Saturday's Championship predictions including Leicester vs. West Brom
Source: Sports Mole
Author: Ben Knapton
Leicester vs. West Brom (Saturday, 12.30pm)
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Aiming to get their promotion ambitions back on track, Leicester City will welcome playoff hopefuls West Bromwich Albion to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a Championship clash.
The Foxes are losing sight of the Premier League after back-to-back losses, whereas the Baggies' aims of a top-six finish were dealt a blow by Sunderland last time out.
We say: Leicester City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Despite their recent struggles on the road, Leicester's promotion hopes are still in their own hands, and they should be confident of winning at the King Power on Saturday.
West Brom could be given an insight into the calibre of opposition potentially awaiting them in the playoff semi-finals next month, and we feel that the Baggies will come up just short in this clash.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Cardiff vs. Southampton (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Southampton make the trip to Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon knowing that victory will keep them in the race for automatic promotion from the Championship.
At a time when the Saints occupy fourth spot in the standings, Cardiff are merely playing for pride with a playoff spot now mathematically impossible.
We say: Cardiff City 1-2 Southampton
With the pressure off Cardiff, we expect the Bluebirds to throw caution to the wind in search of maximum points. Nevertheless, Southampton could still edge this contest, aware that they can ill-afford any dropped points.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Huddersfield vs. Swansea (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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With just three games left to escape the bottom three in the Championship table, Huddersfield Town will welcome Swansea City to the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday.
The Terriers dropped back into the relegation zone last weekend and sit a point adrift of safety, while their visitors have moved clear of the threat of the drop with consecutive victories.
We say: Huddersfield Town 1-1 Swansea City
After the agonising manner of their draw away at Bristol City last time out, Huddersfield Town will be desperate to bounce back with a win on Saturday, but they face a tough test against a rejuvenated Swansea City side and are yet to show they possess the tools to cruise to a victory against a team who have escaped the relegation fight.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Norwich vs. Bristol City (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Norwich City play host to Bristol City on Saturday afternoon knowing that victory will put them on the brink of sealing a Championship playoff place.
Despite the recent unbeaten streak of the visitors, they make the long trip to Carrow Road with only a top-10 finish in the standings in their sights.
We say: Norwich City 2-1 Bristol City
Despite the relentlessness of Norwich at Carrow Road, we expect Bristol City to push them all the way here. However, that may still not be enough, and the Canaries could edge this fixture in the final quarter of the game.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Rotherham vs. Birmingham (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Looking to boost their chances of avoiding an unthinkable relegation, Birmingham City will make the highly-anticipated trip to the AESSEAL New York Stadium to face Rotherham United on Saturday in the Championship.
The already-relegated Millers suffered a narrow defeat at Swansea City last time out, whilst Blues recorded a much-needed success over Midlands counterparts Coventry City.
We say: Rotherham United 0-1 Birmingham City
Despite a change in manager earlier in the week, Rotherham fans will be expecting the worst from Saturday's clash following their woeful campaign so far.
Birmingham's trip to Rotherham is finally here, and we feel that Rowett's Blues are in a good position to collect the three points that supporters have been targeting from this fixture ever since this relegation battle became a reality.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Stoke vs. Plymouth (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Stoke City and Plymouth Argyle square off at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon knowing that victory may be enough to retain their Championship status.
These two teams currently occupy 20th and 18th place in the standings respectively, albeit having avoided defeat in their last fixtures.
We say: Stoke City 1-1 Plymouth Argyle
This has the potential to be an extremely tense affair, one in which both sides may be focused on avoiding losing. With that in mind, do not be surprised to see a low-scoring draw play out in the Potteries.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Sunderland vs. Millwall (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Sunderland play host to Millwall on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will keep them in the hunt for a top-half finish in the Championship table.
Meanwhile, Millwall are aware that victory at the Stadium of Light will effectively guarantee that they remain in the second tier for at least another year.
We say: Sunderland 1-1 Millwall
With Sunderland finally showing a bit of form under Dodds, they will expect to deliver maximum points in the North-East. However, we feel that the Lions will come through this contest having earned a point in a relatively low-key affair.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
Watford vs. Hull City (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Aiming to keep their faint hopes of cracking the top six in the Championship table alive in the final weeks of the season, Hull City will travel to Vicarage Road to take on Watford on Saturday.
The visitors trail the playoff places by six points with a game in hand on sixth-placed Norwich City and just four left to play, while their hosts have dropped to 15th spot in the midst of a winless streak.
We say: Watford 1-2 Hull City
While Watford have been resilient for the most part under Tom Cleverley, they meet a Hull City side knowing only a victory is sufficient for their playoff bid and with renewed confidence from a dominant victory last time out, and given the difference in stakes for both sides, we back the visitors to take all three points from a tight contest.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
QPR vs. Preston (Saturday, 5.15pm)
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Queens Park Rangers play host to Preston North End on Saturday afternoon looking to strengthen their bid to avoid relegation from the Championship.
At a time when the Hoops sit in 19th position in the standings, Preston are in 10th and all but out of the race for the playoffs.
We say: Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Preston North End
With neither side having impressed of late, this is a difficult fixture to predict. However, with home territory in their favour, we will edge towards QPR, who will hope to put themselves on the brink of survival.
> Click here to read our full preview for this match
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