12:30: Derby vs Brentford – Brentford to win
After a promising resurgence since the Championship’s resumption, Derby’s play-off hopes have taken a huge dent in their last two games, and it doesn’t get any easier in their remaining fixtures.
Derby’s run-in is horrible and they will struggle to recover their best against in-form Brentford.
The Bees have won all five games since the return of the Championship and showed steel in their last outing at home to Charlton by virtue of two late goals to turn defeat into victory. Prior to that, they barely broke a sweat, swatting aside West Brom, Fulham, Wigan and Reading without conceding a goal.
They boast both the best defensive record and the best scoring record in the division and seem hell-bent on securing a place in the automatic promotion places. It’s difficult to see anything other than an away win for Brentford at Pride Park.
More footy tips for Saturday:
- Expect goals galore in the two 12.30pm kick-offs
- Liverpool to continue 100-point chase with Burnley to swept aside at Anfield
- Sheffield United to cause a shock at harm Chelsea’s top 4 challenge
- Man City to batter Brighton in seaside slaughter
15:00: Barnsley vs Wigan – Wigan to win
The big games keep on coming at the bottom of the Championship table. Amid uncertainty about whether they will be hit with a 12-point deduction or not, Wigan need to pick up as many points as possible between now and the end of the season.
They have been in excellent form since the Championship returned, winning four games out of five and only losing to high-flying Brentford. The Latics have also recorded four clean sheets in those five games.
Their form has been so good that, even with a 12-point deduction, they stand a decent chance of survival and a win at Oakwell on Saturday would go a long way towards helping that cause.
Barnsley came up with a massive late equaliser at Luton during the week to keep their survival hopes alive, but they are hanging by a thread at present.
Defeat at home to Wigan would almost certainly cut them adrift at the bottom and they can ill afford anything but a win. However, their form has turned in recent weeks after an initially promising return to Championship life.
They have picked up one point from their last six and were absolutely demolished by Stoke City in the process. Against an in-form Wigan, they will struggle to rectify their mini-slump.
15:00: Middlesbrough vs Bristol City – Middlesbrough to win
This is a huge chance for Middlesbrough to take a gigantic stride towards Championship safety.
Boro have won half of their four games since Neil Warnock took the reins and a third win on Saturday would undoubtedly give them a more comfortable buffer from the bottom three.
They have a golden opportunity to do so against an out of form Bristol City side. Granted, Bristol beat Hull to break a four-game losing streak on Wednesday, but they have been absolutely abject since the return of the Championship and were equally poor in the four games before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Their poor run of form has cost manager Lee Johnson his job and they have not won away from home in any of their last five games. Boro lost their solitary home game under Neil Warnock but will look to put that right on Saturday with a win.
All three of these selections in a treble will give you odds of just under 9/1 with Paddy Power.
Tips for Saturday’s Championship games
12:30 Derby vs Brentford: Brentford to win
15:00 Barnsley vs Wigan: Wigan to win
15:00 Middlesbrough vs Bristol City: Middlesbrough to win
More footy tips for Saturday:
- Expect goals galore in the two 12.30pm kick-offs
- Liverpool to continue 100-point chase with Burnley to swept aside at Anfield
- Sheffield United to cause a shock at harm Chelsea’s top 4 challenge
- Man City to batter Brighton in seaside slaughter