New Year Championship Tips: Boro to begin 2023 with a bang

• January Blues for Brum

• Tigers to continue unbeaten away sequence

• Lions to maul the Millers

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Boro's sensational form set to continue

Birmingham 3.3512/5 v Middlesbrough 2.3411/8; The Draw 3.412/5

Mon 15:00

Birmingham ended 2022 in negative fashion as they produced one of their poorest performances of the campaign so far. The Blues folded tamely against Hull and failed to create a meaningful effort on goal until stoppage time when goalkeeper John Ruddy nodded wide from six yards out.

John Eustace described the performance as 'leggy' and told reporters that there were some 'tired minds' out on the pitch. With 24 hours less to prepare for this tie than their opponents, they could struggle to generate the required energy levels.

Brum have struggled at St. Andrews recently and have won just one of their last five matches here. Although they have a decent starting XI, they have very little in reserve and without striker Scott Hogan, they tend to lack firepower.

Middlesbrough got the better of Blackburn earlier in the week with Michael Carrick's impressive start showing very few signs of fading. The Teessiders have netted in each of their last five away fixtures, winning four of them. Leaders Burnley are the only side to have beaten them on the road since Carrick arrived at the Riverside and they have far more creativity and firepower in their squad than today's opponents.

Only the top two have picked up more points than the visitors across the last five games and I don't expect Boro's fantastic run of form to come to a screeching halt in the West Midlands.

Another low-scoring affair at the John Smiths

Huddersfield 3.1511/5 v Luton 2.526/4; The Draw 3.412/5

Sun 15:00

Huddersfield's great escape appears to be back on track with Thursday's victory over Rotherham lifting them off the bottom of the Championship. Mark Fotheringham was delighted with his players' efforts and spoke about his squad's 'solid foundations' allowing the creative players more freedom.

Jack Rudoni's recent form has been hugely encouraging and the former AFC Wimbledon man appears to be finding his feet in the second tier. Although the Terriers still don't possess an inordinate amount of individual flair, they work hard and have spirit in abundance.

Matches at the John Smith's Stadium haven't been particularly enthralling so far this season with just 24 goals being scored across the first 13 fixtures here. There have also been just seven goals scored across the last five matches with the Terriers keeping a clean sheet in three of those contests.

Rob Edward's picked up his first victory in charge of Luton as they swept aside QPR on Thursday evening. The Hatters were the better side throughout and fans will have been delighted to see Carlton Morris end his barren spell in superb style.

The Bedfordshire side boast the fifth best away record in the division and are also incredibly tough to beat on their travels. They've kept clean sheets in 50% of their matches on the road so far this season and will look to restrict the hosts throughout this contest.

Millers' away struggles to continue

Millwall 1.618/13 v Rotherham 7.26/1; The Draw 4.131/10

Sun 15:00

Millwall remain one of the toughest home sides to crack in the second tier, however, Gary Rowett's men have now recorded three consecutive underwhelming results at the Den. The Lions struggled to break down Bristol City on Thursday and have now dropped points against sides sat 19th, 20th and 24th in the table.

Nevertheless, they are odds-on to record a victory on Sunday afternoon against yet another relegation-threatened outfit. In the January transfer window, the Bermondsey outfit desperately need another striker and will be looking for someone to link up with the excellent Zian Flemming.

Rotherham's form has tailed off under Matt Taylor and the former Exeter boss will also be hoping to bolster his squad at the beginning of 2023. The Millers have scored the fewest away goals in the division and have recorded the joint-lowest number of away wins so far (2). They were extremely poor against Huddersfield earlier in the week and this is unlikely to be any easier.

Robins to prove stubborn opposition

Coventry 2.0421/20 v Bristol City 4.131/10; The Draw 3.6553/20

Sun 15:00

Despite the uncertaintly over their future at the CBS Arena, Coventry have been one of the most consistent home teams in the division. Nevertheless, Mark Robins' side couldn't find a way past Cardiff earlier in the week and were forced to settle for a point. With the exception of their thrilling 3-3 draw with Swansea, the Sky Blues have been hard to penetrate and have managed to keep five clean sheets in their last six games at this venue.

Although the future of Viktor Gyokores remains unclear, Coventry have been rocked by Callum O'Hare's season-ending injury and although they still have some excellent players in their squad, they sometimes lack the creative ability to unlock the opposition defence.

Bristol City successfully kept a clean sheet against Millwall earlier in the week, producing a performance which delighted Nigel Pearson. The under-fire gaffer also praised the fans for their contribution and added that despite the result, his players were disappointed not to have taken more than a point from the game.

The Robins have lost just one of their last five away games and have conceded just four times during that sequence despite facing in-form duo Middlesbrough and West Brom.

Entertaining 90 mins by the seaside

Blackpool 3.052/1 v Sunderland 2.526/4; The Draw 3.5551/20

Sun 15:00

Michael Appleton is under mounting pressure and the former Lincoln boss desperately needs a favourable result on Sunday afternoon. Despite the outcome, the Seasiders were much-improved against high-flying Sheffield United on Thursday night and there are plenty of positives to take into this encounter.

Only Wigan have won fewer home matches than the Fylde Coast club this season and only four sides have scored fewer home goals than the struggling Seasiders. Nevertheless, they've lost just one of their last four matches and having deployed far more positive tactics against the Blades, supporters will be hoping that their team can take the game to Sunderland.

The Black Cats dismantled Wigan on Thursday as their superb away form continued. Tony Mowbray's preparations for this contest have been rocked by the news that Ellis Simms will be recalled by Everton ahead of this fixture.

