Championship Tips: Seven best bets for Saturday's second tier fixtures | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Scott Parker will be hoping that his side can pick up their first home win in almost a month...

Championship clubs are gearing up for a hectic festive period, and Jack Critchley has picked out his seven favourite bets for the games on Saturday afternoon...

Burnley vs Watford

Watford's issues on the road are set to continue

Burnley returned to winning ways last weekend as they came from behind to beat Norwich at Carrow Road. The Clarets aren't used to conceding goals, yet they managed to bounce back courtesy of some individual brilliance. The hosts may not have won either of their last two home games, yet they are incredibly difficult to breach and have conceded an average of just 0.30 goals per game. Only Sheffield United have shipped fewer home goals than Scott Parker's men and just three teams - Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Blackburn - have managed to find a way through. In the final third, they have hardly been convincing and there are some concerns surrounding their attacking numbers, yet they seem to be finding a way to win games. With just five goals in seven home matches, the home fans are crying out for some festive entertainment in Lancashire.

Watford's incredible run of form at Vicarage Road continued last weekend. They have dropped just four points in front of their own fans and have conceded just once since the beginning of October. Away from home, it's a completely different story with Tom Cleverley struggling to replicate that excellent form. They are unbeaten in three of their last four and have several dangermen including Giorgi Chakvetadze and Rocco Vata. Nevertheless, they've lost each of their two trips to top-six sides and this could end in another narrow defeat.

Plymouth vs Middlesbrough

High-scoring encounter at Home Park

Despite slumping to a 2-0 defeat, there were plenty of positives to take from Plymouth's performance against Sheffield United last weekend. The Pilgrims failed to notch, yet they took 12 shots and were far more positive going forward. The return of Rami Al Hajj gave them a little more balance in midfield with Adam Randell also catching the eye. Wayne Rooney's side have notched in eight of their nine home matches and there have been seven goals across their last two at this venue. Unfortunately, they have struggled to keep the opposition off the scoresheet and they could struggle against free-scoring Middlesbrough.

Boro have netted 19 away goals so far this season and are creating plenty of chances. There have been 25 goals across their last five away games and another high-scoring affair seems likely. With Ben Doak running at the Pilgrims defence and Finn Azaz looking confident, the Teessiders have the potential to run riot in Devon this weekend.

QPR vs Preston

Another stalemate at Loftus Road

QPR extended their unbeaten run to six matches last weekend with a 1-1 draw at Bristol City. Marti Cifuentes was delighted with the victory, yet he warned his side that performances must improve if they are to pull away from the relegation zone. At home, the Rs have looked largely in control and have done well to restrict the opposition. Liam Morrison has played a big part in helping the hosts' defence tighten up and the Londoners have conceded just two goals in their last six outings. With six draws in their last 11 games, Cifuentes will be hoping that his side can find their killer instinct in the final third.

Preston don't seem to be moving anywhere fast, yet Paul Heckingbottom has made them incredibly tough to beat. PNE have suffered just two defeats since the end of September and they are unbeaten in five of their last six away games. With just a single goal conceded in their last three matches on the road, coupled with QPR's lack of potency, the two sides could easily cancel one another out on Saturday afternoon.

Leeds vs Oxford

Gnonto to light up Elland Road

Leeds dropped points on the road last weekend at Deepdale with Daniel Farke's side struggling to break down stubborn opposition. At Elland Road, the Whites have been imperious and have averaged 2.27 goals per game here. They also take an average of 13.6 shots per match at home and will be confident of securing a ninth consecutive home victory when they take on managerless Oxford. There have been several standout performers this season, although Wilfried Gnonto has looked re-energised in recent weeks and was superb against Middlesbrough a fortnight ago. With Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford priced up as odds-on favourites, there is plenty of value to be found among the supporting cast and the Italian could be the man to notch.

At the time of writing, Oxford look set to appoint Gary Rowett as Des Buckingham's replacement. The Yellows have struggled in recent weeks and although the appointment of the former Birmingham boss is likely to make them much tougher to beat, they surely won't be taking a point back to the Kassam this weekend.

Sunderland vs Norwich

Canaries to struggle at the SOL

Sunderland showed terrific resilience to come back from 2-0 down against Swansea last weekend. Regis Le Bris' side showed terrific character to fight back and they were led superbly by Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil. The Black Cats tend to draw too many games, yet they are unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 matches and will not make it easy for the visitors. With just six home goals conceded, the hosts are unlikely to be breached easily.

Norwich's form has taken a noticeable dip in recent weeks with the East Anglian outfit having won just two of their last 12 outings. Away from home, they've struggled and have failed to notch in three of their last four. They have had several injuries which have hampered their progress and they could struggle to find a way past Sunderland's miserly back-line.

Millwall vs Blackburn

Predictably low-scoring encounter at the Den

Millwall are still searching for Neil Harris' successor with the club legend bowing out with a 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough. The Lions' binary form has prevented them from creeping into the play-offs this season and they have failed to score more than a single goal in a game since September 28th. There have been just nine goals across their last seven matches in Bermondsey and the fans are crying out for some more entertainment. Defensively, they have been incredibly robust despite injuries to Jake Cooper and Japhet Tanganga. Watford were the last side to notch more than a single goal here on the opening weekend.

Blackburn's superb run of form continued at the weekend as they eased past Luton at Ewood Park. John Eustace's side have kept five consecutive clean sheets and will battle throughout the 90 minutes. With four consecutive away wins under their belt, they will head into this game with plenty of confidence.

Cardiff vs Sheffield United

Moore to haunt his former employers

Cardiff head into this game winless in seven and they will be desperate to turn things around on Saturday. Omer Riza's men were close to securing a much-needed victory last weekend before a moment of madness from Jak Alnwick gifted Stoke a share of the spoils. The Bluebirds' record when facing top six sides is extremely poor and they have found the net just once across those four games.

Sheffield United are sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table and they will be expecting to extend their unbeaten run this weekend. They've won three of their last five on the road and they are likely to have a spring in their step following the news of their takeover earlier this week. Keiffer Moore played just 37 minutes last weekend, yet he was a constant threat during that period and got himself onto the scoresheet in the final few minutes. He scored 25 times in this neck of the woods and should be fully motivated to strike again.

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