David Prutton’s Championship score predictions

David Prutton’s Championship score predictions have been revealed ahead of the next round of matches for the 2026/27 season.

The ex-Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Leeds, Swindon, Sheffield Wednesday, and England U21 footballer who currently works as a presenter, pundit, and commentator, has given his verdict.

Watch plenty of games live across Sky Sports with highlights of the other EFL matches on Sky Sports News, ITV and YouTube.

It’s set up to be another exciting season, with many soccer scores to keep an eye on across the world.

Sky Sports duo Simeon Gholam and David Prutton, gave a preview heading into the first game of the regular season, predicting the results of just the FOUR games televised this weekend; listen to the podcast below or via any of your regular podcast providers.

WREXHAM v BIRMINGHAM

Simeon: We can dress this up one of two ways. Perhaps we can say both sides are still without a league win or we can say both sides are still unbeaten. What would you prefer?

David: If I was a manager, I’d go for the unbeaten one.

Simeon: Two draws from two for both. Wrexham, two toughish games, two decent results so far. Obviously, the late drama at Cardiff City and then the point they got against Watford last week. Still spending money between now and the end of the transfer window, which obviously closes next Tuesday. So again, things might look a little different for them in a couple of weeks, but it’s been a solid enough start for Wrexham and Phil Parkinson and his boys, isn’t it?

David: Yeah, the expectation will once again be on them to be a step ahead of where they finished, obviously just inside the playoffs. So yeah, that ability to trade and to make moves in the transfer market, they knew they weren’t going to go hell for leather for it again and they’ve got to cut the cloth accordingly. So I’m intrigued to see what they do. Obviously, Phil’s been there a long time now and he’s been a wonderful custodian of that football club. And it would be nice to see him given the patience and the time to see if this Wrexham dream can go again against a Birmingham city side that absolutely romp league one. So the reality of what and the Championship is and as we said last week we’ll be chucking a lot of teams into this bracket because of the changes to the playoffs schedule but another team that will be in a hurry to make sure that they’re at least in the top eight come the end of the season so I’ll be intrigued to see how it pans out because that sense of as you say being glass half full in, a couple of draws that first three points on the board is a big big mental shift for a team and obviously both good into do that the weekend.

Simeon: Birmingham it feels a little bit Like things have slowed down that feels a little bit negative even though I have to draw start of season but fairly underwhelming draws the goal is draw against Sheffield United and then was it a point against Bristol City I was a terrible game to watch and then obviously midweek Carabao Cup being absolutely annihilated by Brentford, again, this is a Premier League side, but When the atmosphere around the clubs not amazing with the fans, a result like that against anyone is not good, isn’t it?

David: No, it’s not. And it’s amazing really, isn’t it? Because there’ll be fans of the football clubs and football in general that historically would look at Birmingham City against Brentford and just look at two teams that are just in different universes at this moment in time. And I say that with the greatest respect to both. I think what Brentford have done under Keith and the way that that club’s built is the absolute example to teams going up to try and stay in the Premier League and flourish. And we know Birmingham City were very much part of the Premier League furniture for a long time. So that gap will not be lost on the fans that watch that. I think that we’ve got to mention in dispatch is potentially already the goal of the season that we’ve seen, which was at St. Andrews last weekend with Dom Ballard’s outrageous flick with the outside of his right boot. Well, the back of the outside of his right boot looking away from goal, which was just utterly ridiculous. And then like you say, a 95th minute penalty was it, Demarai Gray stepping up to make sure that there was a point salvaged. Yeah, plenty of food for thought for both. A lot of respect for both of these managers though. They’re not shy of a challenge, they?

Simeon: Wrexham are winless in all four of their meetings with Birmingham City since their most recent promotions to the Football League. They’ve also gone ahead 1-0 in three of those games. So they generally take the lead and they never win. What’s the score going to be?

David: Let’s get some goals involved. 2-2.

MIDDLESBROUGH v WEST BROM

Simeon: Middlesbrough beaten at Blackburn at the weekend. One win from two so far. They did win in the cup in midweek. West Brom, back to back wins to start the Championship season. A brilliant win against Burnley last Sunday coming from behind to win 3-1. This should be an entertaining clash between two teams who have started pretty well, even in spite of Boro’s loss last weekend.

David: Yeah, and with expectations and motivation at the top of the league. I think Boro’s reaction to everything that we spoke about last season has been good broadly. I think they’ve done some very good business as well. And West Brom under James Morrison, absolutely adamant that last season was an aberration for them and very much looking at the top end of the table. So I think it’s good. It feels that too. And again, I know both teams want to be spoken about at Premier League brackets, but it feels like two very big traditional Championship teams going at it, which I’ve got a lot of time for. As I said, obviously Middlesbrough, they’ve got the goals of Will Lankshear now, who already discussed, scored again in midweek in the Cup.

Simeon: He does feel like the difference in terms of goals, but could they potentially become too reliant on him? have I tried too hard to spin that into a negative already?

David: Yeah, let’s go negative. Awful signing, waste of money. but yeah, no he’s kind of alluded to the fact that they’ve got more tools in the toolbox now to be able to finish games off. Think time will tell with that as players, teammates get used to the new recruits at Boro. But I think the squad that they put together, yes, they’ve lost Dael Fry, yes, they’ve lost Hayden Hackney and congrats on his awards at the PFA awards. But there’s plenty in that squad, plenty in that Boro squad. The money that’s been spent on it is not going around in the Championship at all.

