Yakubu Ayegbini will make his Leicester City debut as the Foxes face rock bottom Preston North End.
The game will see the powerful Nigerian striker line up against the league’s most fragile defense. Another goal machine on show will be league leading goal scorer Danny Graham, who will lead the Watford line as they play host to Derby County.
League leaders Queens Park Rangers will travel to face Burnley, while second place Cardiff City will clash with third place Norwich City in a vital promotion encounter at Carrow Road.
Two games will see teams in the playoff spots going head to head with teams in the relegation zone, when Leeds United host Scunthorpe United and Swansea City host Crystal Palace.
In other action at the bottom of the table, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough will look to climb away from the relegation zone when they travel to face Coventry City and Bristol City respectively.
Swansea City will continue their promotion chase when they play host to relegation strugglers Crystal Palace in Saturday’s early kickoff game. Swansea are outside of the automatic promotion slots on goal difference only, while Palace are in need of points to escape the relegation zone.
Swansea will be without striker Jermaine Easter, who has returned to Milton Keynes Dons after his loan expired. Midfielder Jordi Lopez has also left the club, while defender Garry Monk is a long term injury absentee.
Palace will be led for the first time by former player Dougie Freedman, who recently replaced the departed George Burley as manager.
League leaders Queens Park Rangers will continue their promotion push with a visit to Turf Moor to face playoff chasing Burnley. Burnley will be looking to close the four point gap between themselves and the playoff spots, while QPR could extend their five point lead at the top with victory.
Burnley players will need to maintain their focus amidst daily speculation about who their next manager will be. BBC Sport reports that Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is the likely candidate and could be in place before this game kicks off.
QPR will be without striker Jamie Mackie who suffered a season ending leg break in the FA Cup defeat at Blackburn Rovers. Mackie is joined on the sidelines by fellow striker Patrick Agyemang, who is out for three months.
Coventry City have fallen outside of the top six after a miserable run of only one win in their last seven games. They will be hoping to end that run with a victory over struggling Sheffield United, who are only one point above the drop zone.
Coventry could welcome back Sammy Clingan, who returned to training this week. Carl Baker will be hoping to retain his place after playing well and scoring in the FA Cup win over Crystal Palace last weekend.
Sheffield United have been boosted by the double signing of Joe Mattock and Shane Lowry, who arrived on loan this week from West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa respectively.
Playoff challengers Reading will be looking for their third straight win when they travel to face Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium. Reading are two points adrift of the playoff zone, while Doncaster are a further three points back.
The Doncaster defense will be boosted by the loan signing of center back Matt Kilgallon, who arrived this week on a season long loan from Sunderland. Brian Stock and Mustapha Dumbuya are ruled out with injury.
Midfielder Mikele Leigertwood should feature after extending his loan spell from Queens Park Rangers. Defender Zhurab Khizanishvili is doubtful with a knee injury, while Andy Griffin should be fit to return for the Royals.
Leeds United will be hoping to continue their promotion push with a victory over relegation strugglers Scunthorpe United at Elland Road. Fifth place Leeds are two points behind second placed Cardiff City, while Scunthorpe currently occupy the relegation zone, and are three points adrift of safety.
Leeds manager Simon Grayson will be looking for a win to celebrate recently winning the Manager of the Month Award for December. Grayson will be without injured duo Richard Naylor and Patrick Kisnorbo, who are long term absentees.
Michael O’Connor injured his knee in training this week and joined a lengthy list of doubtful players for The Iron. Cliff Byrne and Rob Jones are also battling to be fit for the game, while David Mirfin and Garry Thompson will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Struggling Middlesbrough will be looking for points to climb away from the relegation struggle when they travel to face Bristol City. Middlesbrough sit precariously only one point above the drop zone, while Bristol are five points ahead of them.
Bristol could be boosted by the return from injury of defensive duo Louis Carey and Steven Caulker. Christian Ribeiro is ruled out for the Robins due to a knee injury.
Middlesbrough midfielder Kevin Thomson is doubtful with a leg injury, while young striker Luke Williams damaged ankle ligaments in a midweek FA Youth Cup game. David Wheater was left out of the squad for last week’s FA Cup defeat at Burton Albion, and fellow defender Jonathan Grounds has been recalled from his loan spell at Hibernian.
Playoff chasing Millwall will play host to giant killing Ipswich Town at the New Den. Millwall are only three points away from the playoff spots and will be keen to narrow that gap with a win over the Tractor Boys. Ipswich are struggling at the wrong end of the table, but are coming off an impressive 1-0 win over Arsenal in their Carling Cup semi-final second leg.
