Saturday Championship Tips: Teessiders to leave Loftus Road with all three points

Beale's men to come up short in West London

QPR 3.185/40 v Middlesbrough 2.568/5; The Draw 3.412/5

Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder was relatively satisfied with his side's 1-1 draw at home to West Brom last weekend. Boro played some scintillating stuff in the first half, however, they lacked a clinical edge at times. Summer signing Marcus Forss came off the bench and the Finn may be fit enough to start this game, alongside the returning Paddy McNair.

The addition of Ryan Giles gives them a far greater threat from wide areas with last week's goalscorer Isaiah Jones also providing some much-needed energy on the flanks. Although they still lack a talismanic and prolific striker, the Teessiders look far more balanced this season and are slowly beginning to resemble an archetypal Chris Wilder outfit.

QPR are a work in progress and new boss Michael Beale still has plenty of issues to address. They failed to muster on target against Blackburn last weekend with many fans complaining about their side's lack of creativity in the final third.

Beale described the performance as 'poor' and although further incomings are expected this week, any late additions are unlikely to feature here. The return of Luke Amos and Chris Willock is a significant boost, however, it may not be enough to prevent the visitors from collecting all three points.

Back Middlesbrough to beat QPR @ 2.568/5

Low-scoring clash in South Yorkshire

Sheffield United 1.9210/11 v Millwall 4.94/1; The Draw 3.4549/20

Sheffield United got off to a hugely disappointing start and Paul Heckingbottom will be looking for a response on Saturday afternoon. The Blades look set to hand a debut to Anel Ahmedhodzic this weekend and although he is unlikely to make them more creative going forward, it should enable them to become more compact at the back. Last season, the South Yorkshire club were incredibly tough to beat here and kept 12 clean sheets across their last 15 home matches. That approach is unlikely to change.

Millwall also continued where they left off and despite making a number of changes to their squad this summer, the Lions are still frustratingly difficult to break down. Their disclipline and endeavour off the ball is key to their success and they are unlikely to give the hosts an easy ride. They were defeated in just two of their final eight away matches last season and there is unlikely to be much between these two well-organised sides.

Using the Bet Builder on the Sportsbook, we can combine Under 2.5 Goals and BTTS? No at around 19/20 and this will cover a 1-0 victory either way as well as a goalless draw.

Back Under 2.5 Goals and BTTS? No (Bet Builder) @ 1.9420/21

PNE and Tigers to share the points

Preston 2.0421/20 v Hull 4.47/2; The Draw 3.55/2

Preston began the season with a goalless draw at Wigan and it was a game which was largely devoid of opportunities. PNE struggled to maintain any sort of rhythm with both Alan Browne and Daniel Johnson struggling to dictate. Although Ched Evans is suspended for this contest, Ryan Lowe does have plenty of options with summer signing Alvaro Fernandez and the ever-reliable Ali McCann hoping to be handed a start this weekend. Under Lowe, the Lilywhites have become much tougher to beat, although they will be desperately hoping that the partnership of Troy Parrott and Emil Riis begins to click over the coming weeks.

Hull's new-look XI picked up a last-gasp victory last weekend and although there was an element of luck involved, Shota Arveladze's side can take plenty of confidence into this trip across the Pennines. The Tigers looked like a team that were still getting to know one another and although fortune appears to be on their side, they may have to settle for a point this time around.

Back Draw in Preston vs Hull @ 3.55/2

Bluebirds to potentially edge out Royals

Reading 2.77/4 v Cardiff 32/1; The Draw 3.211/5

Reading boss Paul Ince bemoaned his side's lack of clinical edge as the Royals slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Bloomfield Road last weekend. The Berkshire club have undergone a rebuild this summer after losing the majority of their midfield and their new-look XI is likely to take time to gel.

With Scott Dann and Lucas Joao still on the sidelines, the hosts will once again be without the services of key players and the absence of the latter does make them far less threatening in the final third. Ince's men were widely tipped for relegation this season, and the former midfield will be determined to prove everyone wrong, however, he desperately needs to bolster his attacking options.

