Championship Tips: Tractor Boys in low-scoring test against Charlton

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Tuesday night's Championship tips

Coventry vs Portsmouth - Pompey to scrap their way to a valuable point 

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Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Coventry sealed their long-awaited return to the Premier League on the back of three consecutive draws. Although their recent displays have been far from vintage, they have deserved promotion over the course of the campaign, and there have been plenty of celebrations over the last few days. 

The Sky Blues have been very strong at home, and the pressure has been lifted. There has been plenty of talk about their attacking instincts, yet they've managed to keep four clean sheets in the last seven, and Bobby Thomas' return to the side has helped them to tighten up. Carl Rushworth has been one of the best players in the Championship this season, and he has routinely kept his side in matches with a string of impressive stops. 

Portsmouth are almost safe. Although it isn't mathematically confirmed, John Mousinho's side are highly likely to be playing Championship football once again next season. Since losing 6-1 to QPR in March, they have gone five unbeaten, winning each of their last three. They have injury issues with Keshi Anderson's fitness woes striking yet again, and Terry Devlin also picking up a complaint against Leicester at the weekend. 

Mousinho acknowledged that the victory against Leicester was tough and took plenty out of his squad. They may start this game slowly, yet there will be no shortage of effort. 

They still need another point or two, so they will be up for the battle. There may not be much between these two sides. 

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Leicester vs Hull - Leicester's relegation to be virtually confirmed at the KP

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Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports Football

It was yet another bad weekend for Leicester, who failed to score at Fratton Park and saw WBA and Blackburn pick up points. There is something fundamentally wrong at the club, and Gary Rowett, a seasoned Championship manager, has been unable to turn this sinking ship around. 

One win in 17 is undoubtedly relegation form, and a mass clearout at the KP will surely take place this summer. Although they've drawn back-to-back blanks, they do tend to accumulate plenty of shots at home, and Hull's defence is far from sturdy. 

The Tigers aren't in sparkling form and are ending the season in underwhelming fashion. Nevertheless, they took a point off Birmingham and are unbeaten in four of their last five. With Wrexham and Derby breathing down their necks, they simply must take something from this tie. Three points would be ideal, yet they've kept just a single clean sheet in their last nine and have lost two of their last three on the road. 

If they were facing any of the other relegation scrappers, I would be backing against them, but there is no way that you can make a case for a home victory here. Unlike Leicester, the Hull players are clearly working together and fighting for the same cause, and that may be enough to get them across the line. 

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Norwich vs Derby - Derby's faint play-off hopes will end here

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Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Norwich and Derby sit together in the Championship table, although there are five points between the pair. That gap is significant, with Derby still able to gatecrash the top six, and Norwich almost certainly consigned to another season in the second tier. 

Although it is still mathematically possible for the Canaries to make a late play for the play-offs, it would require them to win all of their remaining games and would rely on Hull failing to take a point during the same period. Nevertheless, the players won't stop believing until that door is slammed shut. 

Philippe Clement's side didn't let their derby defeat derail their season, with an eye-catching 4-2 victory at Ashton Gate on Saturday. Mo Toure showed terrific poaching instincts, and he will be a thorn in Derby's side on Tuesday night. They have dropped points in their last two home games, although they were a little unlucky in both fixtures. 

Derby's home form is strong and they've picked up six consecutive victories at Pride Park. Away from home, they have dipped, although some allowances have to be made for the strength of the opposition. They competed admirably at Coventry, and Southampton, but it's now just one win in six, and they have shipped 2+ in four of those games. 

This will be a tough 90 minutes for the visitors at Carrow Road. 

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Oxford vs Wrexham - Nervy encounter expected 

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Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Oxford put in a disappointing display at the weekend, failing to register a shot on target at Derby and taking just 14 touches in the opposition box. The Yellows are now five points adrift of safety, although Matt Bloomfield's side will continue to scrap for every point. Grit and determination are hallmarks of Bloomfield teams, but a little more quality in the final third will be required to preserve their second-tier status. 

