There’s a reduced Saturday fixture list in the Championship and Jack Critchley believes that in-form Millwall can take a step closer to the play-off spot…
Potters to drop yet more points in Staffordshire
Stoke 2.427/5 v Millwall 3.412/5; The Draw 3.052/1
“We have continually not been good enough” was the damning verdict of Stoke boss Michael O’Neill following his side’s capitulation against Cardiff in midweek. The Potters have won just two of their last 17 games and are languishing in 16th place. It’s also eight games since O’Neill’s men last kept a clean sheet and with the former Northern Ireland boss famed for his defensive organisation, it’s a hugely worrying situation for the Staffordshire club.
Lewis Baker has been a rare bright spot in Stoke’s season, however, the majority of the squad has underwhelmed in recent weeks. O’Neill made several changes in midweek with Morgan Fox, Tyrese Campbell and Ben Wilmot all coming back into the XI, however, it failed to have the desired effect.
Millwall are trending in the right direction and they’ve put themselves firmly in the play-off mix. There are just four points separating 4th place and 10th place in the Championship and as a result, the Lions have every chance of sneaking into the top six.
Gary Rowett’s side are unbeaten in eight and have kept five consecutive clean sheets. They’ve won two of their last three on the road and will be suitably well-organised and compact throughout the 90 minutes. The Lions also have an excellent record against this opposition and are undefeated in each of their last six meetings with the struggling hosts.
Both sides to register in South Wales
Swansea 1.9310/11 v Birmingham 4.47/2; The Draw 3.65
It’s been a topsy-turvy season for Swansea, however, Russell Martin’s side are comfortably positioned in mid-table and can begin to look ahead to next season. The Swans have dominated possession, however, turning that into clear-cut chances has been an ongoing issue.
Only three sides have averaged fewer efforts on goal than the Welsh outfit this season and they have completed the fewest crosses in the division (430). Although Joel Piroe has found the net on 15 occasions, there have been some frustratingly barren spells in the final third.
Nevertheless, the hosts are far stronger in front of their own fans and have a 8-4-5 record at this venue. Fulham and Luton are the only two sides to have left this ground with maximum points in 2022 and they’ve managed to see off some decent opposition including Blackburn, Preston and Coventry. Michael Obafemi’s recent form is encouraging and the 21-year old has scored six times since the beginning of February.
Birmingham continue to struggle for consistency. Brum have won just three times in 2022 and haven’t managed to pick up consecutive victories since the beginning of November. They’ve drawn a blank in three of their last four, however, they’ve found the net in each of their last seven away games.
Lee Bowyer’s men are slightly better on the road and they should be able to find a way past a Swan’s defence which conceded twice in midweek.
WBA’s momentum to continue at Ashton Gate
Bristol City 3.814/5 v West Brom 2.1211/10; The Draw 3.65
Bristol City slipped up in midweek, however, it could prove to be a costly defeat with Alex Scott, Joe Williams and Antoine Semenyo all picking up injuries at Oakwell. Although the latter is likely to return to the XI for this contest, the Robins’ injury list is beginning to mount and Nigel Pearson is down to the bare bones.
Although Pearson’s injury-hit squad will get the chance to rest and recover over the next couple of weeks, this weekend’s fixture against a rejuvenated West Brom outfit is far from ideal.
Bristol City have done just about enough to stave off the threat of relegation this season, however, there are a number of issues which must be addressed. The Robins have conceded the most penalties (6) in the division and they continue to be hopeless when it comes to defending set-pieces.
Barnsley boss Poya Asbarghi deliberatley and successfully target the City back-line on Tuesday night and came up trumps. WBA may go down a similar route on Saturday afternoon.
It’s taken a while, however, West Brom have finally found their feet under Steve Bruce. The Geordie has guided his side to consecutive victories and they finally look at lot slicker in the final third. Since switched to the 3-5-2, Bruce is unbeaten and that run is expected to continue here. The visitors should be too strong for their patched-up hosts.
Terriers to edge past unconvincing Cherries
Huddersfield 3.052/1 v Bournemouth 2.568/5; The Draw 3.3512/5
The battle for automatic promotion has been fascinating with Huddersfield attempting to muscle their way into the top two. The Terriers have been absolutely superb this season and although they suffered their first defeat since November at the Den in midweek, they will be confident of bouncing back.
They’ve won three of their last four at this ground and have conceded just once at the John Smith’s Stadium since the end of January. Carlos Corberan’s side have been this season’s surprise package and if they can collect maximum points on Saturday afternoon, they will fancy their chances of pipping their unconvincing rivals to second spot.
Bournemouth also dropped points in midweek and have now won just one of their last four Championship matches. Although they’ve won three of their last five on the road, very few of their performances have been exemplary. Scott Parker’s men are feeling the pressure and although they’ve added plenty of quality to their squad, it’s failed to have the desired effect.
Another entertaining 90 minutes in Berkshire
Reading 3.39/4 v Blackburn 2.447/5; The Draw 3.3512/5
Blackburn’s barren spell in the final third was ended emphatically by their 3-1 victory against Derby in midweek. Rovers face another relegation-threatened side on Saturday afternoon and they’ll be confident of reigniting their play-off push at the Madejski.
Although it’s tempting to back Tony Mowbray’s men to take all three points here, they haven’t won on the road since January 15th and have failed to score in their last six outings. Nevertheless, having rediscovered their shooting boots in midweek, they should be able to find a way past one of the flimsiest defences in the division.
Reading picked up a morale-boosting point against Bournemouth in midweek and that should give them something to build upon. They’ve scored in three of their last four here and are averaging more shots on goal per game than Luton, Birmingham, Preston and Blackpool.
Another away day haul for Jones’ Hatters
Hull 3.185/40 v Luton 2.568/5; The Draw 3.1511/5
Under Shota Arveladze, Hull have seemingly worked out how to pick up points on the road. However, they continue to struggle at home and are unable to take the game to their opposition. They picked up another unexpected three points at the CBS Arena on Wednesday night, however, they are unlikely to follow that performance up with a rare victory in front of their own fans.
The Tigers have won just once at home since the managerial switch and have failed to find the net in each of their last four here. Although they are highly unlikely to be dragged into a relegation battle, they must improve their home form and this will be a tough 90 minutes for Arveladze’s men.
Luton rarely lose consecutive matches and they bounced back in typical fashion in midweek. The Hatters are awkward opposition and they often play with plenty of intensity. They’ve won five of their last eight away games, however, they are also capable of throwing in the occasional stinker. Nevertheless, this looks like an ideal opportunity for Nathan Jones’ men to give their top six ambitions a sizeable boost.
Source: BetFair Tips
