Championship Predictions > Sep 14th & 15th

[StevieDay1983]

[StevieDay1983]

The Championship is on a two week hiatus for the international break but we have the odds and ratings available already. Let us know your thoughts on what bets could be worth a punt! 

[StevieDay1983]

Birmingham vs West Brom

The West Midlands Derby between Birmingham and West Brom is back on the annual football schedule this weekend when the two clubs meet in a highly-anticipated clash for a 7:45pm kick-off this Friday night at St Andrew's and there is already a lot of pressure riding on this game.

Life has been harsh on Garry Monk and his side so far this season. Encouraging performances have not delivered the results to match. The Blues lie in 20th place in the Championship but it certainly feels they should eventually steer clear of relegation if they keep putting in a shift. Scoring goals is the real problem with Monk's side failing to hit the net in 4 of their 6 league matches so far.

It is also interesting to see that they have only lost 2 league matches this season. Drawing four of their games this campaign has been frustrating but the fact they have already come up against a number of high-flying sides such as Middlesbrough, Swansea, and Bolton suggests better results may be yet to come.

West Brom were caught with their pants down in their opening game of the season when they lost 2-1 at home to Bolton. Bolton's form since has hinted that result wasn't as poor as originally thought. However, Darren Moore has turned things around since then with 3 wins, 1 draw, and just 1 defeat from the following 5 league games. It should be noted that the solitary defeat was a narrow 1-0 loss away to league leaders Middlesbrough.

I always hate taking a punt on derby matches. As the classic saying goes, form goes out of the window. Previous matches can't be relied upon. The last time these two sides met in the league was on 5th March, 2011 when West Brom won 3-1. It is the Baggies that have won the last three meetings in all competitions.

This is a tough one to call. I'm reluctant to call an outright winner even though I think Birmingham's lack of fire power could cost them. I just think West Brom have too much going for them. I'm still going to steer clear and instead back there being a lack of goals and quite possibly a red card given how long it has been since these two last met in the league so no doubt tensions will be running high.

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.74 with MarathonBet

Red Card Anytime @ 5.00 with Bet365

@waynecoyne, @sajtion, @arvee, @canaries91, @Mindfulness, @betcatalog, @Magic0024, @malabgd, @CloughandTaylor, @Tiffy, @PokerWolf1, @teddybear3011, @skyblues88, @allyhibs, @Icongene, @KikoCy, @willie82, @Neubs, @Papa Lazarou, @kulikTS, @Valkovets, @harry_rag, @Pipoca, @padman, @Marek76, @silver fox, @neilovan, @HastGill1, @jazzman02, @andypaps28, @Kenton Schweppes, @rangers234, @newjack, @Kane91, @yossa6133, @The Sexless Innkeeper, @Xcout, @Wanderer89, @four-leaf, and @the bastardian, what bets are you guys looking to place this weekend?

[malabgd]

Birmingham City v West Bromwich

Birmingham City: David Davis (0/0 m), Isaac Vassell (0/0 f)

West Bromwich: no absences

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more then 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

[Magic0024]

Football Facts and Streaks regarding Championship

Birmingham City has under 2.5 goals in their last 6 home games in Championship.
Birmingham City ended draw their last 3 home games in Championship.
Birmingham City allowed opponents to score over 1.5 goals in last 8 home games in Championship.

You can find interesting 63 Football Betting Streaks for 14.09.2018 on this link ... http://eurofootballrumours.com/football-facts-and-streaks-14-09-2018-11268

[StevieDay1983]

Swansea vs Nottingham Forest

One of the more intriguing games in the Championship this weekend is a 3pm Saturday kick-off at the Liberty Stadium between Swansea and Nottingham Forest. Both sides have ambitious hopes for the season but there are still clear weaknesses within their squads that need to be addressed.

Swansea have started the season positively on the pitch currently lying in 7th place with 11 points from their first 6 league games. Graham Potter has done well to get his players to hit the ground running after a disruptive summer that saw 26 players leave the club. The off-field discontent between the fans and the board continues to rumble on. The lack of transfer activity for signing players has also left a sour taste in the mouth of Swans supporters.

Aitor Karanka has had it slightly easier at Nottingham Forest. The club appears to be in a better position than in a long while off the pitch and this has transferred onto the pitch. The club's only defeat of this season came in their most recent league game. It means the Tricky Trees are now in 14th place on 7 points with 1 win, 4 draws, and just 1 loss from their matches so far. Encouraging start.

