Midweek Championship Tips: Goals may be in short supply in Millwall v Leeds

Preston vs Sunderland

Goals at both ends in Lancashire

Notwithstanding some legitimate complaints about the performance of the referee on Saturday, PNE were deservedly defeated at Deepdale to Bristol City. Paul Heckingbottom's side are usually pretty effective at home, yet they weren't able to close down the visitors on multiple occasions. They've failed to win in three of their four matches when hosting top half opposition and although they are dangerous going forward, it's hard to imagine them keeping high-flying Sunderland off the scoresheet.

Sunderland couldn't find a way past QPR at the weekend although they weren't helped by Jobe Bellingham's dismissal. The Black Cats are unbeaten in six and in their last three on the road. Despite keeping two clean sheets in their last three away games, Regis Les Bris' side are likely to give the hosts plenty of opportunities and PNE are likely to take full advantage. Wilson Isidor managed four shots at the weekend despite his side's numerical disadvantage and could be a player to keep an eye on here.

Luton vs Cardiff

Kenilworth Road to deliver entertainment yet again

Luton have been hugely disappointing following their relegation from the Premier League. They may have picked up the most cards in the Championship so far, yet clean sheets are exceedingly hard to come by. They've been particularly leaky at Kenilworth Road with an average of 1.71 goals conceded per game. In Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo, the Hatters have two strikers who are a constant nuisance, but they cannot rely on their forward line to dig them out of a hole. Six of their seven matches at this venue have featured a minimum of three goals.

Cardiff have been transformed under Omer Riza. They have produced several front-footed performances and although they rode their luck at times, they managed to emerge with all three points from their weekend clash with Norwich. As well as looking better going forward, they've also seemed a little susceptible at the back in their last two outings and that could be the perfect recipe for a high-scoring clash.

Blackburn vs Stoke

Uninspiring clash at Ewood Park

Some Blackburn fans were critical of their side's performance against Sheffield United at the weekend. John Eustace's side struggled to create anything of note, registering a total xG of just 0.61. They failed to land a single shot on target and will need to significantly improve if they are to take maximum points from this contest. Rovers have now failed to score in each of their last three with Eustace keen to end his side's barren sequence.

Stoke have slowly improved under Narcis Pelach. He was delighted with his side's performance against Derby and highlighted their work on set-pieces, which finally seems to be paying off. Pelach worked under Corberan at Huddersfield and during his tenure in West Yorkshire, the Terriers were very dangerous from these situations. Nevertheless, the Staffordshire outfit have failed to score in their last four away games and their matches on the road have averaged just 1.5 goals per game.

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  Millwall vs Leeds

  Lions to make it tricky for the Whites

  Millwall have reverted back to their archetypal approach of working hard and making it difficult for the opposition. They showed tremendous resilience against Burnley at the weekend and netted the only goal of the game from a set-piece. The Bermondsey outfit have now won three consecutive matches by a 1-0 scoreline and they have been breached just twice in their last six outings. Neil Harris will be hoping that his side can mastermind a second successive raid on a promotion contender.

  Leeds weren't required to get out of first gear to beat Plymouth at the weekend. They will find this much tougher on Wednesday evening and will be embroiled in a battle from the first minute. Leeds are yet to be defeated on the road, yet they've dropped points in four of their six away matches. They've been breached on just three occasions on their travels and this could be yet another tight and tetchy affair.
  Recommended Bet

  Back Under 2.5 Goals in Milwall v Leeds

  SBK6/10
  
  

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  Coventry vs Derby

  Sky Blues' momentum to continue

  Coventry made yet another slow start to the campaign with some fans rather hastily suggesting that it was time for Mark Robins to depart the CBS. The Sky Blues have put together a three-match unbeaten streak and are now sitting safely in mid-table. They were rampant against Luton and thoroughly deserved their narrow victory before taking advantage of Middlesbrough's self-implosion at the weekend. They're in good goalscoring form and that is expected to continue into midweek.

  Derby worked their way back into the game against Stoke, yet Paul Warne's side continue to struggle on their travels. Although they've drawn two of their last three away games, they're yet to keep a clean sheet away from Pride and it's hard to imagine them keeping the hosts at arm's length.

  Recommended Bet

  Back Coventry to win and Over 1.5 goals

  SBK11/10

Swansea vs Watford

A rare BTTS in South Wales

Swansea have been incredibly dull to watch at home this season. Luke Williams' team have been uncharacteristically goal-shy over the past couple of months; however, there are signs that change is just around the corner. The Swans netted their first Championship goals since September 29th when beating Oxford 2-1 on Saturday and in doing so, they became the first team to record a victory at the Kassam this campaign. In their two previous home games, the hosts had registered 39 shots without notching and they will surely be gifted plenty of opportunities by the Hornets' generous back-line.

Watford were involved in a topsy-turvy 6-2 victory at the weekend. They chalked up an xG of 4.10 with Vakoun Bayo hitting four past a helpless James Beadle. The visitors have conceded an average of 2.43 goals per game away from home and are yet to keep a clean sheet away from Vicarage Road.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Norwich

Another entertaining night at Hillsborough

Sheffield Wednesday crumbled in the second half of their 6-2 defeat to Watford. Danny Rohl believes that his side largely controlled the first half, yet he was unable to do anything about his side's complete lack of control after the break. At Hillsborough, Rohl's men have been involved in some hugely entertaining matches with their games averaging 3.29 goals. When it comes to the shot count, they've managed double figures in each of their last four at this venue, whilst also allowing the opponent to register 10+ efforts on goal.

Norwich are enduring a bit of a personnel crisis with Johannes Hoff Thorup was forced to shuffle his pack at the weekend. Kenny McLean's suspension has left a gaping hole in the centre of the park and the combination of Gabriel Forsyth and Jacob Sorenson wasn't particularly effective on Saturday. Nevertheless, they showed plenty of quality going forward and with Borja Sainz continuing his outstanding form, they have every chance of getting on the scoresheet.

Boro to squeeze past a stubborn QPR

QPR are still in big trouble at the foot of the Championship table, yet the numbers are suggesting that the performances are slowly heading in the right direction. They've outshot their opponents in the last three matches at Loftus Road, yet, they do seem to be lacking some cutting edge. Despite creating opportunities, scoring just three times in seven outings is an exceptionally poor return for Marti Cifuentes' men.

Middlesbrough are impressively inconsistent. As soon as you think you've got a handle on Michael Carrick's men, they tend to do something completely unexpected. They've won back-to-back games just once this campaign and possess a 5-3-5 record overall. Nevertheless, they do tend to find a way of beating sides at the bottom and are undefeated against teams positioned 13th or below. They might only need one moment of magic to seal this.

Plymouth vs Portsmouth

Home Park to prove a fortress once again

Plymouth failed to take a single shot against Leeds at the weekend. Wayne Rooney's side completed just 122 passes throughout the 90 minutes and may simply have been conserving energy for this far more winnable contest. Home Park has been a profitable place for the Pilgrims, who have been defeated just once in front of their own fans so far. With a goal difference of +3 and an average xG of 1.59 here this season, they have been pretty effective in Devon.

Portsmouth are struggling, although they did pick up a potentially useful point at the MKM on Saturday. Pompey have lost every single midweek game across all competitions so far this season and they seemingly struggle with the hectic schedule. Their matches on the road have been fairly entertaining, however, with an average of 2.43 goals conceded per match, John Mousinho must find a way to tighten his side up away from Fratton Park.