Portsmouth's 'fixture difficulty' rating over next six games provides Championship hope - but same can't be said for Bristol City or Millwall
Pompey supporters will have every right to feel a bit down in the mouth after the Blues’ start to life back in the Championship.
But like all fans they’ll retain hope that their beloved side will turn it around and produce the kind of form that will catapult them up the table.
That yearning was supposed to kick into gear at Stoke after Pompey faced the toughest of starts on their second-tier return. It was then delayed a couple more days until Oxford’s visit to Fratton Park immediately before the international break. As you all know, though, today’s trip to QPR is now the fixture we’re all hoping will produce the Blues’ first win of the season and help transform their season.
With the struggling Rs currently just one place and two points better off than Pompey after a run of three straight defeats, it’s understandable why there’s a degree of anticipation ahead of the game at Loftus Road. And to provide the Fratton faithful with an added bonus ahead of their trip to the capital, the fixtures that immediately follow are deemed the easiest any Championship side will face in the coming weeks - so there’s definitely scope for John Mousinho’s men to climb out of the relegation zone and start climbing the table.
That’s the expert opinion of Opta Analyst, who believe Pompey have the best chance to make inroads on their rivals and produce a run of form that will leave many in their wake as they also prepare to face Cardiif (A), Sheffield Wednesday (H), Hull (A), Plymouth (A) and Preston North End (H) in the coming weeks.
Here’s a league table they’ve produced that rates each club’s fixture difficulty as the Championship returns following the international break. The teams at the top are deemed to have the hardest fixtures, with those at the bottom having the easier games. Championship teams have an Opta rating of between 72-84/100.
Championship fixture difficulty (next 6 games)
1 Bristol City - 79.5 (opponent average rating)
2 QPR - 79.1
3 Sheffield Wednesday - 78.7
4 Sheffield United - 78.6 (includes Friday night’s game at Leeds).
5 Millwall - 78.4
6 Watford - 78.3
7 Stoke City - 78.2
8 Oxford United - 78.2
9 Middlesbrough - 78.0
10 Hull - 78.0
11 Luton Town - 77.9
12 Swansea - 77.8
13 Blackburn - 77.8
14 Cardiff City - 77.7
15 Burnley - 77.6
16 West Brom - 77.4
`17 Coventry - 77.3
18 Preston North End - 77.3
19 Leeds United - 77.2 (includes Friday night’s game against Sheffield United)
20 Derby County - 77.0
21 Sunderland - 77.0
22 Norwich - 76.8
23 Plymouth - 76.7
24 Pompey - 76.0