One step closer for the Sky Blues…
This lunchtime sees some very esteemed company, with runaway Championship favourites Coventry looking to get one step closer to ending a quarter of a century’s absence from the Premier League. It’s an early one for the Sky Blues, and there’s two other 12.30 kickoffs to savour too, as second-placed Middlesbrough and relegation battlers Oxford host Bristol City and Charlton respectively.
Here, PP tipster Tamhas Woods has compiled a tasty treble, along with a player pick covered by Paddy’s Super Sub offer, where if a player you’ve backed gets subbed off, the bet carries over to his direct replacement.
Saturday EFL Championship Tips
*All games kick off at 12.30pm
Coventry v Southampton
Coventry to Win & Both Teams to Score
Middlesbrough v Bristol City
Middlesbrough (-1)
(Extra tip: David Strelec to Score)
Oxford Utd v Charlton
Goal Range Home/Away: 1-2/0-2
A treble with the selections shown in bold pays out at approximately 12/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
WHERE: CBS Arena, Coventry
TV: Sky Sports+ (UK)
Coventry to Win & Both Teams to Score
With Coventry going into the weekend nine points clear inside the automatic promotion places, it seems just a question of when that ‘we’ll be back’ banner seen at the end of Match of the Day in 2001 becomes a true statement. After a slight wobble earlier this year, the Sky Blues take on Southampton looking for a seventh straight win, though with half of those seeing Frank Lampard’s men miss out on a clean sheet, it might not be all straightforward.
Southampton’s form on paper and in the final third only backs up this notion. Although a 1-1 draw against a crisis-riddled West Brom side could prove to be a huge opportunity missed for the seventh-placed Saints, Cyle Larin’s stoppage-time leveller at least extended their unbeaten run to a whopping 11 games. It was also the Saints’ 13th consecutive goalscoring outing.
As for head-to-head trends, each of the previous four clashes to take place within the current decade have seen both teams score.
WHERE: Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
TV: Sky Sports+ (UK)
Middlesbrough (-1)
Wednesday’s action saw Middlesbrough miss out on what looked like a great chance to extend their cushion ahead of third-placed Millwall. Their 1-0 home loss to Charlton was as big a Championship coupon buster as we’ve seen in recent weeks, though there was more to it than the scoreline. Indeed, Middlesbrough won in just about every other key metric, with 78% possession, 2.30 xG to Charlton’s 0.73 and 11 corners to the Addicks’ two.
With Bristol City being one of just four teams lamenting a quartet of losses in the five-game form table – including successive failures to cover the -1 handicap preceding this one – they arguably represent ideal opposition for Boro in the context of an instant bounceback. Notably, the Robins have also conceded exactly twice in three of their last five away league games, giving potential food for thought in terms of more niche standalone bets.
(Extra Tip: David Strelec to Score)
David Strelec leads the goalscorer market with good cause, after netting in two of his previous three outings. Adding this selection to the existing treble boosts the approximate odds from 12/1 to 16/1.
WHERE: Kassam Stadium, Oxford
TV: Sky Sports+ (UK)
Goal Range Home/Away: 1-2/0-2
This is comfortably the most difficult of the trio to call with much confidence in 1X2 terms. After looking like they would sink unceremoniously into the third tier, Oxford have enjoyed a spring renaissance so far, with three straight victories, including a 1-0 success over Blackburn in midweek, which marked their first win to nil since 18th October.
Charlton may be narrow outsiders for that reason, but they’ve been a miserly outfit at the back lately. Successive 1-0 victories – including the aforementioned success at Middlesbrough – represent the latest installments in an impressive run that has seen the Addicks concede more than once in just one of their last nine games.
This points to a potential slow burner where one goal may prove decisive, backing the notion that it’ll take a lot for either side to exceed the two-goal threshold. That said, Oxford should score at least once, with Charlton keeping just two away clean sheets since the start of November.
Saturday EFL Championship Tips
*All games kick off at 12.30pm
Coventry v Southampton
Coventry to Win & Both Teams to Score
Middlesbrough v Bristol City
Middlesbrough (-1)
(Extra tip: David Strelec to Score)
Oxford Utd v Charlton
Goal Range Home/Away: 1-2/0-2
A treble with the selections shown in bold pays out at approximately 12/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
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