Championship betting tips: Predictions for the 2022/23 season
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Championship betting tips for 2022/23
The new EFL season gets under way this week and we have studied the ante-post odds to pick out some Championship betting tips for the 2022/23 campaign.
Coral have plenty of outright markets ahead of Friday night’s opener between Huddersfield and Burnley and here are our Championship predictions for the season, while we also have outright betting tips for League One and League Two.
Title winner
The pre-season title favourites have justified that tag in the last three seasons in the Championship while Norwich have finished top of the pile in their last two campaigns in the second tier.
We don’t need to over-complicate this one therefore, with Norwich priced up as the 5/1 favourites and looking hard to oppose.
Boss Dean Smith was unable to keep the Canaries in the Premier League but at least had time to assess his squad and knows what it takes to get out of this division.
With Teemu Pukki leading the line and no need for a mass clear-out to balance the books, Norwich can hit the ground running.
That compares nicely to fellow relegated clubs Watford and Burnley, who both have new men in charge who have never managed at this level before.
Promotion
Much like Norwich, Watford have become something of a yo-yo club and while staying in the Premier League seems beyond them, they should be in the mix for a quick return.
The appointment of a young English manager in former Forest Green boss Rob Edwards is a change of approach and he may need time to find his feet but he certainly has a squad capable of going up.
While some players have moved on, the £5million signing of Ivory Coast striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo (pictured above) plus the arrival of Rey Manaj from Barcelona shows there is still plenty of ambition at Vicarage Road.
More players could leave before the transfer deadline which is why Norwich are favoured in the title betting but 15/8 for Watford to be promoted looks a fair price.
Top six
Parachute payments mean the relegated clubs have a huge financial advantage over their rivals but several clubs have proved in recent seasons that money is not everything in this division.
Huddersfield’s third-placed finish last season and Barnsley’s run to the play-offs 12 months earlier showed the top-six market is one in which hunting for a dark horse can pay off.
Two teams that catch the eye this season are Luton and Sunderland, who are both 10/3 to at least make the play-offs.
The Captain delivers in stoppage time! 💪@SonnyBradley91 | #COYH pic.twitter.com/kM5HAi0ptS
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) July 23, 2022
Luton did that last season and a settled squad with some useful additions such as Barnsley’s Cauley Woodrow can again do well under Nathan Jones.
Sunderland are finally back in the Championship and will be aiming for more than just survival under Alex Neil, with Ross Stewart able to score the goals to put them in top-six contention.
Top scorer
Pukki is the 6/1 favourite but in a market which can be impacted by injuries and transfers, we prefer to look for bigger odds for our Championship betting tips.
One player who could enjoy an improved season on the goal front is West Brom’s Karlan Grant.
He finished joint-sixth in the Championship goal chart last season with 18 goals despite playing in an Albion team which lacked creativity.
The signings of John Swift and Jed Wallace should address that problem and Grant – who is also West Brom’s regular penalty taker – can benefit and is 16/1 to be the division’s top scorer.
At the same price, Jay Rodriguez could also be a contender if Vincent Kompany can have Burnley heading in the right direction.
With Matej Vydra still sidelined by injury, Rodriguez could lead the line for the Clarets and having scored 22 goals when he was last in this division with West Brom in 2018/19, a slight improvement on that return could be enough.
Relegation
Rotherham are the favourites to go straight back down once again but some of the established Championship clubs could be set to struggle.
Birmingham have finished no higher than 17th in the last six seasons and it seems only a matter of time before they slip into the bottom three, which is priced at 15/8 this season. Their squad looks short on quality and this looks a tough first management job for John Eustace.
Reading would have been relegated last season had it not been for Derby’s points deduction. Their financial problems mean several key players have moved on, most notably Swift, so last season’s narrow escape may only have delayed the inevitable and they are 13/8 for the drop.
Championship betting tips for 2022/23
All odds and markets correct at date of publication
