Weekend 11/2 Treble | Jack Wright

On Boxing Day, Norwich once again proved (for them) there is no place like home, as they beat Millwall 2-1. Last month the Canaries plundered 10 goals in the space of four days as they defeated Plymouth 6-1 and Luton 4-2 at Carrow Road. Since then, Johannes Hoff Thorup had seen his team pick up just one point from the next four fixtures, three of which being on the road. Only league leaders Leeds have scored more goals than Norwich’s 28 on home soil, with the Yorkshire outfit playing one more game to reach their tally of 29. The Canaries also welcome back skipper Kenny McLean after a four-match retrospective suspension, ironically for an incident in the reverse fixture at Loftus Road earlier this month.

Much has been made in Norfolk of feeling hard done by from that game which provides extra incentive to right some perceived wrongs here. QPR saw an excellent seven-game unbeaten run ended on Thursday, and crucially the festive fixture scheduling has not been kind. Having been soundly defeated 3-0 at Swansea another long trek awaits with the added inconvenience of an early kick off on Sunday. With Norwich enjoying two home games the advantage is firmly in favour of the hosts, and they can make the most of it by claiming back-to-back wins.

Sheffield United had their 11-game unbeaten run ended by promotion rivals Burnley on Boxing Day. The 2-0 defeat not only halting a sequence of nine straight home league wins, but also the first goal conceded at Bramall Lane since a 2-2 draw in August. Although on paper this looks another tough assignment for the Blades, it could be the best time to be playing the visitors.

West Brom fans got the early Christmas present they did not want on Tuesday when Carlos Corberan announced he was leaving the club to become the new head coach of Valencia. Having lost only one of the previous 14 games, the Baggies were beaten 2-1 by Derby under interim Chris Brunt. A tight turnaround and a trip to one of the most formidable venues in the Championship is a tough task for any temporary management team.

Albion have been something of draw specialists this term, sharing the spoils in 10 of their last 15 league games and an area where the absence of the experienced Corberan could be crucial. The Baggies have now lost their last two road trips and were also defeated on their last visit to Sheffield in September. Expect an unhappy return and similar outcome this time around.

Blackburn put in an impressive first half performance against play-off rivals Sunderland on Boxing Day but needed a 90th minute Harry Leonard equaliser to snatch a deserved point. Although only a draw, the nature of the comeback should return positive momentum to a Rovers side that had won six Championship games in succession before a defeat at Millwall. Five of those wins came accompanied by a clean sheet and included the scalps of league leaders Leeds, and Middlesbrough, the top two scoring sides in the division.

John Eustace will see this as a big opportunity for his team to consolidate their fifth place in the table. After a winless run of 10 games, Hull replaced Tim Walter with Reading’s Ruben Selles and looked for a new manager bounce to lift them out of the relegation zone. The new era started with a 1-1 draw at home to Watford before defeat at Coventry, although a much-needed win came by a 2-1 scoreline after Swansea visited Humberside before Christmas. Back on the road on Boxing Day and a familiar tale as their trip to Preston resulted in a first victory on home soil for North End since October.

The Tigers remain in the bottom three and just a point clear of Plymouth at the foot of the table. The loss at Deepdale was a fifth in succession on the road and they have picked up just one point from their last seven away games in the league.

* Odds correct at the time of writing. 18+ only. GambleAware.