Simeon Gholam’s Championship score predictions

Simeon Gholam’s Championship score predictions have been revealed ahead of the next round of matches for the 2024/25 season.

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.

Simeon Gholam is without David Prutton, on holiday, this week, so is instead joined by Gary Weaver gave a preview heading into the next game of the regular season, predicting the results of every fixture; listen to the podcast below or via any of your regular podcast providers.

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY v SUNDERLAND

Simeon: Sheffield Wednesday battered at Burnley last Friday night. Slipped six points off the playoffs heading into the weekend. Sutherland back to back defeats. Top two looking a little bit tricky. Now do we feel like Sunderland are heading for the playoffs, Gary, off what we’ve seen in the last ten days or so?

Gary: I suppose it’ll be tricky now. I mean, obviously, they’ll keep on going, see how far they can go. But, I mean, if you go back to the Leeds game when they were one up at Leeds, they were within four points of Leeds at that time during that game when they were one up. And then, obviously, we know what happened after that. And then suddenly, they’ve 13 points behind Leeds now within just over two games of football. If that actually because I think Leeds scored with about eighteen minutes to go, then they had that nice and low to level up. So yeah. I mean, look. You they actually say we’ll keep going. They’ll stay in there, see how far it takes them. You think, look, could they try and get third? But if they can’t get top two, could they try and get third? Do you look at the playoffs and go, if you finish third, you’ll be home in the second leg of the playoffs. Do you look at that? And you’ll face sixth place. And, of course, last time they’re in the playoffs, they didn’t have that. The second leg was away from home. And that’s that’s a long long way off at the moment. But, I mean, I’d imagine they will still feel that they could have a say. Realistically, you’re thinking that in terms of the top two that, Leeds most certainly and maybe Sheffield United have added to the two far ahead. They’ll keep going. And to be fair, I mean, I know I mentioned it last week. I haven’t they responded really well to losses. I think that’s the best time they’ve lost back to back games. They’ve lost to, Le Fee now for a couple of months maybe, which is a big blow for them. And, yeah, tricky one. But just go back to Sheffield Wednesday, what you’re talking about Wednesday there. I mean, to be fair, mate, I thought they gave it a go in the first half against Burnley. They had they had a really good go. I know Danny Rohl is demanding that they kinda lay a glove on one of the top four teams because so far they haven’t scored against them. They’ve lost every single game they’ve played against the top four so far. So yeah. So, it’ll be, interesting. What’s Friday night, actually, to be fair?

Simeon: Is this a big four now, or is this, a morphing into a big three plus one? Is this in tennis terms?

Gary: Essentially, I mean, but they’re not that far behind Burnley, aren’t they? And Burnley aren’t that far behind Sheffield United. So, this league this league can make you look really stupid if you predict things as you know. But I mean, look. It is out it is two from those four, maybe two from the three.

Simeon: I predicted Sunderland to win last week.

Gary: I mean, Sheffield Wednesday Yeah. Are in the queue for the top six, and you wonder whether Friday might be a crossroads as to where they go. If they win, they stay in that race. If they lose, is that their out of the top six chase now? So, plenty of riding on that.

Simeon: Sunderland have lost just two of the last nine away league games against Sheffield Wednesday, winning 3-0 on their last visit to Hillsborough in 2023. So they have a good record at Hillsborough. I am going to go for more misery for Sunderland. I’m gonna go for Sheffield Wednesday win.

Simeon’s score prediction: 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday

LEEDS v WEST BROM

Simeon: Leeds, two massive wins in a row for them. Both late comebacks. They head into the weekend five clear of Sheffield United in second and seven ahead of Burnley in third. West Brom are occupying a playoff place, but there’s an almighty queue of sides beneath them, the queue that you’ve just referenced, of course, when we talk about Sheffield Wednesday. Leeds, it’s looking good for them at the top of the year. Of course, you were there on Monday nights, rather rather close to Daniel Farke as well, which, may must have made for an interesting occasion. West Brom have won just one of the last 13 away league games against Leeds. That came in 2007. So a very, very long time since they’ve won at Elland Road. They’re in decent shape West Brom. I mean, how do you feel about them going into this one? Is this kind of a free hit for them in a way because of just how good Leeds have been recently?

