The Championship’s goalscoring spree last weekend affirmed the position of those looking to lead the bid for promotion and also began to indicate sides which might find the remainder of the season a tough one to compete in. While some sides are performing as predicted – Blackburn were early season favourites for promotion – others such as Bolton Wanderers have had a difficult time adjusting to the hustle and bustle of England’s most competitive league.

The Football League weekend kicks off with a bang as free-scoring Blackburn Rovers take on Middlesbrough at Ewood Park on Friday night. Blackburn’s strike partnership of Nuno Gomes and Jordan Rhodes has proven to be successful so far, and Middlesbrough are a side struggling to collect wins away from home. The weekend’s most entertaining fixture may well come at Elland Road as Leeds United take on an unbeaten Nottingham Forest side. Both teams have had entertaining starts to the season. For Peterborough, collecting a point this weekend might be a bit much to ask as they take on Wolves.

 

BLACKBURN ROVERS v MIDDLESBROUGH 19.45, Ewood Park (Friday)

Blackburn Rovers lead the Championship pack at the moment with an unbeaten run consisting of two draws and four wins, taking the pressure off embattled manager Steve Kean in the process. Rovers thrashed Bristol City 5-3 last weekend and followed that up with a tough win against Barsnley. Despite their good start to the season, Kean is still a manager under threat so a win will be essential for the man to further prove his credentials.

Middlesbrough’s season has so far looked like one which will feature plenty of home wins but rare away wins. Boro have collected wins in all of their home games this season and in a mirror reflection of this form, haven’t won an away game either. Their last away defeat, a 4-1 loss to Blackpool, has been their worst defeat of the season.

What to watch out for:

Jordan Rhodes and Nuno Gomes have collected the headlines for Rovers this season but last January’s signing Ruben Rochina is finally starting to impress. He’s scored two goals in five games so far and either starts as part of Blackburn’s front three or is switched with Gomes.

Possible line-ups:

Blackburn – Robinson, Orr, M. Olsson, Dann, Hanley, Formica, Pedersen, Murphy, Etuhu, Rhodes, Gomes.

Middlesbrough – Steele, Hoyte, Amougou, Friend, Woodgate, Leadbitter, Thomson, McEachran, Emnes, Carayol, Miller.

Recent form: Blackburn – WDWW; Middlesbrough – WLWL

Prediction: 2-1

 

BIRMINGHAM CITY v BARNSLEY 17.20, St Andrews

The Blues have had an upturn in form since their win at Peterborough, securing a draw against Nottingham Forest and a win over Bolton Wanderers this week. Lee Clark will be looking for his side to continue to build on such form. Recent recruit Leroy Lita scored his first goal for City during the week and Clark will no doubt hope for his new signing and Marlon King to form a partnership.

Barnsley confounded the critics last season by securing a place in the Championship for another year, and they’ll be looking to repeat the feat again this time round. Their form has been inconsistent – a good away draw at Blackpool was followed by a defeat to Blackburn Rovers. Manager Keith Hill saw positives in the defeat at Ewood Park and will look to frustrate a nervous Birmingham City support.

What to watch out for:

Despite their improvement in form, Birmingham City are still a side susceptible to conceding. If Barnsley get an early goal, we migh see some frustration creep in at St Andrews.

Possible line-ups:

Barnsley – Gonzalez, Stone, Wiseman, Foster, Golbourne, Dawson, Cywka, Mellis, Davies, Harewood, Etutu

Birmingham – Butland, Spector, Caldwell, Pablo, Murphy, Elliott, Burke, Mullins, Caddis, Lita, Lovenkrands

Recent form: Birmingham – LWDW; Barnsley – LWDL

Prediction: 3-1

 

DERBY COUNTY v BURNLEY 15.00, Pride Park

Derby County are a bit of an unknown quantity in the Championship; their form this season ranges from impressive results against tough opponents to frustrating defeats against sides they should beat. Having drawn at Wolves a few weeks ago, County went on to hammer Watford 5-1 only to then fall to a 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield last weekend. They beat Charlton 3-2 midweek and Nigel Clough will be looking to collect another win against Burnley.

