Three live Championship games on Saturday: Cardiff vs Bristol City (12.30pm) on Sky Sports Football Red Button, Derby vs Nottingham Forest (also 12.30pm) on Sky Sports Football; Watch Peterborough vs West Brom from 7.30pm on Sky Sports Football; Kick-off 8pm
Thursday 26 August 2021 14:59, UK
Who is David Prutton tipping for victory in the Sky Bet Championship this weekend? Find out here...
Anyone else have Aden Flint down as a Golden Boot contender for the season? Two doubles in as many Championship games for the defender is a remarkable return, and up next comes a game against his old side.
Bristol City lost at home to Welsh opposition in Swansea last Friday night, suggesting their win at Reading may have been a bit of a false dawn. It might be close, but I think it will be a home win.
Prutton predicts: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds)
Now this will be a game and a half. When most Championship observers looked ahead to this fixture at the start of the season, I doubt too many would have tipped Derby to be on five points and Nottingham Forest to be on none at this stage. Yet here we are.
Wayne Rooney has done brilliantly to get the Rams to where they are at this point when you consider what they are operating with. For Forest and Chris Hughton, it has just been a disastrous start. He needs a win more than anything, but will still be desperate not to get beaten, and I reckon they will pick up a first point of the season.
Prutton predicts: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds)
We knew Aleksandar Mitrovic would score goals in this league. And now we know Fabio Carvalho will too. The teenager looks a sensation and Fulham have just looked so threatening in the early stages of this season as a result.
Stoke have also enjoyed a brilliant start under Michael O'Neill. They have as many points as Fulham and could be right up there this season. This is a real tough test of their credentials, though. Home win, just.
Prutton predicts: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds)
It has been a topsy-turvy start to the season for Luton to say the latest. A big win against Peterborough, a narrow defeat at West Brom. They then snuck past Barnsley before being absolutely flattened by Birmingham.
Still, Sheffield United would have taken six points at this stage. They finally got a goal last weekend, but still lost at home to Huddersfield. A midweek Carabao Cup win would have boosted confidence slightly, but it could well be knocked again at Kenilworth Road.
Prutton predicts: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds)
Two of the surprise packages of the season so far meet in west London! I think a lot of people expected QPR to do well, but not quite as many pre-season would have fancied Coventry to start like they have.
It is a huge credit to Mark Robins and the brilliant job he has done there. It took them 12 games to get to nine points last season. This time they have done it in just four. Just like in QPR's last home game there could be goals, so I'll go for the same result. Score draw.
Prutton predicts: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds)
It's been a frustrating couple of games for Peterborough. They threw away a win against Cardiff, and then slumped to defeat at a Preston side really low on confidence. Those are the kinds of results that can come back to haunt you at the end of the season.
This is pretty much a free hit though against a freewheeling West Brom side. Ignore what happened to Baggies in midweek as that was nowhere near their first team against Arsenal. It should be another three points for Valerien Ismael and his team.
Prutton predicts: 1-3 (Sky Bet odds)
Barnsley vs Birmingham: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds)
Huddersfield vs Reading: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds)
Hull vs Bournemouth: 0-2 (Sky Bet odds)
Middlesbrough vs Blackburn: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds)
Millwall vs Blackpool: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds)
Preston vs Swansea: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds)
