Championship tips: Five punts for opening weekend TV games
Published:
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | August 5, 2016
Competitive football is back on your screens from Friday, August 5th with the Football League starting and Coral football experts give their Championship tips from among the three TV games on opening weekend.
Red hot title favourites Newcastle United travel to Fulham to kick the new campaign off, while QPR host Leeds United in the capital on Sunday and Aston Villa go to Hillsborough to take on beaten play-off finalists Sheffield Wednesday.
Enough preamble! What are the top Championship tips? We’ve picked out five punts for you to consider…
Matt Richie anytime scorer at Craven Cottage
First up is new Magpies winger Ritchie, who scored twice on his only previous outing at Fulham’s ground in the season Bournemouth earned promotion from the Championship to the Premier League (2014/15).
Bearing in mind that superb form and the fact he acquitted himself well at Premier League level last term, Ritchie’s anytime scorer price of 11/4 is well worth a wager and is chief among our Championship tips.
Dwight Gayle wincast talk of Toon
Sticking to goalscorers with previous form as an away team at Craven Cottage, £10m striking addition Gayle has also found the net in this stadium twice before.
That was in Crystal Palace colours, but Rafael Benitez has signed Gayle for Newcastle to fire them up from the Championship. An enhanced 3/1 wincast on the travelling Toon Army witnessing victory and Gayle being on target (max stake €/£20) thus makes sense.
Both teams to score and under 2.5 goals in QPR v Leeds
Two of the last three occasions the Hoops have played the Yorkshire outfit this has been the case, so 5/1 is a superb price for both teams to score and a match total of under 2.5 goals.
QPR no longer have a proven poacher, following the sale of Charlie Austin during the January transfer window and both sides have seen plenty of squad turnover.
Low-scoring affair at Hillsborough
Next among our Championship tips is under 1.5 goals in the Sunday game between Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa.
Neither side has someone in their ranks that boasts any sort of record against respective opposition, so odds of 7/4 for a match total of under 1.5 goals, especially given Wednesday’s penchant for the 1-0 home win in recent years, is not without merit.
Almen Abdi an anytime punt
Kosovan-born Switzerland international attacking midfielder Almen Abdi scored a cracking free-kick against the Villans towards the end of last term for Watford, and has now followed Hornets teammates Daniel Pudil to Hillsborough.
With Villa letting goalie Brad Guzan go to Middlesbrough, they may be vulnerable to the long range attempts this Owls arrival is known for. Abdi is a sweet 7/2 anytime scorer chance and completes our top five Championship tips from the opening weekend TV showings.
Related
You’ll find more Championship content on Coral’s dedicated page.
