The midweek action in the Sky Bet Championship concludes on Wednesday evening when the 12 teams who did not play on Tuesday take to the pitch to begin the second quarter of their second tier campaign.
We saw the leaders extend their lead on Tuesday and two members of the chasing pack will be focused in the two TV matches on Wednesday evening. The other games can all be viewed via the red button so if you have a bet there are ways to follow it.
Wednesday’s fixtures are as follows: (7.45pm unless stated; UK TV in brackets)
Birmingham City v Hull City
Bristol City v Ipswich Town
Plymouth Argyle v Sheffield Wednesday
Preston North End v Southampton (Sky Sports Arena)
Rotherham United v Coventry City
Stoke City v Leeds United (8pm – Sky Main Event & Sky Football)
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for the Sky Bet Championship! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Preview
We have two TV matches to enjoy over the course of Wednesday night and in the one with all the main coverage it will be the Bet365 Stadium where the attention is as Leeds United will look to make it four wins on the spin when they take on a Stoke City who are hovering far too close to the relegation zone for their liking. The other TV game comes from Deepdale where fourth placed Preston North End look to get back to winning ways when Southampton make the long trip to Lancashire to face Ryan Lowe’s charges.
Ipswich Town are actually the highest placed team in action on Wednesday evening and they will go to Ashton Gate to take on an inconsistent Bristol City side. Birmingham City and Hull City have their eyes on a top six spot come the end of the campaign and we might find out who that is more realistic for when they meet at St Andrews. At the other end of the table it feels like a big night when Plymouth Argyle, one above the relegation zone, host rock bottom Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United, one spot off the bottom, host Coventry City.
Betting
The Bet365 Stadium isn’t the easiest place to go in the world but Leeds United are probably equipped to deal with the challenge that comes with that but I don’t expect this to be a walk in the park of the home side. Stoke City have just beaten Sunderland here and with that win under their belt they probably don’t have a lot to lose in this match and can give it a good go against a Leeds defence, which while much improved from the one which looked a basket case in the Premier League at the end of last term, still isn’t completely sound.
One area where Leeds are much improved these days is in attack. They now look like they are going to score most times they move forward with the likes of Joel Piroe a class act leading the line and in the goals. Leeds are a confident unit right now but we only have to think back to the trip to Southampton to remember that they are still vulnerable. Stoke have conceded two or more in half of their matches this season and Leeds have conceded twice in four of their 12. This feels like a game where both sides will get on the attack and I like over 2.5 goals in this one.
Tips
Back Stoke vs Leeds – Over 2.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Bet365
