Ahead of the penultimate weekend in the Sky Bet Championship, here are the key stats and facts you need to know...
Blackpool v Millwall
- Blackpool have won five of their last six home league matches against Millwall (D1) since a 1-0 defeat in February 2007.
- Millwall are looking to complete their first league double over Blackpool since the 1998-99 campaign, when they were managed by Keith Stevens.
- Blackpool have won two of their last three Championship matches (L1), as many as they had in their previous 24 games combined (D7 L15).
- Millwall have won just one of their last seven league matches (D2 L4), losing the last two. They haven’t lost three in a row since August.
- All seven of Millwall’s league defeats in 2023 have been by a one-goal margin – only Reading (8) have lost more Championship games this year by one-goal than the Lions.
Bristol City v Burnley
- Bristol City have lost their last five league games against Burnley, conceding at least twice in every defeat (15 in total).
- This is Burnley’s first away league game against Bristol City since August 2015, winning 2-1 with goals from Ben Mee and Michael Keane.
- Bristol City are unbeaten in all nine home league matches in 2023 (W5 D4) – they are the only side still unbeaten at home in the Championship this calendar year.
- Burnley suffered a 2-1 defeat to QPR last Saturday, only their second defeat in their last 32 Championship games played on Saturdays. They haven’t lost on consecutive Saturdays in the Championship since November 2012 under Sean Dyche.
- Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson lost against Burnley earlier this season – he hasn’t been beaten twice against the Clarets in a season since 2010-11 with Hull City.
Coventry City v Birmingham City
- Coventry are unbeaten in their last six league games against Birmingham City (W1 D5), with this season’s reverse fixture ending 0-0.
- Birmingham’s last three away league matches at Coventry City have ended as draws, with each of the last two ending goalless.
- Coventry City have lost just one of their last 15 league matches (W7 D7), a 4-0 home defeat to Stoke City.
- Birmingham City have won two of their last four away league games (D1 L1), one more than they’d won in their previous eight on the road (W1 D2 L5).
- Coventry have won 17 league matches this season – in the second tier, the Sky Blues last won more matches in the 2001-02 campaign, when they won 20.
Hull City v Swansea City
- Hull City have won eight of their last 11 home league matches against Swansea City (D2 L1), winning 2-0 against the Swans last season.
- Swansea are looking to complete their first league double over Hull since the 2014-15 campaign when the sides were in the Premier League.
- Hull City have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight home league matches (W5 D2 L1), losing the other game 3-1 to Burnley.
- Swansea have picked up 19 points in their last seven league games (W6 D1), as many as in their previous 22 games combined (W4 D7 L11).
- Swansea City have won five league matches in April – the Swans haven’t won six league games in a single month since March 1979.
Reading v Wigan Athletic
- Reading have won five of their last seven league matches against Wigan Athletic (D1 L1), beating them 1-0 earlier this campaign.
- Wigan have won four of their last six away league games against Reading, with this their first visit there since a 3-0 win in February 2020.
- Reading are winless in their last 11 league matches (D5 L6) since winning 3-1 against Blackpool in February. They last went 12 without a win between April and November 2012.
- Wigan Athletic have won their last two league matches – they haven’t won three in a row in the Championship since June 2020 under Paul Cook.
- Wigan have won three Championship games in April, more than they won in November, December, January, February and March combined (W2 D9 L10).
Sheffield United v Preston North End
- Sheffield United are unbeaten in their last five league games against Preston North End (W3 D2), winning 2-0 against them earlier this season.
- Preston have won two of their last 20 away league games against Sheffield United, 1-0 wins in both 2013-14 and 2017-18.
- Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom is looking to complete his first league double over Preston – however, his two previous home games against them both ended 0-0, with Barnsley in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
- Preston North End have lost their last two away league games, last losing three consecutively in April 2022.
- Preston’s Thomas Cannon has scored seven goals in his last nine Championship appearances, with four of those coming in away matches.
Stoke City v Queens Park Rangers
- Stoke have won two of their last three league matches against QPR (D1), keeping a clean sheet in each game.
