Blackburn Rovers will head to Ipswich Town on the opening day of the 2012/13 Championship season.
Rovers (16/1 Outright Winner @
SkyBet) were relegated from the Premier League following a 2011/12 campaign filled with turmoil and, like the other two relegated teams, they find themselves heading out on the road for their first match in the second tier.
Bolton Wanders (10/1 Outright Winner @
BetVictor) head to Burnley for a big derby clash which sees Owen Coyle come up against his former club, while Wolves (10/1 Outright Winner @ Coral) travel to face Leeds United (14/1 Outright Winner @
Boylesports) for Stale Solbakken’s debut as manager.
Leicester City (13/2 Outright Winners @
Paddy Power) and Birmingham City (14/1 Outright Winners @ Boylesports) are considered two of the other contenders to win the Championship title, and they are both at home on the opening day as the Foxes take on Peterborough United while Blues welcome League One winners Charlton Athletic to St Andrew’s. The other two newly-promoted teams, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday, head to Cardiff City and Derby County respectively.
Boxing Day sees some big matches in the second tier of English football as Hull City host Leicester City, Middlesbrough take on Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers host Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United head to Nottingham Forest, while on New Year’s Day Birmingham City take on Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers host Nottingham Forest and Leeds United entertain Bolton Wanderers.
The 2012/13 Championship season is scheduled to end on Saturday, May 4, and the fixtures suggest it could well be a dramatic day at both ends of the table. Title hopefuls Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers will end their campaigns at home to Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool respectively, while Leicester City head to Nottingham Forest. Sheffield Wednesday welcome Middlesbrough to Hillsborough, while Wolves head to Brighton and Huddersfield Town play host to Derby County.
Selected Championship Fixtures
Saturday, August 18th, 2012
Barnsley v Middlesbrough
Birmingham City v Charlton Athletic
Burnley v Bolton Wanderers
Cardiff City v Huddersfield Town
Crystal Palace v Watford
Derby County v Sheffield Wednesday
Hull City v Brighton and Hove Albion
Ipswich Town v Blackburn Rovers
Leeds United v Wolves
Leicester City v Peterborough United
Millwall v Blackpool
Nottingham Forest v Bristol City
Tuesday, August 21st, 2012
Blackpool v Leeds United
Bolton Wanderers v Derby County
Brighton and Hove Albion v Cardiff City
Bristol City v Crystal Palace
Charlton Athletic v Leicester City
Huddersfield Town v Nottingham Forest
Middlesbrough v Burnley
Peterborough United v Millwall
Sheffield Wednesday v Birmingham City
Watford v Ipswich Town
Wolves v Barnsley
Saturday, May 4th, 2013
Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers v Blackpool
Brighton and Hove Albion v Wolves
Burnley v Ipswich Town
Charlton Athletic v Bristol City
Crystal Palace v Peterborough United
Derby County v Millwall
Huddersfield Town v Barnsley
Hull City v Cardiff City
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City
Sheffield Wednesday v Middlesbrough
Watford v Leeds United
