EFL Championship

Midweek Championship Tips: Hull to capitalise on Norwich's underwhelming home record

Norwich boss David Wagner
David Wagner will be hoping that his side can rectify their exceptionally poor home record...

It's the first full midweek fixture list of 2023 and Jack Critchley has picked out the best bets in each of the Championship fixtures...


Tigers' unbeaten run to continue

Norwich 1.738/11 v Hull 5.69/2; The Draw 43/1

Tues 19:45

Norwich boss David Wagner has asked his side to ensure that Carrow Road is 'unpleasant' for the visit of Hull on Tuesday night. The Canaries have struggled at home all season and the appointment of the German boss has seemingly done little to improve their fortunes in East Anglia. The hosts are without a victory in front of their own fans since the end of October and although facing table-topping Burnley in their previous home match was always going to be tough, the club also suffered a rare away blip at the weekend.

Although they out-shot Bristol City, the visitors were unable to make the breakthrough and despite possessing plenty of firepower, they've now failed to find the net in three of their last five matches and in four of their last six at this venue.

Hull were marginally the better side in Staffordshire at the weekend, yet Liam Rosenior's men were forced to settle for a point against Stoke. Although they still have a realistic shot of creeping into the top six this season, the Tigers' lack of firepower is likely to prevent them from forcing their way into the play-off picture. Nevertheless, they are incredibly tough to beat with only Sheffield United and Reading having left with maximum points since the managerial switch.

The Humberside outfit have conceded just 11 times under Rosenior's regime and they won't make it easy for the hosts.

Back Hull or Draw Double Chance @

2.1

Hornets to leave Turf Moor empty handed

Burnley 1.738/11 v Watford 5.69/2; The Draw 43/1

Tues 20:00

Burnley produced yet another eye-catching performance at the weekend as they brushed aside Lancashire rivals Preston North End at Turf Moor. Vincent Kompany's side are firmly on course to break the 100-point barrier this season and they look likely to secure an astonishing 11th consecutive victory on Tuesday night.

Nathan Tella was the star of the show on Saturday, however, Kompany now has plenty of options in his squad and that could make a huge difference over the next couple of weeks. With the Clarets having progressed in the FA Cup, the fixture list could potentially become fairly hectic. Luckily, Kompany can call upon Scott Twine, Lyle Foster, Vitinho, Michael Obafemi and Jack Cork, who all started on the bench at the weekend.

Watford are clinging onto the final play-off spot, however, there are several sides queuing up behind them. Slaven Bilic's side come into this clash winless in three and having conceded twice in each of their last two away games, they appear unlikely to be the side to halt the Burnley juggernaut. Having lost all three visits to top eight opposition (to nil), their winless run looks set to continue on Tuesday night.

Back Burnley to Win @

1.72

Millers to take a point back to South Yorkshire

Reading 2.0421/20 v Rotherham 4.3100/30; The Draw 3.4549/20

Tues 20:00

Reading suffered yet another defeat on the road on Saturday afternoon with the Royals losing narrowly to Sunderland at the SOL. Nevertheless, Paul Ince was satisfied with his side's performance. The former midfielder has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks with the Berkshire outfit failing to win any of their last six games.

Fans will be buoyed by the impressive performance of Amadou Mbengue, and with Liam Moore set to make his long-awaited return to action this weekend, there are a handful of reasons to be positive. Nevertheless, Lucas Joao's ongoing injury issues could leave the hosts short in the final third.

Rotherham are scrapping for survival and their quest to retain their Championship status has been significantly boosted by their four-match unbeaten run. The Millers picked up yet another point at the weekend and have now conceded just once across their last four outings.

Matt Taylors' men have been significantly improved by the January signings and they should be able to keep things tight at the Madjeski once again.

Back Rotherham or Draw Double Chance @

1.92

QPR's poor form to continue

QPR 2.56/4 v Sunderland 3.211/5; The Draw 3.412/5

Tues 19:45

Neil Critchley remains under pressure following his side's 2-1 defeat at home to Millwall at the weekend. The R's are now winless in eight and they have failed to pick up maximum points for almost two months. Injuries and loss of form have significantly hampered the manager's plan, and with Jake Clarke-Salter's latest injury leaving them a little short at the back, they look set to struggle yet again on Tuesday night.

Very few fans can accuse the team of lacking commitment and effort, however, they lack quality all over the field and with both Chris Willock and Ilias Chair failing to recapture their early-season form, they are struggling for inspiration going forward.

