Saturday Championship Tips: Entertaining afternoon expected at the DW

Jack Critchley
16 August 2019

Paul Cook likes his side to play attacking football at the DW Stadium

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The 2019-2020 Championship season is already producing plenty of drama and this Saturday Jack Critchley anticipates a high-scoring contest between Wigan and Leeds...

"Despite the signing of Charlie Mulgrew, Wigan's back-line cannot be trusted, and they've already shipped five goals in two games"

Wigan and Leeds to serve up a feast of entertainment

Wigan 4.47/2 v Leeds 1.9310/11; The Draw 3.55/2

Leeds began the season with a fantastic 3-1 victory at Ashton Gate , with Marcelo Bielsa's side attacking with real gusto for 90 minutes. It was a terrific away performance, and many expected the Whites to follow up that success with a comfortable home win against Nottingham Forest seven days ago.

It didn't quite pan out that way with Patrick Bamford missing a number of decent chances at Elland Road. Leeds ended the match with an XG rating of 1.5, but had just a single goal to show for their efforts. Bielsa is likely to reiterate to his players the importance of putting games to bed, especially considering that they have conceded in each of their opening two matches.

Leeds fans will not have happy memories of facing Wigan, having seen their title hopes slip away during an unexpected 2-1 defeat in mid-April. Both meetings between these sides ended 2-1 to the away side last season, and we should be in for another entertaining tussle on Saturday.

Wigan collapsed on the road again last weekend, conceding three goals without reply to Preston. Paul Cook's side were at sixes and sevens at the back, with Preston gifted an easy lead. Wigan produced an XG of just 0.7 in that game, but it's a completely different story when they're back on familiar terrain.

The Latics were far more creative in front of their own fans on August 3, beating Cardiff 3-2 in a tremendously topsy-turvy tie. The addition of Keiffer Moore will give them a different option up front, and he could replace the energetic Joe Garner in this match.

Jamal Lowe and Bright Enobakhare are lively players who could help give the hosts a more incision going forward. They have plenty of options in this department and Cook could shuffle his pack yet again.

With Wigan stronger, and more creative at the DW, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them find a way past the Leeds rearguard. Despite the signing of Charlie Mulgrew, Wigan's back-line cannot be trusted, and they've already shipped five goals in two Championship games.

I'm expecting this to be a terrific tie for the neutral and it's 17/20 on the Sportsbook for Over 2.5 Goals which looks like the best bet in this one.

Mowbray to potentially come up short against his former club

Blackburn 2.546/4 v Middlesbrough 3.052/1; The Draw 3.39/4

Middlesbrough missed countless opportunities in the first half last weekend, with Jonathan Woodgate's side also having a seemingly legitimate goal chalked off against the Bees. Although they ended up losing 1-0, the Riverside faithful enjoyed seeing their side pour forward at regular intervals, and create opportunities throughout the first 45.

Boro ran out of steam in the second half but there are certainly plenty of positives to take from their performance. In their previous away tie, they finished with an XG of 1.9, and netted three times, albeit with the help of some generous goalkeeping. Woodgate's young side are fearless in attack and the excellent Lewis Wing isn't afraid to shoot from distance. That bodes well for their visit to a Blackburn side who are yet to convince defensively.

Tony Mowbray will be keen to get one over on his hometown club, but something isn't quite right at Ewood Park. They have enough talent in their side to turn things around, but they're conceding too many cheap goals, and their inability to defend crosses must be giving Mowbray sleepless nights.

Last week, Rovers produced a reasonable performance against Fulham but were unable to find a way through. Their fringe players failed to impress in their 3-2 midweek victory over Oldham, and needed subs Joe Rothwell and Bradley Dack to rescue the situation.

Blackburn's only strike so far this campaign came courtesy of an own goal, and there is a chance that they could be edged out in this contest. Using the Sportsbook Same Game Multi, we can get Middlesbrough to Win or Draw coupled with Over 1.5 Match Goals at 11/10.

Blues to leave the City Ground with at least a point

Nottingham Forest 2.0621/20 v Birmingham4.003/1; The Draw 3.412/5

Despite a tumultuous summer at St.Andrews, Birmingham have managed to take four points from a possible six in their first two matches under Pep Clotet. There are still question marks over the Spaniard's credentials to be top dog, yet despite this he has seemingly moulded Brum into an extremely well-drilled operation and they can be an obdurate opponent for any side in this division.

The Blues converted their only chance in a smash-and-grab victory over Brentford on August 3, before holding Bristol City to a 1-1 draw seven days later. They were much more attack-minded against the Robins and fans will be pleased to see Lukas Jutkiewicz get off the mark for the campaign.

Although they have a number of players who will dig in, they also have a plethora of talented ball-playing midfielders including Dan Crowley, Ivan Sunjic and Francisco Villalba, all of whom are capable of creating chances.

Nottingham Forest got an undeserved 1-1 draw against Leeds last weekend and are yet to claim three points this season. I can understand why they are favourites for this tie but I am yet to be convinced by them. Thiago Silva looks like a classy player who can produce moments of magic, whilst Matty Cash and Lewis Grabban will produce the goods at Championship level. However, they could potentially be overrated by the market here, and they've only won one of their last five meetings with the Blues.

Sabri Lamouche is still settling into the hot-seat. He has a sizeable squad to keep happy and they may find Birmingham firm opposition on Saturday afternoon. It wouldn't be a shock to see Clotet's men come away with something to show for their efforts.

It's 15/8 for Birmingham Draw No Bet on the Sportsbook, and that is a tempting enough price to back the Blues to remain unbeaten this campaign.

You can follow Jack Critchley on Twitter @jcritch7