There are some exciting fixtures coming up in the Sky Bet Championship this weekend! Here are some of the key stats and facts...
Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion
- Birmingham are looking to complete a league double over West Bromwich Albion for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
- West Brom have lost their last two league games against Birmingham, having been unbeaten in their previous eight games against the Blues between 2007 and 2021 (W5 D3).
- Birmingham ended a five-game losing league run with a 4-3 victory over Swansea last time out. The Blues last won consecutive games back in October.
- This is West Brom’s third consecutive league game played on a Friday, losing 2-1 to Burnley but winning 1-0 against Coventry. They are the first side in the top four tiers to play three consecutive league games on Fridays since Millwall in December 2014.
- Lukas Jutkiewicz has scored in each of his last two league appearances for Birmingham, both as a sub. All three of his Championship goals this season have come as a substitute, the first Blues player to net three sub goals in a league season since Federico Macheda in 2013-14 (six).
Blackpool v Rotherham United
- Blackpool are winless in their last 11 league games against Rotherham United (D3 L8) since a 4-1 home win in March 1997.
- Rotherham have won their last five league games against Blackpool, last having a longer winning run against an opponent between 2008 and 2011 against Lincoln City (eight in a row).
- Blackpool are winless in each of their last six league games at Bloomfield Road (D3 L3); their longest such run in the Football League since a 10-game stretch in the third tier in February 2018.
- Rotherham have conceded just one goal in their last three league games (W1 D2), after having conceded at least two goals in each of their five games before this run (13 conceded).
- Rotherham United have only picked up two wins in their last 21 away games in the Championship (D9 L10) and are winless in five on the road (D2 L3).
Bristol City v Norwich City
- Bristol City are winless in 11 league games against Norwich City (D3 L8) since a 2-1 win in February 2009 at Carrow Road.
- Norwich are looking to win consecutive away league games against Bristol City for the first time since winning three in a row between 1970 and 1975.
- Bristol City are unbeaten in the Championship in 2023 so far (P4 W2 D2) – indeed, the only other two clubs without a defeat this year so far are the top-two sides Burnley and Sheffield United.
- Norwich have won their last two away league games, scoring four goals in each game against Preston (4-0) and Coventry (4-2). The Canaries have never scored 4+ goals in three away league games in a row, while the last second-tier side to net four goals in three away games in a row was Middlesbrough between December 1962 and February 1963.
- Norwich manager David Wagner twice managed at Ashton Gate against Bristol City in the Championship during his spell with Huddersfield Town – he lost both games 4-0 in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns.
Burnleuy v Norwich City
- Burnley are hosting Preston for a league game for the first time since December 2015, with the Lilywhites winning 2-0.
- Preston have won one of their last five league games against Burnley (D1 L3), although that win came at Turf Moor in their last visit in 2015-16.
- Burnley have won their last nine league matches – they are looking to equal their club record of 10 successive league wins set back in January 1913.
- Preston North End have won eight of their 14 away league games this season (D3 L3), with no side winning more away games than the Lilywhites.
- Burnley have suffered just two league defeats in their opening 29 league games this season, the fewest by a side at this stage of a Championship season since Reading in 2005-06 (1), who went on to win the league with 106 points.
Cardiff City v Middlesbrough
- Cardiff have won one of their last five league games against Middlesbrough (D2 L2), although it came earlier this season at the Riverside.
- Middlesbrough are looking for consecutive away league wins over Cardiff for the first time since December 2011, having won 2-0 in October 2021.
- Cardiff have netted just one goal in their last seven league games (D3 L4) and are winless in 11 league games (D5 L6). Indeed, 80% of Cardiff’s goals in all competitions in 2023 so far have come against Premier League side Leeds in the FA Cup (4/5).
- Middlesbrough have won each of their last two league games without conceding, not since October 2021 under Neil Warnock have they done so in three consecutive games, with the third victory in that run coming against Cardiff (2-0 in October 2021).
- Since Michael Carrick’s first league game in charge in October, only Burnley (33) and Sheffield United (32) have won more Championship points than Middlesbrough (31).
Coventry City v Luton Town
- Coventry are winless in their last eight league games against Luton (D4 L4) since a 3-0 victory in League Two in October 2017.
- Having won 1-0 away at Coventry last season, Luton are looking for consecutive away league wins against the Sky Blues for the very first time.
- Coventry have only picked up one win in their last seven league games (D2 L4), a 2-0 home win over Huddersfield. They had won five of their previous seven games before this run (D1 L1).
- Luton have won their last three away league games, last winning four in a row back in October 2002. In the top-two tiers of English football, the Hatters haven’t had a four-game away winning run since December 1983 when they were in the top-flight.
- Luton’s Elijah Adebayo has been involved in four goals in his last four league appearances (3 goals, 1 assist), as many as he had in his previous 23 league games combined.
