management going forward.

At the tail end of last season, Manning's side conceded just three times in their final seven home games, picking up maximum points in four of their last five. The Robins could do with a sprinkling of stardust in the final third and the arrival of Fally Mayulu looks likely to give them an extra dimension in attack.

Millwall suffered an opening weekend defeat to Watford. At home against a side who have been widely tipped to finish in the bottom half. Many fans believe that they should have taken at least a point from the game. Japhet Tanganga remains suspended for this tie and, without their summer signing, they looked wide open at the back. The visitors won 1-0 here last season, yet it's hard to foresee a similar outcome this time around.

Watford v Stoke

The Potters' superb start to the season looks set to continue

Stoke have been one of the trickiest sides to assess over the last few seasons. They've recruited well, and hired managers with a decent pedigree, yet when push comes to shove, they've seriously underwhelmed and have finished inside the bottom half. This season feels different. Steven Schumacher has enjoyed a full pre-season with his squad, the changes at boardroom level have given the club a fresher outlook, and everyone appears to be finally singing from the same hymnsheet.

It has been a decent opening week for the Staffordshire outfit, with a comfortable EFL Cup win over Carlisle and a superb 1-0 victory over a much-fancied Coventry outfit. The signings have been sensible and the arrival of Bosun Lawal adds yet more creativity and energy to their midfield. Brighton's Andrew Moran has also been linked with a move to the club this week. They restricted Coventry to just 0.34 xG from open play last weekend and although they didn't create bundles of opportunities, they always appeared to be in complete control of the contest.

Watford opened up with a 3-2 victory over Millwall last weekend. They scored directly from a corner and via a superb free-kick, shortly before conceding two sloppy goals. Tom Cleverley's men are a work in progress and there will be some changes in personnel between now and the end of the month.

Plymouth v Hull

Entertaining opener at Home Park

Plymouth put their torrid start firmly behind them in midweek by beating League Two Cheltenham in the EFL Cup. Wayne Rooney's side may have taken a while to break down their fourth-tier opponents, but they can take some confidence from that display. Callum Wright was neat and tidy, Ryan Hardie was exceptionally lively, and new signing Kornel Szucs looked solid and dependable. Despite this, the Pilgrims must now get their opening weekend defeat to Sheffield Wednesday out of their heads and concentrate on this weekend's assignment.

Both of these sides have been beaten by Wednesday with Hull falling foul of the Owls on Wednesday night. Tim Walter's style of football is exciting to watch and they will certainly be involved in their fair share of high-scoring ties this year. Nevertheless, they look prone to lapses at the back and new goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi looked shaky in midweek. The Tigers will almost certainly find a way past the hosts with Liam Millar always looking likely to create opportunities. But it's difficult to imagine them keeping a clean sheet anytime soon.

Burnley v Cardiff

Vitinho to run riot at Turf Moor

Burnley were incredibly impressive at Kenilworth Road with Scott Parker getting off to the perfect start against Luton. Despite their bloated squad, they looked extremely cohesive and were very clinical when it mattered. Six of their 11 shots were on target and they had 10 efforts inside the box. There were several standout performers including Lucas Pires, who claimed two assists from left-back, and his Brazilian compatriot Vitinho who was incredibly industrious on the opposite flank. He had three shots in 90 minutes with an xG of 0.32 and looked threatening every time he came forward. He is a decent price to repeat the trick on Saturday afternoon.

Cardiff conceded twice to Sunderland last weekend and, although they put in a decent performance, this is a significant step up for Erol Bulut's Bluebirds.

Norwich v Blackburn

Plenty of action at both ends at Carrow Road

Norwich slipped to a defeat on the opening weekend. The Canaries were second best to newly promoted Oxford, although the disruption caused by Jon Rowe's late withdrawal from the squad may be just one of the many reasons for the lacklustre performance.

Johannes Hoff Thorup may need a little more time to get to grips with his squad, although the addition of Amankwah Forson should provide some excitement in the final third. Although it was a much-changed XI in midweek, the East Anglians still looked fairly sloppy at the back and struggled with set-pieces.

Blackburn got off to the perfect start courtesy of a 4-2 victory over newly-promoted Derby. John Eustace's side also hit six against Stockport's second-string side on Tuesday night and they will be full of confidence heading into this weekend's fixture. Sammie Szmodics is closing in on his move to Ipswich, yet the visitors still have plenty of attacking options and should get on the scoresheet this weekend.

Sheffield United v QPR

Wilder's side to clinch back-to-back victories

Sheffield United got off to the perfect start with a comfortable victory over Preston on Friday night. Concerningly for the rest of the league, the Blades are only likely to get stronger as their new signings start to bed in. They added Michael Cooper to their ranks this week, although rumours linking Gustavo Hamer with a move away are a little worrying. The Blades chalked up an xG of 0.96 from open play against PNE and restricted their opponents from creating too much chances.

QPR were undone by WBA last weekend and Marti Cifuentes will be hoping his side can bounce back. The additions of Karamoko Dembele and Koki Saito will provide some ammunition in the final third, although they look like a side who are still getting to know one another. The West Londoners will win plenty of games this season, but this is likely to come too soon for the Rs.

Swansea v Preston

BTTS in South Wales

Swansea were fairly beaten at the Riverside last weekend and it's tough to read too much into that contest. The Swans managed just five shots with an xG of 0.47 and they are likely to be far more frontfooted this time around. They netted three times in midweek against League Two opposition and that should give them confidence going forward. Although Zan Vipotnik struggled against Gillingham, there were encouraging performances from Ronald, Luke Cullen and Azeem Abdulai.

Preston parted company with Ryan Lowe on Monday. They lost their opening encounter with a whimper and although Lowe cannot be completely blamed for that defeat, the fanbase has largely been unable to connect with the Liverpudlian. PNE looked slicker going forward in midweek and they should be able to create a few chances at the Swansea City Stadium.

Recommended bets

Back Bristol City to beat Millwall @ 1/1

Back Vitinho to Score Anytime (vs Cardiff) @ 1/1

Back Sheffield United to beat QPR @ 3/4