Championship betting preview to the new season

I’ll ‘AVE YOU: Leeds’ Neil Warnock and Ipswich’s Paul Jewell will get to grips again (pic: Inpho)

By Sean Goff | Sports reporter

The Championship returns on Friday night with the rebranded Cardiff City and Huddersfield getting the season underway at 7.45pm.

Below, the Paddy Power Blog has compiled team-by-team guides for each Championship side with their pre-season ins and outs, as well as betting odds for the season.

The Welsh side have had a busy off-season with the re-signing of Craig Bellamy from Liverpool and the 4-1 win over Newcastle at the weekend being the high point as they start over again to try to get past the play-offs to the promised land of the Premier League.

Huddersfield hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when dismissing Lee Clarke last February despite lying fourth in League One. New man Simon Grayson took over and steered the Terriers to the play-offs where they eventually sealed promotion 8-7 on penalties at Sheffield United’s expense.

Premier League new boys Southampton have proven that back-to-back promotions are possible but a few of the top tiers trap-door fallers will be just as motivated to bounce straight back up.

Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Wolverhampton Wanderers endured a torrid time in the Premier League last season and supporters patience (not to mention the board’s) patience will be pushed to breaking point if their Championship season starts as last season’s ended.

This time last season Neil Warnock started life with QPR among the elite but things didn’t quite go to plan and ended the season with arguably a bigger club, Leeds United.

The last winners of the old Division One championship under Howard Wilkinson before the Premier League was born have been away from the top-tier for too long. With Warnock getting his eye in last season, expect a big promotion push.

Similarly, Nottingham Forest have tasted the old Division One and European Cup glory in their heyday and new owners the Al-Hasawi family will not want to waste any time returning to the big-time under Sean O’Driscoll.

It’s time to strap yourself in because in 10 months time, supporters of three of the clubs below in Paddy Power’s Championship betting guide will be setting their sat-navs for the Etihad Stadium Old Trafford, the Emirates and Anfield.

• Betting: Championship opening matches
• nPower Championship outright
• Team Pages and Stats
• Championship team guide

Paddy Power team-by-team betting guide to the Championship

• Barnsley
• Birmingham
• Blackburn Rovers
• Blackpool FC
• Bolton Wanderers FC
• Brighton & Hove Albion FC
• Bristol City FC
• Burnley FC
• Cardiff City
• Crystal Palace
• Charlton Athletic
• Derby County
• Huddersfield Town
• Hull City
• Ipswich Town
• Leeds United
• Leicester City
• Middlesbrough
• Millwall FC
• Nottingham Forest
• Peterborough
• Sheffield Wednesday
• Watford FC
• Wolverhampton Wanderers