The Championship is finally back this weekend and Benjamin Bloom has made his predictions for all the gameweek one matches, with odds throughout from Betfair.
Bournemouth vs West Brom
The curtain raiser to this season should be a fascinating watch as Scott Parker and Valerin Ishmael take charge of their sides for the first time in the league.
Both sides are expected to be among the promotion chasers this season and this game might give us an early indication of how strong they are each going to be. Bournemouth are without a few key players, though, most notably Ben Pearson and Jefferson Lerma, although this didn’t stop them from comfortably beating MK Dons 5-0 in the League Cup first round.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: West Brom win 21/10
Bournemouth v West Brom tactical preview
Blackburn vs Swansea
Russel Martin’s first test as the new Swansea manager will be an away trip to Ewood Park. Rovers were good going forward last season in their home matches as they scored 1.6 goals per game, but they might be without last season’s top scorer Adam Armstrong, who is currently being linked with a move away from the club.
Swansea are currently in a rebuilding process after losing the spine of the side that made it to the play-off final last season and so a steady start would be welcomed by Russel Martin.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Draw 23/10
Bristol City vs Blackpool
Bristol City struggled in their home matches last season, with only Wycombe scoring fewer goals at HQ, and so their fans will be desperate to get back into Ashton Gate this weekend to make all the difference.
Blackpool boasted the best defensive record in League One last season and they’ll be looking to keep this one tight and limit Bristol City’s chances in the final third. The Tangerines have had a busy summer transfer window so far, which has seen them sign eight new players who will all be looking to impress early on.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Blackpool win 6/5
Cardiff vs Barnsley
The good news for Barnsley is that Cardiff’s top scorer Kieffer Moore might miss this game, the bad news is that they have only won one of their last 14 matches against the Bluebirds.
Markus Schopp will be keen to get off to a good start with his new club and it will be interesting to see how much Barnsley’s style of play has changed from last season under Valerin Ismael.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Draw 21/10
Derby vs Huddersfield
Huddersfield probably have the opening day fixture that every other Championship club was after – surely they can’t mess this up?
The situation at Derby has been well documented and their troubles over the summer are now looking likely to run into the season as they are still limited in the players they can sign. Huddersfield haven’t had such issues and have signed eight new players so far who will all be keen to get off to a good start.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Huddersfield win 3/4
Luton vs Peterborough
Both these sides have had an exciting transfer window so far and this game has every chance of being a cracker. Peterborough blew away League One last season with the number of goals they scored and they will look to play the same way in the Championship.
If Luton want to improve on their 12th-placed finish last season, these are the games that they need to make count. Last season only Millwall drew more home matches than Luton and so Nathan Jones will be looking to turn some of those draws into wins this time around.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Luton win 6/5
Championship Big Weekend: QPR v Wall, Posh, Ismael, Wilson
Preston vs Hull City
Hull’s attacking threats will come from their wide-men in Keane Lewis-Potter and Mallik Wilks, who scored 32 goals between themselves last season in League One. If they can find the gaps between Preston’s wing-backs, then they might have some joy going forward.
North End did finish last season well under Frankie McAvoy, though, winning their final four matches with a clean sheet in each of them. The arrival of Daniel Iversen on loan for the season is a major boost to their backline, after how well the goalkeeper did at Deepdale last season.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Preston win 13/10
QPR vs Millwall
This should be a fascinating opening day fixture – many have tipped QPR to be a promotion challenger this season, but Millwall are more than capable of spoiling the party. In 2020-21, Millwall drew 17 matches, more than any other Championship side.
QPR have momentum on their side, though, having had arguably the best transfer window of any club in the league and finishing last season with a flurry, winning nine of their last 14 matches.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: QPR win 11/10
Stoke vs Reading
Neither side ended last season in particularly good form, as they each only won one of their final seven matches, although Stoke have had an exciting transfer window up until this point. Their most recent signing, Sam Surridge, will take some of the goalscoring burden off Nick Powell and Tyrese Campbell who they were heavily reliant on at times last season.
Reading find themselves in a tougher position, under a soft transfer embargo – they have lost the likes of Michael Olise and Omar Richards and are yet to bring anyone in.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Draw 9/4
Sheffield United vs Birmingham
Birmingham do have a knack of winning on the opening day, winning each of their last two opening day fixtures 1-0, although this does look like a real test against a strong Sheffield United side.
Slavisa Jokanovic takes charge of his first Blades game and it will be interesting to see who gets the nod up front with Sharp, McBurnie, Brewster, Mousset and McGoldrick all competing for a starting spot.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Sheffield United win 3/4
Fulham vs Middlesbrough
Fulham seem to be the overwhelming favourites coming into this season and it’s hard to look past them with all the quality they have in their squad. Marco Silva tends to get off to a good start at his new clubs, but Neil Warnock is more than capable of spoiling the party in this one.
Middlesbrough have added well in this transfer window so far, especially with their most recent signing, Martin Payero, who will look to add some more creativity to this Boro side.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Draw 5/2
Coventry vs Nottingham Forest
Coventry will be keen to get off to a good start on their return to the Ricoh Arena, but Forest under Chris Hughton are no pushovers.
The task for Forest this season will be to score more goals, although since they haven’t really addressed this in the transfer window so far, they will be hoping for a return to form for Lyle Taylor and Lewis Grabban.
Benjamin Bloom’s prediction: Draw 2/1
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