Our Championship Tips for the Weekend - 28/01/22

Runaway leaders Fulham look to continue their terrific form in the Championship as they welcome mid-table Blackpool to Craven Cottage. Since losing 1-0 at home to Sheffield United in late December, Fulham have looked unstoppable, scoring 22 goals in four games, and Marco Silva’s side look to be blasting any opposition they’re facing in 2022.

The Cottagers showed a different side to them last Saturday, however, coming from behind to defeat Stoke City 3-2 at the bet 365 Stadium. Blackpool have had a comfortable ride in their first season back in the Championship since 2015 and look that there will be no relegation trouble for the Tangerines.

Neil Critchley’s side have recorded back-to-back 1-0 home wins against Hull City and Millwall in their last two games, leaving a late charge for the play-offs not out of the question. Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored at least two goals in seven matches already this season, and Saturday looks set for a decent time to make that eight.

Two play-off contenders face off at the John Smith’s Stadium on Friday night as sixth-placed Huddersfield Town host 11th place Stoke City. Huddersfield have been one of the unfancied promotion contenders so far this season, but Carlos Corberan has got a tune out of his West Yorkshire side.

Unbeaten in their last eight, the Terriers are on course to secure a top six spot, and their spirit showed in their last game, coming from behind to beat Reading 4-3 in an instant classic at the Madejski Stadium. After such a strong start to the season, Michael O’Neill’s Stoke have floundered in recent weeks.

Winning just two of their last nine Championship games, the Potters are beginning to fall out of the play-off race, and a costly 1-0 defeat to Coventry City this midweek will have dampened their hopes further. Huddersfield have only won one of their last ten games against Stoke, but we think this will go against history and with form.

Sheffield United make the trip to Cambridgeshire this Saturday evening as they battle it out with relegation-threatened Peterborough. Paul Heckingbottom, who is in his second stint in charge of the Blades, has had a positive impact at Bramall Lane, with a 2-0 defeat to Derby County his only loss in his six games in charge.

Their recent victory, a 2-0 win over Luton Town, has left the South Yorkshire side in touching distance of the play-offs were they to win their games in hand. Peterborough’s defensive frailties were summed up on a frustrating Tuesday night at St Andrews in their last game.

2-0 up in the 85th minute, the Posh will have been relishing the chance of being level on points with 21st-placed Reading. However, two goals conceded in three minutes left Darren Fergusson’s side devastated and still rooted in the relegation zone. This encounter was an eight-goal thriller back in September and with the Blades winning their last three against Posh, we expect goals and an away win

Derby County continue their almost impossible task of surviving in the Championship with a feisty Midland affair against Birmingham City. Despite the talk that Derby would run out of money by February, a date which has now been pushed back a month, Wayne Rooney has been working wonders.

Despite their 21-point deduction, four wins in their last six games have given the Rams real hope of survival. A spirited 2-1 loss at arch-rivals Nottingham Forest in their last game will have likely not dampened spirits. Birmingham City were sliding down the table before and after Christmas, due to being winless in six. This included a 6-2 thrashing against Fulham.

However, four points in their last six against relegation-threatened Barnsley and Peterborough will have relieved some stress for Lee Bowyer’s side. Tom Lawrence is Rooney’s main threat up front, and with three goals in his last two games, another goal seems on the cards here against a Midlands side who have shipped way too many goals (42 so far this season).

Two teams with different agendas meet in the Welsh capital on Sunday as Forest will aim for all three points against struggling Cardiff.

Cardiff, under first-time manager Steve Morison, are having their worst Championship season since they first re-entered the league, as they are winless in their last six, and a return to League One for the first time in 20 years is a real possibility for the Bluebirds.

A 3-2 defeat to rivals Bristol City, despite leading in the game, was another crushing blow for the Welsh side. Nottingham Forest are still defying beliefs after not winning any of their first seven. Chris Cooper, who came in after this disastrous start, is working his magic as Forest now sit just one place off the play-offs.

Their miraculous turnaround continued on Tuesday night, as they eased aside bottom side Barnsley 3-0 at the City Ground. With Forest winning their last two games at the Cardiff City Stadium 1-0 and with the Reds being in red-hot form, another scoreline to match is a possibility here.