Cardiff picked up a superb opening day victory over Norwich and Steve Morison will be keen for his side to build upon that success. With Romaine Sawyers having been deployed further forward and with Ryan Wintle keeping things ticking along in the centre of the park, there is a far better balance to the Bluebirds' first-choice XI this season and they should be able to take something back across the M4 this weekend.

Using the Bet Builder, we can combine Cardiff Double Chance (Win or Draw) with Under 2.5 Goals at around 11/10.

Back Cardiff Double Chance and Under 2.5 Goals (Bet Builder) @ 2.1211/10

Entertaining afternoon at Ashton Gate

Bristol City 2.546/4 v Sunderland 3.052/1; The Draw 3.4549/20

Although Nigel Pearson wasn't happy with the performance of the officials last weekend, he did appear to be fairly satisfied with his side's application at the MKM. The Robins were defensively porous last season, however, a last-gasp deflected strike aside, they looked far more assured at the back in Humberside. With Andreas Weimann continuing where he left off in May and Alex Scott improving with every passing game, Bristol City are unlikely to be dragged into a relegation battle this season. Nevertheless, they must win more games at home and they will fancy their chances of finding the back of the net here.

Sunderland took a point from last weekend's clash with Coventry and with the Sky Blues piling on the pressure in the second half, Alex Neil's men can be relatively satisfied with the outcome. The Black Cats looked perfectly comfortable at this level and with summer signing Ellis Simms to come into the squad, they should be able ask questions of the home defence.

Back BTTS in Bristol City vs Sunderland @ 1.875/6

Tight 90 minutes at Turf Moor

Burnley 1.845/6 v Luton 54/1; The Draw 3.8514/5

Burnley were imperious for large periods of their opening victory over Huddersfield. The Clarets were sharp and Josh Cullen looks set to have a significant impact in the second tier this season. Vincent Kompany's side have plenty of strength-in-depth and with Scott Twine and Vitinho both coming off the bench at the John Smith's Stadium, the Belgian has plenty of options at his disposal.

Luton will provide a far sterner test for the recently-relegated hosts with Nathan Jones' side having beaten Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Middlesbrough last season. However, they failed to beat any of the top seven on their travels and with many of their new signings still bedding in, they may just fall short in Lancashire this weekend.

Back Burnley to beat Luton @ 1.845/6

Slow 90 minutes expected in Staffordshire

Stoke 2.1411/10 v Blackpool 43/1; The Draw 3.412/5

This is a critical period for Stoke boss Michael O'Neill with the Northern Irishman already under pressure following a disappointing 2021-22 campaign. The Potters didn't cover themselves in glory last weekend having managed just four shots at the Den. Although Lewis Baker and Josh Laurent are more than capable at this level, Dwight Gayle is clearly lacking match sharpness and it may take him a few weeks to get up to speed.

Blackpool are a work in progress under Michael Appleton and they made an exceptionally fast start against Reading last weekend. The Tangerines are likely to get stronger, however, they faded badly in the second half. Nevertheless, they looked assured at the back and the addition of Charlie Patino will only make them stronger.

With the visitors in transition and the hosts struggling for inspiration in the final third, this could be a low-scoring affair.

Back Under 2.5 Goals in Stoke vs Blackpool @ 1.768/11

Swans to edge past Rovers

Swansea 2.447/5 v Blackburn 3.1511/5; The Draw 3.4549/20

As predicted, Swansea had plenty of possession against Rotherham, yet Russell Martin's somehow side failed to pierce the Millers' rearguard for long perods of the 90 minutes. Nevertheless, they created some decent chances with Michael Obafemi guilty of spurning the biggest opportunity. They will not change their approach here and that should lead to yet another entertaining affair.

Blackburn picked up their first victory of the campaign, although they did come up against a hugely underwhelming QPR oufit. Despite losing key players this summer, Rovers still look excellent going forward and Ben Brereton-Diaz looked hungry, despite being linked with a move away from Lancashire.

The Swans should win this at 2.447/5, however, if you're putting together a Bet Builder, you can get 5/1 on a home victory with Michael Obafemi to score anytime. The striker will be desperate to make up for last weekend's profligacy.

Back Swansea to beat Blackburn @ 2.447/5