SkyBet: Hull look desperate as Blades aim to finish off the Owls

Alex McLeish's side may have been beaten 5-1 themselves last time out, but there's a huge difference in losing to a Carlos Tevez-inspired Manchester City and being thrashed by a team which had previously picked up one point away from home all season.

It was the lack of fight which will have most alarmed Tigers supporters, and fight is exactly what they will need at St Andrew's, where the Blues have gone unbeaten in their fixtures against the top six this season.

Birmingham will crop up in a huge number of multiple bets this weekend and 4-5 looks a great bet.

There's only one match with any significance for our local teams in the Championship this weekend – the Steel City derby at Hillsborough.

Wednesday fans must be dreading this match, as defeat to their local rivals could be terminal for their hopes of avoiding relegation.

With two of the three teams in their sights having a game in hand and the other due at Hillsborough on the last day, this is a game the Owls simply cannot afford to lose.

Successive 1-0 defeats have underlined the fact that although they may be difficult to beat, they lack a cutting edge.

They haven't been conceding regularly under Alan Irvine, but they haven't been scoring either.

The same is true of United, who have scored only five goals in their last 10 away games.

Expect this match to be high on tension, but low on quality and goals. As for the outcome of the match, only the most loyal Owl or Blade would trust Wednesday to win at home or United to win away just now.

The weekend's other Championship games are largely irrelevant, with Doncaster and Ipswich tussling for 12th place at Portman Road, while Barnsley will consider they have a chance of victory against a nervous Swansea, who have won one of eight as they look to close out a play-off place.

Leeds have hit form with three straight victories thrusting them back into the automatic promotion places. They will need to be playing well though to win at Gillingham, whose season can be summed up easily – solid at home, awful away.

Only Millwall can match the Gills' home defensive record, with just 12 goals conceded in 21 games at the Priestfield Stadium.

They have lost only two of the last 18 matches on their own pitch, so there's certainly no value in backing Leeds at 4-5 to collect the three points.

Rotherham were 1-0 winners over Northampton in the week, a result which keeps alive their hopes of automatic promotion, but they have been unconvincing recently.

There are no easy games in this division, something Cheltenham illustrate perfectly.

They may be four places off the bottom, but they have lost only once in seven.

Finally, Bradford secured a first win in seven games on Tuesday and can follow it up by beating struggling Barnet at Valley Parade.

The weekend's best bets

n Birmingham City to beat Hull City;

n The Sheffield Derby – Under 2.5 Goals;

n Ipswich Town to beat Doncaster Rovers;

n Gillingham v Leeds United – Drawn match;

n Cheltenham Town to beat Rotherham United;

n Bradford City to beat Barnet.