They are unbeaten in their last five at the Kassam, and have managed to limit the opposition successfully. Watford and Blackburn drew blanks, whereas Charlton needed an injury-time penalty to take a point back to South London. 

Wrexham's quest for a top-six finish continues, and they will fancy their chances, given Hull's recent struggles. They were victorious at the weekend, although it wasn't a peak performance from Phil Parkinson's side. They were uncharacteristically shot-shy in their previous away game, failing to register a shot on target against Birmingham and they must show more adventure here. 

They may have to be patient and bide their time on Tuesday night. Neither side will want to drop points here, as there is so much at stake. It could be a tense and low-scoring 90 minutes. 

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QPR vs Swansea - Swansea to take something from the battle of the beach-bound duo

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Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

We'll be seeing both of these sides in the Championship again next season. QPR were exceptionally poor at the weekend, barely laying a glove on Millwall. The R's registered just a single shot on target, and they look destined for the bench. They are stronger at home so I can understand the price of 6/52.20, but following their winning run, they've now netted just once in their last three matches.

Swansea's season is also over, but they are showing a little more willingness to finish on a high. Zan Vipotnik will be motivated to continue scoring, enabling him to secure the Championship Golden Boot, and unlike QPR's lack of firepower, they have scored seven times in their last four and almost took a point off in-form Southampton at the weekend. 

Motivation will be low, but the visitors should be able to take something back down the M4. 

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Southampton vs Bristol City - Saints' mesmerising form set to continue 

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Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Despite their early-season struggles, Southampton have given themselves a realistic chance of breaking into the top two. The Saints must continue their winning run, which stretches back to mid-March, and on Tuesday night, they will be searching for their sixth consecutive home victory. 

Tonda Eckert's side are dominating games, and with such a talented bench, they are able to change things in the second half if required. Although their last few fixtures have been much kinder, they have beaten Coventry, Norwich and Wrexham at various points during this winning streak. 

Bristol City are cruising towards the end of the campaign. Roy Hodgson has undoubtedly improved both results and performances, but they remain a little inconsistent. They found the net twice at the weekend, yet they gave up plenty of chances at Ashton Gate, and were punished by Norwich. They are still lacking bodies at the back and that could prove to be the difference here. 

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Stoke vs Millwall - Motivated Lions to strike in Staffordshire 

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Tuesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Stoke will be thankful for their fast start, with the Potters having plummeted during the second half of the campaign. Mark Robins' side have been stronger at home, yet with the season completed for the Staffordshire club, they appear to have taken their foot off the gas. They have had just two shots on target across their last three matches, and failed to cause any problems for Wrexham at the weekend. 

It's difficult to know where the club go from this point, and although Robins is expected to remain in his role, they cannot afford to take this form into the 2026-27 campaign. 

Millwall can still obtain automatic promotion, and Sunday's 2-2 draw between Ipswich and Middlesbrough keeps them active in the top two race although a price of 5/16.00 actually represents their chance. The Lions have been fantastic on the road, taking points off both the Tractor Boys and the Teessiders recently and haven't been beaten away from home since mid-January. 

Alex Neil's side will be highly motivated for this, and they will surely fancy their chances of beating a side who have failed to beat them in the last seven attempts. 

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West Brom vs Watford - WBA to continue fighting for every point 

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Tuesday, 20:00, Live on Sky Sports+ App

West Brom are not safe yet. With the potential for a two-point deduction, the Baggies need to keep picking up points to ensure that they aren't dragged into the bottom three. They have a five-point advantage over Oxford and are currently unbeaten in eight games. James Morrison has been a steady presence, and his side have been much tougher to beat under his tenure. 

They've kept a clean sheet in each of their last three matches and have restricted the opposition to just four shots on target, three of which were taken by promotion-chasing Millwall. 

Fans will be pleased to see Daryl Dike getting back to form, and if he can stay injury-free, he should be able to play an important role next season. 

There is very little motivation in the Watford camp. Rumours persist that the Pozzo's are chatting to other managers and there has been some discussion of players arriving late to training, and a lack of discipline amongst the first team squad. 