Gary: Yeah. I’m not sure about free hit because three points are three points in their foot. I think with Tony in charge, Tony Mowbray in charge compared to Carlos Corberan. And, obviously, Carlos was very good at, kinda, taking the weapons off the opposition. With Tony, he will want to attack more. We know that, with Albion. Whether he does that, Elland Road, we we wait to see. But obviously, we got the first clean sheets. The first time since Carlos left with the the winning against Oxford at at the weekend. But I just wonder whether Tony Mowbray will open Albion, not for Elland Road. But then if you do, Leeds will love that, don’t we?

Simeon’s score prediction: 2-0 Leeds

BLACKBURN v NORWICH

Simeon: Blackburn appointed a manager. They’ve got Valerian Ismael in charge, very, very familiar man to this league. But he’s picked him up in a very, very good spot as well. They’re occupying a playoff space heading to the weekend with not too long left of the season. They were beaten at Swansea last weekend fairly comprehensively, which is what might have made the hierarchy there act, because they seem pretty comfortable in the situation they’re in, but one bad result on the get a manager in who is, will be in the dugout at Ewood Park this weekend. Norwich are right in the thick of that playoff chase pack. They’re four of Blackburn. So this is a very, very big game. So really, really big game, this and that, geographical location of the Championship table, in the playoff mixture.

Gary: I think, first of all, with Ismail, Blackburn, obviously, we’re going through the process anyway of of appointing to the manager. And, obviously, they were doing alright without, you know, that gap between John Eustace and Ismail coming in. But the defeat of Swansea, you know, probably deservedly lost against Swansea, let’s be honest. So, again, Ismail. And the time will be interesting, best of all, he’s got Callum Britton there, Woodrow. They obviously played under him at Barnsley. Woodrow, I think, was the top scorer in that particular season when Barnsley got to the playoffs under for Ismail. So he’s got him at Blackburn Rovers, those two. But it’ll be interesting to see how he goes about it in terms of the style because obviously at Barnsley, he came in, and they had a very set way of playing, which was launched the ball forward. Everybody sprints up to the halfway line, pins the opposition at the defensive third. Similar against West similar at West Bromwich Albion. At Watford, he changed, style really in terms of with what he had there, more possession based, which is what he was like in Austria to be fair. So yeah. So whether he I mean, look, has he got time to kind of change a style of play or will he just pick up from where John Eustace has, has left off? You’d imagine with, was it ten, twelve games to play, that it would be the latter. But, it’d be interesting to see what he does there. And as for Norwich. I did their game the other week against Preston, when they lost, at Carrow Road and, you know, obviously, they’re still in the mix. They did it last season. I know we’ve mentioned it before. It’s been quite a turnaround at Carrow Road in terms of players, but there are still quite a few players there who who, had this experience last season coming from deep and making the playoffs. And Josh Sargent, seven goals in six games, I think it is for him up front. Scoring goals, obviously bought by Sainz out of his course since he’s since he returned. He’s, he’s off scored since November, but the same that Nunez was excellent against Stoke as well. And this is a chance for Norwich to really launch a direct hit on the rivals, like, to kind of bring Blackburn or get closer to Blackburn.

Simeon’s score prediction: 3-1 Norwich

OXFORD v COVENTRY

Simeon: Oxford are six without a win now, and they’ve lost over the last four. They need to get back on the horse. They were on originally when Rowett took charge, or they may start slipping back towards that bottom three. They do have their head into the weekend eight points clear of the relegation places. So it’s not exactly it’s still quite a hefty gap they have there. Coventry, meanwhile, are going in very much in the other direction. They are going great guns under Frank Lampard. They’re pulling off the player settings for the weekend. Is Super Frank proving some of these doubters wrong, do you think, Gary, and what he is doing so far in his brief tenure at Coventry City?

