EFL Championship Tips for 16 August: Saints & Hammers to Start with Away Wins

The 2026-27 EFL Championship campaign is up and running, with more exciting games taking place today.

In today's early kick off, Watford and Southampton lock horns at Vicarage Road, while Burnley host West Ham United shortly after. Check out our EFL Championship tips and predictions for today’s action.

Watford vs Southampton: EFL Championship Tips Today

Southampton begin their Championship campaign with a trip to Watford. Last season ended dramatically, but Tonda Eckert’s men are ready to push for promotion again.

Watford could struggle this season, with many predicting the Hornets to be in the relegation battle. The Hertfordshire club finished 16th last term and are seemingly going backwards. Alessio Dionisi is the new man in charge.

Last season’s corresponding fixture was a thriller, with the matchup at Vicarage Road finishing in a 2-2 draw. The Saints led twice, but Watford battled back to grab a point.

The reverse game at St Mary’s in February ended 1-0 to Southampton, with Canadian international Cyle Larin scoring the only goal of the game.

Many are tipping Southampton to finish in and around the automatic places this season. They booked their spot in the EFL Championship play-off final last term but were controversially expelled due to being found guilty of spying on their opposition.

Southampton started their season with a 2-0 win at Colchester United in the first round of the Carabao Cup. Larin opened the scoring, with Romeo Akachukwu adding a second late on.

Watford nicked a 1-0 home win against EFL League Two team Crawley Town in their opening game of the new season. The tie was heading for penalties, but Marc Bola scored at the death to put the Hornets through.

Southampton are unbeaten in six against Watford, winning three of the past four. In our Championship predictions today, we fancy Eckert’s men to begin their league season with a big three points on the road.

PricedUp are offering odds of 21/10 for the away team to be winning at half time and full time.

Our Prediction: Southampton HT/FT – 21/10

Burnley vs West Ham United: Championship Betting Tips

On paper, the standout fixture of the opening weekend is the Burnley-West Ham matchup at Turf Moor. This was a Premier League game last term, and both clubs will want an instant return to the top flight.

The Clarets had a campaign to forget last season, collecting just 22 points and suffering an immediate relegation back to the Championship. A lot has changed since then, with Nicky Hayen taking over as the new boss in July.

Nuno Espirito Santo and several of West Ham’s top players have stuck around for the Championship campaign. The Hammers want a prompt return to the EPL, and the Londoners have been backed to win the league title.

Burnley avoided an embarrassing result in the EFL Cup opening round last week, beating Notts County on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

West Ham also secured a victory in their first game of the new season, coming from behind to see off fellow Championship side Portsmouth. Valentin Castellanos notched a brace, and Jarrod Bowen was also on target in the 3-1 triumph at the London Stadium.

These two are potential promotion rivals, and Sunday’s showdown at Turf Moor promises to be a cracker. Burnley are priced at 21/10 for the win, while West Ham are available at 6/5.

Nuno’s boys are a big fish in this league, and winning at Turf Moor in game one would send out a real signal of intent to their promotion rivals. We like the look of 14/5 for the West Ham win and both teams to score.

Our Prediction: West Ham United to Win & Both Teams to Score – 14/5

Odds taken from PricedUp at 10:00 UK time, on August 16