For Burnley’s Eddie Howe, the focus will no doubt be on building some meaningful form. Wins have been followed by defeats; their first win of the season against Bolton was followed by three defeats in a row, while their 5-2 thrashing of Peterborough was followed by a 2-1 loss to Leicester City. They’ll clearly look to avoid another defeat but it’ll be a tough task at Pride Park.

What to watch out for:

Charlie Austin has been Burnley’s only bright spark this season, collecting six goals in all competitions already. The Clarets will be looking to their striker to help them find consistency in the coming months.

Possible line-ups:

Derby – Fielding, O’Connor, Brayford, Keogh, Roberts, Bryson, Coutts, Hendick, Hughes, Ward, Sammon

Burnley – Grant, Tripper, Shackell, Edgar, Mills, Stanislas, Marney, McCann, Stewart, Vokes, Austin

Recent Form: Derby – DWLW; Burnley – LLWL

Prediction: 3-1

 

WATFORD v BRISTOL CITY 15.00, Vicarage Road

Watford’s start to the season looked a good one when they came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on the first day of the season, but their form since then has been poor, with just one win and four defeats since then, with three of those defeats coming in a row.

Bristol City’s form has been better. While they do tend to concede goals, they also enjoy scoring them. Key to this goalscoring is new signing Sam Baldock, who has impressed with four goals since joining from West Ham. City followed the 5-3 defeat against Blackburn with a 2-1 win over struggling Peterborough.

What to watch for:

Watford and Bristol City share one thing in common, their ability to concede five goals in one game. Both have struggled with their defensive duties and this could lead to a high-scoring outcome. Watford need a win to get themselves out of their rut of form, while Bristol City will look to Baldock for inspiration.

Possible line-ups:

Watford – Almunia, Doyley, Nosworthy, Dickinson, Yeates, Hogg, Murray, Pudil, Abdi, Vydra, Iwelumo

Bristol City – Heaton, Cunningham, Carey, Wilson, Fontaine, Adomha, Skuse, Pearson, Woolford, Stead, Baldock

Recent form: Watford – WLLL; Bristol City – WLLW

Prediction: 2-2

 

PETERBOROUGH v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 15.00, London Road

Peterborough have had an awful start to the season, collecting no points since the start of the season, conceding the most goals and scoring the second fewest of all Championship teams. The bad news is that they face a recently resurgent Wolves side that have won two games in a row. The good news is that it can’t get much worse for them.

Wolverhampton Wanderers began the season tamely with a defeat to Leeds United, but have since gone on to win three of their last five fixtures, beating Leicester City and Ipswich Town in their last two games. Wolves certainly look a more formidable side than they did in their opening fixture.

What to watch for:

If Peterborough are going to look like winning anything this season, they’ll need to rely on their experienced squad members to do their bit. With the departure of Paul Taylor to Ipswich Town on transfer deadline day, Lee Tomlin will be the man Posh rely on to score the side’s goals. He’s scored four already this season.

Possible Line-ups:

Peterborough – Olejnik, Little, Brisley, Zakuani, Alcock, Bostwick, Swanson, McCann, Tomlin, Boyd, Barnett

Wolves – Ikeme, Zubar, Johnson, Berra, Ward, Peszko, Edwards, Davis, Boukari, Ebanks-Blake, Doyle

Recent form: Peterborough: LLLL; Wolves: DLWW

Prediction: 1-3

 

LEEDS v NOTTINGHAM FOREST 15.00, Elland Road

Leeds United are a side that will win plenty of games and lose a few too. While defeats won’t be avoidable, you’ll rarely see them lose by a margin greater than one goal. It’s a symbolic part of Neil Warnock’s management – even when they lose, they come away knowing they were close to winning. This approach is reflected by their form so far this season; two wins in the first three games have been followed by a draw and two defeats, none by more than a single goal. Goals might be a little harder to come by for the side with the news that Ross McCormack is ruled out for two months with an ankle injury.

