Sky Bet Championship: betting preview & free tips for Tuesday's matches

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Tuesday's Sky Bet Championship games.

When to bet

Kick-offs from 6pm Tuesday

Best bets

Wigan
3pts 10-11 Hills

Reading draw no bet
2pts 11-10 general

Wigan Athletic v Hull City
6pm

Wigan's players and staff continue to maintain high standards on the pitch despite the off-field turmoil at the Lancashire club and they can claim a vital victory in their relegation six-pointer against Hull.

The Latics are nominally 15th in the table but the threat of a 12-point deduction means they are effectively in the thick of the battle to avoid the drop.

That is despite losing only one of their last 12 games, away to rampant Brentford, and racking up a remarkable nine clean sheets in ten outings.

The last of those shutouts came in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Barnsley, where they played the last 20 minutes with ten men and could still have nicked maximum points late on.

Paul Cook's men have seen off Blackburn (2-0), Stoke (3-0) and QPR (1-0) in their three home games since the restart and they have a great chance of another three points against Hull.

The Tigers have lost 13 of their 17 league games since New Year's Day and their only win, courtesy of an injury-time goal against fellow strugglers Middlesbrough, was followed by defeats to West Brom, Bristol City and Millwall.

Reading v Middlesbrough
6pm

Eight points off the playoffs and 11 points clear of the relegation zone, Reading have little to play for in their final three matches but the Royals do not appear to be taking things easy.

Opponents Middlesbrough are desperate for the points as they battle to stay in the division and that is well and truly factored into their price.

Neil Warnock's Boro should be anticipating a tough game against a Reading side who have dented the survival chances of Luton and Charlton in recent weeks.

They thumped the in-form Hatters 5-0 at Kenilworth Road before winning 1-0 at Charlton on Saturday thanks to a third-minute penalty from George Puscas.

The Royals have also drawn at home with Stoke and Huddersfield, two other teams fighting to avoid relegation, since the restart and the Potters needed an injury-time equaliser from Nick Powell to pinch a point in Berkshire.

Warnock has had a mixed start since being parachuted in for Boro's survival scrap. He won his first game in charge, away at Stoke, before defeats to out-of-form Hull and QPR and a valuable 2-0 victory at Millwall.

However, Saturday's 3-1 home defeat to a Bristol City side who had been slipping down the table was a major blow for Boro. "Every time we needed a lift, we got kicked in the teeth," was Warnock's post-match assessment and the veteran manager will need all his powers of motivation to rouse his players for the trip to Reading.

Boro's last five league wins, dating back to December 29, have all come away from home but they are still the lowest scorers in the division and Reading make plenty of appeal at odds-against in the draw-no-bet market.

Not got a bet365 account? Sign up today and get up to £100 in bet credits.

Up to £100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport