Here are some stats ahead of an exciting weekend of action in the Sky Bet Championship...
Derby County v Portsmouth
- Derby County are unbeaten across their last eight league games against Portsmouth (W3 D5), with each of the las four encounters ending in a draw.
- Portsmouth have failed to win any of their last five away league games against Derby County (D3 L2), since a 2-1 victory at Pride Park in November 2002.
- Derby are winless in their last four home league games (D2 L2) and could lose three in a row on home soil for the first time since October 2020 (run of five).
- Portsmouth have already conceded 20 goals in their first nine away league games this season (W1 D4 L4); Pompey last conceded more than 20 goals in their first 10 away league games of a season in 1999-00 in the second tier (24).
- Derby County have won each of their last four home league games played on a Friday, while Portsmouth are unbeaten in their last eight away Friday league games (W3 D5).
Bristol City v QPR
- After winning six consecutive league games against QPR between 2018 and 2020, Bristol City have since won just two of their last seven such matches against the London side (D1 L4).
- QPR have won each of their last four away league games against Bristol City after failing to win any of their prior 10 such matches (D4 L6).
- Bristol City have lost just two of their last 14 home league games (W7 D5), keeping seven clean sheets in that run, including the most recent game against Plymouth (4-0).
- QPR have failed to score in five of their last six away league games (W1 D2 L3), though have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four such games, as many as in their prior 14 such matches.
- Only Plymouth Argyle (18) have had fewer shots on target away from home in the Championship this season than QPR (21).
Blackburn Rovers v Luton Town
- Blackburn Rovers have won just one of their last 11 league games against Luton Town (D4 L6), a 1-0 victory in January 2021 courtesy of an Adam Armstrong strike.
- Luton Town have lost just one of their last five away league games against Blackburn Rovers (W2 D2), having lost five of their previous six league trips there (D1).
- Blackburn have won six of their nine league games at Ewood Park so far this season (D1 L2); since 2001-02 Rovers have only won at least seven of their first 10 such games to begin a campaign, doing so in 2022-23 (8).
- Luton have lost each of their last six away league games, conceding 20 goals in that run (3.3 per game); the Hatters haven’t endured a longer such run in the Football League in February 2020 (run of 11).
- Luton Town have lost 14 away league games in 2024, their most in a year as an EFL side since 2008 (also 14). They last suffered more away defeats in a year back in 1991 (15).
Middlesbrough v Milwall
- Middlesbrough have won two of their last three league games against Millwall (L1), as many as across their prior nine matches combined against them (D5 L2).
- Millwall have won just one of their last eight away league games against Middlesbrough (D3 L4), though it did come in their most recent trip on the opening day of last season (1-0); they could win successive such games for the first time since April 2014.
- Middlesbrough have alternated between victory (4) and defeat (3) in their last seven home league games, winning 3-1 over Hull in their most recent such game.
- Five of Millwall’s last seven away league games have been drawn (W1 L1), they last drew three in a row on the road in the league in April 2022.
- Middlesbrough’s Finn Azaz has been involved in five goals in his last four home league appearances (3 goals, 2 assists), one more involvement than in his first 15 such games for the club (4 assists).
Stoke City v Cardiff City
- Stoke City have failed to win any of their last eight league games against Cardiff City (D5 L3) since a 2-0 home win in February 2020.
- Cardiff City are unbeaten in their last four away league games against Stoke City (W1 D3), with each of the last three ending in a draw.
- Stoke have won just one of their last six home league games (D4 L1) and could fail to score in three successive such games for the first time since December 2023.
- Cardiff are winless in 11 successive away league games (D5 L6); their longest such run since November 2014; they last endured a longer such run in March 2014 as a Premier League side (13 games).
- Cardiff City have shipped 37 away league goals in 2024, their most in a single year since 2019 (also 37), last conceding more back in 2014 (41).
Swansea City v Sunderland
- Swansea City have won five of their last six league games against Sunderland (D1), while they’ve lost just two of their last 22 league matches against the Black Cats (W11 D9).
- Sunderland have won just one of their last 11 away league games against Swansea (D4 L6); a 4-2 victory in the Premier League in January 2016 which saw Jermain Defoe net a hat-trick.
- 11 goals have been scored in Swansea’s last two home league games (5 for, 6 against – D1 L1), as many as in their previous eight such games (7 for, 4 against – W3 D3 L2).
- Sunderland have failed to score in three of their last four away league games (D3 L1), as many as in their previous 13 such games (W6 D1 L6).
- Liam Cullen has scored in each of his last two home league games for Swansea City – the last Swans player to net in three in a row was Ollie Cooper in October 2022.
Coventry City v Hull City
- Coventry City have failed to win any of their last five league games against Hull City (D2 L3), with those matches seeing 16 goals scored between the two sides combined.
- Hull City have won on four of their last five league trips to Coventry (D1), one more win than in their prior 12 such visits (D4 L5).
- Coventry have conceded two goals in each of their last five home league games (W1 D2 L2), only in November 1967 (6) have the Sky Blues conceded 2+ goals at home in a longer run of league matches.
