Sky Bet Championship: Pre-match stat pack

Take a look ahead to the weekend in the Sky Bet Championship with our pre-match stat pack...

Burnley v Sunderland

Burnley are looking to complete their first league double over Sunderland since the 1972-73 season, following their 4-2 win earlier this season.
This is Sunderland’s first league visit to Burnley since December 2016 in the Premier League, a 4-1 home win for the Clarets.
Burnley are unbeaten in 17 league games (W14 D3), the club’s longest such run since May 2016, when they last won promotion from the Championship (23 games).
Sunderland have scored in each of their last 19 league games, the longest current run for any Championship side and their longest scoring run at this level since scoring in their final 24 games of the 2004-05 campaign.
Sunderland winger Jack Clarke has created the most chances following a ball carry in the Championship this season (29), while he has progressed the ball up the pitch 3,099m following a ball carry, the second-most of any winger behind Millwall’s Jed Wallace (3,210m).

Luton Town v Watford

Luton Town have won just one of their last 12 league games against Watford (D7 L4), a 1-0 home win in April 2021.
Watford are looking to complete their first league double over rivals Luton since the 1986-87 top-flight campaign.
Luton Town had the fewest sequences of 10 or more open play passes in the Championship this season (71); 35% of the distance covered in Luton’s sequences this season has been upfield, the highest percentage of directness in the division.
Watford have lost their last two away Championship matches – they haven’t lost three in a row at this level since a run of four between April and August 2014.
Since his Championship debut for Luton, Cody Drameh has created more chances in the division than any other defender (15). Drameh has also assisted a goal in each of his last two appearances, doing so against Bristol City and Sunderland.

Preston North End v Blackpool

Preston won 1-0 at home against Blackpool in the Championship last season, last winning consecutive home games against the Seasiders between 1987 and 1989 (three in a row).
Blackpool are looking to complete their first league double over rivals Preston for the first time since the 1973-74 campaign.
Only the Cardiff City Stadium (33) has seen fewer goals scored in the Championship than Preston’s Deepdale (36). Despite that, there have been 462 shots attempted in games at Deepdale, the sixth-most at any stadium in 2022-23.
Blackpool have lost their last six away league games, last losing more consecutively between December 2013 and February 2014 (eight). They’ve lost all five on the road since Mick McCarthy, with McCarthy also losing his final four away league games as Cardiff manager in 2021. The last Championship manager to lose 10 consecutive away games was Graeme Jones in 2019-20 with Luton (11 in a row).
Among all Championship players to play at least 1,000 minutes this season, only João Pedro (3.7) and Patrick Roberts (3.5) are averaging more successful take-ons per 90 minutes than Blackpool winger Josh Bowler (3.3).

Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers

Birmingham City have lost their last five league matches against Blackburn Rovers, conceding at least two goals in every defeat.
Blackburn are looking to win three consecutive away league matches against Birmingham City for the first time since December 2003.
Birmingham have won two of their last three league matches (L1), as many as they’d won in their previous 12 games combined (W2 D1 L9).
Blackburn have won 19 league matches this season, as many as they managed in the entirety of last season. Rovers last won 20+ matches in a second-tier season in 2000-01 under Graeme Souness, winning 26 games and finishing 2^nd that campaign.
Only Viktor Gyökeres (57) and Ilias Chair (43) have had more shots in the Championship following a ball carry this season than Blackburn’s Ben Brereton (35). Brereton has scored in his last two Championship appearances, last netting in three in a row in November 2021.

Bristol City v Reading

This will be the 100^th league meeting between Bristol City and Reading – the Robins have won 40 of the first 99, while the Royals have won 41 (D18).
Only one of the last 20 league meetings between Bristol City and Reading has been a draw, a 1-1 stalemate in April 2019.
Bristol City are one of six Championship clubs yet to lose at home in 2023 (P6 W4 D2), while opponents Reading are one of only two teams, along with Blackpool, yet to collect a single point away from home in the division this calendar year (P6 L6).
Reading’s opponents are averaging 9.33 seconds per sequence in the Championship, the most of any team’s opponents this season. They have also allowed their opponents 373 open play sequences with 10+ passes, second only to Huddersfield Town (386), while their PPDA figure of 15.3 is the second highest, again behind only the Terriers (15.5).
Bristol City have scored just one goal from outside the box in the Championship this season, the fewest of any team, while they’ve also had the fewest shots from outside the box (118). However, their average xG per shot has been 0.12, the joint best in the division along with Middlesbrough.

Cardiff City v Swansea City

Cardiff have lost their last two home league matches against Swansea City – they’ve never lost three in a row before.
Swansea City have won their last three league meetings with Cardiff – it’s the longest winning run by either team in this fixture in the Football League.
Cardiff’s Sabri Lamouchi is looking to become only the third Bluebirds manager this century to win his first league match against Swansea – the others are Malky Mackay (1-0 in November 2013) and Mick McCarthy (1-0 in March 2021).
Swansea City have had the most build-up attacks (141) and sequences of 10 or more open play passes (668) in the Championship this season. Indeed, it is over 100 more build-up attacks than opponents Cardiff have managed (39) and 472 more sequences of 10+ open play passes than the Bluebirds (196).
Only Burnley (13) have scored more goals from outside the box in the Championship than Cardiff this season (10), with 47.8% of the shots attempted by the Bluebirds coming from outside the box (211/441), the highest percentage by a team in a Championship season since Derby in 2018-19 (48.1%, excl. play-offs).

