Barnsley vs Cardiff, Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough vs Rotherham, Swansea vs Brentford on Wednesday night in the Sky Bet Championship.
Wednesday 27 January 2021 21:59, UK
Who is David Prutton tipping for victory in the Sky Bet Championship in the midweek round of fixtures? Find out here...
While Barnsley have progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 2012/13 season and kept two clean sheets in the process, it's been quite the opposite in the Championship, where they've not scored in three games. Their fourth-round win did come against league leaders Norwich, though, so there's certainly something to build on.
There's a new man at the helm at Cardiff! It's great to see Mick McCarthy back in the Championship for the first time since leaving Ipswich in 2018. He's got work to do to turn around the fortunes of a Bluebirds side on a run of six league defeats in seven, but I'm sure it's a task he'll relish. This feels like it could end all square.
Prutton predicts: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds)
I've said it before but that eight-game unbeaten run throughout November and December could be really valuable for Coventry, who are only a handful of points outside the relegation places. Mark Robins' men have got a couple of games in hand but are another side who need to start scoring.
Neil Thompson is still only in charge of the Owls on a caretaker basis but, if he was interested in taking the job permanently, the last month has been a great audition, with three wins from his four games at the helm. He's third favourite at the moment, in the esteemed company of Roy Keane and Vladimir Ivic.
Prutton predicts: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds)
Boro were unfortunate not to take anything from the game against Blackburn on Sunday, particularly having had penalty appeals turned down when Dael Fry was caught in the face by Jarrad Branthwaite. Their form has been a little up and down over the past few weeks and they need some consistency in order to maintain their promotion push.
There's still a sizeable points gap that separates Rotherham from the positions above the relegation zone yet we have to remember they've played the least games in the division and still have three in hand. They held Stoke to an enthralling 3-3 draw last time out and have four points from their last two now. I'm not sure they'll have enough here, though.
Prutton predicts: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds)
As Championship games go, this is quite a big one. Swansea are flying and seven points behind leaders Norwich with a game in hand and seven clean sheets from the last nine league games, so will prove a hugely tricky opponent, particularly with last season's play-off semi-final defeat to the Bees still no doubt at the forefront of their minds.
Brentford have two games in hand over most of the teams around them and ground out that 1-0 win over Luton last week to move onto 16 games unbeaten in the league. Thomas Frank's men did look tired, though, and I wonder how the recent coronavirus outbreak at the club and the packed schedule will affect them.
Prutton predicts: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds)