- Hull are winless in their last five away league games (D1 L4), conceding 10 goals during that run (2 per game).
- Coventry City have conceded 32 home league goals in 2024, their most since 2015 (also 32), last conceding more in 2013 (38). Their average goals conceded per game on home soil in 2024 is their worst (1.68) since their first ever year in the Football League in 1919 (1.73 per game).
Preston North End v Leeds United
- Preston North End have won just two of their last 13 league games against Leeds United (D4 L7), though both victories during that time have come at Deepdale including a 2-1 success last season.
- Leeds United will be looking to avoid losing successive away league games against Preston North End for the first time since October 2006 under Dennis Wise.
- Five of Preston’s last eight league games at Deepdale have ended in a draw (W2 L1), including each of their previous three matches.
- Leeds have lost two of their last three away league games (W1), as many as in their previous 16 such games (W8 D6).
- Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom has won both previous home games in the Football League against sides he’s previously managed, beating Barnsley 2-1 with Leeds in April 2018 and the Tykes against with Sheffield United in March 2022 2-0.
Oxford United v Sheffield Wednesday
- Oxford United are unbeaten in their last six league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W3 D3), since a 3-0 defeat in April 1988.
- After winning three of their four away league games against Oxford United between 1980 and 1988 (L1), Sheffield Wednesday have since failed to win any of their last three such matches (D2 L1).
- After winning their opening three home league games of 2024-25, Oxford United have won just one of their last seven such games (D4 L2).
- No Championship side has won more away games since the start of October than Sheffield Wednesday (W4 D1 L1), while they’ve won more such games in their last five matches (4) than in their previous nine (3).
- Sheffield Wednesday have won nine away league games in 2024, last winning 10+ on the road in a year in the Championship back in 2006 (10 wins).
- Oxford United are unbeaten in their last six league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W3 D3), since a 3-0 defeat in April 1988.
- After winning three of their four away league games against Oxford United between 1980 and 1988 (L1), Sheffield Wednesday have since failed to win any of their last three such matches (D2 L1).
- After winning their opening three home league games of 2024-25, Oxford United have won just one of their last seven such games (D4 L2).
- No Championship side has won more away games since the start of October than Sheffield Wednesday (W4 D1 L1), while they’ve won more such games in their last five matches (4) than in their previous nine (3).
- Sheffield Wednesday have won nine away league games in 2024, last winning 10+ on the road in a year in the Championship back in 2006 (10 wins).
Sheffield United v Plymouth Argyle
- Sheffield United are unbeaten in their last five league games against Plymouth Argyle (W4 D1), with this their first league meeting since a 4-3 win for the Blades in February 2010.
- Plymouth Argyle have lost 14 of their last 16 away league games against Sheffield United (W1 D1), conceding 2.2 goals on average during that run.
- Sheffield United have won each of their last eight league games at Bramall Lane without conceding; the last side in the top four tiers to win nine such games in succession were Chelsea in November 2010.
- Plymouth are winless in their last 12 away league games (D2 L10), and have conceded at least four goals in their last two matches on the road; the last Championship side to do so in three successive such games were Bolton Wanderers in February 2015.
- Among all Championship managers to have managed 50+ away games since 2004-05, Plymouth’s Wayne Rooney has lost the highest percentage of those (38/57 – 67%), while he has the joint-lowest goals-per-game away from home, along with Paul Sturrock (0.67 goals per game).
Watford v West Bromwich Albion
- Watford are unbeaten in their last seven league games against West Brom (W3 D4), with both matches between the pair last season ending in 2-2 draws.
- West Brom haven’t won any of their last six away league games against Watford (D3 L3), having won on each of their prior three trips between September 2001 and November 2007.
- Watford are unbeaten in their last 13 league games at Vicarage Road (W8 D5), keeping a clean sheet in eight of those games, including each of the last four.
- West Brom have lost fewer Championship away games than any other side this season (W4 D5 L1), with five of their last six such games ending in a draw (W1), as many as in their previous 23 such games (W9 L9).
- Tom Fellows has assisted six away Championship goals for West Bromwich Albion this season, with those six assists coming for just two players – four for Josh Maja and two for Karlan Grant.
Norwich City v Burnley
- Norwich City have won just one of their last 10 league games against Burnley (D3 L6), failing to score in five of their last six matches against the Clarets.
- Burnley have won two of their last three away league games against Norwich (L1), as many as in their previous 16 such visits (D3 L11).
- Norwich have already won 12 league games at Carrow Road in 2024, last winning more in a year in 2018 (13). Indeed, they’ve scored at least three goals in five of their last seven league matches on home soil.
- Burnley are unbeaten in their last three away league games (W2 D1) and could equal a club record of four successive clean sheets in the league on the road, previously doing so in October 1980.
- Burnley have only conceded four goals in 10 away Championship games this season, becoming only the second side in Championship history (since 2004-05) to concede fewer than five goals in their first 10 away games of a season; the other was Reading in 2005-06 (3 conceded).