For Forest, still unbeaten this season, the game at Elland Road will be a real test of character. Forest rescued an undeserved point at Crystal Palace during the week and only just scraped a draw against Birmingham City at the weekend. Forest will miss Adlene Guedioura for the next three games after the midfielder was given a red card for violent conduct at Selhurst Park.

What to look out for:

With the loss of McCormack, Leeds’ striking options look a little more limited. McCormack was often employed as a left-sided attack in a front three, losing him may result in Leeds working with a conventional front two by including Andy Gray in the side.

Possible Line-ups:

Leeds – Kenny, Peltier, Lees, Pearce, Drury, Austin, Norris, Diouf, Varney, Becchio, Gray

Forest – Camp, Moloney, Halford, Collins, Harding, Gillett, Coppinger, McGugan, Reid, Cox, Blackstock

Recent form: Leeds – WDLL; Forest – DWDD

Prediction: 2-1

 

MILLWALL v BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 15.00, The New Den

Brighton have had an immaculate start to the season, with the Seagulls sitting in third place. An opening day defeat to Hull City has been followed by a spell which has seen Brighton draw one and win the last four in a row. Key to this form is Craig Mackail-Smith, who has already scored six this season.

Millwall’s form has been inconsistent, with just two wins in the last six games. The blow that John Marquis will be out until the new year was softened by the immediate recruitment of West Brom striker Chris Woods, who’ll go straight into Kenny Jackett’s side.

What to look out for:

Mackail-Smith has won the plaudits for Brighton’s successful start to the season but the addition of Wayne Bridge and Bruno at full-back and Tomasz Kuszczak in goal have helped to build strong defensive foundations which have seen them concede just two league goals this season.

Possible Line-ups:

Millwall – Taylor, Dunne, Osborne, Lowry, Malone, Henry, Wright, Trotter, Abdou, Woods, Keogh

Brighton – Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, El-Abd, Bridge, Orlandini, Crofts, Dicker, Bridcutt, Dobie, Mackail-Smith

Recent form: Millwall – LWLL; Brighton – WWWW

Prediction: 0-2

 

CRYSTAL PALACE v CARDIFF CITY 15.00, Selhurst Park

Palace’s hat-trick of defeats to start the season have been followed by two wins and an unlucky draw against Forest on Tuesday night. Palace’s top scorer this season comes in the unlikely form of South African international Kagisho Dikgacoi, who has netted four times in all competitons. The Eagles have strengthened their defensive options with the signing of Danny Gabbidon, who was released by QPR during the summer.

Cardiff City’s bright start to the season has been aided by the return of Craig Bellamy. The experienced striker scored a wonderful free-kick last weekend and has been hailed by Malky Mackay as the catalyst to Cardiff’s 3-game winning streak. The Bluebirds came away from their win at Millwall with the bad news that Nicky Maynard would miss a number of months due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

What to look out for:

Palace and Cardiff are well accustomed to each other. Freedman and Mackay attended coaching classes together prior to becoming managers, while the two sides clashed in last season’s League Cup semi-final which Cardiff ultimately won on penalties. This will be another tight game between the two sides.

Possible line-ups:

Crystal Palace – Speroni, Blake, Delaney, Gabbidon, Moxey, Garvan, Jedinak, Dikgacoi, Williams, Zaha, Murray

Cardiff – Marshall, McNaughton, Taylor, Hudson, Connolly, Mutch, Whittingham, Noone, Smith, Helguson, Bellamy

Recent form: Crystal Palace – LWWD; Cardiff City – LWWW

Prediction: 1-1

 

IPSWICH TOWN v CHARLTON 15.00, Portman Road

Ipswich have had a poor start to the season, securing a win and two draws in their first three games but losing the rest. Paul Jewell feels that his team is capable of turning their form around and, despite their poor start, they are just a win away from a mid-table position – proof if ever it is needed that the league table doesn’t mean anything until at least fifteen games have been played.

