Tuesday's Championship Preview

Admin (Mon-Pari-Sportif.com)  - We now take a look at a Championship trio I will back up tonight, with favourites Stoke, West Brom and Watford all playing on home soils.

Pressure is certainly on in the English Championship as 5 clubs play the title only five points separating 5th-placed Charlton to current leaders Watford.

Stoke City v Southampton FC

Stoke City, currently 4th in the table, will be looking to take advantage of Southampton’s poor defensive record, as the Saints travel to play the in-form Potters with the worst defense of the league (50 goals conceded).

The southern side could have wished for better preparation ahead of their Stoke meeting, but one point is all they got out of their last three games, two home defeats (Norwich 0-1, and QPR 2-3) and an away draw against Crystal Palace (1-1) having far from impressed the Saints fans.

Meanwhile, Stoke have been spot on against Cardiff (2-1) before stunning Wolves away from home, in a memorable 2-4 victory, with Ricardo Fuller (second best scorer of the league with 14 efforts) once again on target.

Verdict: Stoke need the three points to stay in touch of the top trio. Their form has been outstanding and they should beat a poor Southampton defense.

West Brom v Sheffield United

Current runners-up West Brom host Sheffield United and will attempt to bounce back, following their 2-1 defeat away to Barnsley (second consecutive 2-1 away defeat after the one in Preston).

They will have plenty to do tonight, but their visiting opponents are far from comfortable in the league. On a free fall since their derby defeat (2-1 away to rivals Wednesday), Sheffield United is since undefeated, but to a certain cost, having drawn their last 3 fixtures.

Bednar, Cesar, and Koren remain fitness doubts, but could take part in the Hawthorns’ game against United, who will definitely miss  Ugo Ehiogu (hamstring) and Jon Stead (hip).

Verdict: West Brom’s is the best attacking system of the Championship. Victory no 11 coming up hopefully.

Watford v Leicester City

David vs Goliath, with leaders Watford, currently on 55 points, who host Leicester, 20th-placed with 34 units.

Watford seem to have stopped the hemorrhage, having put a stop to a 3-winless-game series with convincing wins over league rivals Wolves (3-0) and Ipswich (1-2), who have proved to bard to beat at home this campaign.

Leicester are not in the best of forms, following back-to-back defeats against Balckpool (2-1) and Plymouth Argyle (0-1), and thing could get worse tonight, as they travel to under-pressured leaders, who welcome the returns from suspension of midfielders Lee Williamson and Jobi McAnuff.

Verdict: The likes of King and Henderson will definitely trouble the Leicester defense, so could Collins John, as the on-loan Fulham striker is about to make his first appearance for the Championship outfit. No problem for Watford here.

Final Thoughts: I’m going for a Stoke-West Brom-Watford treble @ 5.09.

Tuesday's Championship Preview