Boxing Day Best Bets: Championship tips for the festive fixtures | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Chris Wilder will be hoping his side can keep yet another clean sheet

The Championship action comes thick and fast during the festive period and Jack Critchley has used the Betfair Sportsbook to pick out his ten best bets from the second tier...

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Sheffield United vs Burnley

High-flying duo to cancel one another out

Sheffield United kept yet another clean sheet at the weekend as they predictably breezed past struggling Cardiff. The Blades have kept five clean sheets in their last six and have conceded just twice in front of their own fans so far this season. Chris Wilder's men have hosted just one of the top six teams so far, somehow scrambling past Sunderland at the end of November. The Blades back-line has been superb this campaign with goalkeeper Michael Cooper having also caught the eye several times. They also have plenty of quality going forward, yet they've only managed to score 3+ goals twice so far and may struggle to break down Burnley's stubborn rearguard.

The Clarets were victorious against Watford at the weekend with Scott Parker's men making it six wins from eight. The Lancastrians have already left Elland Road with maximum points and will fancy their chances of executing the perfect away performance once again. During his tenures at Bournemouth and Fulham, Parker had a very respectable record against fellow top-six sides and he is still unbeaten as a manager against Sheffield United. They will look to take the sting out of the game and frustrate the hosts as much as possible. This is likely to be cagey and low-scoring.

Preston vs Hull

BTTS for PNE

Preston's disciplinary issues continued at the weekend as they saw Liam Lindsay given his marching orders in the second half. PNE have picked up 59 bookings so far this season, nine more than any other Championship side and they will miss the defender's services on Thursday afternoon. Paul Heckingbottom's side are fairly tough to beat when they keep a full complement of players on the field and they are unbeaten in nine of their last ten at this venue. They've managed to find the net in seven of their last eight at Deepdale and with Milutin Osmajic back in the XI, they are likely to cause issues for the Tigers' flimsy back-line.

Hull are finding their feet under Ruben Selles and they are unbeaten in their last two at the MKM. Away from home, they tend to struggle, yet they've managed to find the net in three of their last five on the road and Mason Burstow is starting to find a bit of form. The Humberside outfit can be dangerous going forward and should be able to register in Lancashire.

Watford vs Portsmouth

Pompey's struggles on the road set to continue

Vicarage Road has been an absolute fortress for Watford this season and manager Tom Cleverley remains unbeaten at this venue since his appointment in April. The Hornets are expansive at home and they tend to create plenty of chances. They are also defensively secure in Hertfordshire and have conceded an average of just 0.5 goals per game here. West Brom are the only side to have notched at this venue since the beginning of October and they have conceded just twice when taking on bottom-half opposition. Giorgi Chakvetadze may not chip in with many goals, yet he has claimed four assists, averages 2.3 key passes per game and takes two shots per match.

Portsmouth battered Coventry at Fratton Park at the weekend with Callum Lang becoming the first Pompey player to score four goals in a game since Yakubu back in 2004. John Mousinho's side were tactically superb, yet they've struggled on their travels with only Plymouth having conceded more goals so far. Furthermore, the majority of their injury issues this season have come at centre back and their patched-up defence could struggle to contain the hosts on Boxing Day.

Middlesbrough vs Sheffield Wednesday

Prolific Boro to continue their free-scoring form

Middlesbrough were involved in a crazy contest at Home Park at the weekend with the Teessiders having to come from 3-2 down to secure a point. Michael Carrick's men have defended poorly this season, yet at home, they have conceded just an average of one goal per match and have kept clean sheets against Sheffield United, Swansea, Stoke and Millwall. Neto Borges has struggled and many opposition teams have targeted the Brazilian. At the other end of the pitch, they've had no issues finding the back of the net and they have an average xG of 1.6 at the Riverside.

Sheffield Wednesday have a superb away record this season. However, there is a slight caveat to their form on the road. Their five victories have come against sides currently positioned 16th or below in the table whereas they've failed to find the net in their four visits to top-half sides. There is every chance that they could find the net in this one, however, they are unlikely to take three points back to South Yorkshire.

Coventry vs Plymouth

Defensive issues to plague both sides

Frank Lampard's good start at the CBS is in danger of being forgotten. The former midfielder was unable to stop his side from slumping to an alarming 4-1 defeat at Fratton Park at the weekend with the Sky Blues making a number of defensive errors. Although they do tend to be better here, they have conceded the joint second-highest number of home goals in the division (16) and haven't kept a clean sheet here since October 1st. At the other end of the pitch, Ephron Mason-Clark's form is a positive development and Jack Rudoni has looked sharp.

