Championship Betting Tips: Nine best bets from Saturday's games including Dan James backed at 17/10 | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Matt Bloomfield will be hoping that his side can take a small step towards survival

A well-rested Jack Critchley returns following the international break to pick out his best bets from across Saturday's fixture list in the second tier...

Betfair Saturday Football Superboost

The FA Cup quarter-finals begin with a London derby at Craven Cottage where Fulham host Crystal Palace and it's a visiting player who takes centre stage in the Betfair Saturday Football Superboost.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has registered 12 shots on target in his last 10 games and Betfair have boosted the price on him having one or more here from 1/2 to 1/1.

Saturday 12:30 Kick-Off

Hull vs Luton - BTTS at the MKM

Hull are battling for survival at the foot of the Championship, although they have shown signs of life under Ruben Selles. The former Reading boss declined an opportunity to take his squad away from some warm weather training this week and opted to remain on the training ground to prepare for this crucial contest. On a positive note, the hosts will welcome back Gustavo Puerta from suspension, however, Joao Pedro's absence is far from ideal. The Tigers have a terrible home record against Luton, having failed to beat the Hatters here since 2004, yet they are unbeaten in three at this venue and have lost just one of their last seven overall. They're scoring goals again, but they still give away plenty of opportunities.

Luton's away hoodoo was finally broken a fortnight ago as they came from behind to beat Cardiff. It was the first time since the beginning of January that the Bedfordshire outfit managed five shots on target on the road and they should carry plenty of momentum into this. Both sides need the points, yet I don't expect it to be cagey and BTTS looks worth siding with in this lunchtime KO.

Saturday 15:00 Kick-Offs

Cardiff vs Sheffield Wednesday - Another entertaining away day for Rohl's men

If Cardiff hadn't picked up maximum points against Blackburn before the international break, the Bluebirds would be starting the day in the relegation zone. Omer Riza's side are perilously close to the drop and there seems to be very little faith amongst the fanbase that the Londoner is the man to save the club from League One. Cardiff have shown moments of quality and the addition of Yousef Selach has given them some much-needed firepower, yet they are hard to trust. They've lost just two of their last eight at home, although their performance against Luton was worrying. They have scored in each of those games and they should have enough individual quality to get on the scoresheet.

Sheffield Wednesday will be roared on by a sizeable travelling contingent, who have witnessed some highly memorable away days this season. They've scored six times across their last two away games and have only failed to register on the travels three times since early October.

Burnley vs Bristol City - Clarets to edge another tight affair

Burnley have a two-point gap to bridge and they'll have earmarked April's clash with Sheffield United as a prime opportunity to clamber above the Blades. In the meantime, they simply must keep winning games, especially at Turf Moor. The Clarets have lost fewer games than each of their automatic promotion rivals, but drawing too many games (usually 0-0) has been their Achilles heel. Scott Parker's men can find it difficult to open up the opposition and this game looks like a potential banana skin.

Bristol City have performed above expectations this season with Liam Manning ensuring that his side are well-drilled and dangerous going forward. The Robins have been narrowly defeated in most of their trips to top-six opposition, however, they are unbeaten since February 6th and recently snatched a late point at Bramall Lane. This could be closer than the market suggests.

Leeds vs Swansea - Former Swans wideman to haunt his former employers

Leeds fans are beginning to worry about their side potentially getting the jitters ahead of the crucial run-in. The Whites have won just one of their last four matches, however, trips to Pompey and QPR are rarely straightforward and WBA have become accustomed to frustrating fellow top-six sides. The Whites should be able to lean on their superior home record here and will be expected to take three points from mid-table opposition.

Dan James has been quiet in recent weeks for Leeds, yet he was back on the scoresheet whilst representing Wales at the weekend and he tends to score the majority of his goals at Elland Road. He began his senior career in South Wales and having already netted against Cardiff this season, he may complete the Welsh double this weekend.