Simeon: West Brom really, really positive start, as we said, should maybe caveat by the fact that they started really well last season as well, under Ryan Mason. And we obviously saw how things went sour there. But again, you can only do what’s there, can’t you, in terms of the results you get in the Championship and they’ve got two wins from two.

David: And yeah. And I think if you, obviously plenty to work on. I mean, given what the Norwich City game looked like where the game was on a handball and you had a goalkeeper that played out of his skin. So you’ve got, and again, you’ve got a very experienced coaching staff led by James that understands that it’d be great to play pretty football and the beautiful game and win. But I think given how squeaky bum it was last season for them, they right now will only be bothered about hoovering up the points. Sounds very common sense like which is uncommon for me. But it’s that’s what it’s about. We’ve mentioned West Ham. We mentioned Leicester very briefly as well. If you chucked maximum points at Russell Martin now, but not the beautiful game, you’d bite your hand off. So that’s that’s where West Brom fans I think are going to find themselves.

Simeon: West Brom have won just three of the last 28 away league matches against Middlesbrough and they’ve gone winless in their last five. They haven’t won at the Riverside since October 2019. What’s the score going to be at the Riverside?

David: I’m going to go, Boro to win 2-1.

DERBY v SWANSEA

Simeon: Derby got their first point of the season in a 2-2 draw of Cardiff last time, a very good game that one. Swansea sat on four points after following up their opening day win over Stoke with a point against Sheffield United. This is kind of the perfect case of two teams who, from what we’ve seen so far, it’s hard to know what their real level is because they’ve only played twice like everyone else in the league and two teams who could kind of be there all thereabouts or not there all thereabouts this season. I think that’s probably the vaguest opening I’ve ever put to you in terms of question. Do you want to go even vaguer with the answer? We’re still getting, I mean, we’re still getting a real feel for where some of these teams are in terms of level, they? And it’s really hard to tell at this stage.

David: And Derby needed that reaction to surrender in a goal lead and lose on the opening day. And I was reading Chris Wilder’s quotes about Vitor Matos and what Swansea can do to any given team on any given day. I think, broadly very good work done so far by both. I think you’ve got two teams coming here on a pretty level playing field. Yes, you mentioned the points, but from an aspirational point of view, it’ll be something that we say every single week and it’s already got boring now to use as a cliche. But how open the division is, how open the top eight is, this tranche of teams is quite a big tranche in the middle. And I’ve very firmly put Darby and Swansea into that. They should have aspirations of climbing into the top eight.

Simeon: I did kind of make a point at the end of last season of saying with the new playoff format that while it’s good that it’s open, it does now make it harder to really discuss in terms of as the season goes on, because at this stage, anyone can finish in the top eight, really can’t they or push towards the top eight. So it’s kind of, makes it difficult to discuss until March because there’s about 17 teams that will really think they can get in there. So, it’s one, we’re just going to have to roll on with and see what happens. But these two teams, you said very much in that discussion, Swansea have won just one of the last seven Championship away games against Derby. So not a good record at pride park. What’s the score going to be at Pride Park?

David: I’m going to go 1-1.

WOLVES v STOKE

Simeon: Wolves got their first win at Preston last weekend in the league, looked pretty comprehensive as well. You’d argue that could be as much a reflection on Preston and how badly they started as Wolves, but Wolves did look really, really strong. Fer Lopez looks a player in this league as well. Stoke, on the other hand, are pointless still. Just one of four teams to be there. They’re not in the bottom four teams because Southampton are still below them, so they’ve got minus points, but Southampton have picked up points they did in fact beat Stoke last week. But Wolves really, really, really, really good last week. But again, they weren’t great against Blackburn on opening week, so it’s early to judge because as we said, Preston have looked a bit troubling so far as well. But Wolves in terms of they’ve got those quality players, don’t they when they turn up can just be ridiculous in the Championship.

David: And that’s the expectation under Cesar Peixoto and what he’s going to bring to the side. They’ve got a squad that’s good enough to be up there with the absolute best in the division. Stoke City, on the other hand, we saw this time last year, they started off like a train and then tailed off. Obviously a lot of experience in navigating the Championship within the four walls of the Potteries. However, you are looking at Wolves as I think favourites to go into this, not the most insane thing to say.

Simeon: Are we worried about Stoke? Mark Robins is already beating that we need more players drum. They’ve spent some money on something. They brought in a couple Ethan Galbraith looks at these, these are good addition, but they still feel like they’re short and it still feels all a bit, I mean, when you lose your first two games, it is always a disaster.

David: Yeah, it’s not great, but as we know, I mean, there’s only the mere matter of another 44 to get things, not necessarily put them right so you’re out of trouble, but put them right so you have a very good season. So there’s plenty of time. Obviously the windows still open. So I can’t think for one second that it’ll be panic stations. It’s that fine line between making sure that you give it enough weight so the players know that you’re ready for them to pull the fingers out and get the results going. also cracking the whip and Martin has had to do that. Wolves, as I said, as an entity, given what their last four into the Championship was like, everyone’s presumed that they’ll do exactly the same thing. It’s a slightly different beast this time around, but they have shown enough with the players that they’ve got that they’ll be very much a contender and a hell of a challenge for Stoke at the weekend.

Simeon: Wolves have lost each of the last three league games against Stoke, but they’ve not played each other since April 2012. What’s the score going to be at Molineux?

David: I’m going to go Wolves to win 2-1.

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