They've failed to score in three of their last five and have been second best in each of their last two defeats. 

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Wednesday night's Championship tips

Birmingham vs Preston - Points shared in a mid-table match-up

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Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Birmingham are unbeaten in their last two and although it's far too late to cause any ripples of excitement, it does show that the squad is still fighting for their manager, and they are yet to throw in the towel. They were the much better side against Wrexham here, and although they needed Iwata's wonderstrike to rescue a point against Hull, they probably deserved at least a point based on the balance of play. 

They've been fairly strong at St. Andrews all season, suffering just three defeats here. They haven't conceded many goals in front of their own fans with Middlesbrough, and Coventry being the only sides to score 2+ here since early November. 

Preston's inconsistencies have shown very few signs of abating. PNE have won back-to-back games just once since November 5th, and their 2-1 success at Charlton was their first away success since January 4th. Paul Heckingbottom's side have defied predictions all season, but they may just take a point from a game, which means very little to either side. 

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Charlton vs Ipswich - Tractor Boys to become embroiled in a battle at The Valley 

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Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Charlton's form has dropped off, and they are ending the season in underwhelming fashion. Nevertheless, the Addicks aren't the sort of side to give up, and Nathan Jones will be requesting high standards from his squad. They are just a point or two from safety, so there is some motivation for Wednesday night's fixture. 

Scoring goals has been an issue for the hosts, scoring exactly once in seven of their last eight outings. Three of their last nine games have ended all-square, with the remaining six all being decided by a single goal margin. They won't make this easy for the visitors. 

Ipswich have a game in hand on their fellow promotion rivals, yet the bad news for Kieran McKenna's side is that they have to visit both Charlton and West Brom. They have struggled away from home against bottom-half sides, losing at Pompey, Oxford and Leicester. They also failed to take maximum points off Blackburn and Stoke. 

The Tractor Boys cannot afford another one of those underwhelming performances, and they will have to be patient here. They could potentially sneak over the line here, yet Charlton should be up for the battle. 

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Middlesbrough vs Sheffield Wednesday - Conway to make it three in four 

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Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Middlesbrough rediscovered their shooting boots at the weekend, scoring twice against Ipswich at Portman Road. Boro looked far more dangerous going forward and wasted a couple of glorious chances. Although Kim Hellberg's side appears destined for the play-offs, there is still a squeak of automatic promotion, and they will be expected to take all three points from this fixture. 

They are winless since March 8th and have failed to pick up a victory in any of their last eight at the Riverside Stadium. This looks like the perfect opportunity to end that unwanted run. 

Tommy Conway scored from open play at the weekend, which should do wonders for his confidence. His finishing hasn't been particularly clinical, yet he is popular with the management team and with the fans. He tends to be a bit of a streaky player, notching three in four at the end of January, and he now has two in his last three.  

Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten in three, their best run of the season. They will make it tough for Boro, but the hosts should find a way through and a confident Conway could be the difference. 

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Sheffield United vs Blackburn - Rovers to creep another point closer to safety 

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Wednesday, 19:45, Live on Sky Sports+ App

Sheffield United are ending the season strongly, recording back-to-back wins over Watford and Hull. Chris Wilder will be pleased with his side's efforts, and with Preston and Derby to come, they will fancy their chances of remaining unbeaten across their final five. 

The Blades have struggled to keep clean sheets this season, particularly at Bramall Lane. December 20th was the last time they managed to shut out the opposition here, and in five of the last six, they've conceded a goal after taking the lead, suggesting an issue with concentration. 

Blackburn are scrapping for their lives, and Michael O'Neill appears to have been the right appointment for the Lancastrians. The NI coach has instilled a battling mentality within the squad ,and they were more than happy to take their point on Friday night. They may be winless in four, but they have drawn three of those games, and the only defeat came against the division's in-form outfit, Southampton. 

They are unbeaten in three of their last four on the road and will make this tough for the hosts. 

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Now read Paul Higham's Wednesday night Premier League tipsheet 

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