Saturday Championship Tips: Immediate bounce for Carrick at the Riverside

• Boro to beat Huddersfield
• Lions to continue their momentum
• Sky Blues to frustrate the Potters

Terriers terrible travels to continue

Middlesbrough 1.748/11 v Huddersfield 5.49/2; The Draw 3.814/5

Although he is unable to take much credit for Boro's Wednesday night victory over Wigan, Michael Carrick's arrival in Teesside is likely to lift some of the gloom surrounding the club in recent weeks. Their emphatic display in Leo Percovich's final game in charge helped to elevate them out of the relegation zone and gives the incoming boss something to build on.

Having chalked up their first away of the campaign and having netted four goals in a game for the first time since April, the hosts will come into this match with plenty of confidence. Although they slipped up against Blackburn in their previous home match, Boro have won three of their last six matches here and have kept clean sheets in three of their last five.

Huddersfield slipped up at the John Smith's Stadium against Preston on Tuesday night despite going off as marginal favourites. Although there has undoubtedly been a moderate lift in performance levels under Mark Fotheringham, the Terriers put in a toothless performance in West Yorkshire and barely troubled Freddie Woodman in the Preston goal.

Fotheringham's blunt approach to man-management has been questioned by some fans and having called out individual players in his post-match press conference, he appears to be playing a relatively dangerous game. His side's away form is hugely concerning and although they've scored in each of their last three on the road, they have conceded 2+ goals in every single one of their away trips so far.

Matt's merry Millers to triumph

Rotherham 2.3211/8 v Hull 3.5551/20; The Draw 3.3512/5

Both of these two teams come off the back of unexpected away wins in midweek, however, it's the hosts who are more likely to utilise that momentum on Saturday afternoon. Matt Taylor admitted that his side rode their luck at times against Stoke, however, he also hailed the heroic performance of his goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.

It was the South Yorkshire club's first away win of the season and their first victory on the road in the second tier since March 2021. Taylor has now overseen back-to-back victories and they will be looking to extend that run with a winnable looking tie this weekend.

At home, they have suffered just a single defeat and only one side (Wigan) have netted more than a single goal at this venue.

Hull beat Blackpool on Wednesday and although this was an unexpected result, the Seasiders' poor performance heavily contributed to their success. The Tigers are still extremely inconsistent and have failed to score in six of their last eight.

Goals at both ends in Berkshire

Reading 2.526/4 v Bristol City 2.829/5; The Draw 3.3512/5

Having made a positive start to the campaign, this hectic period of the season was always going to be the first real test of Paul Ince's paper-thin squad. Reading have now slumped to consecutive defeats and have conceded five times in the last seven days.

It's now four matches without a victory for the Royals and they haven't kept a clean sheet since leaving the DW Stadium with a 1-0 victory on September 17th.

Bristol City were surprise winners in midweek as they left the Hawthorns with maximum points. Nigel Pearson's men will be buoyed by the clean sheet, however, despite this rare defensive masterclass, they are always capable of losing concentration at the back.

Although the majority of Robins fans have been tearing their hair out in recent months, you cannot accuse their side of producing drab performances. Six of their last eight matches have contained three or more goals and they should be able to carve open a creaking Reading defence.

In-form Lions to snatch all three points

Millwall 2.767/4 v West Brom 2.789/5; The Draw 3.39/4

Gary Rowett described his side as 'outstanding' following their 3-0 demolition of Watford. The Lions were extremely quick of the blocks and they were relentless through the first 45 minutes. Following a relatively inauspicious start, the Bermondsey outfit are now flirting with the play-offs and they will be confident of extending their unbeaten run on Saturday afternoon.

They've lost just two of their last eight and with both Tom Bradshaw and Zian Flemming having found form in front of goal, the West Brom defence could be in for a long and arduous 90 minutes.

At the time of writing, the West Brom managerial role remains vacant. The club have reportedly held talks with Carlos Corberan, yet whoever arrives at the Hawthorns will have a sizeable task on their hands. WBA are vastly underperforming and as a result of Middlesbrough's victory on Wednesday evening, they've subsequently dropped into the bottom three. Having failed to score in three of their last four, they could struggle at the Den on Saturday afternoon.

