EFL Championship

Championship Tips for MD4: Seven bets for Saturday afternoon's action in the second tier

Jack Critchley
31 Aug 2024, 09:05
3:00 min read

It's the final set of Championship fixtures before the September international break and Jack Critchley has selected a bet in each of the games which kick off at the traditional time of 3pm on a Saturday...

PNE to cap off a marvellous week under the new boss
Swans to slip up on the road
Robins to claim all three points
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Oxford vs Preston

PNE to edge out Championship new boys

Unbelievably, Paul Heckingbottom is Preston's third manager of the season. The Yorkshireman didn't need much time to turn PNE's fortunes around having guided them to back-to-back victories in league and cup. Although the Lancastrians have kept consecutive clean sheets, the majority of fans have merely been pleased to see their side creating more chances and scoring goals again. They have looked a lot more attack-minded under the new regime and that should continue on Saturday. Will Keane has signed a new contract with the club, whilst fringe players such as Milutin Osmajic and Duane Holmes have provided the manager with a bit of a selection headache having performed admirably on Tuesday night.

It's hard to fault Oxford's start to life in the Championship and Des Buckingham will surely be pleased with how his side has responded. Nevertheless, it's now three consecutive defeats for the yellows and it may just be the wrong time to be facing the rejuvenated visitors. Oxford have added Siriki Dembele to their ranks from Birmingham this week and they have done some decent business in the window. Although the attacking numbers are decent enough, the defensive data isn't projecting as positively and they have faced the third-highest number of shots on target so far (16). They may just fall short here.

Recommended Bet

Back Preston Draw No Bet

SBK1/1

Plymouth vs Stoke

Schumacher to upset his former employers

Wayne Rooney was a curious appointment for Plymouth Argyle and the Pilgrims have made a sloppy start to the season under the former Birmingham boss. They managed to pick up a point against QPR despite creating very little and they were also knocked out of the EFL Cup in midweek. They appear to lack some cutting-edge going forward and with Morgan Whittaker linked to Burnley this week, they may have even fewer attacking options by the time this game kicks off on Saturday. At the other end of the field, they've faced the most shots on target in the division so far, and have required the heroics of Conor Hazard to save them on numerous occasions.

Stoke are tough to assess. They've lost their last two matches, yet we have to make allowances for the opposition. They were defeated by a red-hot Watford outfit at Vicarage Road before falling to an incredibly effective West Brom side last weekend. Tuesday's EFL Cup mauling of Middlesbrough should give them some much-needed confidence in the final third and several talented players will be vying for a start in this game. Furthermore, Steven Schumacher will be returning to Home Park and he will be determined to avoid leaving empty-handed. He is unlikely to be welcomed back with open arms and his popularity will decrease further if he can mastermind a victory for the travellers.

Recommended Bet

Back Over 1.5 Stoke Goals

SBK19/20

West Brom vs Swansea

Baggies to extend their unbeaten sequence

West Brom are unbeaten under Carlos Corberan this season and the Baggies will be expected to continue that run on Saturday afternoon. The hosts held title favourites Leeds to a goalless draw a fortnight ago and they allowed them very few opportunities throughout the 90 minutes. Last season, they won a hugely impressive 63% of their matches at the Hawthorns and conceded just 0.71 goals per game in front of their own fans. Corberan has managed to mould his side into a well-oiled machine at this venue and it's difficult to imagine them being undone by Swansea.

The visitors could only collect a point in the South Wales derby on Sunday and this was following a 1-0 loss to League One Wycombe on Wednesday night. Having already exited the EFL Cup, WBA have had a full week to prepare for this contest and that should be more than enough to take all three points.

Recommended Bet

Back West Brom to Win

SBK4/5

Portsmouth vs Sunderland

Black Cats to drop their first points of the campaign

Pompey have adjusted to life in the Championship relatively quickly and having been handed a incredibly tough opening month, they are surprisingly yet to be defeated. On the flip side, they have also failed to collect maximum points so far and this is yet another difficult assignment for John Mousinho's men. Nevertheless, they are made of tough stuff and they never know when they're beaten. They defended for long periods last weekend and with a full week to prepare for this tie, they should be fresh enough to compete. Reinforcements have arrived this week in the shape of Harvey Blair from Liverpool and Mark O'Mahony from Brighton and that should inject some creativity into the squad.

Sunderland have looked formidable so far and the Black Cats sit top of the table with a perfect record. Regis Le Bris' side have looked quick in transitions and they've given away very few opportunities. The Wearsiders will be fancied to take all three points from this contest, however, this is an arduous trip for the visitors and Fratton Park is not an easy place to visit. Many sides will be forced to leave this ground with just a point this season and I think Sunderland could be one of them.

Recommended Bet

Back Draw

SBK13/5

Leeds vs Hull

Whites to keep a third consecutive clean sheet

Leeds fans can be forgiven for feeling a little disappointed with a return of just five points from their opening three games. Having battered Portsmouth on the opening weekend, they failed to fire against a well-organised West Brom seven days later. Last time out, they looked back to their best with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday where they rarely looked troubled at the back. With a few additions this week, the Yorkshire outfit look ready to get their promotion bid back on track and they should be able to collect their second victory of the campaign on Saturday afternoon.

Hull have yet to catch fire under new boss Tim Walter although there have been a few signs that the Tigers are slowly improving going forward. They've conceded the fourth-highest number of shots on target and there is still work to do defensively. It'll be interesting to see if Oscar Zambrano or Gustavo Puerta are given starts here. With the sales of Oscar Estupinan and Jean Michael Seri, it may take a few weeks for their new-look XI to find their feet.

Recommended Bet

Back Leeds to Win to Nil

SBK11/10

Derby vs Bristol City

Robins to leave Pride Park with maximum points

Derby crashed out of the EFL Cup to League Two Barrow on Tuesday night as their disappointing start to the season continued. The Rams are already off the mark, however, on another day, they could easily have lost by a two or three goal margin to a wasteful Middlesbrough outfit. Last time out, they were second best against Watford and despite being back at home this weekend, there is a general feeling of pessimism amongst supporters. Warne's lack of tactical nous has been called out by some fans and he may struggle to outthink his opposite number this weekend.

Bristol City are yet to taste defeat in the Championship this season and Liam Manning's side look superbly well-organised. They were the better side against Coventry last time out and should be able to keep the hosts at arm's length. Max O'Leary has been called into action just seven times this season and he may be in for another quiet afternoon.

Recommended Bet

Back Bristol City to beat Derby

SBK29/20

Millwall vs Sheffield Wednesday

Another attacking performance from the Lions

It hasn't been a vintage week for Millwall with the Lions suffering an EFL Cup defeat to Leyton Orient on Tuesday night. Neil Harris has come out fighting and he is hoping to get a response from his side this weekend. Their performances haven't been horrendous so far, and they have created chances, yet the injury to Tom Bradshaw is a bit of setback. Nevertheless, the addition of Femi Azeez should help with their creativity issue.

Sheffield Wednesday have failed to score in their last two outings, yet they put five past Grimsby in the EFL Cup in midweek. That should restore some confidence in Danny Rohl's side, and they are unlikely to draw a blank this weekend. This should be a good watch.

Recommended Bet

Back BTTS

SBK3/4

Now read more of our best tips and preview this weekend!

Recommended bets

Back Preston Draw No Bet (vs Oxford) @ 1/12.00

Back West Brom to beat Swansea @ 4/51.80

Back Bristol City to beat Derby @ 29/202.45

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Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.