The second round of fixtures in the Sky Bet Championship will take place on Saturday with those playing their first match away from home getting to entertain their fans over the course of the afternoon and the teams lucky enough to have played at home last week being sent on their travels here.
As ever in the Championship we have a Saturday TV match which this week comes in the lunchtime game. There are plenty of ways of keeping up to date with the other matches later in the afternoon too.
Saturday’s fixtures are as follows: (3pm unless stated)
Leeds United v Nottingham Forest (12.30)
Birmingham City v Bristol City
Cardiff City v Luton Town
Charlton Athletic v Stoke City
Derby County v Swansea City
Fulham v Blackburn Rovers
Hull City v Reading
Middlesbrough v Brentford
Preston North End v Wigan Athletic
Queens Park Rangers v Huddersfield Town
Sheffield Wednesday v Barnsley
West Bromwich Albion v Millwall
Big Matches
The televised offering this week sees Leeds United taking on Nottingham Forest at Elland Road. Leeds looked a million dollars last week and will be looking to back that up while Forest go in search of their first points of the campaign after a calamity night for their goalkeeper. The three teams relegated from the Premier League last term all face inferior opposition. Cardiff City host Luton Town, Fulham host Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield travel to QPR.
Best of the Rest
West Bromwich Albion got off to a winning start last week and they face another team with three points to their name at The Hawthorns when Millwall come to town. There is a match which many are perceiving to be a basement battle as Hull City host Reading while Charlton Athletic will look to build on their opening day win when they host Stoke City. Derby County welcome Swansea City to Pride Park while Middlesbrough face Brentford in what could be an entertaining match based on the exploits of last weekend.
Betting
I’ll go with two on Saturday. The first is me sticking to what I know as ever and that is for Cardiff City and Luton Town to produce a few goals down in Wales. Luton are only going to play one way this season and that is to attack and to hell with the consequences. It is their way and the way of their manager Graeme Jones. I think they’ll cause Cardiff problems but the glaring issue the other way is Luton’s fallibility against set-pieces at the minute. Norwich helped themselves to a few from them in pre-season and Middlesbrough’s first came from one last week. In Sean Morrison and Aden Flint, Cardiff have a couple of real threats from them which is a concern. Both teams should get to play how they want here which should deliver a game with at least three goals in it.
By all accounts Hull City were a bit unfortunate to lose to Swansea City last week but I think they can make up for that when they host a Reading side who lost to 10-man Sheffield Wednesday last weekend and couldn’t even capitalise on the visitors having their goalkeeper sent off. Reading could be in trouble this season and while they signed half the population of Berkshire this summer, bedding them all in is going to take him. While that is happening Grant McCann can pick up his first win as Hull boss.
Tips
WON – Back Cardiff City vs Luton Town – Over 2.5 goals for a 4/10 stake at 1.93 with BetVictor
WON – Back Hull City (-0.25AH) to beat Reading for a 4/10 stake at 1.75 with ComeOn
Back them here: