Saturday Championship Tips: Millers to edge past struggling Blues

Another away blank for Eustace's men

Rotherham 2.0621/20 v Birmingham 4.131/10; The Draw 3.4549/20

Rotherham were dumped out of the EFL Cup by League One strugglers Morecambe on Tuesday night. However, they've made a solid start to the Championship campaign. Paul Warne made 10 changes to his line-up for the midweek assignment, although the former physio is likely to revert back to the starting XI which held QPR to a 1-1 draw in West London seven days ago.

Despite picking up just a single victory so far, the Millers remain unbeaten and have produced some impressive xGA numbers. They barely gave Reading a sniff earlier this month and will look to take a similar approach on Saturday. Brooke Norton-Cuffy is a decent addition and will help ease the Millers' injury crisis at full-back.

Birmingham are yet to score on the road this season and having produced a combined xG of 0.7 across their first two away games, they may struggle to break down Rotherham's stubborn resistance. John Eustace's side are likely to pick up the majority of their points in the West Midlands this season and are likely to leave south Yorkshire empty handed.

Back Rotherham to beat Birmingham @ 2.0621/20

War of attrition at Cardiff City Stadium

Cardiff 2.89/5 v Preston 2.9215/8; The Draw 3.185/40

Cardiff slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Ashton Gate on Sunday lunchtime with Steve Morison bemoaning the profligacy of his strikers. It's not the first time that Max Watters and Mark Harris have spurned key opportunities, and having drawn back-to-back blanks, the Bluebirds simply must improve their output in front of goal.

Sadly for Morison, his side are coming up against the division's best defence this weekend with the Welsh outfit bidding to become the first club to breach PNE's watertight back-line.

Preston have drawn four of their opening five matches, although they've failed to score in each of those encounters. Ryan Lowe's side are extremely well-drilled with a back three of Liam Lindsay, Jordan Storey and Andrew Hughes helping the Lilywhites to survive a late onslaught from Watford seven days ago.

The Lancashire club have produced a collective xG of 5.0 so far and have hit the woodwork on a number of occasions. A single goal may be enough to take all three points.

Entertaining afternoon at Bloomfield Road

Blackpool 2.35/4 v Bristol City 3.412/5; The Draw 3.4549/20

Blackpool have dramatically improved over the last couple of weeks with the Seasiders having collected four points from two tough-looking away assignments. Michael Appleton's side have an injury crisis in central midfield with summer signings Charlie Patino and Lewis Fiorini both facing spells on the sidelines. Despite this, they still found a way to create chances and stuck three past Lancashire rivals Burnley last weekend.

Having produced an xG of 2.5 at Turf Moor, and having seen strikers Shane Lavery and Jerry Yates get off the mark for the campaign, they should have enough to find a way past Bristol City at Bloomfield Road.

The Robins have now kept back-to-back clean sheets with Nigel Pearson's side successfully managing to shake off their poor start to the season. They haven't managed three consecutive victories since November 2020, and although they haven't been particularly effective on their travels recently, they have managed to find the net in both away games so far.

Back BTTS in Blackpool vs Bristol City @ 1.728/11

High-scoring affair in West Yorkshire

Huddersfield 3.929/10 v West Brom 2.166/5; The Draw 3.5551/20

West Brom have taken the third highest number of shots in the division so far andm prior to last weekend's dismantling of Hull, Baggies fans had seen their side spurn multiple opportunities. With an xG of 2.2, WBA looked dangerous every time they picked up the ball in the final third and with John Swift growing into his role, they should be able to carve through the Huddersfield defence on Saturday afternoon.

Huddersfield have struggled so far this season, but they have found the net in each of their last three fixtures and looked effective going forward against Stoke a fortnight ago. The Terriers will have benefitted from a slightly lighter schedule in recent weeks, they should be able to make a fast start to this contest.

