Championship Betting Tips: The best bets for Saturday afternoon's fixtures | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Alex Neil will be hoping that his side can continue their unlikely push for the play-offs

Following another hectic midweek programme, the Championship returns and Jack Critchley has picked out his best bets from Saturday afternoon's games...

Betfair Saturday Superboost

Aston Villa' January  Transfer Window signing Marco Asensio has enjoyed a fine start at his new club, becoming one of Villa's key goalscoring threats.

The Spaniard has registered 11 shots on target in his last seven games, and on Saturday, against the Premier League's bottom club Southampton you can back him at the super-boosted price of 1/1 (from 2/5) to have at least one shot on target.

To take advantage of this latest Betfair Superboost just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

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Saturday 12:30 Kick-Offs

Leeds vs Preston - Whites to edge to victory

Leeds' title ambitions are back on track following a narrow victory over Middlesbrough on Wednesday evening. Daniel Farke's side took full advantage of their rivals slipping up and with a relatively straightforward fixture list, they will fancy their chances of staying at the summit. Nevertheless, they must be careful when it comes to facing mid-table teams who seemingly have very little to play for. Having dropped points against both Swansea and QPR, Farke must ensure that his team don't get too complacent in this one.

Preston have been the division's draw specialists under Paul Heckingbottom. 19 of their 41 matches have finished all-square this season and they held these opponents to a 1-1 draw when they visited Deepdale earlier in the campaign. They have failed to win any of their last five away games, yet they should make this competitive and cannot be taken lightly.

Saturday 15:00 Kick-Offs

Millwall vs Middlesbrough - Boro to struggle at the Den

Millwall have emerged as an unlikely late challenger for the play-offs. With WBA faltering, the Lions could be the side to challenge Middlesbrough and Bristol City for the final top spots and they could give themselves a significant advantage by beating one of their main rivals on Saturday afternoon. Alex Neil's men are in good form, winning five of their last eight and although they still lack firepower, they have conceded just twice in their previous four outings. It is worth noting that they will be without Boro loanee Josh Coburn for this fixture, so it remains to be seen whether Neil continues with playing two up front. The hosts will continue to work hard and fight for every ball. They will not make it easy for Boro.

Michael Carrick's men will have been disappointed not to have found the net at the Riverside in midweek. They were on the right side of some questionable officiating, however, they were also wasteful in front of goal and the fanbase is still unconvinced by Kelechi Iheanacho. On the road, the Teessiders have lost five of their last eight and also drew a blank at Kenilworth Road. They were victorious in their last visit to this ground, yet failed to score in their three previous trips. They might find it tough to take all three points back to the north east.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Oxford - Yellows to snatch an unlikely point

It's rarely straightforward at Sheffield Wednesday. Although it seems like everyone has been paid, there has been growing speculation over the future of head coach Danny Rohl. The German boss has been linked with the RB Leipzig vacancy and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him swap South Yorkshire for Southern Germany this summer. The Owls are also having issues winning at home, picking up just three points from a possible 21 at Hillsborough. They've won just twice here since November 5th and although they were on the road in midweek, they will have been disappointed to have dropped a two-goal lead at Blackburn.

Oxford delivered a disappointing first-half performance against QPR and although they rallied in the second half, they weren't able to take anything from the game. Their away form is poor, but this is a prime opportunity to take another small step towards safety. Rowett's side tend to be well-organised and if they can cope with the quick turnaround, they could easily take a point from this encounter.

Luton vs Blackburn - Hatters to edge another tight one

Luton rescued a point against Stoke in midweek to maintain their unbeaten run. Matt Bloomfield's side have become difficult to play against and they have also shown plenty of character to dig in and avoid defeat. They are two points off safety and with many of their fellow bottom six dwellers seemingly improving, they cannot afford to drop points here. Sunderland were the last team to score 2+ goals at this ground in October 2024 and an out-of-form Blackburn could struggle to break them down.

Rovers showed some signs of life in midweek as they roared back from 2-0 down to rescue a point. Val Ismael was pleased with his team's second-half performance, yet this is likely to be far tougher.

Portsmouth vs Derby - Low-key affair at Fratton Park

Portsmouth were defeated in the dying stages on Wednesday night and this is a quick turnaround for John Mousinho's side. They have been excellent at home this season, winning four of their last five. Their success has been built on a solid defence, conceding just five goals in their last seven at this ground. Despite their impressive early-season points haul, Pompey still aren't safe and they cannot afford to hit the beach just yet.

Derby took an impressive point off Burnley in midweek with John Eustace's side continuing to get a tune out of this squad. They have amassed just a single away win since the start of November and have failed to score in their last two, yet Eustace will make them tough to break down and this could be a tentative and tepid affair.

Cardiff vs Stoke - Points shared in the battle for survival

Despite some criticisms of boss Omer Riza, Cardiff have been putting together a decent unbeaten run. The Bluebirds have gone four matches without defeat, taking points off various midtable outfits. They managed 19 shots at Deepdale in midweek and have looked a little more threatening going forward.

Stoke are continuing to pick up points, however, they will have been disappointed to have only picked up a point in midweek. They have been much better at home, yet they did leave Deepdale with a 1-1 draw last weekend and that should give them some confidence heading into this one. They probably deserved to win that match and with some better decision-making in the final third, they should also be able to take something from this one.

Sunderland vs Swansea - BTTS at the SOL

Sunderland are heading into the play-offs in decent form. They have lost just one of their last seven, despite having to deal with several injuries. At home, they've been particularly formidable, winning seven of their last 12 and although they aren't easily breached, they have kept just clean sheets during that run of games. Across their last two games, albeit both away from home, they've allowed the opposition over 50 efforts on goal, despite keeping a clean sheet.

Swansea's upturn in form has coincided with the return of Lewis O'Brien. The Welsh side have been better under Alan Sheehan and scored twice against Leeds in their previous away trip. They will give a good account of themselves here and should get on the scoresheet.

QPR vs Bristol City - Robins to be frustrated on the road

QPR were limping towards the end of the campaign, yet they have shown glimpses in their last couple of outings. They were indebted to Sam Field on Wednesday night with the holding midfielder helping to orchestrate their victory over Oxford and they have also picked up home points against Cardiff and Leeds in recent weeks. Despite having very little to play for, Marti Cifuentes' side will not make it easy for the play-off chasers on Saturday afternoon. Only two sides (both from Sheffield) have left this ground with maximum points since early November, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see that run continue.

Ashton Gate has been a fortress for Bristol City recently, yet they've had mixed fortunes on the road. The Robins have won just one of their last 12 away games and this might not be as straightforward as the odds suggest.

West Brom vs Watford - End-of-season vibes at the Hawthorns

West Brom have tamely dropped out of the play-offs. Tony Mowbray has taken a lot of flack on the message boards this week, yet the Teessider is working with a relatively limited squad. Nevertheless, the 'handbrake off' football that was promised upon his arrival has not been delivered and eight goals in ten games does not suggest that a play-off push is imminent. Their last five home matches have contained a total of just eight goals and Mowbray has just not been able to find a way to get the best out of deadline day signing Adam Armstrong.

Watford's season is done and dusted. They have lost key players to injury including Giorgi Chakvetadze, who has been their main creative spark this season. Without his incision, they are unlikely to carve out too many chances and this could be a low-scoring 90 minutes.

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