Championship predictions & best bets: Wolves to fall flat on opening night

<h2>Watch and follow the EFL on Sky Sports...</h2><p>Every Championship, League One and League Two game is live on Sky throughout the opening weekend, with more than 1,000 live games from the EFL, Carabao Cup and the EFL Trophy on Sky Sports. Throughout the season...</p><ul><li>Matches will be broadcast live across <strong>Sky Sports main channels</strong> or on <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/30778/13130980/sky-sports-for-efl-fixtures-channel-and-subscription-how-to-watch-or-stream-your-football-team-this-season"><strong>Sky Sports+</strong></a></li><li>Every EFL match which is shown on <em>Sky Sports </em>will also be available on the <a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/efl-article-referral"><strong>Sky Sports app</strong></a>\ud83d\udcf1.</li><li>Non-Sky customers can watch the EFL with <strong><a href="http://www.nowtv.com/membership/watch-sky-sports?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink">flexible contract offers on NOW</a></strong></li></ul><p>Fans can watch free highlights on the free Sky Sports app after every match round, as well as getting debate and analysis with the <strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/podcasts/36578/11933949/essential-efl-a-sky-sports-efl-podcast-for-championship-league-one-and-league-two-debate-and-analysis">Essential EFL podcast</a> </strong>and <strong>The EFL Show</strong> on Sky Sports News, a new weekly slot every Monday from 2pm.</p><widget id="16"></widget><h3>Wolves v Blackburn, Friday 8pm, live on Sky Sports</h3> <widget id="19"></widget><p>Wolves hold the tag of second favourites for the Championship title at 5/1 with Sky Bet - and rightly so - but I'm always wary of backing teams that have made losing football matches a habit, especially in the early stages of a season when playing a level down.</p><p>When assessing the last 10 teams that enter the Championship having taken 25 or points or less in the Premier League, their record across the first five games of the season is poor. Of those 50 games, the relegated team won just 15 - a strike rate of just 30 per cent.</p><p>The market has Wolves in at 1/2 here, meaning an implied probability of 66 per cent. That looks a shade too high for me, based on the unknowns still regarding this Wolves side. Also, those 50 games also produced a goals per game average of 2.1 which points towards this being a low-scoring fiddly opener for Wolves, who might be lacking some rhythm.</p><p>Tony Mowbray takes charge of Blackburn again and despite his health issues and below-par results at his last three clubs, his teams did only concede 1.1 expected goals per 90 minutes across that 85-game sample size. Under 2.5 goals at Evens with Sky Bet is the bet.</p><h3>SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1 | JONES KNOWS' BEST BET: Under 2.5 goals (Evens with Sky Bet)</h3><ul><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/TransfersSkySportsApp" target="_blank"><strong>Transfer Centre LIVE!</strong></a><strong> | </strong><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/EFLblogarticles" target="_blank"><strong>Latest EFL news and rumours</strong></a></li><li><strong>Got Sky? </strong><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/EFLwatcharticles" target="_blank"><strong>Watch EFL games LIVE on your phone</strong></a>\ud83d\udcf1</li><li><strong>Not got Sky? </strong><a href="https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=Ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>Latest Sky Sports deals</strong></a><strong> or </strong><a href="https://www.nowtv.com/membership/watch-sky-sports/football/efl?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>stream EFL games with no contract</strong></a>\ud83d\udcfa</li></ul><h3>Bolton v Preston, Saturday 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports</h3> <widget id="20"></widget><p>Preston had a very strong record away from home against the bottom half last season, losing just three of those 15 games but there was a big over-performance which averaged at 0.9 goals per game when you analyse the expected goals supremacy.</p><p>The departure of captain Ben Whiteman to Wrexham and the loss of important attacking contributions from Lewis Dobbin and Daniel Jebbison also give Paul Heckingbottom a problem. He saw his team lose four on the bounce in pre-season and a season of struggle could be on the cards.</p><p>Looking at previous seasons, newly-promoted teams in the Championship have a solid record of starting the season full of momentum and Bolton can land favourites backers a winner here at 5/4 with Sky Bet.</p><h3>SCORE PREDICTION: 2-1</h3><h3>Bristol City v Millwall, Saturday 3pm, live on Sky Sports</h3><p>There is a temptation to look at Millwall's third-place finish last season and think: that was a bit of a freak, wasn't it?</p><p>I don't think it was.</p><p>Millwall were third because they were really good at accumulating points.</p><p>They won 24 of their 46 league matches, lost only 11 and conceded just 49 goals. Alex Neil has brought a greater degree of tactical flexibility without taking away the characteristics you associate with Millwall. His teams are organised, competitive and pragmatic but there is more individual quality within this squad than we've seen from many previous Millwall sides.</p><p>This summer represents a more substantial attempt to change direction for Bristol City which makes them a difficult team to rate, but with such upheaval this looks a good time for Millwall to go there and do Millwall things. Away win at 17/10 with Sky Bet.</p><h3>SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2</h3> <widget id="2"></widget><h3>Charlton v Derby, Saturday 3pm, live on Sky Sports</h3><p>John Eustace is a manager that can be relied upon to get his team ready for the first game. Over the first five games of a season, he has a terrific points-per-game average of 1.6 where he's lost just three of 20 matches.</p><p>Eustace took a side that had been fighting near the bottom of the table and pushed it to eighth last season in typical no-nonsense fashion. His football is rarely extravagant, but it is consistently ...

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Sky Sports. Open at source →