The two sides will give each other as good as they get. I think the international break came at the right time for Swansea. The players bounced back well after the 1-0 loss at home to Bristol City with that brilliant 2-1 victory with just 10 men away to Millwall. The two week break will give the team a chance to re-group and any knocks or bruises can be rested. It's a thin squad so they'll relish these breaks to patch up.

Forest will be thinking the opposite. After that first defeat of the season, they'll have been left stewing on that 2-1 loss away to Brentford. It wasn't a disgraceful result. The Bees are a tough side to beat at Griffin Park. However, there's nothing more frustrating in football than having to wait a couple of weeks to hit back after a disappointing defeat.

I have to back Swansea to pick up the narrow win here. A lot will depend on how focused the Swansea fans are on supporting their team instead of protesting against the board. There's still a way to go before they reach Blackpool or Charlton levels of discontent but something is bubbling under the surface and the pressure is on Potter's players to keep delivering to keep the fans content. How will Potter cope with losing super sub Jefferson Montero for up to six weeks?

This is a game that will be tough to call with both teams going for it. I'm not entirely sure Karanka is comfortable with this more attacking approach that he's adopted. At Middlesbrough, he built his campaigns from the back but the impression is that a stronger emphasis on attack is at work here. It may take a while longer for him to master this new philosophy.

Swansea to Win @ 2.30 with Bet365

BTTS @ 1.80 with Betfred

[Magic0024]

Football Facts and Streaks regarding Championship

Preston North End scored in last 7 home games in Championship.
Preston North End scored over 1.5 goals in last 7 home games in Championship.
Millwall has over 2.5 goals in their last 3 home games in Championship.
Leeds United has over 2.5 goals in their last 4 away games in Championship.
Millwall scored in last 3 home games in Championship.

You can find interesting 97 Football Betting Streaks for 15.09.2018 on this link ... http://eurofootballrumours.com/football-facts-and-streaks-15-09-2018-11271

[Sir Puntalot]

Sometimes you look a set of fixtures and they all look so tight and the ratings seem to agree! Right across Championship to League 2 it looks very tricky this weekend!

I'll give the nod to Preston over Reading who are generally very tough at home and Reading very mediocre away. Close to Evens (2.00) still looks a good bet to me.

Other matches that look good for both teams to score to me are Millwall v Leeds, and Rotherham v Derby.

But overall, what a tricky set of fixtures!  
 

[nenri981]

Derby - I expect easy win here, ambitious team with more ambitious manager...gl

Preston- both had really bad start but in my opinion hosts are better team then Rotheram, must consolidate and start winning ...gl

[StevieDay1983]

Brentford vs Wigan

Well, I was going to preview Preston versus Reading next but @Sir Puntalot has gotten in there before me with his tip so I'll change the focus of my attention to the Brentford versus Wigan game that is scheduled for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday afternoon at Griffin Park.

Dean Smith has turned Brentford into one of the best attacking teams in the Football League. Their form this season of 3 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 loss has seen them rise to 6th in the table and just 3 points off the top. It's a performance in the league that was not exactly unexpected.

Three convincing wins at home have turned Griffin Park into a fortress with Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday, and Nottingham Forest all falling victim to the Bees on their home turf. It is a solid home record that carries over from last season and could be the back bone of a promotion push.

Wigan have started life in the Championship positively. 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss from their opening 6 league matches sees them firmly positioned in 10th place and just 1 point behind their opponents in this game. Paul Cook continues to do good work at the Latics and they're going to be a tough team to beat.

Consistency is proving an issue for Cook's side in these early days of the season. Win, loss, draw, win, loss, and win is the form of the six games so far. Unfortunately, their away form has seen them lose 66% of their matches on the road. The most disappointing of those was a 1-0 loss to a very poor QPR side.

If you're interested in the head-to-head record of these two sides then it's heavily weighing in Wigan's favour. Brentford have only managed to beat Wigan in just 2 of the last 15 league meetings. However, Brentford have had 34 shots on target in the Championship this season. That's the most of any team in the division. It's also a warning sign of what Wigan can expect this weekend. It's this very attacking intent that has me convinced that Brentford are worth backing for the win.

Brentford to Win @ 1.83 with William Hill

Over 2.5 Goals Scored @ 1.70 with MarathonBet

[trevor8]

Hi thinking of Millwall v Leeds.Leeds are my team but will be objective we are missing our top two strikers Roofe and Bamford  plus Hernadez who makes us tick.Likely to play Roberts up front still have good players but will miss these three.Millwall are our bogie team and always raise their game to play us and seem to bully us especially at home.Cant see that this time with the new manager.

They are struggling a bit saw some of the Swansea game and they looked  bang average.Going for a draw here and stay unbeaten

 

In other games fancy Preston and Middlesborough