‘Arry Redknapp couldn’t be ‘appier with Championship fixture list
Published:Queens Park Rangers begin the season at 5/1 to win the Championship and make an immediate return to the Premier League, with the new fixture list providing plenty of room for optimism among Hoops fans.
Harry Redknapp will have been hoping to ease his squad into second-tier life with a couple of morale-boosting wins and with QPR starting the season at home against Sheffield Wednesday, his wish may have just been granted.
The Owls struggled away from home last term and only just narrowly dodged relegation on the final day, making odds of 8/13 on a QPR win worth a look.
Rangers will then travel to Huddersfield, another team that flirted with the drop last term, before hosting an Ipswich Town side that recorded two 6-0 defeats away from Portman Road over the 2012/13 campaign.
Reading will be hoping the Tractor Boys suffer a similar capitulation, with the Royals due to host the Blues on the opening day and are 5/6 for the win.
Nigel Adkins’ team remain a tempting prospect to go up at 7/2 and with big-name signings like Royston Drenthe in the offing, they could be worth a look.
Much could depend on how they start the new campaign with the Berkshire side due to face Bolton, Watford and Blackpool in the opening month.
At the other end of the table, relegation favourites Yeovil Town face a daunting trip to Millwall, which is unlikely to help their odds of 5/6 to go down.
There is better news for Doncaster and Bournemouth though, with both of the newly-promoted sides set to begin life in the Championship at home against Blackpool and Charlton respectively.
The Cherries have been making all the right noises in the transfer market and with Eddie Howe at the helm could be dark horses to go up again at 11/2 and certainly look unlikely to be relegated at 9/1.
Blackburn face a tough trip to Derby County, with boss Gary Bowyer looking to avoid a defeat that could prompt renewed concerns of them ‘doing a Wolves’ this term at 12/1.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