- The home team have won just two of the last nine league meetings between Stoke and QPR (D4 L3), with the home side scoring just once in the last five games between the teams.
- Stoke City have lost their last three home league games, last losing four in a row between August and October 2019.
- QPR ended a seven-game winless run in the Championship with a 2-1 away win at Burnley last time out, last winning consecutive games in October under Michael Beale.
- Stoke have lost 11 home league matches this season – in their entire history, they’ve only lost more home games in one season, losing 15 in 1984-85 when they finished bottom of the top-flight.
Sunderland v Watford
- This is Sunderland’s first home league game against Watford since the 2016-17 Premier League, a 1-0 win in December.
- Watford have won just one of their last six away league games against Sunderland (L5), a 1-0 win in December 2015 under Quique Sanchez Flores.
- Sunderland are unbeaten in their last seven league games (W3 D4), after having lost four of their previous five games before this run (L1).
- Watford have lost their last two Championship matches. They haven’t lost more consecutively at this level since November 2014, losing four in a row.
- Since Sunderland drew consecutive home league matches goalless in October, the Black Cats have scored in 15 of their last 16 games at the Stadium of Light. They have, however, also conceded in 13 of those games, with both sides finding the net in the last seven.
West Bromwich Albion v Norwich City
- West Brom are winless in their last three home league meetings with Norwich City (D1 L2) since a 2-1 win in December 2012.
- The home team has won none of the last seven league meetings between West Brom and Norwich (D2 L5).
- After a run of nine wins in 10 home league games for West Brom (D1), the Baggies are winless in their last three at the Hawthorns (D2 L1).
- Norwich City won six of their first nine league games under David Wagner (D1 L2) but have won just one of their last nine under him (D4 L4).
- Norwich have lost 16 league games this season, last suffering more defeats in a Championship campaign in 2008-09, losing 24 and getting relegated to League One.
Cardiff City v Huddersfield Town
- Cardiff City have won eight of their last nine home league games against Huddersfield Town (D1) since losing 2-1 in September 2001.
- Huddersfield Town are looking to complete a league double over Cardiff for the first time since the 1969-70 campaign.
- Cardiff City have won two of their last 14 home league games (D5 L7), and are winless in four at the Cardiff City Stadium (D2 L2).
- After losing three of their first five league games under Neil Warnock this season (W1 D1), Huddersfield Town have lost just one of their last seven (W3 D3).
- Huddersfield boss Neil Warnock has only won two of his last 15 league meetings with Cardiff City (D7 L6) although he did win his last away game against his former club in October 2021 with Middlesbrough.
Rotherham United v Middlesbrough
- Rotherham United have won just two of their last 15 league matches against Middlesbrough (D6 L7).
- Middlesbrough have won their last two away league games against Rotherham, beating them 2-1 in both games in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
- Rotherham United haven’t won a second tier league match in May in any of their last nine attempts (D6 L3) since a 3-0 win over Burnley in 2004 under Ronnie Moore.
- Both teams have found the net in each of Middlesbrough’s last six league games (W2 D1 L3), with those six games seeing 26 goals scored (14 for, 12 against).
- Middlesbrough’s Cameron Archer has been involved in 16 goals in 15 league starts this season (10 goals, 6 assists), including four goals and two assists in his last three starts for the club.
Blackburn Rovers v Luton Town
- Blackburn have won just one of their last 10 league games against Luton Town (D3 L6), a 1-0 victory in January 2021.
- Luton are looking to complete their first league double over Blackburn since the 2019-20 campaign.
- Blackburn Rovers haven’t lost any of their last 10 league games played in May (W7 D3) since a 2-1 away defeat at Chelsea in their final Premier League game in 2011-12.
- Luton Town have won 21 league games this season – the Hatters haven’t won more than that in a campaign at this level since 1981-82, winning 25 and going on to be promoted to the top-flight.
- Luton are unbeaten in 11 away league games, only enjoying a longer away unbeaten run in the Football League once before, going 13 without defeat between October 2018 and March 2019.
