Championship Tips: Blues' early season struggles to continue in North Wales on Friday night

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Wrexham vs Birmingham - Victory for Parkinson's men at the third time of asking

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Friday, 20:00

Wrexham are yet to collect maximum points this season and will be eyeing up this fixture as the perfect opportunity to put things right. Phil Parkinson has called for his side to improve the quality of their attacking play, although they rattled the woodwork against Watford, and probably did enough to score a second. Wrexham's early-season sloppiness feels a little odd, given the lack of squad churn this summer. But the prevailing feeling is that things will turn around, and the Welsh side will be challenging for the top eight soon enough.

Nevertheless, they have ample quality in the squad to mix things up if required, and the addition of Danny Imray has given them far more dynamism down the right-hand flank.

Birmingham's start has been far from ideal. There has been plenty of upheaval at boardroom level and the signings have been slow to arrive. Kai Wagner's energy down the left flank has yet to be replaced, and there is still an imbalance to the XI. They aren't easy to break down, yet they aren't offering enough quality to win games and that's a concern for Chris Davies and his team. Their capitulation, albeit with a much-changed team, on Tuesday night is a worry.

Neither of these sides appear to be the finished article, but Wrexham look closer and as hosts, they have to be favoured.

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Derby vs Swansea - Another entertaining tie at Pride Park

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Saturday, 12:30

Derby are still waiting for their first victory this season, but John Eustace's side showed tremendous spirit to twice come behind when taking a point off Cardiff last weekend. They will face another Welsh side this weekend and are likely to show a similar level of endeavour. They have looked a bit chaotic at the back, which is unusual for a Eustace outfit, and their midfield, with the exception of Bobby Clark, hasn't quite clicked. Nevertheless, the return of Carlton Morris is a plus, and the striker is now off the mark for the campaign.

Swansea actually put in a far better performance on the road than in front of their own fans, which doesn't match last season's pattern. Vitor Matos' side look to have plenty of quality going forward, yet they have huge problems in defence, which may be bereft of Ben Cabango, who was spotted leaving the stadium in a protective boot last weekend.

Both sides look better going forward at the moment, which should result in a high-scoring contest.

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Middlesbrough vs West Brom - Baggies to make it tough for Boro

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Saturday, 12:30

Middlesbrough suffered their first defeat of the campaign last weekend and will be desperate to bounce back from that disappointment. Although they were victorious against Lincoln in their seasonal opener, many fans have been unhappy with the level of performance and are hoping that this XI will start to click in the coming weeks.

As always, Boro's xG numbers are fairly eye-catching, yet they have struggled to keep clean sheets. Sam Byram has been drafted in to assist with squad depth, but Kim Hellberg is yet to find the right defensive combo. Malanda and Ayling don't feel befitting of a promotion-challenging side.

West Brom are two from two and were mightily impressive against Burnley last weekend. They survived an onslaught against Norwich in their previous away game, yet they were decisive when it mattered and managed to take all three points. Aune Heggebo remains suspended for this fixture, yet they have plenty of firepower elsewhere.

Their poor recent record against the Teessiders does temper my enthusiasm for an away win here, but they'll almost certainly make it tricky for the hosts and are likely to find a way through.

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Wolves vs Stoke - In-form Lopez to help fire Wolves to victory

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Saturday, 12:30

Unlike their fellow relegated sides, Wolves are off the mark after picking up their first victory of the season last weekend. They are likely to be highly entertaining this season, and are likely to score plenty of goals. Although it is Raul Jimenez leading the line, it is Fer Lopez who has caught the eye so far. The Spaniard scored twice last week, and played a major role in getting his side up the field. He was clinical, netting from his only two touches in the opposition box and he will fancy his chances against a Stoke outfit who have struggled defensively so far.

They gave up an xG of 1.75 at St Mary's last weekend and they look far from the finished article with more arrivals and departures expected in the next few days. This will be a tricky task for the Staffordshire outfit.

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Blackburn vs QPR - R's to extend their unbeaten sequence

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Saturday, 15:00

Blackburn have started positively under Tony Mowbray. They remain unbeaten, although they have lived dangerously for long periods of their fixtures, and have been decisive in the final third when it mattered. The Lancastrians have endured a tough start fixture-wise, and this does look a little easier on paper, yet it may not necessarily play out that way. They lost Yuki Ohashi in midweek, further reducing their options in forward areas.

QPR are also unbeaten and their dominant performance against Bolton last weekend caught the eye. Although the speculation surrounding Richard Kone's future is a slight hindrance, they have far more depth in their squad this season, and the bench looks fairly well-stocked compared to some of their rivals. The West Londoners showed plenty of quality at Pompey a fortnight ago and they should be able to leave Ewood Park with at least a share of the spoils.

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Bolton vs Lincoln - BTTS at the Tough Sheet

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Saturday, 15:00

Bolton are likely to pick up the majority of their points in front of their own fans this season, although their 0-0 draw at Loftus Road last weekend was gratefully received. The Trotters successfully withstood waves of pressure to take something from the game, and they'll fancy their chances of extending their unbeaten run here.

Steven Schumacher's side are likely to show plenty of attacking adventure at home and they should get chances against a Lincoln defence that crumbled against Pompey last weekend. Being eliminated from the League Cup may also help, allowing Schumacher a full week to prepare for this game.