It's been an exceptionally busy week for Sunderland, however, the Black Cats managed to edge out Reading in a tight affair at the weekend. The Wearsiders have been better on the road this season and they are unbeaten on the travels since October 18th. Tony Mowbray may have to make changes here, however, with one of the youngest squads in the division, the visitors may just have enough left in the tank to take all three points.

Back Sunderland or Draw Double Chance @

1.65

Tight 90 minutes at the CBS

Coventry 2.6613/8 v Millwall 3.052/1; The Draw 3.39/4

Tues 19:45

It's been a fairly tricky start to 2023 for Coventry with Mark Robins' side unable to replicate their early-season heroics. The Sky Blues have picked up just a single victory since December 21st and they managed to fall behind within 60 seconds at the weekend. Nevertheless, they remain tough to beat on their own patch and although they aren't quite firing on all cylinders going forward, they are unlikely to down without a fight.

The hosts haven't been helped by injuries with Ben Sheaf's withdrawal from the matchday squad at the weekend giving Robins a selection headache ahead of this clash. With Jonathon Panzo and Liam Kelly also absent, coupled with Josh Wilson-Esbrand's suspension, they could be exceptionally light on numbers here.

Millwall continued their excellent form with a narrow victory at Loftus Road. Gary Rowett's men are extremely solid and dependable and although they tend to be weaker on the road, they've won three of their last four away games, with the last two victories coming by a single goal margin.

Back Millwall or Draw Double Chance and Under 2.5 Goals @

2.21

BTTS at St. Andrews

Birmingham 2.3411/8 v Cardiff 3.613/5; The Draw 3.3512/5

Tues 19:45

Birmingham have essentially ended any lingering relegation concerns by collecting six points from their last two matches. The Blues were the better side against West Brom on Friday night and thoroughly deserved their 2-0 victory. The West Midlands outfit have looked far more efficient going forward and having struggled to stick the ball in the back of the net at the beginning of 2023, they've now netted nine times in their last four matches.

Cardiff suffered a predictable defeat at the weekend as they were beaten 3-1 by promotion-chasing Middlesbrough. The Bluebirds did find the back of the net with recent signing Sory Kaba impressing on debut.

Under Sabri Lamouchi, the visitors have offered a little more going forward and although they've only averaged nine shots per match on the road, they have looked a little more adventurous in the final third and could easily notch once again on Tuesday night.

Back Both Teams to Score @

2.04

Hatters' decent away form to continue

Preston 2.982/1 v Luton 2.89/5; The Draw 3.1511/5

Weds 19:45

Preston's home record this season has been exceptionally poor, however, the Lilywhites' recent performance levels at Deepdale haven't been too bad. Ryan Lowe's side were outclassed by rivals Burnley at Turf Moor at the weekend and the Liverpudlian will hope that his side can respond to yet another setback.

PNE have conceded far too many goals in recent weeks and with their defence having been breached on six occasions across their last two home matches, they will need to significantly tighten up on Tuesday.

Luton picked up a 1-1 draw with Coventry at the weekend, and although Rob Edwards' side were far from vintage at the CBS, they will be pleased to have maintained their unbeaten record on the road. The Hatters have lost just one of their last seven matches overall and they will fancy their chances of coming away from Deepdale with something to show for their efforts.

Back Luton or Draw Double Chance and Over 1.5 Goals

1.97

Underwhelming Potters to sneak past Terriers

Stoke 1.9420/21 v Huddersfield 54/1; The Draw 3.4549/20

Weds 19:45

Its been yet another underwhelming period for Stoke, however, the Potters have at least kept back-to-back clean sheets at the 365. Alex Neil's side were far from convincing against Hull, yet it's another point towards guaranteeing safety this season.

Despite having only won two of their eight home matches against bottom half opponents, the home fans will be feeling confident ahead of this Wednesday night fixture.

At the time of writing, Huddersfield remain managerless and the sacking of Mark Fotheringham had very little effect on their performance levels at the weekend. The Terriers have a plethora of absentees with the likes Matt Lowton and Ollie Turton both out injured, alongside Danny Ward and Duane Holmes.

The visitors have failed to score in two of their last three away games and could struggle to find a way through in Staffordshire.

