There is a busy midweek of Championship action to look forward to, including a tussle between promotion hopefuls Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers at Bramall Lane.
A total of 11 matches will be contested across the second tier this midweek, as sides continue to jostle for positions in the automatic promotion race, the playoff hunt and the battle to avoid relegation.
Blades to Cut Through Blunt Blackburn
After a difficult start to the season that led to the sacking of former boss Slavisa Jokanovic, Sheffield United are now the form team in the Championship and they will be looking to further consolidate their position in the top six when they play host to playoff rivals Blackburn.
The Blades have won eight and lost just one of their 12 league fixtures under Jokanovic’s successor Paul Heckingbottom, a run that includes Saturday’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Swansea City.
Blackburn sit three places and four points above Sheff Utd heading into the midweek fixtures, but Rovers are without a win or goal in their last four games, with 20-goal leading scorer Ben Brereton Diaz currently sidelined with an ankle injury.
Brereton Diaz has scored nearly half of Blackburn’s goals in the Championship this season, and his absence is likely to be felt on Wednesday, with a Sheff Utd win to zero priced at 23/10.
Ince to Provide Royal Boost
It was no surprise to see Reading part ways with manager Veljko Paunovic following a dismal run of form, although the timing of his departure was strange, as he left following Saturday’s 3-2 win at Preston North End – their first victory in 12 across all competitions.
Paul Ince has been placed in interim charge and the former England midfielder could well have taken over a side that have already turned a corner after taking four points from their previous two fixtures.
The Royals sit five points above the relegation zone heading into Tuesday’s home clash with a Birmingham City side that have won just twice in 14 matches across all competitions, making the home win a tempting 17/10 option.
Birmingham have also only won three Championship matches on the road this season, although one note of caution is the fact the Blues claimed a 2-1 victory on their most recent visit to the Select Car Leasing Stadium in December 2020.
Fulham to Bounce Back Against Managerless Posh
League leaders Fulham suffered a surprise first Championship defeat of 2022 at home to Huddersfield Town on Saturday, but Marco Silva’s side have been provided with an ideal opportunity to return to winning ways when managerless Peterborough United visit Craven Cottage on Wednesday.
Posh manager Darren Ferguson resigned following Saturday’s 1-0 loss at fellow strugglers Derby County, a result that leaves the club 23rd in the standings and five points adrift of safety.
Only Reading have conceded more Championship goals this season than Peterborough’s total of 61, not a statistic that bodes well for Posh ahead of their trip to face a Fulham side that have scored 30 more goals than any other team in the division.
Fulham have netted four or more goals in nine Championship matches to date this term and they can be backed at 7/5 to win with over 3.5 goals in Wednesday’s match – while the division’s leading marksman Aleksandar Mitrovic is 4/9 to be an anytime scorer.
*All odds correct at time of writing