Swansea have a big enough cushion over the bottom three, despite losing each of their last two matches without registering. Alan Sheehan has been announced as caretaker head coach until the end of the season, but he surely won't be expected to come away with anything here.

Sunderland vs Millwall - Alex Neil to frustrate his former side

Sunderland aren't mathematically confirmed for a play-off spot, yet the Black Cats are unlikely to drop out of the top six. Nevertheless, their current form is far from exemplary with three defeats in their last six. Injuries and inexperience have potentially hindered them in recent weeks, yet they will be expected to win this game fairly comfortably. They've won just two of their last six home fixtures, with those victories coming against Cardiff and Luton, both of whom are battling relegation.

Alex Neil is facing yet another one of his former clubs and he will be determined to disrupt their rhythm. The Lions have won four of their last seven on the road and although they failed to register a shot on target at Elland Road, they have suffered just six defeats on their travels this season. Although one of those losses came at Carrow Road, the Scot has taken a point from visits to Preston and Stoke this season and he'll be keen to add to that haul on Saturday afternoon.

Stoke vs QPR - Points shared in Staffordshire

Stoke are just a point above the relegation zone and are scrapping for survival. The Potters were very poor against Millwall at the Den a fortnight ago, yet they have been much better in front of their own fans recently. They've lost just one of their last seven here and have kept clean sheets in five of those fixtures. Mark Robins has certainly made his side tougher to beat, although there is still a lack of firepower with the club relying on Sam Gallagher and Ali Al-Hamadi to fire them to safety this season.

QPR's losing run was ended by a heroic 2-2 draw against Leeds last time out. The R's haven't been in particularly good form recently, but they will fancy their chances of building on that last performance. They tend to create chances and may only need to take one to pick up a point here.

Middlesbrough vs Oxford - Straightforward task for the hosts

Middlesbrough have failed to live up to their pre-season expectations, yet they are perfectly capable of blowing teams away. They have one of the highest xGs in the second tier, but have wasted several clearcut opportunities and are prone to the occasional defensive calamity. At the Riverside, they've lost just twice since late November and have won six of their nine games when hosting bottom-half opposition. Luton are the only side who have been obliterated in Teesside so far this year and it may take a while to break down the visitors.

Oxford have been poor in recent weeks with Gary Rowett's men having found themselves dragged back into the relegation mire. They've netted just twice in their last six away games and may not have enough resolve to hold out for a draw in the north east. They've lost all nine visits to top ten opposition which doesn't bode well for this trip.

Norwich vs West Brom - Baggies to nick yet another point

It's not been an easy set of fixtures for WBA with trips to Burnley, Leeds and Millwall, yet Tony Mowbray's men have managed to remain unbeaten during that sequence and will be looking to follow a similar blueprint on Saturday afternoon. The West Midlands outfit rarely win on the road and last clinched an away victory on November 10th at Hull. Six of their last ten matches away from the Hawthorns have finished 1-1 and three of their five defeats on their travels have been by a single-goal margin.

Norwich haven't been firing on all cylinders lately and have drifted aimlessly into mid-table. They've failed to win in seven of their last eight matches and haven't kept a clean sheet at this ground since October 5th (vs Hull)

Portsmouth vs Blackburn - Val's problems to multiply

Portsmouth thought they had done enough to ensure safety, however, they have been temporarily dragged back into relegation contention. Nevertheless, John Mousinho's side are in the enviable position of needing just a couple more victories to confirm their place in next season's Championship. Fratton Park has been a fortress for the majority of the campaign and they have beaten Coventry, Leeds, Bristol City and Middlesbrough, whilst also taking points off Burnley and Sheffield United. They tend to struggle with quick turnarounds and they should benefit from the international break, which may have come at just the right time for Pompey.

Blackburn needed some time on the training ground with new boss Val Ismael. The Frenchman's unique style often takes time to become effective as the players work up the fitness required to follow his instructions. They haven't been playing well recently and although they should make this competitive, they have far less to play for.

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