Championship Predictions: Boro to make their mark at the top?

Our Championship predictions this week are a little shorter than normal, given gameweek 32 has been stretched over midweek and the weekend, but don’t fear, we have submitted our score predictions and updated the scores. 

Leicester were stunned at home to Southampton by losing 4-3 from 3-0 up, while Birmingham failed to beat West Brom at home. Let’s look ahead to the weekend, then, where a top-of-the-table clash awaits on Monday night.

QPR 1-0 Blackburn @ 11/2

QPR have drawn three of their last five games 0-0 and are in the middle of a bit of an injury crisis, but they did beat Coventry 2-1 in their last home game and they are up against a poor Blackburn outfit this weekend, so should be targeting all three points. 

Rovers now occupy the final relegation place and have only beaten a hapless Sheffield Wednesday in their last 10 league outings and look like they could be in serious trouble this term. I will back QPR to edge this one and plunge Rovers further into the mire. 

Nick: 2-0

Conor: 1-0

Sheffield Wednesday 0-4 Millwall @ 14/1

Should be relatively straightforward here. Sheffield Wednesday are barely competitive in this division and haven’t scored a goal since Boxing Day. Their relegation is set to be mathematically confirmed over the next couple of weeks and it looks as though they are going to struggle to pick up any more points this season. 

Millwall are absolutely flying and look well set for a play-off finish this term - so they should have no trouble wiping the floor with this weak Wednesday outfit. 

Nick: 1-3

Conor: 0-3

Derby County 1-1 Swansea @ 5/1

Tough one to call this. I’ve been impressed with Derby this season but the contrast between their home and away form is startling, and perhaps not in the way you would expect. Their away form is the second-best in the league, only behind Middlesbrough, yet they’ve only racked up 18 points from 16 matches in front of their own fans - ranking them 20th. 

Swansea have lost nine of their 15 away games so far and are far better at home, but they do possess the league’s top scorer in Zan Vipotnik. I can see this one ending all square, with both teams on the scoresheet.

Nick: 2-1

Conor: 2-2

Championship Odds

Preston 0-2 Watford @ 10/1

Edward Still - who on earth saw that one coming? Will’s brother has got the gig at Vicarage Road having done some coaching in Belgium, and that does feel very Watford indeed. His first test comes at Preston North End, with both teams harbouring ambitions of the play-offs. 

The Hornets will leapfrog PNE with a win, and with all their attacking talent, it just feels as though they need to be let off the leash to cause havoc. Preston got a 1-0 win at home to Pompey but could have lost that one, and I’ll take a gamble on the new manager bounce here. 

Nick: 2-1

Conor: 1-1

Portsmouth 1-2 Sheffield United @ 15/2

Pompey are going to have to rely on their Fratton Park form to get them out of danger this term and John Mousinho had gone undefeated in the last four Championship games prior to that disappointing 1-0 defeat to Preston. 

Sheffield United are really going to have to motor to climb into the play-off picture, and that home defeat to Middlesbrough was incredibly disappointing but Wilder’s men have a lot of quality and so I’ll back them to take all three points here. 

Nick: 1-2

Conor: 1-1

Coventry 0-3 Middlesbrough @ 28/1

The big one on Monday night. Coventry have lost their grip on the Championship lead, and after a dreadful run of results look shot of confidence. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, are the complete opposite, having won six games in a row and could start dreaming of the Premier League if they got to the CBS Arena and win. 

Victory would take them five points clear of the Sky Blues, and given Frank Lampard doesn’t know his best team or even his favoured centre-back pairing right now, I think Boro might just turn up and play Coventry off the park. Boro are Premier League-bound and can make a massive statement on Monday night in front of the cameras. 

Nick: 2-2

Conor: 1-3

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