Sky Bet Championship Matchday 18 Odds & Picks: Cardiff vs Swansea, Derby vs Stoke & Blackburn vs Norwich

• Sky Bet Championship Matchday 18 takes place on December 12th
• All 24 teams are in action with the Welsh derby being the standout fixture
• Get the latest Championship odds, betting analysis and picks below

The Championship, true to reputation, has been wildly unpredictable this term. Derby and Sheffield Wednesday languish in the bottom three as we head into Sky Bet Championship Matchday 18 and Nottingham Forest has struggled, while Barnsley and Luton sit nine and 10 points clear of the relegation zone respectively.

The weekend is headlined by the derby between Cardiff and Swansea. Norwich travels to Blackburn as they look to hold on to their lead atop the table and struggling Wednesday face an impressive Barnsley side.

The table below has the complete moneyline odds for this weekend’s Sky Bet Championship Matchday 18 fixtures.

Sky Bet Championship Matchday 18 Odds

All odds taken Dec 10 at DraftKings

Cardiff vs Swansea

These derbies have been infrequent since 2010. Wales’ two biggest clubs have only met four times since 2010, including two fixtures last season which produced one goal across 180 minutes. Swansea got a 1-0 home win in October before they played out a 0-0 in January – another cagey match is expected on Saturday with Swansea owning the best defensive record in the division. Cardiff have kept four clean sheets in their last five matches.

Swansea holds a four-point lead over their rivals despite Cardiff’s four-match winning streak. The visitors are just four points off the top of the table, but they have only won one of their last three in the league. They were lucky to draw with Bournemouth last time out.

Despite being the lowest-scoring team in the top ten, the Swans managed to get plenty of shots off. Only six teams average more shots on target per 90 – Cardiff are in that group. Poor finishing, rather than chance creation, has been the problem for Swansea.

📸 𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗬

A snapshot of this evening's match at the Liberty…

👉 https://t.co/VdxYYmPDBW pic.twitter.com/qacuNef5ry

— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) December 8, 2020

This is set up to be a repeat of last season’s encounters. One goal, either way, could decide this Sky Bet Matchday 18 encounter.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals (-165)

Derby vs Stoke

Two Midlands rivals meet on Saturday. Derby and Stoke are two of the Championship’s bigger clubs, but they have faced more than their fair share of turmoil of late. Stoke have settled after a difficult period, with Michael O’Neill getting the club pointing in the right direction.

Derby had a terrible start to the season, picking up six points from their first 13 matches. That run cost Phillip Cocu his job and gave Wayne Rooney his first managerial position. The former Manchester United striker has started well – the Rams are unbeaten in four matches, accumulating six points.

Wanna hear something mad….Derby never kept back-to-back clean sheets in the Championship under Phillip Cocu. In fact they only got 2 away league clean sheets in his entire reign. Under Rooney & the rest of the coaches – back-to-back ones in back-to-back away games. #DCFC

— Ryan Conway (@RJConway92) December 9, 2020

It’s not been pretty from Stoke of late. A midweek loss to Cardiff followed consecutive 1-0 wins. The Potters have looked short of ideas in the attacking third, a worrying trend as they face a Derby side who have improved defensively under Rooney.

The hosts are still the lowest-scoring team in the Sky Bet Championship. This could be a stalemate – the draw is a good bet.

Pick: Draw (+220)

Blackburn vs Norwich

Norwich have won five of their last six Championship meetings with Blackburn. The pair didn’t meet last season – as Norwich were in the top flight – but the early season form of the Canaries has done little to suggest Blackburn will improve their recent record against Daniel Farke’s side. Norwich are the +175 favorites against a Blackburn team who have stuttered when facing stronger opponents.

Tony Mowbray's men put together an unbeaten November, collecting 11 points from 5 matches 🔢

Playing an entertaining brand of football at the same time, scoring nine goals along the way ⚽

The @Rovers boss is up for the @SkyBetChamp MOTM award 🏆 #Rovers pic.twitter.com/ypyzPgV9lu

— Sky Bet (@SkyBet) December 10, 2020

The hosts won three on the bounce, getting the better of Preston, Millwall and Barnsley. Since then, though, they have taken one point from matchups with Brentford and Bristol City. Blackburn has looked firmly like a mid-table side so far this season, albeit an entertaining one. There have been 51 goals in their 17 matches, which is most in the division. They rank near the top in shots attempted per game, but few sides give up as many shots as them.

Over 2.5 isn’t an obvious bet with Norwich. It has come in for only 47% of their matches, and there’s an average of 2.29 total goals per game. Facing this Blackburn side on Sky Bet Championship Matchday 18, though, over 2.5 is a good value option at -125.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals (-125)