Championship Opta Stats: Nine bets for Boxing Day

Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday's away day woes to continue

The Opta Stats:

"Coventry have won five of their last six home league games played on Boxing Day (D1) since a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in 2007"

"Sheffield Wednesday have lost just one of their last 10 Boxing Day league games (W7 D2), losing 3-2 at Stoke City in 2019"

Coventry are unbeaten in seven of their last eight games and are one of the in-form sides in the Championship. Mark Robins' decision to switch to a back four has enabled to attack more freely and the return of Callum O'Hare has also given them a sizeable boost. Liam Kitching has been excellent and he has helped his side keep plenty of clean sheets throughout November and December. They are tremendously hard to beat and score against at the CBS, where they have kept three clean sheets in their last four and have only been breached on eight occasions since the season began.

Sheffield Wednesday have been much-improved lately and they should have beaten Cardiff on Saturday. However, until January reinforcements arrive, they still look a little light on quality and gave away a couple of sloppy goals at the weekend. Their away form remains unconvincing and this could be a tough 90 minutes on the road.

The Betfair Bet

• Back Coventry to Win and Over 1.5 Goals at 6/52.20

Hull vs Sunderland

Tigers to potentially win the battle of the big cats

The Opta Stat:

"Hull's Ozan Tufun has scored three goals in his two Championship appearances against Sunderland, scoring the Tigers' equaliser in this exact fixture last season"

Hull have been pretty effective on their own patch and despite losing on the road on Friday night, they still managed to create plenty of chances. Liam Rosenior's side have the benefit of an extra day's rest and they should be able to continue their good goalscoring form.

Sunderland are still creating chances, yet they are failing to take them. Mick Beale's arrival failed to have an instant impact at the weekend and this quick turnaround is far from ideal. They may find the net, but they could easily come up short.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back Hull or Draw Double Chance and BTTS at 6/52.20

Rotherham vs Middlesbrough

Boro to take their attack-minded approach to South Yorkshire

The Opta Stat:

"Middlesbrough are winless in their last four away league games in Yorkshire (D1 L3), most recently losing 3-2 to Leeds United earlier this month"

Although Middlesbrough will be well-backed on Boxing Day, their propensity to concede goals on the road is a bit of a concern. Michael Carrick's side probably should have beaten West Brom by a bigger margin at the weekend and they can take plenty of confidence into this one. Morgan Rodgers is looking a lot sharper and one or two players are slowly returning from injury.

Rotherham look better under Leam Richardson. They are working hard and should be able to ask questions of Boro's shaky defence. They've found the net in all but one of their home matches this season and should register in this one. We are likely to get a fairly entertaining and open contest.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back Over 2.5 Goals at 8/111.73

Huddersfield vs Blackburn

Refreshed and rejuvenated Szmodics to strike

The Opta Stat:

"Huddersfield Town have won just four of their last 21 league games against Blackburn Rovers (D10 L7) and won none of their last three (D2 L1)"

Blackburn have been beaten in their last two outings, however, they were always up against it with ten men against Southampton before collpasing late against Watford. JDT will be hoping that his side can bounce back here and he will be hoping top goalscorer Sammie Szmodics can play a leading role. He was rested for Saturday's match due to 'fatigue', however, the Blackburn boss has reassured fans that he will return to the XI here.

Huddersfield offered little going forward against Norwich at the weekend. The Terriers continue to struggle and their lack of firepower is holding them back. They've only lost four times at home and could make it tough for the visitors, however, a freshened-up Szmodics could make the difference.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back Sammie Szmodics to Score Anytime at 13/82.63

Millwall vs QPR

Tight game at the Den

The Opta Stat:

"Millwall won their last league game against QPR in February but haven't won consecutively against the Hoops since February 1989"

Millwall arrive here in poor form. The Lions aren't firing under Joe Edwards and they played their part in a dour contest against Stoke on Saturday afternoon. They have averaged just 0.82 goals per game at home this season and haven't won here since September 20th.

QPR have lost consecutive matches for the first time under Marti Cifuentes, yet they played reasonably well against in-form Southampton. The R's aren't particularly potent, but defensively they've improved under the new management and should be able to take at least a point here.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back QPR or Draw Double Chance at 8/111.73

Southampton vs Swansea

Saints to go marching on

The Opta Stat:

"Swansea City have won just one of their last 14 away league matches against Southampton (D3 L10), winning 1-0 in the Premier League in February 2015 under Garry Monk"

Southampton extended their impressive unbeaten streak to 15 at the weekend as they edge past QPR. At home, they've won six of their last seven outings and come off the back of three consecutive clean sheets here. The hosts are likely to command plenty of possession once again and they should be in full control of this fixture. Russell Martin will be determined to collect maximum points against his former employers and will not want to see his side's unbeaten streak ended by the club he left in the summer.

Swansea beat Preston on Friday and will come into this contest with a spring in their step. The Welshmen still concede too many goals and haven't kept a clean sheet since November 4th. They've given a good account of themselves when travelling to top six sides and have netted in each of those three matches. This should be entertaining.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back Southampton to Win and Over 2.5 Goals at [Evens]

Watford vs Bristol City

Festive fun in Hertfordshire

The Opta Stat:

"Bristol City haven't scored the first goal in any of their last eight games against Watford in all competitions, last doing so in a 2-0 home win in January 2013. The last time they did so at Vicarage Road was on Boxing Day in 2008, with Nicky Maynard scoring after one minute"

Watford are on the fringes of the play-offs and they will be looking to break into the top six with a winnable-looking Boxing Day fixture. The Hornets have been a bit sloppy at the back recently, but they've produced two strong second-half performances to collect maximum points. Only three teams have netted more goals after the break than Val Ismael's outfit and they tend to come on strong in the final ten minutes.

Bristol City have improved their attacking output under Liam Manning recently and they roared back from 2-1 down to beat Hull on Friday night. Four of the Robins' last seven matches have featured three or more goals and they have outshot their opponents in each of their last two away trips.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back Over 2.5 Goals at 21/202.05

Cardiff vs Plymouth

Pilgrims to take at least a point back to Devon

The Opta Stat:

"Plymouth have lost just two of their last 24 Boxing Day league games (W14 D8), although one of those was in Wales, losing 2-0 to Newport County in 2014. The other was against AFC Wimbledon in 2018"

Cardiff beat Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, although the Bluebirds were lucky to take all three points. At home, Cardiff have conceded a goal a game on average, however, they've lost three of the last four in front of their own fans. Bulut's men scored in each of their first eight matches here, however, they've failed to net in two of their last three.

Plymouth are still searching for the successor to Steven Schumacher, yet they showed plenty of fight and willingness against Birmingham on Saturday. Even if they are leaky at the back, the Devon outfit still have plenty of firepower and should be able to fire their way to at least a point here.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back Plymouth or Draw Double Chance at 8/111.73

West Brom vs Norwich

Canaries to continue their attack-minded approach

The Opta Stat:

"Norwich have lost their last four Boxing Day league games and are winless in five since a 2-0 away win at Birmingham City in 2017"

David Wagner enjoys facing West Brom and this could be a good time to face the injury-hit Baggies. West Brom were defeated at the weekend and although they are typically tough to break down at the Hawthorns, they have conceded in each of their last two here.

Nevertheless, The Canaries are leaky on the road and could be suceptible once again. They did take a point in their last away game (in the East Anglian derby), but they gave away plenty of opportunities and are unlikely to change their approach.

The Betfair Bet:

• Back Over 1.5 West Brom Goals at 3/41.75