MY ACCOUNT
– Recommended bets:
– Back Sunderland to beat Blackpool
– Back Coventry to beat Bristol City
– Back the draw in Huddersfield v Luton
– Back Millwall to win to nil against Rotherham
The EFL action continues on New Year’s Day with five Championship matches and we have selected four best bets from the four 3pm fixtures.
Blackpool vs Sunderland (Sunday, 3pm)
The stats
Struggling Blackpool are winless in eight matches, scoring just four goals in a run stretching back to the start of November, while Sunderland have won five of their last eight, including back-to-back post-Christmas triumphs over Blackburn and Wigan.
Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray has lost the services of loanee Ellis Simms, who has been recalled by Everton, but fellow loan star Amad Diallo has scored six goals in his last 10 matches while Ross Stewart has netted three in three since returning from injury.
Prediction
Sunderland’s firepower can tip this fixture in the favour of the Black Cats, who look a decent bet to continue their winning run at 7/5 with LiveScore Bet, particularly as Blackpool manager Michael Appleton has a raft of injury problems to contend with.
Coventry vs Bristol City (Sunday, 3pm)
The stats
Having won seven of their previous nine Championship matches heading into the World Cup break, Coventry have struggled to find top gear following the resumption, claiming just one victory from five matches.
Visitors Bristol City, meanwhile, have won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions, although just one of their four defeats in that period came away from home, suggesting this could be a tight contest.
Coventry have claimed 21 of their 34 Championship points at home this season and were the better team in Thursday’s 0-0 draw at home to Cardiff, creating 15 goal attempts to the visitors’ six.
Prediction
Sky Blues boss Mark Robins has been linked with the vacant managerial position at Norwich but, for now, he can mastermind a win over Bristol City as he bids to get Coventry’s play-off push back on track, with the home win on offer at 19/20 with LiveScore Bet.
Huddersfield vs Luton (Sunday, 3pm)
The stats
Back-to-back Championship victories have helped Huddersfield climb off the bottom of the Championship and manager Mark Fotheringham will be hoping to make it three wins on the bounce when the Terriers host Luton.
Huddersfield have performed creditably at the John Smith’s Stadium this season, picking up 17 of their 25 points at home, but they face a Luton side who have started to rediscover their groove under Rob Edwards, enjoying two wins on the spin.
Prediction
Both of these teams have had their confidence boosted in recent outings and there might not be much between them in this meeting.
Five of the last seven head-to-head clashes have resulted in a draw, which looks the best bet at the prices, available at 9/4 with LiveScore Bet.
Millwall vs Rotherham (Sunday, 3pm)
The stats
After winning four straight matches in October, Millwall have found victories harder to come by either side of the World Cup break, claiming just two triumphs from their last eight games.
However, the Lions have won seven of their 12 matches at the Den this season and boast the Championship’s meanest home defence, conceding just eight goals.
Rotherham, meanwhile, have one of the worst away records in the second tier, claiming 11 points on the road and scoring just eight goals, the fewest in the division.
Prediction
It could pay to follow the stats at the Den.
Millwall have cooled slightly in recent weeks but they are unbeaten in seven at home and can win to zero at 6/5 with LiveScore Bet against a Rotherham side who are winless in five and have been blanked on seven occasions on their travels this term.