For Charlton, a tough defeat at home to rivals Crystal Palace was followed by an equally difficult 3-2 defeat to Derby County midweek. County had taken a three-goal lead and manager Chris Powell will be buoyed by the fact that his side came close to achieving an impressive fight-back when they scored two late goals.

What to look out for:

Ipswich Town’s transfer window signing Paul Taylor hasn’t scored a goal for them yet, but it’s surely only a matter of time. The enigmatic striker played a major role in Peterborough achieving safety last season, scoring 12 goals last season. If the 24-year-old starts scoring, Ipswich’s form might just take a turn for the better.

Possible Line-ups:

Ipswich – Loach, Ainsley, Smith, Chambers, Cresswell, Martin, Drury, Luongo, Murphy, Taylor,  Chopra

Charlton – Hamer, Morrison, Solly, Cort, Wiggins, Holland, Jackson, Stephens, Pritchard, Wright-Phillips, Fuller

Recent form: Ipswich Town – LDLL; Charlton – DLLL

Prediction: 1-1

 

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY v BOLTON WANDERERS 15.00, Hillsborough

After going unbeaten for a prolonged spell, few would have expected Wednesday to go on a run of defeats like they have. Their defeat at Crystal Palace broke a 17-game unbeaten run and started a 3-game streak of defeats, the worst of which came in a 3-1 home capitulation to Huddersfield Town on Wednesday night.

Life in the Championship hasn’t started as hoped for Bolton Wanderers, with just two wins in six games. Critical to Bolton’s poor start has been their away form, with three defeats on the road. A visit to a stuttering Wednesday might just be what Wanderers need to change that.

What to look out for:

Wednesday’s goalscoring isn’t Dave Jones’ primary concern. The manager feels that it’s his defence which have let the side down, feeling that any chance of them getting a result will depend on how the defence performs.

Possible line-ups:

Wednesday – Kirkland, Buxton, R Johnson, Taylor, Llera, J Johnson, Semedo, McCabe, Antoni, Bothroyd, Rodri

Bolton – Bogdan, Mears, Mills, Knight, Ricketts, Eagles, Andrew, M Davies, Lee, K Davies, Sordell

Recent form: Sheffield Wednesday – WLLL; Bolton Wanderers – DLWL

Prediction: 1-2

 

LEICESTER CITY v HULL CITY 15.00, King Power Stadium

Leicester City’s manager Nigel Pearson is the subject of speculation surrounding his future. The club’s owners have a record of firing managers for poor form, and despite their win at Burnley during the week, there is still an air of uncertainty about his position. City sit in tenth place thanks in part to the goals from David Nugent and Jamie Vardy which helped secure the win at Turf Moor.

Steve Bruce’s reign at Hull City has started fantastically, with the Tigers on a run of high-scoring wins, netting three against Bolton, four against Millwall and three against Leeds in their last three fixtures.

What to look out for:

Jamie Vardy. The young recruit from Fleetwood Town has made a flying start to his Championship career, scoring three goals already. Few players make the jump from the Conference to the 2nd tier of English football as easily as Vardy has.

Possible line-ups:

Leicester – Schmeichel, De Laet, Morgan, Moore, Konchesky, Marshall, Drinkwater, King, Dyer, Nugent, Vardy

Hull – Amos, Chester, Bruce, Dudgeon, Faye, Olofinjana, Elmohamady, Koren, Quinn, Aluko, Simpson

Recent form: Leicester City – LWLW; Hull City – DWWW

Prediction: 2-2

 

 

Tags: Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardiff City, Championship, Leeds United, Watford