Back Stoke to Win @

1.94

Seasiders to ask questions of troubled Swans

Swansea 1.738/11 v Blackpool 5.39/2; The Draw 4.131/10

Weds 19:45

If you're searching for entertainment this season, then the Swansea City Stadium appears to be the ideal destination. Matches at this venue have averaged 3.07 goals per game and the last three fixtures have featured a whopping 14 goals. Russell Martin is a frustrated man and he struggled to take the positives out of his side's heavy defeat at Brammall Lane at the weekend.

Swansea's defence has been breached on seven occasions across their last two matches and although they will be expected to beat bottom club Blackpool, it's difficult to envisage them keeping a clean sheet on Wednesday night.

Blackpool huffed and puffed at Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon, yet they were unable to find a way past a dogged and determined Rotherham outfit. The Seasiders have attacking quality in their ranks and fans have been calling upon Mick McCarthy to start the game with a more attack-minded approach.

The visitors have scored just twice in their last four away games, however, this fixture presents them with the perfect opportunity to rediscover their shooting boots.

Back Both Teams to Score @

1.9

Latics aiming to frustrate in-form Robins

Bristol City 2.0421/20 v Wigan 4.131/10; The Draw 3.4549/20

Weds 19:45

Bristol City have been managing games exceptionally well in recent weeks and as a result, Nigel Pearson's side have put together a superb unbeaten run. Since losing on Boxing Day, the Robins have picked up 12 points from a possible 18 and they will be expected to continue that sequence on Wednesday evening.

Despite facing 16 shots at the weekend, they managed to pick up a rare home clean sheet and that will give them something to build upon.

Shaun Maloney picked up his first victory in charge of Wigan at the weekend. The former Hibs boss has made his side tougher to beat and they have become far more adept at frustrating the opposition. They are yet to concede a goal since the managerial change and given their lack of quality going forward, they are unlikely to deviate from that approach here.

Back Under 2.5 Goals @

1.79

Another low-scoring contest at the Hawthorns

West Brom 1.748/11 v Blackburn 5.79/2; The Draw 3.953/1

Weds 20:00

West Brom produced an uncharacteristically listless performance on Friday night as they were beaten 2-0 by Birmingham at St. Andrews. Carlos Corberan's side were second best in every department and they will need to respond to that worrying display.

At home, they've been incredibly tough to penetrate and have conceded an average of just 0.93 goals per game at the Hawthorns. They've kept six consecutive clean sheets at this venue and they will be aiming to extend that sequence against low-scoring Blackburn on Wednesday night.

Blackpool picked up a point against Watford at the weekend, and although Rovers have been unable to match their early season performances, Bradley Dack's return to form could be key throughout the second half of the campaign. The Lancashire club have failed to win any of their last four on the road and are averaging just eight shots per game on the road.

Back Under 2.5 Goals @

1.85

Blades to extend the gap at the top of the table

Sheffield United 2.1411/10 v Middlesbrough 3.814/5; The Draw 3.55/2

Weds 20:00

Sheffield United continued their impressive run of form at Bramall Lane on Saturday as they eased past troubled Swansea City. The Blades have been excellent here and they could potentially make it seven wins on the spin with victory over Middlesbrough.

Oliver Norwood and Sander Berge were excellent at the weekend and with Jayden Bogle providing width, they looked threatening every time they came forward. Having also kept clean sheets in four of their last six matches here, they will be typically tough to break down on Wednesday evening.

They've won all four matches here against top eight opposition and should be able to continue that remarkable record.

Middlesbrough put in another superb display against Cardiff at the weekend and they remain in hot pursuit of the top two. Under Carrick, they've faced mainly sides in the bottom half of the table yet they have typically struggled when travelling to top quality sides. They remain without a point in their four visits to top seven opposition and this could be a tough 90 minutes for the Teessiders.

Back Sheffield United to beat Middlesbrough

2.14

Recommended bets

Jack's 2022-23 Profit/Loss:

Staked: 269.00

Returned: 276.12

P/L: +7.12

New Customers can get £50 in free bets!

Available to new customers only. Place a £10 bet on the Betfair Sportsbook and you will receive £50 in free bets to use on Bet Builders and Accas! Opt-in here and T&cs apply.

Jack Critchley avatar

Jack Critchley

Jack is a betting broadcaster and journalist of 10+ years and has been covering the Championship for Betfair since the beginning of the 2019 season.

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

Upcoming Premier League Fixtures

No upcoming matches to display.