The battle to secure promotion to the top flight continues this week as several leading Championship sides are in action. There are seven games taking place from Tuesday to Friday, and we have run through them here:
Derby v Burton Albion
Burton pulled off a shock win against high-flying Norwich at the weekend to move four points clear of the relegation zone. It shows how dangerous teams that are fighting for survival can be at this time of year, and Burton will go into this game full of confidence. Burton beat Derby 1-0 when they met earlier in the season, and it seems like a good time to play them once more. The Rams enjoyed a honeymoon period when Steve McLaren returned as manager, going on a long unbeaten run, but they have since gone well off the boil. They have taken just one point from their last four games to leave them 11th in the table. In their last three home games, they have conceded nine goals, as many as they conceded in the previous 22 combined. Derby are favourites at 1.75 with William Hill, but it is hard to recommend backing them right now. Instead, over 2.5 goals look like a good option at 2.20 with Bet Stars. Five of Derby’s last six games have seen over 2.5 goals, and so have four of Burton’s last six.
Huddersfield v Reading
What a week it has been for Huddersfield after they held Premiership giants Man City to a 0-0 draw in the FA Cup. They have won their last five Championship games in a row and are putting real pressure on the top two. But they face a Reading side unbeaten in six (four wins, two draws) and fatigue may hit them after that City game. Reading are just a point behind Huddersfield in the league and there has been little to split the two in recent years. The draw looks interesting here at 3.75 with Bet365. If anyone is going to shade it would probably be Huddersfield, but it looks close. Huddersfield are 1.85 with green listed bookmaker Bet365 and 1.91 with Marathon Bet if you fancy them.
QPR v Wigan
QPR roared back to form with a 4-1 thumping of Birmingham at the weekend, and they will fancy their chances of making it two wins on the trot in front of their home fans against relegation-threatened Wigan on Tuesday. Wigan held on for a 0-0 draw against Preston last time out but rode their luck as Preston missed a penalty. QPR player with the verve and vigour of old against Birmingham and if they can play half as well on Tuesday they will win it, so odds of 2.45 with Bet Victor look good.
Sheff Wed v Brentford
We have tipped Sheff Wed to win in each of the last few rounds of fixtures and they have not let us down. It is now four wins in a row, all against clubs in the bottom half of the table – Nottingham Forest, Blackburn, Birmingham and Wigan – and they will fancy their chances of extending their winning run to five at home to 14th placed Brentford. Wednesday are in sixth and looking nailed on for a playoff spot, and may even challenge for automatic promotion if they keep this up. Brentford have lost two in a row and will be short of confidence, so the 1.95 at William Hill and Bet Stars on a win for Sheff Wed looks like a great bet.
Bristol City v Fulham
This Wednesday game is a really difficult one to call as Bristol City are a tough nut to crack. They have only won once in their last five, but drew with Sheff Wed and Derby and were only narrowly beaten away at Leeds and Nottingham Forest. Bristol City have won seven of 15 at home and Fulham have won six of 15 away. The Londoners are favourites here, 2.40 with William Hill, after winning their last two games 3-2. They lost 3-0 at the weekend to Spurs in the FA Cup. There is no shame in that, but it might have left them a bit jaded. Over 2.5 goals looks quite interesting here at 1.70 as most of each team’s games have seen plenty of goals of late, but it is a bit too close to call on the outrights.
Burton Albion v Blackburn Rovers
It’s a very quick turnaround for Burton, who play again on Friday when they host Blackburn Rovers. Fatigue is likely to be an issue for Nigel Clough’s men, and they face a Blackburn side that were unlucky to lose 2-1 to Man Utd in the FA Cup in their last game. Burton are favourites, but Blackburn might nick a draw here at 3.40 with Bet365 and Betfred. You might want to see how they get on at Derby on Tuesday before lumping on. If they play well and look fresh, then they should win this and are currently 2.30 with William Hill, although those odds may dip.
Wolves v Birmingham
This Black Country derby pits two badly struggling sides against one another on Friday. Both Wolves and Birmingham have lost their last three league games in a row, leaving them 14th and 19th respectively. Birmingham have a 10-point cushion from the relegation zone, but Wolves are just five points clear and need to start racking up some points under Paul Lambert. The nature of Birmingham’s 4-1 defeat at home to QPR will leave their fans fearing the worst, and Wolves can capitalize after playing quite well despite losing of late. They did well against league leaders Newcastle and only lost 1-0, and acquitted themselves well against Premiership leaders Chelsea in the FA Cup, where they lost 2-0. Wolves are 1.91 with William Hill and Bet Stars, although you might fancy a small stake on the draw at 3.60 with Bet365 to cover yourself.
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