Gary: Well, look, you’ve done amazingly well. And, again, I know we’ve mentioned this before. The performance data with Coventry before Frank came in did suggest that Coventry should be top six. But they weren’t getting the results of the Mark Robins at that particular point as we know, and that was a it was sad end really in the end. But, yeah, Frank has kind of got them doing what the performance data suggested they should be doing. And I think it was two points off the drop when he came in. And now, like you say, knocking on the playoff door. And, you know, they’ve got the ability to grind results out as well when you did the Sheffield Wednesday couple of weeks ago when, you know, Wednesday played well in that game, but Coventry came away with the win. He’s got them back to a 433 at times now. And, I mean, Matt Grimes is huge as they had, You know, he didn’t start initially, but now he’s making this presence as well as not midfield. Jack Rodoni as well has been excellent. He’s from Mason-Clark. He’s kind of doing the business, which we kind of thought he would be able to do when he made that switch from Peterborough. So yeah, it’d be interesting. And for Oxford, they can’t score goals at the moment, can they? So they’ve scored in the last four, I think it is, and one goal in six games now. So that’s a struggle for them. I mean, there’s that healthy gap, like you say, to me the eight points. And, you know, you’ve got to remember, for this season, this season for Oxford is about staying up in the Championship and and hold an island building. But, yeah, it’s potentially a tricky game that for Oxford, but equally you know, we’ve seen them get some good results at home this season, haven’t we?

Simeon: I don’t mean there’s many associated with Oxford who wouldn’t have absolutely ripped your hand off 8 points off relegation zone at this stage in the season regardless of how they got there. So and Coventry have climbed really, really, really well. Oxford have lost just one of the last five home league games against Coventry and scored 11 goals in total across that time. Of course, they haven’t played each other for a couple of years since the league one days.

Simeon’s score prediction: 1-1

LUTON v PORTSMOUTH

Simeon: Luton have won just one of the last 10 league games against Portsmouth, although that sole victory did come in their last meeting at Kenilworth Road, although that was in January 2019. It’s ominous for Luton. Do we worry about them, especially if they lose a game like this against a team with not a very good away record.

Gary: Yeah. I think, I mean, what happened to them in the big derby last week, that’s always difficult to try and recover from immediately, but they’ve got to get something. They’ve got to start finding something. Otherwise, this is gonna be, two relegations. Portsmouth and Luton were two divisions of apart. And, you know, they’ve admitted that they are low on confidence. So how they got that confidence back, obviously, winning games, but, this is a tricky one for me because Portsmouth have just, you know, shot up the league to be fair though. That’s mainly been the fact that they were Oxford. So, yeah, Portsmouth would feel I’d imagine going out to look on the auction test and that fragile confidence.

Simeon’s score prediction: 2-1 Portsmouth

MIDDLESBROUGH v DERBY

Simeon: Middlesbrough won just two of the last nine league games against Derby. Although both of those victories have come at the Riverside, so they are, in that time, decent against them at home or at least not too bad. Middlesborough, big win in midweek. Derby, again, haven’t quite got the, got the start they would have wanted under John Eustace. Do you think this is a game where you could potentially squeeze something out of it, or have they come against him at the wrong time just because of Middlesbrough getting a bit of confidence back from midweek?

Simeon’s score prediction: 2-1 Middlesbrough

QPR v SHEFFIELD UNITED

Simeon: Sheffield United are unbeaten across their last three away league games against QPR. They’ve never gone four unbeaten away at QPR in their entire history. Sheffield United need something to bounce back. . So with that in mind, and after what Sunderland did last week, I’m gonna go for a QPR win 1-0.

Simeon’s score prediction: 1-0 QPR

STOKE v WATFORD

Simeon: Watford have won five their last seven league games against Stoke, scoring two plus goals in each of those victories. So I have a very good record against them, and they’ll be flying high after that huge win in the derby last weekend. And Stoke very much the opposite. Again, Stoke drifting drifting towards that uncomfortable area.

Gary: It’s difficult, I mean, Mark Robins has come out and, you know, a big call to go out and criticise the players, after the game. But, you know, he’s found everything to try and get a reaction in the what they want to gain to think on the block lot and just recently, to be fair. But, but he said they weren’t winning their draws. Went through this, went through that, and I just come out and, you know, you have to I’d imagine sometimes I think, I think sometimes players can get away with things in terms of the managers always get the criticism or the board. You look at Stoke this season. Steven Schumacher, Narcis Pelach, and now Mark Robins, three managers. So, you know, they spoke a pad. But they need they massively need the reaction. And Mark, to be fair, he’s had it. He’s laid it on the players now. So the players, if they got any fight about them, they’ll have to come out fighting.

Simeon’s score prediction: 3-1 Watford

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