Blackburn v Norwich
The first of our Dec 22 Championship betting tips is Blackburn v Norwich. Blackburn Rovers went into the week sitting 12th in the Championship table; they appear to be looking at a campaign spent treading water, steering clear of the danger zone; however they are also lacking the consistency needed to pressure the prize places. The club stood with a record reading seven wins, 10 draws and five defeats. Rovers have an inability to finish teams off from a winning position; they have taken one point when three looked more likely and that has been their downfall during the first-half of the schedule. If they are to improve during 2019, they must sort a defence that leaked 33 goals in 22 games.
The Ewood Park crowd did go three games unbeaten recently, thanks to a win over Sheffield Wednesday at this venue; this was followed by shares with Middlesbrough on the road and a dramatic 2-2 at home to Birmingham on 15 December. Graham and Armstrong were both on target that day to give Blackburn a 2-0 lead, but The Blues fought back through Gardner and Adams with less than two minutes between both goals. Tony Mowbray thought it amazing his men weren’t able to get over the line and told members of the press at full-time weather conditions made life difficult for the players and that played a part in the four goals.
Canaries Aiming for Top Spot
Norwich City fans have witnessed quite the turnaround in their club’s fortunes already this season; you’ll find them driving at top spot in the league. At present it’s a straight choice between Leeds and Norwich for the title; however, experienced followers of this division – one of the most competitive in British football – will tell you nothing can be taken for granted as there’s plenty more twists and turns to come between now and the final count. There’s no doubt the visitors will be delighted with how they have started.
Stats of 13 wins, five draws and four defeats placed Norwich second in the pile. They are a point behind leaders Leeds United and five better than West Brom who were applying pressure to the automatic promotion places. They took six points from six when beating Rotherham 3-1 at home and quickly followed that with a battling 3-2 over lowly Bolton in a match that was a great advert for Championship football. The Canaries took their scoring to eight goals in three December games when being held to a 2-2 by Bristol City on their travels. Stiepermann and Aarons both hit the net; however, that advantage was chalked out by Diedhiou and O’Dowda who played their part in what was a fascinating contest and one those in attendance will remember for a while.
There Will Be Goals In This One
You’ve got to expect a few goals will be scored in this match and a quick look at the stats suggests we should be backing both teams to find the net at 8/11 with Bet365. Unfortunately, bookies see it coming too but there’s still enough of a price there to make it a worthwhile addition to your accumulators. Use it alongside four or five similar selections and it’ll arm you with an interest for the round of fixtures.
That’s our main bet but we also fancy the away win and for that reason we’ll push our luck a little further and take both teams to score in a Norwich victory, a bet that’ll land you 19/5 when getting your stake money down at 888Sport. That’s market best price and for a small outlay you’ll get a shot at a decent return. Norwich are 5/4 favourites with Bet365 to win the match, the draw 12/5 with Blackburn best odds 21/10 with the same firm. Plenty of value to be had when picking your side.
Our Tip: Norwich win with BTTS – 19/5 at 888sport
Hull v Swansea
The second of our Dec 22 Championship betting tips is Hull v Swansea. It’s the start of what will be a hectic few days of football with matches coming thick and fast over the festive period. This tie will be shown live on Sky Sports from 5.30pm on Saturday evening and we expect a thriller with armchair fans and punters given plenty to shout about as two talented sides put everything on the line in an attempt to bank the points. Hull have been poor so far this season and started the week down in 17th with 24 points on the board. It’ll be a vital couple of weeks as The Tigers are within five points of Millwall and the relegation zone and six points off Bristol City and a spot in the middle of the pack.
They are a side moving in the right direction and put together a four-match unbeaten run that saw them start the month with a battling 3-2 victory over a decent QPR side in London. The club was then held in the same city to Millwall, a side always difficult to break down when enjoying the backing of their loyal support. Hull raged to a 2-0 home cheer over Brentford last weekend, a result achieved thanks to a double from Frazier Campbell who hit the net on 12 and 21 minutes. Nigel Adkins dubbed it a very good, professional performance; he’ll be eager to see that level of play on a more regular basis as they attempt to move into the safety of mid-table.
Swans Need to Improve
Big things were predicted for Swansea City this season. Many expected them to bounce back from the bitter disappointment of going down to the Championship by firing their way back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. On paper, the Welsh club certainly looked to have all the assets needed to put together a title challenge; however, things have not gone to plan so far and 9-5-8 is a run of form that has them sitting down in ninth, four points off Middlesbrough and the top-six.
Swansea lost three games on the bounce; however, they were able to stop the rot when dealing out a 3-2 defeat to Brentford in London recently, before edging Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 a week later. The latter saw them fall behind to a Matias goal on 63 minutes but once the deadlock had been broken the game really opened up. Celina fired his employers level before Routledge knocked in what proved to be the winner. Graham Potter thought the win and performance were fantastic for both his players and the club’s supporters.
Get On Goals
This is another match we expect to produce a few goals; a look at the tally of both teams supports that with Hull scoring 23 and conceding 30 in 22 games; meanwhile their opponents have scored 27 and allowed 24. Both teams to score is a bet that should be used in your accumulators and followers can get their hands on a useful 3/4 at 888sport. That makes more sense than backing no from the same pot at 6/5. Let’s hope both teams deliver the goods and we get a thriller.
Prefer to stick to the match betting? Bookies have Hull as favourites for the points and backers will get 6/4 with Bet365, the draw marked up at 23/10 with the same firm. Swansea is top price 23/13 with Unibet and we wouldn’t put anyone off an interest play on that, given the fact they are the better price in a game that looks to be evenly matched. Enjoy the show.