With the Championship’s stacked festive schedule rolling onto Monday night, England’s second-tier will sign off 2025.
As the likes of runaway leaders Coventry look to lay down another title marker when they welcome Ipswich to the Midlands for a heavyweight showdown, we have 12 battles from up and down the country.
For those of you looking to stick on a Monday acca, we have taken a glance at some of the most attractive Championship betting tips.
Monday, December 29th
BST 18:00 Coventry City vs Ipswich Town
While Coventry might have suffered play-off heartbreak last season, Frank Lampard’s men are enjoying what has become an iconic Championship fairytale this time around.
Last seen over the weekend securing a Boxing Day 1-0 victory at home against Swansea, the Sky Blues are leading the chase at the top of the table and open Monday’s fixtures holding a remarkable eight-point buffer over the chasing pack.
Only continuing to shatter a string of long-standing records, the former Chelsea boss finds his squad installed as a landslide title contender in 2026.
Looking to claim a heavyweight Championship scalp here, Coventry have suffered just a single defeat from any of their last 10 consecutive second-tier appearances.
Signing off November with a routine 3-1 win against Charlton, Lampard’s side have also gained a fearsome reputation for their extended dominance on home soil.
In fact, the runaway Championship leaders have won all of their last eight straight showdowns in the Midlands – a purple patch that stems all the way back to a 1-1 stalemate against Norwich on September 13th.
Losing their Premier League status last season, it is no secret that Kieran McKenna’s men opened up the 2025/26 campaign with their sights set on securing an immediate top-flight return.
However, eventually forced to settle for an uneventful 0-0 stalemate away at Millwall over the weekend, the one-time Manchester United coach is desperately searching for some essential stability.
Falling to a disappointing 3-1 drumming away at Leicester earlier in the month, Monday’s guests have gained a reputation for their recent struggles away from Portman Road.
Signing off November with a 2-1 loss at the hands of relegation scrappers Oxford, Ipswich have registered just two points from their last four showdowns on the road. It should also be noted, McKenna’s camp have recorded consecutive Championship wins on just a single occasion since returning from November’s international break.
Despite knowing that they can move within touching distance of the automatic promotion spots on Monday evening, we are backing a home victory in the Midlands.
Betting Tip: Coventry City win @ 13/10
19:45 Leicester City vs Derby County
Coming under a huge amount of scrutiny last season as they lost their Premier League status, Leicester opened up the 2025/26 campaign with their sights firmly set on booking an immediate top-flight return.
However, suffering a major collapse at the King Power on Boxing Day as they eventually slumped to a 2-1 loss at the hands of Watford, Marti Cifuentes finds some serious pressure mounting on his position.
Putting in a woeful performance earlier in the month as they were hit with a 4-1 drumming against QPR, Leicester have now registered just a single win from any of their previous four Championship appearances.
Tumbling down the table and now remarkably sat outside the top-half, the Foxes have also continued to show some rather glaring defensive issues this season.
Signing off November with an action-packed 3-2 loss at home against Sheffield United, the former QPR boss has not seen his downbeat squad record a single clean sheet from any of their previous 17 consecutive outings.
While Derby might have come flying out of the traps when opening up the 2025/25 campaign back in August, the Rams have struggled to find any real stability since returning from November’s international break.
Now settling for consecutive 1-1 stalemates against Birmingham and Portsmouth, John Eustace’s side have recorded just a sole win from any of their previous six consecutive Championship appearances.
Crashing back down to earth since their stunning run on either side of opening November, Monday’s guests should take plenty of solace from their rugged success away from Pride Park.
Including a pair of 2-1 victories against Swansea and Blackburn last month, Derby have tasted just a single defeat from their last six showdowns on the road – a run that stems back to October 18th.
Despite travelling to the King Power pencilled in as a real underdog contender, the Rams will be confident of testing an incredibly leaky Leicester defence.
Betting Tip: Over 1.5 goals @ 2/5
20:15 Birmingham City vs Southampton
Flying out of the traps after returning from November’s international break, Birmingham looked like they were on the cusp of skyrocketing their way into a play-off scrap.
However, despite opening up the 2025/26 campaign with their sights firmly set on mounting another genuine promotion charge, the Blues have come crashing back down to earth in a worrying fashion over the past month.
Eventually forced to settle for a Boxing Day 1-1 stalemate against Derby over the weekend, Chris Davies’ men have now recorded just a pair of points from any of their previous five consecutive Championship appearances.
Falling to a woeful 3-0 drumming at the hands of Sheffield United earlier in the month, Birmingham have also shown some worrying defensive struggles.
In fact, Monday’s hosts have failed to muster a single clean sheet from any of their previous nine attempts – a run that stems back to an empathic 4-0 romp against Millwall on November 4th.
As for the visitors, winning six of their seven Championship appearances on either side of November’s international break, Southampton certainly got Tonda Eckert’s heart off to a dream start.
However, despite setting their sights on securing an immediate Premier League return this season, the Saints have once again shown some worrying real inconsistencies over the past fortnight.
Suffering some festive frustration over the weekend as they slumped to a 2-1 loss away at relegation scrappers Oxford, Eckert’s men have put just a single point on the board from any of their last three straight appearances and they have also gained an unwanted reputation for their issues away from the south coast.
Despite searching for their own recent Championship boost, Southampton will certainly be excited by their most recent showdown against Monday’s hosts.
Storming their way to a stellar 3-1 victory when they welcomed Birmingham to St. Mary’s on December 6th, we could be treated to another enjoyable Championship battle here.
Betting Tip: Both teams to score @ 8/11
Our Monday Championship Accumulator:
- Coventry City vs Ipswich Town – Coventry City win @ 13/10
- Leicester City vs Derby County – Over 1.5 goals @ 2/5
- Birmingham City vs Southampton – Both teams to score @ 8/11
Place a £10 bet on our accumulator with Vegas Land and pocket £55.62 if all predictions are correct.
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