There is no Championship on Friday night, but Saturday will be full of excitement. Aston Villa will meet Wolves, and Sheffield United will try to defeat Ipswich in order to get back in play-offs. Middlesbrough is now 6th, but Sheffield United has a game in hand. There will not be that much fun for those that are in relegation zone, as all of them are having tough games.
Burton vs Bristol City
It seems like Bristol City just can’t get back on tracks. As soon as they win, they lose next one. They produce goals, but they concede a lot lately. Luckily for them, Burton is having a really hard time finding a back of the net. Their home performance is awful and they’ve scored only 13 goals in 18 home games. Famara Diedhiou and Bobby Reid are forming a great partnership, Reid is current Championship top scorer, and it will be hard for Burton’s defence to stop these two from finding a back of the net. Aden Flint got sent off against Preston, but Bristol City’s defence can manage to keep a clean sheet even without him.
Bristol City to win: 0-2
Cardiff vs Birmingham
When you say it’s Neil Warnock against Garry Monk, it sounds quite harder than it is. Cardiff City and Birmingham, first one is chasing first place, while second one is still fighting for survival. Things can change for Birmingham under Garry Monk, but winning an away game against Cardiff? I’m afraid that their squad doesn’t look good enough to achieve that. They will give their best to get a point out of this one, but Cardiff is in great form lately, and although Birmingham will try to make it tough, they have enough quality to score and win this one.
Cardiff to win: 1-0
Hull vs Norwich
5 draws out of 5 last games for Norwich. Can they do it again? It should be expected. Hull has been playing better lately, but when it comes to an away performance, Norwich has got a good result against far better side. Hull needs a win, they are having quite easier challenge than their relegation rivals, and they will give their best to turn that in their advantage. However, there is no easy game in Championship, and Norwich is not going to give their points away to a side from bottom. Both clubs will probably score, but it’s hard to say if any side is good enough to score more than once in a game like this.
Draw: 1-1
Ipswich vs Sheffield United
Here we have some good Championship football! I can easily predict an exciting game with a lot of goals, but which side will win? Well, both teams can still think about promotion, Sheffield United is in better position, but they both need a win. They are in similar form lately, but Sheffield United performed better this season. Leon Clarke is still injured, but Billy Sharp is fit for Sheffield United and he has been in great form lately, so he will certainly start against Ipswich. This will be a tough one, but for me, Sheffield United is having a better chance of winning.
Sheffield United to win: 1-2
Middlesbrough vs Barnsley
Middlesbrough is undefeated in their last four matches, they are in play-offs again, and they will give their best to stay there. Barnsley should be an easy task for them. Patrick Bamford is in great form, he scored five goals in their last two matches and in games like this, scoring earlier in the game can mean everything. When it comes to Barnsley, they don’t score much, and although they’ve found a back of the net against Cardiff, I don’t think they can score against Middlesbrough.
Middlesbrough to win: 1-0
Millwall vs Brentford
Games like this can be quite unpredictable. Millwall is in excellent form lately, they are undefeated in their last 10 games, and their home performance has been excellent this whole season. Brentford, on the other side, is still in race for play-offs, and in this stage, it doesn’t matter who your opponent is, your 3 points are more important. Organizing your defence properly can be crucial in games like this, and although they’ve had easier fixtures, Brentford conceded only 2 goals in their last five games. If they organize their defence like that, they can easily find a win against Millwall.
Brentford to win: 0-1
Preston vs Fulham
I’ll just say this, Fulham have played against Aston Villa, Bristol City, Derby County, Wolves and Sheffield United in their last five games. Now they will face Preston, and this is their last tough challenge in this season. They know what they are doing – they are chasing a straight promotion. 17-year-old Ryan Sessegnon scored 14 goals this season, while their new signing, Aleksandar Mitrovic have scored five in their last four games. With this form, Fulham can easily play Premier League football next season.
Fulham to win: 0-2
QPR vs Sunderland
When you think about it, QPR is not such a tough opponent, but when they play at home, they are. They struggle in away games, but their home performance is quite decent actually. They score enough, and they are not conceding too many. Sunderland needs a win, but their squad is not good enough to get all three points. Coleman starts Ashley Fletcher too often, while Joel Asoro is certainly a better option. Sunderland is struggling to score, and even if they find a back of the net, it might not be enough to get a good result against QPR.
QPR to win: 2-1
Reading vs Leeds
Here is a good one. Two clubs that are struggling to score. This game certainly does not promise a lot of goals. Reading is not so good at home this season, they struggle to score and they struggle to defend. Considering the fact that Leeds is playing counter attacking football lately, they won’t have much to defend, but they will still need to score in order to win. This is one of those games that can easily end up with both sides keeping a clean sheet.
Draw: 0-0
Sheffield Wednesday vs Bolton
Sheffield Wednesday is good at home, Bolton is awful away. Both clubs are not safe yet, and although Bolton needs a win more, Sheffield Wednesday has a better chance of winning. These clubs are in awful form; they are losing quite often and concede a lot. Both clubs will probably score, but Sheffield Wednesday will probably be the one to score more than once.
Sheffield Wednesday to win: 2-1
Aston Villa vs Wolves
This might be the best match in this gameweek. Aston Villa will face Wolves on Saturday and this game will certainly bring a lot of excitement. Wolves are still first, but they had a bad run recently. Aston Villa is in excellent form, but are they good enough to win against Wolves? It’s hard to say, both clubs are great in defence, and both clubs will struggle to score. Although they will both give their best to win, result depends a lot on how good they will organize their defences.
Draw: 0-0
Nottingham Forest vs Derby
Who would’ve thought that Derby will do this again? They had a great chance of getting a straight promotion, and now they struggle to stay in play-offs. They need a win, and they need it now. Luckily for them, Nottingham Forest is relying on defence too much; they will try to get a point out of this one, but Derby County is excellent in attack. It’s hard to say if David Nugent will start again, or will Matej Vydra get his chance. Gary Rowett is changing his starting line-up a lot lately, but they have a lot of good options up front.
Derby to win: 0-2
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