Saturday Championship Tips: Woe on the road for the struggling Seasiders

• Home comforts for the Royals

• Another entertaining contest at Bramall Lane

• QPR and Blackburn to share the points

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Yet another setback in Blackpool's survival bid

Reading 1.674/6 v Blackpool 5.95/1; The Draw 4.216/5

Despite their position in mid-table, only three sides have won more games at home than Reading. The Royals have been exceptional on their own patch, winning nine of their 15 matches in Berskhire. Paul Ince's side have scored 2+ goals in each of their last four matches here and haven't tasted defeat since the beginning of November.

Ince, who celebrated a year in charge of the Royals on Sunday, has had eight days to work with his squad, whereas opponents Blackpool have played twice within that same period.

The Seasiders were defeated at Blackburn in midweek and alongside fellow strugglers Huddersfield and Wigan, now find themselves four points adrift of safety.

Interestingly, only Reading have conceded more away goals than the Fylde Coast club this season with Mick McCarthy's team having taken just a single point from a possible 15 on the road.

Battling Latics to leave Deepdale with a point

Preston 2.3211/8 v Wigan 3.5551/20; The Draw 3.39/4

Although they deservedly took a point from their last fixture at Deepdale, Preston's home form remains curiously underwhelming. Ryan Lowe's side have picked up just three victories here and have netted just ten times in 16 outings.

PNE have lost five of their six home matches since the Championship returned from the World Cup break and many fans have been critical of Lowe's approach to these sort of games.

Shaun Maloney has added some much-needed steel to Wigan, however, he's been unable to unlock his side's attacking potential.

Jack Whatmough's injury is yet another blow to the Scot's preparations for this contest, however, with just five goals conceded in their last six outings, they could easily take a point back to the DW.

Blades and Hornets to deliver entertainment

Sheffield United 1.9110/11 v Watford 4.67/2; The Draw 3.711/4

Sheffield United are wobbling. The Blades are now just four points clear of Middlesbrough and have failed to win in three of their last five outings. Paul Heckingbottom's side still possess plenty of firepower and look extremely dangerous going forward, yet their defensive displays have been fairly worrying.

John Egan and Chris Basham both struggled against Millwall whereas Anel Ahmedhodzic hasn't looked quite right since returning from a bout of glandular fever.

Watford reignited their play-off hopes with a 3-2 victory on Monday night and with the majority of their key attacking players back from injury, Slaven Bilic's side are looking extremely effective going forward. Having found the net seven times across their last four outings, the visitors should be able to get on the scoresheet fairly easily.

In-form Teessiders to edge out Baggies

West Brom 2.56/4 v Middlesbrough 3.1511/5; The Draw 3.55/2

Carlos Corberan's honeymoon period appears to have been completed. WBA have lost three of their last five matches and looked defensively susceptible against Watford on Monday night. Corberan changed the shape of his side at the break and with John Swift having moved back into a central position, they looked far more effective going forward.

The Baggies have kept just a single clean sheet in their last six outings, and they could struggle against fellow play-off contenders Middlesbrough.

The visitors took all three points from their trip to Bramall Lane and followed it up with a victory at home to QPR. Last weekend's performance was far from vintage, however, they've had a full week to recover and should able to take something back to the north east.

Ainsworth's first game to end all-square

QPR 2.265/4 v Blackburn 3.613/5; The Draw 3.55/2

QPR replaced Neil Critchley with Wycombe's Gareth Ainsworth this week. The former midfielder spent seven years at Loftus Road and remains a cult hero amongst R's fans.

A new manager can often give players a significant lift and there should be a raucous atmosphere around the stadium to greet the Blackburn-born boss.

Ainsworth has regularly been linked with this weekend's opponents and despite his deep-rooted connections, he'll be determined to get one over on his hometown club.

Blackburn's away form is fairly underwhelming and they have failed to win any of their last five on the road. They've scored just four times during that period, however, they do tend to keep things tight and should be able to collect yet another point on their travels.

Another low-scoring 90 minutes in Staffordshire

Stoke 2.486/4 v Millwall 3.1511/5; The Draw 3.211/5

Stoke have been frustratingly inconsistent this season, yet they've shown some signs of life in recent weeks and they're unbeaten in three of their last four. The Potters have conceded just three times in their last six outings and have improved significantly at the back.

Alex Neil's men have also kept three consecutive clean sheets at this venue and won't make it easy for their opponents on Saturday afternoon.

Millwall have taken four points from two extremely tough fixtures against Burnley and Sheffield United. Gary Rowett's side are extremely effective and their matches on the road tend to be tight affairs. Their last five matches have featured just eight goals and they could struggle to break down Stoke's much-improved rearguard. This may not be one for the purists.

Hatters to end their Birmingham hoodoo

Birmingham 3.259/4 v Luton 2.568/5; The Draw 3.259/4

Although they've enjoyed a fantastic couple of seasons in the second tier, Luton have continuously struggled to get the better of Birmingham. The Hatters have failed to score in any of their last three meetings with Brum and they've conceded eight times in the process.

The Bedfordshire outfit have won just one of their last seven contests against the Blues, although Rob Edwards' side do head into this fixture in far better form.

The visitors have lost just one of their last six games and have conceded just three times during that sequence. They should be able to end their wretched run in the West Midlands this weekend.

Canaries to outclass improving Bluebirds

Norwich 1.784/5 v Cardiff 5.04/1; The Draw 3.7511/4

Under Dean Smith, Norwich were fairly effective on the road yet somehow weren't able to buy a win at Carrow Road. Following David Wagner's arrival, the East Anglian side's home form has dramatically improved and they've picked up consecutive 3-1 victories here. With 30+ shots across those two fixtures, they should be able to secure a third consecutive success here on Saturday afternoon.

Cardiff have improved under Sabri Lamouchi and they have been good value for each of their last two victories. Nevertheless, those results have come against fairly average opposition and this is a significant step up in class. They've struggled to score this season and Callum Robinson's latest injury is likely to hinder their productivity in the final third. They will keep things tight, but could potentially be undone by a single moment of magic.

Low-scoring clash at Ashton Gate

Bristol City 2.427/5 v Hull 3.39/4; The Draw 3.412/5

Bristol City extended their unbeaten run with a last-gasp draw against Sunderland last weekend. The Robins were also awarded a penalty for the first time in 469 days with Nahki Wells duly tucking it away.

Nigel Pearson's men have had their fair share of defensive issues this season, yet they've conceded just seven times across their last eight fixtures and are keeping things reasonably tight. Despite the loss of Rob Atkinson, they should be able to keep Hull at arm's length on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors are just a point above the hosts coming into this fixture and they have failed to win any of their last three fixtures. Nevertheless, Liam Rosenior's side are tough to beat and have managed to keep four clean sheets in their last five.

Warnock's men to trouble the leaders

Burnley 1.4640/85 v Huddersfield 9.08/1; The Draw 4.77/2

Burnley dropped two points in midweek and the hectic schedule is beginning to take its toll on Vincent Kompany's men. Nevertheless, they have plenty of class within their squad and the Belgian boss has been able to rotate his squad to accomodate the quick turnarounds.

The Clarets have found the net in each of their last 30 matches, yet they haven't been quite as free-flowing in the last fortnight. Regardless, they should still have enough to take all three points here.

Huddersfield picked up a victory last weekend and under Neil Warnock, they are likely to be far more competitive. The Yorkshireman will significantly improve players and increase performance levels yet this could prove to be a step too far for the relegation-threatened Terriers.

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