We have 12 Championship matches lined-up for Boxing Day, and Paddy’s EFL tipster, James O’Rourke, has dived into the fixtures to find four value punts for a rather tasty-looking Acca. Let’s get right to it.
Championship Acca Tips
3pm Blackburn v Sunderland – Blackburn, Draw no bet
3pm Coventry v Plymouth – Both teams to score, yes
3pm Preston v Hull – Hull, Draw No Bet
8pm Stoke v Leeds – Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals
- An Accumulator with these bets pays at approximately 17/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Blackburn v Sunderland – Blackburn draw no bet
TV: Sky Sports+, 3pm
Blackburn saw their six-match winning run come to an end on Saturday with a 1-0 away setback to Millwall. Conceding in the 96th minute was clearly a blow, however the performance warranted a defeat anyway as they were second-best throughout. It just wasn’t their day, but there will be no overreaction at Ewood Park, given they’ve been going great guns of late.
Plenty will happen over the Christmas fixtures for every team, whether that be good or bad. Rovers will play worse than this and win games this season. They do have options in certain areas to shake up the team and even slightly tweak their system for the visit to Sunderland.
This isn’t a team to write off, and although you don’t always get a quality display out of them, you generally get 100% effort each and every time.
Sunderland came from behind to beat Norwich in their last encounter. They’ll take plenty out of that but Blackburn will be no pushovers. The Black Cats have had to work hard for each and every point they’ve got on the road this season. In more recent times, they’ve been less convincing, winning three of their last nine away and all three victories by a one-goal margin.
Blackburn have only conceded seven home league goals this season and may look to go back to basics after the Millwall disappointment. That would make life much tougher for Sunderland to get the three points.
Coventry v Plymouth – Both teams to score, yes
TV: Sky Sports+, 3pm
It would be fair to say Frank Lampard is still learning about his Coventry squad. Also, he and the players are still to align in terms of their tactical approach fully. During his brief tenure so far, we’ve seen the good and the bad of what Coventry are right now.
Certainly, the low point was Saturday’s away day horror show at Portsmouth, where they went down 4-1. The Sky Blues have conceded seven goals in three games now. Even extending beyond Lampard’s time in charge, Coventry have conceded two or more goals in seven of their last nine games.
Plymouth’s bad away record is there for all to see, and it is a popular talking point around the club. At home, they are more than competitive, but on the road, it has been the complete opposite. Despite losing their previous away clash at high-flying Sheffield United, Argyle took plenty of positives from that performance.
They offered a greater threat and looked a little more solid at the back. Plymouth played out a 3-3 home draw with Middlesbrough last time out, which again contained positives they’ll look to take into their away contests. Wayne Rooney’s side certainly shouldn’t fear Coventry.
Plymouth convincingly won the xG battle against a talented Middlesbrough and facing a Coventry outfit conceding plenty of goals right now means the pre-match odds could be somewhat misleading in terms of what to expect.
Preston v Hull – Hull Draw No Bet
TV: Sky Sports+, 3pm
This encounter presents two teams that have really struggled for league wins this season. Preston only have four to their name, and the same is said of Hull.
The two clubs have already experienced a change in manager, and it is Hull that have done so more recently, which has led to an upturn in results. The Tigers have one win, one draw and one defeat since Rubén Sellés took the helm. Already, his tactics are having an impact, and Saturday’s home win over Swansea means they are in high spirits. It gives them something to build upon, and there is now,finally, a bit of positivity around the place.
As for Preston, too many draws have been the main reason for their lack of momentum this season. 50% of their league battles have finished all square, and it is hard to ever be confident about them from a win perspective.
The reality is that only three points is a good outcome for them here, and they’ll have to carry that pressure. The pressure increased on them after losing to QPR at the weekend thanks to an 89th-minute goal, so they’ll be hurting as a result of that. North End are enduring a seven-match streak without a home victory, which does contain some good and bad draws in the circumstances.
A chance is taken on Hull here to make the most of the new manager bounce. It is no coincidence they are starting to improve the longer Sellés has his team on the training ground. Therefore, it wouldn’t be the greatest shock to see them go on a handy little run of good form.
Stoke v Leeds – Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals
TV: Sky Sports Main Event/Football, 8pm
As expected, Leeds got the job done on Saturday when hammering Oxford 4-0. That was a home game, and it is practically taken as a given that they’ll win their home matches.
Leeds have the best of all home records in the Championship, but they are tested more on the road, which gives Stoke a chance of making this at the very least competitive. It is only one win for Daniel Farke’s side across their previous seven away league fixtures.
Stoke lost 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday last time out despite having a man advantage for over half of the match. That was a concerning setback for them, especially as it extended their winless run to eight.
They’ve faced and lost to the likes of Burnley, Sunderland and Luton in that period, so the visit of Leeds may not be something they’ll particularly relish. It is also just one win in their last seven at home, so it won’t have been a Happy Christmas for anyone with a Stoke persuasion.
The prospects for goals for this game come mainly from Leeds’ major difference between home and away form. It is obvious they prefer it at Elland Road, and the quality of performance differs as well.
The lack of recent away clean sheets demonstrates a vulnerability that Stoke may look to expose, but then it cannot be denied of Leeds’ obvious offensive qualities. There is a slight ‘free-hit’ vibe about this from Stoke, and this could bring another level out of them.
Boxing Day Championship betting tips
3pm Blackburn v Sunderland – Blackburn, Draw no bet
3pm Coventry v Plymouth – Both teams to score, yes
3pm Preston v Hull – Hull, Draw No Bet
8pm Stoke v Leeds – Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals
- An Accumulator with these bets pays at approximately 17/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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