Striker Josh McQuoid should start for Millwall after making his move from Bournemouth permanent.
Ipswich will be led by new manager Paul Jewell, who will be taking charge of his first game. Jewell must decide whether to rotate his squad or stick with the lineup that was so successful against Arsenal in midweek.
Second meets third as Cardiff City travel to face Norwich City in a crucial promotion clash at Carrow Road. The two sides are level on points and the winner here should move into the automatic promotion spots.
Norwich are looking to extend a four game unbeaten run in Championship play, and will have their ranks boosted by Marc Tierney. The fullback completed his permanent signing from Colchester United this week and will add depth to the Canaries’ back line.
Defender Chris Riggott will be out for Cardiff, and is expected to miss two months with a torn hamstring.
Cardiff striker Craig Bellamy looks set to play despite being arrested in midweek for an alleged assault. Bellamy and goalkeeper David Marshall will be facing their old club. While he will be out to beat them, Bellamy had some fond words about Norwich when asked about his time at Carrow Road.
Bellamy described himself as “forever in Norwich’s debt,” and said “I was very fortunate to play for Norwich because they treated me as a special player.” On Saturday, Norwich will be paying special attention to keeping their former hero quiet.
Portsmouth will be hoping to avoid their fourth straight defeat when they travel to face playoff contenders Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Forest are two points below the playoff spots, while Portsmouth’s run of poor form sees them a further seven points back.
Striker Marcus Tudgay will return to the Forest lineup, while Dexter Blackstock remains a long term absentee. Forest will be hoping American striker Robbie Findley will receive his work permit in time to play after signing from Real Salt Lake.
Liam Lawrence should return for Pompey, while Danny Webber is ruled out with injury. Dave Kitson and Greg Halford are suspended for Portsmouth, while Michael Brown and Richard Hughes are unavailable due to ongoing contractual issues.
Rock bottom Preston North End are seven points adrift of safety, and will be desperate for points when Leicester City come to town. The Foxes will be looking to close the four point gap between themselves and the top six.
PNE were bolstered this week by the loan signings of Nathan Ellington and Amine Linganzi, from Watford and Blackburn Rovers respectively. At the back, Preston have shipped more goals than any other Championship team and they will face a formidable task in the shape of Leicester’s latest signing.
Sven Goran Eriksson wrapped up the loan signing of star Nigerian striker Yakubu Ayegbini from Everton. A proven goal scorer at Premier League level, Yakubu should be a huge boost to the Foxes’ promotion push.
Sixth place Watford will play host to Derby County on Saturday, with the Rams hoping to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat to non-league Crawley Town.
The Watford attack will be led by Danny Graham, who is currently the division’s leading goal scorer, and was recently named Player of the Month for December.
Nigel Clough could rotate the lineup for the Rams after a bitterly disappointing Cup exit. The rams must return to winning ways if they wish to get back on the thick of the playoff race.
Hull City and Barnsley are currently level on points and will clash here in an important game. The winner could find themselves in the playoff race, while the loser could be looking over their shoulder to the relegation struggle below.
Defender Paul McShane could return for Hull after recovering from a shoulder injury, while Brad Guzan and Aaron Mclean should return to the starting lineup after missing last week’s FA Cup tie.
Liam Rosenior will be serving the final game of a suspension for the Tigers. Hull could hand a debut to defender James Chester, who is a recent signing from Manchester United.
Barnsley will be without Martin Devaney and Jay McEveley, who are both ruled out with injury.
League leaders Queens Park Rangers will travel to face Burnley, while second place Cardiff City will clash with third place Norwich City in a vital promotion encounter at Carrow Road.
Two games will see teams in the playoff spots going head to head with teams in the relegation zone, when Leeds United host Scunthorpe United and Swansea City host Crystal Palace.
In other action at the bottom of the table, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough will look to climb away from the relegation zone when they travel to face Coventry City and Bristol City respectively.
Swansea City will continue their promotion chase when they play host to relegation strugglers Crystal Palace in Saturday’s early kickoff game. Swansea are outside of the automatic promotion slots on goal difference only, while Palace are in need of points to escape the relegation zone.
Swansea will be without striker Jermaine Easter, who has returned to Milton Keynes Dons after his loan expired. Midfielder Jordi Lopez has also left the club, while defender Garry Monk is a long term injury absentee.
Palace will be led for the first time by former player Dougie Freedman, who recently replaced the departed George Burley as manager.
League leaders Queens Park Rangers will continue their promotion push with a visit to Turf Moor to face playoff chasing Burnley. Burnley will be looking to close the four point gap between themselves and the playoff spots, while QPR could extend their five point lead at the top with victory.
