Championship: Predictions for five games on Saturday
Recommended bets:
- Back Sunderland and over 1.5 goals vs Birmingham
- Back Cardiff to beat Norwich
- Back Stoke to beat Coventry
- Back Hull to win 1-0 vs Huddersfield
- Back Leeds and both teams to score vs Plymouth
Another international break is approaching and Championship teams are jostling for position with some looking to further their promotion aspirations and others battling against the threat of relegation.
Leeds are one of the teams striving to get into the top two and they will be eager to secure three points when taking on sixth-bottom Plymouth at Elland Road.
Elsewhere, play-off hopefuls Cardiff tackle out-of-sorts Norwich and ninth-placed Hull host struggling Huddersfield.
We have collated the best bets from five of the 11 Saturday Championship games.
Sunderland vs Birmingham (Saturday 12.30pm)
The Stadium of Light is a fortress when things are going well and Sunderland should be feeling much happier about things after their last two performances.
Sunderland’s 3-1 win at home to Norwich ended a three-game losing run and they built on that with a respectable point away at Swansea, where they won the shot count 25-3.
Back at home, against a Birmingham side short on confidence following a four-game winless run, Sunderland ought to stamp their authority.
All of Sunderland’s seven league wins have featured at least two goals and this should do so too.
Cardiff vs Norwich (Saturday 3.00pm)
Norwich have lost five of their last six away fixtures and look devoid of confidence ahead of their fixture away to Cardiff which could spell the end of David Wagner’s period in the Canaries’ dugout.
Awaiting Norwich are a Cardiff side who have been excellent on home turf, winning five of their league games and only suffering one defeat that came back in August.
The Bluebirds are on a solid run of form, taking seven points from their last three assignments, and they should get the job done against their beleaguered visitors.
Coventry vs Stoke (Saturday 3.00pm)
Coventry have kept just one clean sheet since August and their fragility could be exploited by improving Stoke.
The visitors have hardly been free-scoring, drawing 0-0 with Cardiff last time out and managing to score three or more goals in a single game just twice in the league this season.
However, Coventry's confidence could be at rock-bottom and Stoke's knack for grinding out results based on their stern defensive foundations could stand them in good stead.
Hull vs Huddersfield (Saturday 3.00pm)
Hull's last home league game ended up 1-0 in their favour when they beat early-season pacesetters Preston and this game could go the same way.
Like a lot of matches in the second tier, it could be tight and there may be little to choose between the two sides.
However, City look the better equipped to edge it, especially when you consider Town have not won for three games, are just above the relegation zone, and have only tasted victory on the road once this term.
Leeds vs Plymouth (Saturday 3.00pm)
Leeds put out a statement of intent last week with a crucial 1-0 success away to runaway Championship leaders Leicester and they should be able to follow that with another win over Plymouth on Saturday.
The Whites have won five of their last six Championship games and are looking like one of the best sides in the division.
However, Daniel Farke’s side have conceded in four of their last five matches and visitors Plymouth know how to find the back of the net.
The Pilgrims are yet to win away from home though, so a high-scoring home win is expected at Elland Road.
Win up to £250,000 with LiveScore 6!
Win up to £250,000 with our free-to-play game, LiveScore 6!