Coventry City v Stoke City

Coventry City are looking to complete their first league double over Stoke since the 1984-85 top-flight campaign.
Stoke lost 1-0 away at Coventry in the Championship last season but haven’t suffered defeat consecutively at the Sky Blues since December 1982.
Only Birmingham City (3,883) have given more minutes to teenagers in the Championship this season than Coventry (3,585), while a teenager has appeared in their starting XI on 41 occasions, the most of any side.
Only Middlesbrough (31), Burnley (24) and Coventry (21) have scored more Championship goals in 2023 than Stoke (20). Despite that, only Huddersfield and Reading (7 each) have failed to score in more Championship matches this calendar year than the Potters (6), whose 20 goals have been scored across seven matches.
No player has been involved in more Championship goals this season than Coventry’s Viktor Gyökeres (26 – 18 goals, 8 assists). Gyökeres has also attempted the most take-ons in the opposition half (240), most take-ons in the opposition box (37), had the most shots following a take-on (12) and created the joint-most chances following a take-on (8) in the Championship this season.

Huddersfield Town v Middlesbrough

Huddersfield are unbeaten in their last two league matches against Middlesbrough (W1 D1), keeping a clean sheet in both games, both of which have come at the Riverside.
Middlesbrough have won six of their last 10 away league visits to Huddersfield Town (D2 L2), winning 2-1 last season.
Since Neil Warnock’s first league game in charge of Huddersfield, the Terriers have completed the fewest passes (1,028), have the lowest pass accuracy (56.5%) and are averaging the lowest possession (33.7%) of any Championship side. They have also played a league-high 27% of their passes long in that time.
Excluding own goals, there have been 276 passes in the build-ups to goals scored by Middlesbrough in the Championship this season, the most of any team. By contrast, Huddersfield’s goals have seen just 71 passes in total in the build-up, with only Wigan (52), Reading (52) and Millwall (67) seeing fewer.
Middlesbrough’s Ryan Giles has 11 Championship assists this season, the most of any player, while his expected assists total is also the most (9.7). It’s the second consecutive season he’s registered at least 10 assists, with his 21 assists also the most of any player since the start of 2021-22.

Hull City v Rotherham United

The last four league meetings between Hull and Rotherham have seen 21 goals scored, with both sides scoring at least twice in each of the last three games between the sides.
Rotherham are winless in their last five away league games against Hull City (D3 L2) since a 4-1 win in January 1996.
Only four teams have conceded fewer Championship goals than Hull City (18 in 20 games) since Liam Rosenior's first game in charge in November. Prior to his appointment, the Tigers had the worst goals conceded record in the division (35 in 18 games).
Since Matt Taylor’s first league game in charge of Rotherham in October, only Wigan (48) and QPR (47) have conceded more Championship goals than the Millers (43).
Rotherham United have won just two of their last 25 away Championship matches (D11 L12), beating Stoke in October and Sheffield United in November this season. They’ve only scored 12 goals in those games, netting more than once just twice and failing to win either of those games (2-2 draw at Coventry in October, 2-3 defeat at Burnley in November).

Norwich City v Sheffield United

Norwich City are winless in their last six league matches against Sheffield United (D2 L4), drawing 2-2 at Bramall Lane earlier this season.
Sheffield United have won two of their last three league visits to Norwich (D1) – they had lost their previous five games at Carrow Road before this.
Norwich City have lost seven home Championship games this season, last suffering more defeats at Carrow Road in a season at this level in 2008-09, losing nine and going on to be relegated that year.
Among the 23 players to attempt at least 100 take-ons in the Championship, the player with the highest completion percentage is Sheffield United’s Iliman Ndiaye (50%, 76/151). Indeed, only three players have more successful take-ons in the division this season than the Senegalese international.
Norwich full-back Max Aarons has carried the ball a total distance of 8,734 metres in the Championship this season, the most of any player. He also has the most ball carries with a take-on of any defender this season (66).

West Bromwich Albion v Millwall

West Bromwich Albion are unbeaten in their last four home league matches against Millwall (W2 D2) since losing 2-0 in October 2001.
Millwall are looking to complete their first league double over West Brom since the 2001-02 campaign.
Since the start of November, no side has won more home points in the Championship than West Brom (28), with the Baggies winning nine of their 10 games at the Hawthorns (D1) and conceding just one goal, the fewest of any side in that time.
Since going 12 away league games without a win between March and October 2022, Millwall have won seven of their last 13 on the road (D2 L4). Since they ended that winless run on October 15^th with a 2-1 win at Bristol City, only Middlesbrough (9) have more away wins in the Championship than the Lions (7).
Millwall’s Zian Flemming is one of three players to have attempted 100+ shots in the Championship this season (106), while he has attempted the most shots from outside the box of any player (66) and scored the joint most goals from outside the box (5).

Wigan Athletic v QPR

Wigan have won their last two home league games against QPR, with this their first home game against the Hoops since July 2020.
The last six league meetings between Wigan and Queens Park Rangers have been home wins, with five of those coming by a one-goal margin.
Wigan Athletic have won just two of their last 25 league matches (D9 L14), with those two wins coming under different managers – 2-1 vs Blackpool in November (Rob Kelly) and 1-0 vs Huddersfield in February (Shaun Maloney).
Wigan and Queens Park Rangers have both won the joint fewest points in the Championship this calendar year (7). The Latics have scored the joint fewest goals in 2023 (8, level with Cardiff), while the Hoops have shipped the most goals (29) in 2023.
Since Gareth Ainsworth’s first league game in charge of QPR, the Hoops have conceded the most Championship goals (13). They’ve faced 30 shots on target in that time, the second-most behind Huddersfield (34), while having just 13 shots on target themselves, the second-fewest behind Huddersfield (10).