Aston Villa v Bristol City
The first of our April 13 Championship Betting Tips is for Aston Villa v Bristol City. It’s the second round of fixtures from another busy week in the Championship. Aston Villa started the week in fifth, a run of form pulling them up into the promotion play-off places and although a top-two berth and the automatic promotion that comes with it is a step too far at this stage, there’s no reason why the home side can’t go on to secure an extended season and it would be no great shock to see them playing Premier League football again next term. They would certainly be welcomed back into the top-flight with open arms by most. The home win is 4/5 favourite at Bet365 and that’s a bet worth a place in your accumulators.
Dreaming of the Top
Bristol City are another side with hopes and dreams of dining at the top table next term and, going into the week, they too have every chance of playing playoff football and forcing the issue. Once a top-six finish has been achieved, it becomes a lottery, with form going out the window. The visitors must win this if they are to give themselves the best chance of being involved in the play-offs but it’s not a bet for us and bookies don’t fancy it too much either. The away day is 7/2, top price at Bet365.
Our Tip: Aston Villa to win – 4/5 at Bet365
Sheff Utd v Millwall
The Blades climbed back to second in the Championship with a win last weekend and that left them one point ahead of nearest rivals Leeds in third with West Brom down in fourth now seven off the pace following a surprise loss to Millwall. Sheffield United took their recent tally to four wins from five with a 1-0 over Preston North End, a victory achieved thanks to a goal from McGoldrick on 33 minutes. Chris Wilder was pleased by his player’s reaction and oddsmakers were impressed, making the home win a 4/6 shot at Ladbrokes.
Fighting Against Relegation
Millwall beat The Baggies last weekend to collect their second victory in three starts, easing their relegation fears in the process. The Lions still have plenty of work to do if they are to retain their position in the division, however, with Rotherham in 22nd just a point worse off at the time of writing. Tunnicliffe hit the net on 30 minutes to stun West Brom before a Hegazi own-goal on 66 finished the match as a contest. Fancy another shock win for the struggling London side? You’ll get 9/2 at Bet365 on the points heading back to the capital. A nice offer, but it’s not for us.
Our Tip: Sheffield United to win – 4/6 at Ladbrokes
Leeds v Sheff Weds
This match will be shown live on Sky Sports from 5.30pm and will prove crucial in the race for second place behind champions in-waiting Norwich. Leeds started the week having lost two of their last three and that threatened to damage the good work they have done this season in driving themselves into contention for automatic promotion. We are entering the home-straight and now is not the time for the team to lose their bottle, or indeed fans to voice their concerns. Fancy Leeds to get back on track with a home win? We do and will be backing them at 8/13 (Bet365).
A Mid-Table Finish
Sheffield Wednesday suffered a rare defeat last weekend when falling to Aston Villa at home on Saturday, a defeat that squashed any faint hopes the team had of rescuing their promotion play-off bid. That is now dead in the water and it looks more likely that the visitors will end up rolling to a finish in mid-table, taking little from the campaign. Winning at Elland Road is a big ask at the best of times but the 9/2 (Bet365) may catch the eye of value hunters, given Leeds recently nervy showing.
Our Tip: Leeds to win – 8/13 at Bet365
West Brom v Preston
West Brom really let us down last weekend and we were shocked to see them throw in a stinker against Millwall, a side you would expect them to beat eight or nine times out of 10. It was poor timing too from The Baggies, but they deserved to leave London empty-handed, after missing a penalty, conceding two goals and having a man sent off. The games come at us thick and fast at this time of year and that gives the players a chance to put it behind them and get back on track. West Brom remains in with a chance at landing a play-off finish and we have them backed for the points in this home tie, priced at evens by Unibet, which is market best price.
Lessons to Learn
Preston lost their second game in-a-row last weekend and that saw them sink down to 10th in the table. Like others around them in the charts, we expect Preston to down tools and coast to a finish, knowing they had a chance to achieve more but blew it. The board must reinvest during the pre-season, learn the lessons of this year and come back stronger. With nothing to play for we have no interest in backing the away day at 27/10 (Ladbrokes).
Our Tip: West Brom to win – evens at Unibet
Derby v Bolton
This looks to be an easy three points for a Derby side running out of time to smash their way into the prize places. The Rams started the week with their stats showing 16-12-11 and the 60 points on the board had them in seventh, just two behind Bristol City and the play-off places, although they are just four better than Sheff Weds down in 12th. It’s shaping up to be a thrilling finish and Derby will fancy themselves good enough to pile pressure on the sides above them in the table. The home win is a must-have in your accumulators at 4/9 (Unibet).
Looking at Relegation
Bolton suffered what was their 24th league defeat of the season last weekend when ending on the wrong side of a 2-1 result at home to Ipswich, a game many thought they would’ve won. That was Bolton’s third defeat in four, although they did win the spare. They are staring at relegation back down to League One and that would serve as a real blow to the club in their time of need. Off-field problems have haunted fans over the last few years and it’ll be a while before they can focus on football again. The away day does nothing to inspire us at 13/2 with Unibet.
Our Tip: Derby to win – 4/9 at Unibet
Wigan v Norwich
The last of our April 13 Championship betting tips is for Wigan v Norwich. This match will be shown by Sky Sports from noon on Sunday and it serves as a real chance for Norwich to take a massive leap towards the Championship title. Wigan is charged with stopping an opponent shooting for the flag, but they do so on the back of a decent run of form that saw them start the week unbeaten in three, following a win with back-to-back draws. Another draw is 13/5 at Bet365, the home win a decent 11/4 with the same firm. Nice, but not enough for us.
Canaries are Singing
The Canaries continued their march to the trophy when hammering QPR 4-0 last Saturday. Fans and critics were equally impressed by that showing, achieved despite Buendia being sent off on 71 minutes after the same man broke the deadlock inside six first-half minutes. Other goals came from Stiepermann and a Pukki double. We saw more than enough that day to convince us Norwich won’t stumble and lose their bottle in the closing stages, so we back them again here at a decent 10/11 with Bet365. A bet that’ll help boost your accumulator returns and it’s a fair price on the back of their incredible form this year.