Back Over 2.5 Goals in Huddersfield vs West Brom @ 2.0811/10

BTTS at the Den

Millwall 1.910/11 v Reading 4.94/1; The Draw 3.613/5

It's been a very un-Millwall start to the season with Gary Rowett's side conceding two goals in each of their last four matches. The Lions have been uncharacteristically sloppy at the back and, with the exception of their opening day victory over Stoke, they've rarely looked like keeping a clean sheet. Nevertheless, the Bermondsey outfit are still a threat from set-pieces and rarely draw a blank in front of their own fans.

Despite being widely tipped for relegation, Reading have made an overwhelmingly positive to the campaign. The majority of those performances have come at the Madejski and this will be a real test of Paul Ince's management credentials. The Berkshire outfit have lost both away matches so far, although they were the better side against Blackpool on the opening day. They are playing with confidence and could contribute to an entertaining contest.

Back BTTS in Millwall vs Reading @ 1.910/11

Hornets to clinch a narrow victory

Watford 1.981/1 v QPR 4.57/2; The Draw 3.5551/20

It's been a disappointing few days for Watford, who were dumped out of the EFL Cup by struggling MK Dons on Tuesday night. Rob Edwards is facing a difficult task at Vicarage Road with several players being linked with a move away from the club and he is unlikely to have a settled squad until the transfer window has closed.

In the Championship, it's been a fairly low-key start for the Hertfordshire outfit, although they are yet to taste defeat. Having won each of their opening two matches by the same scoreline (1-0), there is very little to suggest that this will be much different.

QPR are still finding their rhythm under Mick Beale and are yet to click in the final third. Chris Willock's outstanding contributions notwithstanding, the West London side look a little disjointed going forward and having produced a collective xG of 1.1 on the road so far, they could struggle to find a way past Watford's effective rear-guard.

Well-rested Sky Blues to strike at the MKM

Hull 2.942/1 v Coventry 2.6213/8; The Draw 3.4549/20

Having seen three home matches postponed and having exited the EFL Cup in the first round, we've seen very little of Coventry so far this season. Mark Robins has had plenty of time to work with his squad on the training ground and as a result, they'll be expected to make a fast start to this weekend's clash with Hull. The Sky Blues are yet to pick up maximum points, however, they looked very effective going forward against Millwall and should be able to find a way past Hull's shaky defence.

Following a decent start to the campaign, Hull imploded against West Brom last weekend and Shota Arveladze will be hoping that his side can tighten up here. They've won each of their first two home matches and possess the division's top goalscorer in Oscar Estupinan (4). With just a single clean sheet so far, though, they always look liable to concede.

Back BTTS in Hull vs Coventry @ 1.84/5

Boro to get off the mark for the campaign

Middlesbrough 1.824/5 v Swansea 4.94/1; The Draw 3.929/10

Chris Wilder insists that his side require further signings, even though Middlesbrough's incomings have been plentiful this summer. The Teessiders have made a poor start to the campaign, although the majority of their performances haven't been overly concerning. They've produced some decent xG numbers including 2.3 against Stoke and 1.4 against both Reading and Sheffield United. Boro's inability to keep clean sheets has rendered them winless so far, but this looks like a great opportunity to finally get up and running.

Swansea continue to frustrate their fans as well as confuse punters. Russell Martin's side can veer from the sublime to the ridiculous and we've seen some ridiculously poor performances from the Welsh side so far. They were slightly better against Luton last weekend yet still managed to concede twice. Having conceded seven times across their last four outings, they may struggle to contain the Teessiders this weekend.

Back Middlesbrough to beat Swansea @ 1.824/5

Rovers and Potters to cancel one another out

Blackburn 2.68/5 v Stoke 3.185/40; The Draw 3.39/4

Blackburn have made a brilliant start to the campaign, but, Jon Dahl Tomasson's side must now find a way of bouncing back from consecutive 3-0 defeats. Rovers have taken the fourth fewest shots in the division and although the performances of Sam Gallagher, Ryan Hedges and Bradley Dack have enabled them to attack with gusto, they are lacking numbers at the back.

Stoke have made an enigmatic start to the campaign and as a result, Michael O'Neill have been relieved of his duties. They've collected just four points from a possible 15 and produced a fairly tame performance against Sunderland last weekend. They have looked stronger at home and have tended to struggle in the final third on their travels so far.