Sky Blues to take something back to the CBS

Stoke 2.245/4 v Coventry 3.211/5; The Draw 3.185/40

Stoke were defeated at an odds-on priced in midweek as they slipped up against Rotherham in Staffordshire. The Potters continue to confuse punters with their baffling inconsistency, however, they are regularly opposable in front of their own fans. They've won just twice on their own patch this season and have also failed to score in three of their last five matches at this venue.

On Saturday afternoon, they face one of the most defensively-improved outfits in the division and could struggle to find a way through. Coventry have conceded just once in their last six matches and Mark Robins' side have become extraordinarily tough to beat. They haven't managed more than a single goal in a match for over a month and their newly-discovered defensive solidity and organisation has helped them to overcome their lack of firepower.

Out-of-form duo to serve up the entertainment

Sheffield United 2.466/4 v Norwich 2.9215/8; The Draw 3.412/5

Neither Sheffield United nor Norwich will be satisfied with their recent form, and the Blades will be keen to snap a five match winless run on Saturday afternoon. Injuries have hit the South Yorkshire club hard over the last couple of months and even with the return of Anel Ahmedhodzic, they still look a little short on numbers. Rhys Norrington-Davies is the latest player to find himself on the treatment table with the Welshman stretchered off against Coventry on Wednesday night.

Norwich fans are a little concerned about their side's recent form and some supporters are beginning to vent their frustration at manager Dean Smith. The Canaries have failed to win five of their last six and have kept just a single clean sheet across their last seven outings. The East Anglian side have gone off as favourites in each of their last four matches yet they have failed to deliver.

Despite their recent form, visiting Bramall Lane is rarely straightforward and the hosts will be confident of picking up at least a point.

Sunderland to push Clarets all the way

Sunderland 3.185/40 v Burnley 2.47/5; The Draw 3.5551/20

Sunderland were defeated by Tony Mowbray's former employers in midweek, however, the Black Cats have become relatively tough to beat, particularly at the Stadium of Light. Their only loss here came against Norwich and although they have suffered defeats in four of their five encounters with top seven opposition, the majority of those games have been on the road.

Burnley appeared to have turned a corner with their sensational performance against Swansea at the weekend, however, Vincent Kompany's men lapsed into old habits by failing to hold onto a lead at St. Andrews on Wednesday night. They have a deep enough squad to cope with this quick turnaround, however, they've won just three times on the road, with two of those victories coming against the current bottom two.

Brum and Blackburn to cancel one another out

Blackburn 2.1211/10 v Birmingham 3.953/1; The Draw 3.5551/20

Blackburn successfully ended their inconsistent form cycle by picking up back-to-back wins for the first time since August. It was also Rovers' sixth home win of the season with only Millwall having been able to match that impressive total across the first eight matches. Jon Dahl Tomasson has successfully utilised his squad and having opted to rest ever-present Harry Pickering on Tuesday night, the majority of the players should be raring to go this weekend.

Birmingham are playing well under John Eustace and have become fairly difficult to beat. They battled back against Burnley in midweek and although some opposition managers have accused them of using time-wasting tactics, they are learning to manage matches effectively. The Blues are also extremely hard to score against and have conceded an average of just 0.87 goals per game. This could be tight.

R's to deliver another solid performance

QPR 2.01/1 v Wigan 3.929/10; The Draw 3.5551/20

Despite the ongoing speculation surrounding the future of Mick Beale, QPR were still able to produce a terrific performance on Wednesday evening as they eased past Cardiff at Loftus Road. Beale admitted that it would difficult to walk away from his current group of players and that positive statement suggests that there is a decent camaraderie within the squad. The West Londoners have won four of their last five matches and have suffered just a single home defeat so far this campaign.

Although it's too early to declare a full blown crisis at the DW, it's fair to say that Wigan's recent form is worrying. The Latics were extremely tough to beat at the beginning of the campaign, however, they've subsequently lost four of their last five and have been defeated in each of their last two away games. This will be a tough test for Leam Richardson and his squad.