Championship Saturday Tipsheet: Dons to continue winning ways

Charlton 3.10 v QPR 2.60; The Draw 3.40

Charlton can perhaps count themselves unlucky in that they have to play QPR on Saturday rather than a month or so down the line when I'm quite sure The Hoops will be without the services of Charlie Austin and perhaps a few more of their bigger names.

QPR are holding out for £15m and £10 respectively for Austin and Matt Phillips, and come Transfer Deadline Day you can be confident one of the Premier League's early strugglers will stump up the cash, or the asking price will have came down slightly to instigate a sale.

But with Austin and Phillips in their side - with manager Chris Ramsey saying that while they are at the club, and along with Leroy Fer (another player expected to depart despite failing a medical at Sunderland) that they will play a part in the season's early fixtures - they look a strong outfit and should be good enough to start the campaign with a victory.

Charlton have seen a plethora of players come and go during the summer, but they'll be disappointed to lose their brightest star, Joe Gomez, who has joined Liverpool for £3.5m.

Manager Guy Luzon is confident that he is assembling a squad of players capable of improving on last season's 12th place finish and possibly challenge for the play-offs, but the gut feeling is that it maybe another six weeks or so before the Addicks hit peak form - though admittedly, the same can be said for most clubs who have brought in a lot of new faces.

Saturday's clash with QPR - a first day London derby - looks set to be fiercely contested, but I believe Ramsey has a big advantage based on the personnel he has at hand. An away win has to be the call.

Recommended Bet
Back QPR to Win @ 2.60

Rotherham 2.86 v MK Dons 2.78; The Draw 3.40

Only a few places separated these two clubs last season - Rotherham finished 21st in the Championship while MK Dons were runners-up in League One, so just four clubs finished the season between the pair in the league ladder.

So it goes without saying there's very little between these two sides on paper, and there's also very little between them in the betting. It all makes complete sense.

In such cases I much prefer to side with the team that ended their last campaign with a winning mentality, and with good memories, which means Karl Robinson's men have to be the selection.

The Dons have brought in no fewer than nine new players in the summer including experienced centre-back Matthew Upson from Leicester, while a couple of youngsters - Cristian Benavente and Sergio Aguza - have been signed from Real Madrid Castilla (Madrid's reserve team) so are sure to have a bit of quality.

The Millers meanwhile struggled badly last term, only securing their Championship status with a few games to spare. Steve Evans has one of the smallest squads in the division to work worth and, rightly so in my opinion, they are amongst the favourites to be relegated.

They'll need to be strong at the New York Stadium to have any chance of survival, but I'm wagering strongly that they'll start the campaign with a morale-sapping home loss.

Recommended Bet
Back MK Dons to Win @ 2.78 (best bet)

Sheff Wed 2.38 v Bristol City 3.40; The Draw 3.40

I highlighted both these clubs as potential promotion challengers in my pre-season previewover two weeks ago so I'd like nothing more than for them to show some intent and go hammer and tongs at each other in this encounter.

The Owls were quite a low scoring side at Hillsborough last term, so backing goals in this game is perhaps a tad risky. However, having brought in no fewer than 13 new players (at the last count) in the summer they'll be a completely different side to the one was saw last term.

They've also got a new boss in Carlos Carvalhal, the 49-year-old is taking charge of his 15th club in some capacity in just over 16 years. It's a fascinating appointment and I'm expecting the Owls to be a bit hit and miss early doors as their new players and manager get to know each other better.

Bristol City ran away with League One last term so, like MK Dons, they'll be approaching these early season fixtures with a winning mentality and full of confidence.

I wouldn't put anyone off backing Steve Cotterill's men to win this game actually, but I think the safest option is to count on goals. The Robins scored goals for fun last term and will be keen to make an impression at Hillsborough on Saturday, as too will the home side.

Recommended Bet
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.26