Championship Predictions And Betting Tips for Saturday 1st March 2025

The Fifth Round of the FA Cup disrupts this weekend’s Championship schedule. There are still plenty of Championship odds to analyse at William Hill, however, with eight matches taking place, starting with mid-table Sheffield Wednesday hosting playoff-bound Sunderland on Friday night.

Saturday brings three lunchtime kick-offs, followed by four in the traditional 3pm slot. Here are the best bets for this weekend’s schedule, featuring promotion challengers and relegation battlers.

Leeds vs West Brom

League leaders Leeds are unsurprisingly clear football betting favourites for the visit of West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Leeds have won five league matches in a row to build a five-point buffer at the top of the table and have been by far the best team in the second tier this season.

Despite sitting fifth, West Brom are only eighth in expected goal difference per 90 minutes. The Baggies have been above average at both ends of the pitch, but they have notably only picked up seven of the last 15 available points.

Four of Leeds last five matches have been won by multiple goals. We wouldn’t be surprised to see them blow West Brom away.

Prediction: Leeds -1 at 21/20

Oxford vs Coventry

Winless in six Championship matches, Oxford are underdogs for the visit of playoff-chasing Coventry.

Frank Lampard’s team have won seven of their last eight. Since Lampard was hired, Leeds, Sheffield United, and Burnley are the only teams to have picked up more points.

While Oxford boast a solid home record given their league placing, Coventry come into this match on a three-match road winning streak. These teams are at opposite ends of the expected goals table – we can’t look past Coventry here.

Prediction: Coventry to win at 11/10

Stoke vs Watford

Tuesday night saw Stoke lose their 15th match of the season. Only the four teams below them have lost more and it is now consecutive defeats in the Championship with seven goals conceded in the process.

Wins to nil over Middlesbrough and Luton have reignited Watford’s playoff push. The Hornets are only three points off sixth at the time of writing and have a huge opportunity this weekend with West Brom facing Leeds and Norwich hosting Blackburn Rovers.

Watford’s season-long expected numbers are mediocre. Their defence is unlikely to go three clean sheets in a row. BTTS has hit in 59% of their league matches this term.

Prediction: Both teams to score at 4/6

Middlesbrough vs Derby

The victory away to Stoke on Tuesday ended Middlesbrough’s five-match losing slump. Their fixture list gets even easier this weekend with the visit of 23rd-placed Derby County. Boro are odds-on to win this match despite their poor form since the turn of the year.

Boasting a high-powered attack with the second-most expected goals in the league, Middlesbrough should win this match relatively comfortably. Derby have only avoided defeat in six of their away matches this season.

Prediction: Middlesbrough to win and two or more total goals at Evens

Luton vs Portsmouth

Portsmouth have 11 more points on the board than Luton. The south coast club have a worse expected goal difference than their Saturday afternoon hosts, however, and have only taken 10 points from 17 away matches.

Luton are winless in their last five at home, but they have still claimed 23 of their 28 points at their unique home ground. This is the kind of match they have to win if they are to pull off an improbable escape. However, Championship relegation odds are firmly against the Hatters.

There’s less between these teams than the league table might suggest. Kenilworth Road isn’t an easy place to visit – we like the value on the hosts to get a result.

Prediction: Luton to win at 23/20

*Odds correct at the time of writing – subject to change*