Plymouth almost took maximum points off Middlesbrough at the weekend. Wayne Rooney's men have looked far more positive and adventurous in recent weeks and they also emerged from their 2-0 defeat at Bramall Lane with plenty of credit. Conceding goals remains an issue and they have shipped 17 in their last five outings. This could be yet another crazy contest with plenty of entertainment for both sets of fans.

Norwich vs Millwall

A rare low-scoring contest at Carrow Road

Norwich's form has taken a nosedive in recent weeks with the Canaries having failed to win any of their last four matches. Johannes Hof Thorup's side have won just two of their last 13 matches and injuries have derailed their play-off hopes. The hosts tend to play easy-on-the-eye football, yet they are unlikely to be allowed to dictate against Millwall on Boxing Day. The Lions are still searching for a new manager following the departure of Neil Harris and they will not make this easy for the hosts. They have a penchant for binary results this season with eight of their last 11 games ending 1-0 and the remaining three finishing 1-1. Japhet Tanganga has been the standout performer, although Murray Wallace has slipped in seamlessly alongside the former Spurs man. Millwall still need more going forward, yet they will fancy their chances of taking at least a point back to Bermondsey.

Blackburn vs Sunderland

Points shared at Ewood Park

Blackburn's stunning run of form came to a crashing halt in injury time at the weekend as John Eustace's side were defeated 1-0 by Millwall. That strike was the first goal that Rovers have conceded since November 9th and they have managed to keep a clean sheet in six of their last eight matches at this venue. Unfortunately, Lewis Travis and Harry Pickering both picked up injuries at the weekend with Rovers forced to play the remainder of the match with a man disadvantage. Eustace's favoured 4-2-3-1 has proven effective and his side will aim to stop the visitors from getting shots off.

Sunderland have won three of their last four and their early season form is showing very few signs of tailing off. Jobe Bellingham has been leading the charge and they remarkably came back from 2-0 down to beat Swansea earlier in the month. Nevertheless, their form on the road hasn't been as strong and they have failed to win four of their last five away from the Stadium of Light. They've also drawn six of their last ten overall and they may have to settle for another draw on Boxing Day.

Bristol City vs Luton

Entertaining afternoon at Ashton Gate

Bristol City were defeated at the Hawthorns on Sunday and have hit a bad patch of form. Liam Manning's men have won just one of their last seven and have picked up just a single home victory since September 21st (vs Plymouth). Finding a regular goalscorer has been an issue for the Robins with Fally Mayulu struggling to find his feet at this level and Nahki Wells rarely playing a full 90 minutes. They will fancy their chances of beating a side who have been woeful on the road this season, yet they are difficult to trust at this stadium.

Rob Edwards potentially saved his job with a much-needed victory over Derby at Kenilworth Road on Friday night. The Hatters have had an extra 48 hours to prepare, so the players should be well-rested ahead of this fixture. They haven't enjoyed much success on their travels recently, but their strikers - Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo - are both in good form and they should be able to find the back of the net here.

Swansea vs QPR

Festive cheer for Cifuentes' men

Swansea produced one of their worst performances of the season at the weekend as they fell to a defeat at the MKM Stadium to previously out-of-form Hull. There is a vulnerability to Luke Williams' side and his decision to omit Goncalo Franco was questioned by some supporters. The Welsh side haven't kept a clean sheet since the beginning of November and they have conceded five goals across their last two.

QPR came from a goal down to collect three points against Preston at the weekend and extended their unbeaten run to seven matches. Cifuentes' men have conceded just three goals during that sequence of matches and they will be tough to beat on Thursday afternoon. In Rayan Kolli they appear to have unearthed a natural goalscorer and the 19-year-old is likely to be a prominent figure in this festive fixture.

Oxford vs Cardiff

Rowett to pick up at least a point on debut

Oxford are dropping like a stone and they have turned to former Birmingham and Derby gaffer Gary Rowett. He will be aiming to stop the rot on Boxing Day at the Kassam with the Yellows having been handed a potentially winnable tie. Although they have lost three of their last five here, their home form hasn't been too bad overall and Rowett will make his side typically tough to beat. He tends to have an instant impact and won his first game in charge at Millwall. He also went unbeaten in his first four at Derby and started his first spell at Birmingham with a 0-0 draw against Wolves.

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