Lincoln are yet to take a point, but they have emerged with plenty of credit. Last weekend's 3-1 defeat to Pompey was very entertaining, and they aren't afraid of taking the game to the opposition. Ethan Wheatley has been added to their ranks this week and their in-your-face style should allow them to get on the scoresheet here.

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Bristol City vs Portsmouth - Sloppy defences to dominate at Ashton Gate

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Saturday, 15:00

It's impossible to judge Bristol City on their previous home performance when they went down to ten men and were easily defeated by a highly competent Millwall outfit. Last weekend, they were far more attack-minded and showed greater intent going forward, although they required a wonder goal from summer signing Dom Ballard to take a point off Birmingham.

Nevertheless, they were the better side in that contest, and Michael Skubala can take plenty of confidence from that much-improved display.

Portsmouth picked up their first victory of the season and have already displayed some moments of individual brilliance. They still look defensively vulnerable, and always look liable to concede, yet they aren't afraid to pour forward and have match-winners in their XI.

The hosts have won the last two meetings here by an aggregate scoreline of 8-0, and although Pompey fans will be hoping to see their side get on the scoresheet this time around, they are likely to witness yet another entertaining 90 minutes.

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Cardiff vs Sheffield United - Blades to end their goalless run in South Wales

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Saturday, 15:00

Cardiff have made their return to the Championship with back-to-back draws. They left it late against Wrexham to net their equaliser, and last weekend, they were unable to hold onto their lead against Derby. Brian Barry-Murphy's side have plenty of quality in the final third, yet they are lacking defensive cover, and if they don't make a signing between this being published and 3pm on Saturday, they could be forced to name a makeshift back-line once again. The partnership of Joel Bagan and Perry Ng is far from watertight and they lost another defender to injury in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

Sheffield United have failed to score a goal in the Championship across their first 180 minutes of football, yet they should be licking their lips at the prospect of facing Cardiff's stopgap defence. The Blades were much better last weekend, switching formation with Callum O'Hare tucked in behind Patrick Bamford, and were victorious in the EFL Cup. They should be able to find a way past Cardiff this weekend, and take at least a point from this contest.

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Charlton vs Preston - Addicks to continue their superb start to the season

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Saturday, 15:00

It's been a fantastic week to be a Charlton supporter with the club's 2-1 victory at West Ham followed by news of Tyreece Campbell signing a new contract at the Valley. The Addicks tend to be stronger in South London and they can be very tough to beat here under Nathan Jones.

Having recorded back-to-back wins, there will be plenty of confidence within the camp heading into this weekend's fixture. The new signings have bedded in nicely and although Matty Godden's injury is a bit of a blow, they have been linked with a move for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, which would improve their creativity.

Unfortunately, this weekend's opponents Preston, appear to enjoy facing the Londoners, and you have to go back to 2011 for the last Charlton success in this matchup. Nevertheless, PNE are shipping too many goals and look capable of making mistakes at the back. The sale of Milutin Osmajic means that there is an urgent requirement for new personnel, and that may not be sorted before this game kicks off.

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Norwich vs Burnley - Sensational showdown in East Anglia

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Saturday, 15:00

Many people, including myself, were expecting Norwich to start the season strongly; however, that hasn't transpired, and for the second successive season, the Canaries are stuck in the relegation zone at the end of August.

Nevertheless, it feels different this time around. They missed several chances against West Brom on the opening weekend, and came up against an impressive Millwall outfit last time out. They produced an xG of 2.20 here a fortnight ago, and they are likely to create chances and carve out opportunities once again on Saturday afternoon. Ante Crnac returned to the squad after 11 months on the sidelines, bolstering Clement's options in the final third.

Burnley have failed to take maximum points so far and the fixtures don't appear to be getting much easier for the Clarets. This will be a tough test for a side who have conceded five times so far. They struggled to get to grips with WBA last weekend, and they could be susceptible once again here. They should play their part in an entertaining 90 minutes though.

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Southampton vs Millwall - Millwall to frustrate the hosts once again

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Saturday, 15:00

Southampton put aside their opening day defeat with a clinical victory against Stoke. It was a much-needed success for the Saints and Tonda Eckert, although they were helped by the Potters' incompetence.

This will be far tougher for the hosts, with the visitors having won their first two matches by an aggregate scoreline of 5-0. They were helped by Adam Randell's dismissal at Ashton Gate, but their victory last weekend was both emphatic and eye-catching.

The Lions have also taken something from their last visits to this stadium and despite their strong finish, the Saints could not beat their fellow play-off participants in the two meetings last season.

The Londoners are incredibly tough to beat, and they have thrived on the road under Alex Neil. This is the sort of match in which they are likely to take a point.

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Watford vs West Ham - Hornets and Hammers to exchange blows

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Saturday, 15:00

Watford have surprised a few of us this season with their attacking intent. When Alessio Dionisi joined the club, we were promised exciting end-to-end football and so far, he has delivered on that pledge. The Hornets still look a bit shaky at the back, and they do have a few key absentees in their back-line, but the players certainly look up for it, and they are clearly buying into the head coach's ideology. They were heavily beaten in midweek, but the majority of first team players were rested ahead of this encounter.

West Ham are still in the process of building their squad and they look like a work-in-progress. They've not had a straightforward start and will look to pick up three points at the third attempt on Saturday.

Before the season started, I would have flagged this as a straightforward away win, but the form of both teams makes it slightly trickier to predict. Watford games have tended to be chaotic affairs, and I'd back this one to follow a similar blueprint.

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Take a look at this weekend's best football betting tips

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