Championship Best Bets: Seven tips for this weekend second tier fixtures

Middlesbrough vs Watford

Carrick unable to fix leaky Boro

Middlesbrough fans have every right to be frustrated with their side's performances this season. They are towards the top of most metrics for attacking output this season with only Leeds having managed more efforts on target so far. Despite this, Boro aren't scoring enough goals and their comical defending has seen them fade away from the playoff picture. The Teessiders are still in contention for a top-six spot, however, something needs to change. They've conceded ten times across their last five matches and were slack against Sheffield United on Wednesday night. The hosts have been better at the Riverside lately and will be expected to collect maximum points against an injury-hit Watford.

The Hornets have had an extra day to prepare for this long trip and they'll be looking to shake off a heavy defeat to Leeds on Tuesday night. The Hornets had a good chance to take the lead in midweek and they netted twice against Sunderland at the SOL last weekend. They have a huge injury list to contend with and may have to stick 18-year-old Mamadou Doumbia up front once again. The teenager is unlikely to get a better opportunity to open his account than against Boro's wobbly back-line.

Luton vs Sheffield United

Blades to narrowly edge out their struggling hosts

At the beginning of the month, Alfie Doughty suggested that there was 'no chance' that Luton would get relegated this season. The full-back highlighted the squad's quality and suggested that they are well-equipped in the striking department. Unfortunately for the Hatters fans, they haven't had much to cheer lately and following their 2-0 defeat to Sunderland on Wednesday, they now sit bottom of the table. Although they've stopped conceding comical goals, they have been unable to improve their attacking output and have managed a pitiful four goals in their last seven matches. Admittedly, they are much harder to overcome at Kenilworth Road and haven't conceded more than a single goal in a game here since October 23rd.

Sheffield United aren't in peak form, yet they're enjoying a positive run of form which has seen them win six of their last seven. A shock 3-0 defeat to Hull aside, Chris Wilder's men have barely put a foot wrong defensively and they were on the wrong end of a poor penalty decision in midweek. They've won each of their last three away games by a single goal margin and that could be the blueprint for this encounter.

Hull vs Norwich

Tigers to move a point closer to safety

Hull have improved under Ruben Selles, yet they remain firmly in relegation bother. They have improved their attacking output and managed 13 shots against Burnley on Wednesday night despite drawing a blank. They've had problems winning at the MKM, yet their last couple of performances suggest that a victory is unlikely to be too far away. They've taken 56 shots across their last three here and managed to hold Leeds to a 3-3 draw. They shouldn't have lost to Stoke here at the beginning of the month and this is a chance to give the home fans something to cheer. Norwich put in a concerning midweek performance at Carrow Road.

The Canaries are normally reliable at home, yet they struggled to generate many clearcut opportunities and fell victim to PNE's relentless press. Their only two recent away wins have come at Luton and Watford, so venturing outside of the M1 corridor may be a step too far for Johannes Hof Thorup's men.

Blackburn vs Plymouth

Lively encounter expected at Ewood Park

David Lowe will take temporary charge of Blackburn on Saturday following John Eustace's defection to Derby County. Rovers weren't negatively affected by the speculation surrounding their manager's imminent departure on Wednesday night as they beat West Brom 2-0, becoming just the second side to win at the Hawthorns this season.

It's difficult to know how they will approach this game under Lowe, yet they have an in-form striker in Makhtar Gueye and a lack of fit midfielders. Plymouth have a memorable week. The Pilgrims are off the bottom of the Championship table, having pummelled Millwall 5-1 in midweek and having beaten the Premier League leaders just days earlier. Under Miron Muslic, they have improved their output in the final third, yet they still look vulnerable at the back. Nikola Katic is likely to become a fan favourite, yet they are still too easily opened up and that could lead to an entertaining affair.

Stoke vs Swansea

Tepid affair in the Potteries

Stoke have improved slightly since the arrival of Mark Robins. The Potters have been defeated in just two of their last eight, yet their chronic lack of firepower hasn't enabled them to ease their lingering relegation fears. They showed a worrying lack of fight after falling behind on Wednesday night at Ashton Gate. Having found themselves 1-0 down in the 11th minute, the visitors clocked up an xG of just 0.7 and took just seven shots throughout the 90 minutes. Despite beating Hull, they were on the wrong end of the shot-count and managed just nine efforts in their 0-0 draw with Oxford here. Swansea are in a bit of a mess and Luke Williams is struggling to get a tune out of his squad. A poor transfer window has left them short of quality in key areas and they have struggled at both ends of the field in recent weeks. They've lost six of their last eight matches and have found the net on just four occasions throughout that run. This might be one to avoid.

Millwall vs West Brom

Back to basics for the Lions

Millwall suffered a surprise 5-1 defeat to Plymouth on Wednesday night with Joe Bryan netting at both ends. Alex Neil's men are generally tough to beat and they rarely collapse. The Scot will be keen to get back to basics and tighten up on Saturday afternoon. That could be bad news for Tony Mowbray's West Brom.

The Baggies are also coming off the back of a midweek defeat and although they are much easier on the eye, Mowbray teams do tend to struggle against physical opponents. However, the affable Teessider has only lost four of his 20 meetings with the Bermondsey outfit and has suffered just a single defeat against the Lions since 2013. Most of those games have been low-scoring tight affairs and this is expected to follow suit.