Tuesday Championship tips: Steve Bruce's West Brom up next for Fulham promotion procession

The business end of the season is approaching and there is still plenty to play for in the second tier. Here are our top tips for Tuesday’s Championship action.

Bournemouth vs Reading

7.45pm, Sky Sports Red Button

Three wins in February saw Bournemouth get their promotion push back on track, but Scott Parker’s side have taken only one point from the last six available. The Cherries have three games in hand on the two teams directly below them, though, and their fate remains in their own hands.

Reading are yet to pull clear of trouble, with three straight defeats leaving them only four points clear of the bottom three. The honeymoon period is over for Paul Ince, whose team were thrashed 4-0 by Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Bournemouth have kept only one clean sheet in their last eight matches, so Reading might at least get on the scoresheet here.

Recommended bet: Bournemouth and both teams to score @ 3.05

Barnsley vs Bristol City

7.45pm, Sky Sports Red Button

Barnsley are the team chasing Reading down. The Tykes looked dead and buried just a month ago, when a 13-game winless run left them eight points adrift of safety. They have halved that deficit in recent weeks, though, and held Fulham – the runaway leaders – to a draw on Saturday.

Bristol City were victorious last time out, as Andreas Weimann’s dramatic late goal brought his side a 1-0 triumph over Blackburn. The Robins are inconsistent, though, and Barnsley will have earmarked this as a winnable game in their battle against the drop.

Recommended bet: Barnsley to win @ 2.66

Blackburn Rovers vs Derby County

7.45pm, Sky Sports Red Button

Blackburn ended 2021 in third place in the Championship. Despite scoring only three goals in their 12 fixtures so far this calendar year, they have only dropped one place in the standings. Even so, Rovers will need to improve quickly if they are to secure a return to the top flight.

Derby are also in need of an upturn having seen their survival hopes fade of late. Five points adrift of 21st place, the Rams will hope to take advantage of Blackburn’s attacking woes. A low-scoring match looks to be on the cards here.

Recommended bet: Under 1.5 goals @ 2.98

Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder has yet to see his side pick up back-to-back wins in 2022

Birmingham City vs Middlesbrough

7.45pm, Sky Sports Red Button

Middlesbrough are struggling to string consecutive wins together, having failed to register back-to-back victories in 2022. Chris Wilder’s side have also won just one of their last four matches, so there is plenty of work for Boro to do if they are to climb into the playoff places.

A 16-point buffer above the bottom three means Birmingham will almost certainly be playing Championship football again next season. They could make life difficult for Wilder’s men on Tuesday.

Recommended bet: Birmingham draw no bet @ 2.42

West Bromwich Albion vs Fulham

8pm, Sky Sports Main Event

It is a matter of when, not if, Fulham are confirmed as a Premier League side again. Our traders price them at 90% to win the Championship title, with their 12-point lead likely to prove insurmountable.

West Brom looked like promotion contenders in the first half of the campaign, but their form has fallen off a cliff in the last few months. Steve Bruce will hope that a tally of four points from the last six available means his team have turned a corner, but the visit of Fulham will probably leave the Baggies pointless.

Recommended bet: Fulham to win @ 2.16

Recommended bets

Bournemouth/BTTS @ 3.05

Barnsley @ 2.66

Blackburn-Derby under 1.5 @ 2.98

Birmingham draw no bet @ 2.42

Fulham @ 2.16