David Prutton's Sky Bet Championship predictions
Sunday 2 January 2022 16:10, UK
Who is David Prutton tipping for victory in the first round of Sky Bet Championship fixtures of 2022? Find out here...
Birmingham vs QPR, Sunday 2pm - Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button
Birmingham will have had a fortnight to process the 4-0 defeat to Blackburn on December 18 by the time QPR visit St Andrew's for this one. Lee Bowyer's men have not had much luck over the past two months and he will be eager to utilise the January transfer window to bolster his squad.
December wasn't too kind to QPR until the very last game. They had two games postponed - either side of which they lost a game without scoring and then dropped out of the top six before that last-gasp win at Bristol City on Thursday. I think this might be a tough test for them, but one they will come through unscathed.
Prutton predicts: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds)
Championship fixtures | table | highlights
West Brom vs Cardiff, Sunday 2pm - Live on Sky Sports Football Red Button
Not for the first time this term, West Brom are stuttering. They were unbeaten in the first 10 games of the season, but have really struggled to build momentum since and have also found goals hard to come by. Valerien Ismael may take positives from the fact his men are not conceding too many either, but with Blackburn on a hot streak, they need to buck their ideas up.
Cardiff are still some way from climbing further away from the bottom three, though under Steve Morison, they have looked a little more comfortable on the road than at home recently. I think they could get something from this.
Prutton predicts: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds)
Prutton's other predictions
Blackburn vs Huddersfield (Sun 2pm): 2-0