QPR v Millwall
- QPR have only lost one of their last nine league matches against Millwall (W5 D3), losing 2-0 away from home last season.
- Millwall are winless in their last 10 league visits to Queens Park Rangers (D6 L4) since a 2-1 win in the top-flight in February 1989.
- QPR have won just one of their last 14 league matches (D6 L7), a 1-0 win over Preston North End in Neil Critchley’s first league game in charge.
- Millwall have alternated between a win and a defeat in their last five away league games (W3 L2), winning 1-0 at Cardiff last time out. They haven’t won consecutive away games since March 2022.
- QPR’s Jamal Lowe has scored in five of his last seven starts in the Championship across spells at Bournemouth and the Hoops (five goals), although he hasn’t assisted a goal in any of his last 59 Championship starts since assisting three goals in one game for Wigan vs Hull in July 2020.
Sheffield United v Swansea City
- Sheffield United are looking to complete their first league double over Swansea since the 1958-59 campaign.
- Swansea City have lost six of their last seven league visits to Sheffield United, winning the other 2-1 in August 2018.
- Sheffield United are unbeaten in their last nine league games (W7 D2), having already enjoyed a 10-game unbeaten run this season between August and October (W7 D3); the Blades last had two unbeaten runs of 10+ games in the same Football League campaign in 2016-17, going 15 and 17 games avoiding defeat.
- Swansea have only won one of their last nine away league games (D5 L3), a 3-1 win at Sunderland in January.
- Sheffield United have lost just three of their last 29 home league matches (W19 D7) and have won each of their last four games at Bramall Lane since a 1-0 reverse to Rotherham.
Stoke City v Hull City
- Stoke City have won eight of their last 10 league meetings with Hull (L2), including winning the last four in a row.
- Hull have lost their last seven league visits to Stoke and are winless in 10 games there (D3 L7) since a 3-0 win in January 2006.
- Stoke won their last home league game, beating Reading 4-0. The Potters haven’t had consecutive home league wins since April last year.
- Hull have picked up as many points in Liam Rosenior’s 12 league games in charge as they did in their first 18 games of 2022-23 (both 20) and could win three successive league games for the first time since January 2022.
- Hull City haven’t conceded more than once in any of their last nine league games, shipping just five goals in total. Before this run, they’d conceded at least two goals in 13 of their previous 17 Championship games.
Sunderland v Reading
- Sunderland are looking to complete their first league double over Reading since the 2003-04 campaign under Mick McCarthy.
- This is Reading’s first league visit to Sunderland since December 2017, winning 3-1 under manager Jaap Stam.
- Since consecutive goalless draws in October, both teams have found the net in 12 of Sunderland’s last 17 league games, including seven of the last eight.
- Reading have picked up just 11 points in their last 17 away league games (W3 D2 L12), failing to score in nine of those matches.
- Reading’s Tom Ince has scored seven league goals this season, his best league season for goals since scoring 14 in 2016-17 for Derby. Ince has scored 19 league goals under his father Paul (9 for Reading, 8 for Blackpool, 2 for Notts County), only scoring more goals for Steve McClaren (22) in his English league football career.
Watford v Blackburn Rovers
- Watford have won four of their last five home league matches against Blackburn (D1) since a 1-0 defeat in February 2001.
- Blackburn are looking to secure a league double over Watford for the first time since 1969-70 in the first season the teams faced.
- Watford have only picked up three wins in their last 10 league games (D4 L3) and are winless in their last three since winning their first two games of 2023 versus Norwich and Blackpool.
- Blackburn have taken just four points in their last six away league games (W1 D1 L4) since winning back-to-back away games against Middlesbrough and Hull in October.
- Blackburn’s 0-0 draw with Wigan last time out was Thomas Kaminski’s 32nd Championship clean sheet since his debut in the competition in 2020-21, only Bartosz Bialkowski (34) and Freddie Woodman (33) have registered more among goalkeepers during that time.
Wigan Athletic v Huddersfield Town
- Wigan are looking to complete a league double over Huddersfield Town for the first time, having beaten them 2-1 earlier this season.
- The away team has won five of the last six league meetings between Wigan and Huddersfield (D1), with the last home win in this fixture coming in 2013-14, when both games were home victories.
- Wigan Athletic have lost nine of their last 11 home league games (W2), including each of the four in a row. They last lost five on the bounce between January and March 2021.
- Huddersfield are without a win in their last five league games (D3 L2); they last had a longer such run in a single season between January and February 2021 (8 games).
- This will be Shaun Maloney’s first home league match in charge of Wigan Athletic – each of the last three permanent managers have lost their first home game (Sheridan, Richardson, Toure) with Paul Cook the last manager to win his first home game in August 2017 vs Bury.