Regardless, the Wearsiders still have plenty of firepower within their squad and they should be able to find a way past the hosts' creaking defence. With just one clean sheet in their last five away games, Sunderland may need at least a couple of goals in order to win this tie.

Depleted Watford to struggle at Carrow Road

Norwich 1.991/1 v Watford 4.131/10; The Draw 3.814/5

Mon 15:00

Allan Russell failed to guide Norwich to three points on Friday evening, however, the caretaker boss can be satisfied with the performance. The Canaries looked much better and there were positive displays from both Kenny McLean and Adam Idah.

With just one win in five, Canaries fans will be desperately hoping that their side can get back to winning ways and reignite their promotion hopes. The Carrow Road faithful have witnessed just a single home victory since mid-September and given Watford's injury crisis, this appears to be the perfect platform to end that unwanted sequence of results.

Watford slumped to an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Swansea on Friday and Slaven Bilic was left hugely frustrated by the performance. The Croatian spoke about 'not carrying passengers' and that there may also be repercussons behind the scenes.

Nevertheless, the Hornets lack the personnel to compete at the top end of the division and with Joao Pedro set to be on the sidelines for a couple of months, they desperately require reinforcements in January. It's been seven matches since anyone other than Pedro found the back of the net and they could struggle to take anything from this fixture.

Improving Tigers to silence the DW

Wigan 2.6213/8 v Hull 2.982/1; The Draw 3.412/5

Mon 15:00

Wigan's performances had been slowly improved under Kolo Toure, however, they took a significant step backwards on Thursday. Although they have found the net in each of their last five matches, the Latics have struggled to keep the opposition off the scoresheet and capitulated against the Black Cats just a few days ago.

With 10 goals conceded across the last 270 minutes, Toure will be fully aware of the areas in which he needs to strengthen in January. However, investment in the playing squad is likely to be limited and having fallen to the bottom of the division this week, it's difficult to imagine the Greater Manchester club finding a way to avoid the drop.

Hull climbed up to 18th with a much-needed victory at Birmingham. Although they've had less time to prepare for this fixture, Liam Rosenior's side have progressed in recent weeks and they've still only conceded just six times since the former defender was appointed. The Tigers struggled to keep clean sheets under the previous regime, however, they now appear to be far more assured at the back and with a sprinkling of quality in the final third, they should be able to take all three points here.

Swans to trouble the runaway leaders

Swansea 3.211/5 v Burnley 2.466/4; The Draw 3.5551/20

Mon 15:00

Swansea picked up their first victory since late October with a resounding 4-0 success over Watford. Russell Martin switched to a back four and his tactical tweak appeared to do the trick. Although they've struggled to pick up results in recent weeks, their home form is fairly solid and they've suffered just a single defeat in their last seven outings here.

The Swans have found the back of the net in six of their last seven home games and created plenty of chances against Norwich at the beginning of December. Fans will be delighted to see Joel Piroe back amongst the goals and with the Dutchman having had his confidence boosted by recent displays, he could ask plenty of questions of Burnley's defence on Monday afternoon.

Burnley put in arguably one of their worst performances of the season against Stoke on Friday, yet still managed to leave Staffordshire with all three points. Vincent Kompany opted to make changes to his XI, bringing in Ashley Barnes and Darko Churlinov, however, his alterations failed to have the desired effect.

The Clarets looked a little weary at the 365, and this is another long trip for the Lancashire club. Although they will be expected to secure yet another victory here, they are unlikely to keep another clean sheet.

Baggies imperious form to continue

West Brom 1.684/6 v Reading 5.69/2; The Draw 3.929/10

Mon 15:00

West Brom continued their ascent up the Championship table with a fairly comfortable victory over Preston on Thursday night. The Baggies have now won seven of their last eight matches and now sit just a point off the top six. Carlos Corberan has managed to improve the fitness and the attitude of the squad and this has got the best out of players such as Jed Wallace and Okay Yokuslu.

WBA have also looked extremely comfortable at the back and they've managed to keep three clean sheets in their last four outings. Since losing here to Sheffield United at the end of October, the Midlands outfit have conceded just twice and are yet to be breached at home.

Reading continue to defy their pre-season expectations and despite having one of the smallest squads in the division and a prohibitive wage cap, they continue to punch above their weight. The Royals picked up another positive result on Friday, however, this is expected to be far tougher. Having lost five of their last eight on the road, this may be a difficult 90 minutes for the Berkshire side.

Potters to edge out injury-hit PNE

Stoke 2.186/5 v Preston 3.8514/5; The Draw 3.412/5

Mon 15:00

Although Alex Neil was left frustrated by his side's defeat to Burnley, the Scot was able to take several positives from the performance. Prior to their narrow defeat, the Potters were unbeaten in three and they were the better side in the first half against the runaway leaders.

The Staffordshire side are still conceding sloppy goals, however, they are creating chances and should be able to bounce back on Monday afternoon. They've scored exactly two goals in four of their last six matches and should be able to find a way past an out-of-sorts Preston.

PNE's Freddie Woodman has called for everyone to stick together amidst a difficult run of form. The Lancashire club have scored just once across their last three matches and have been unable to recreate their thumping 4-1 victory over Blackburn.

Injuries have affected their recent performances with Troy Parrott, Robbie Brady, Greg Cunningham and Ali McCann having all missed games recently. This could be a difficult afternoon for Ryan Lowe's side.