Burnley players will need to maintain their focus amidst daily speculation about who their next manager will be. BBC Sport reports that Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is the likely candidate and could be in place before this game kicks off.
QPR will be without striker Jamie Mackie who suffered a season ending leg break in the FA Cup defeat at Blackburn Rovers. Mackie is joined on the sidelines by fellow striker Patrick Agyemang, who is out for three months.
Coventry City have fallen outside of the top six after a miserable run of only one win in their last seven games. They will be hoping to end that run with a victory over struggling Sheffield United, who are only one point above the drop zone.
Coventry could welcome back Sammy Clingan, who returned to training this week. Carl Baker will be hoping to retain his place after playing well and scoring in the FA Cup win over Crystal Palace last weekend.
Sheffield United have been boosted by the double signing of Joe Mattock and Shane Lowry, who arrived on loan this week from West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa respectively.
Playoff challengers Reading will be looking for their third straight win when they travel to face Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium. Reading are two points adrift of the playoff zone, while Doncaster are a further three points back.
The Doncaster defense will be boosted by the loan signing of center back Matt Kilgallon, who arrived this week on a season long loan from Sunderland. Brian Stock and Mustapha Dumbuya are ruled out with injury.
Midfielder Mikele Leigertwood should feature after extending his loan spell from Queens Park Rangers. Defender Zhurab Khizanishvili is doubtful with a knee injury, while Andy Griffin should be fit to return for the Royals.
Leeds United will be hoping to continue their promotion push with a victory over relegation strugglers Scunthorpe United at Elland Road. Fifth place Leeds are two points behind second placed Cardiff City, while Scunthorpe currently occupy the relegation zone, and are three points adrift of safety.
Leeds manager Simon Grayson will be looking for a win to celebrate recently winning the Manager of the Month Award for December. Grayson will be without injured duo Richard Naylor and Patrick Kisnorbo, who are long term absentees.
Michael O’Connor injured his knee in training this week and joined a lengthy list of doubtful players for The Iron. Cliff Byrne and Rob Jones are also battling to be fit for the game, while David Mirfin and Garry Thompson will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Struggling Middlesbrough will be looking for points to climb away from the relegation struggle when they travel to face Bristol City. Middlesbrough sit precariously only one point above the drop zone, while Bristol are five points ahead of them.
Bristol could be boosted by the return from injury of defensive duo Louis Carey and Steven Caulker. Christian Ribeiro is ruled out for the Robins due to a knee injury.
Middlesbrough midfielder Kevin Thomson is doubtful with a leg injury, while young striker Luke Williams damaged ankle ligaments in a midweek FA Youth Cup game. David Wheater was left out of the squad for last week’s FA Cup defeat at Burton Albion, and fellow defender Jonathan Grounds has been recalled from his loan spell at Hibernian.
Playoff chasing Millwall will play host to giant killing Ipswich Town at the New Den. Millwall are only three points away from the playoff spots and will be keen to narrow that gap with a win over the Tractor Boys. Ipswich are struggling at the wrong end of the table, but are coming off an impressive 1-0 win over Arsenal in their Carling Cup semi-final second leg.
Striker Josh McQuoid should start for Millwall after making his move from Bournemouth permanent.
Ipswich will be led by new manager Paul Jewell, who will be taking charge of his first game. Jewell must decide whether to rotate his squad or stick with the lineup that was so successful against Arsenal in midweek.
Second meets third as Cardiff City travel to face Norwich City in a crucial promotion clash at Carrow Road. The two sides are level on points and the winner here should move into the automatic promotion spots.
Norwich are looking to extend a four game unbeaten run in Championship play, and will have their ranks boosted by Marc Tierney. The fullback completed his permanent signing from Colchester United this week and will add depth to the Canaries’ back line.
Defender Chris Riggott will be out for Cardiff, and is expected to miss two months with a torn hamstring.
Cardiff striker Craig Bellamy looks set to play despite being arrested in midweek for an alleged assault. Bellamy and goalkeeper David Marshall will be facing their old club. While he will be out to beat them, Bellamy had some fond words about Norwich when asked about his time at Carrow Road.
Bellamy described himself as “forever in Norwich’s debt,” and said “I was very fortunate to play for Norwich because they treated me as a special player.” On Saturday, Norwich will be paying special attention to keeping their former hero quiet.
Portsmouth will be hoping to avoid their fourth straight defeat when they travel to face playoff contenders Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Forest are two points below the playoff spots, while Portsmouth’s run of poor form sees them a further seven points back.
Striker Marcus Tudgay will return to the Forest lineup, while Dexter Blackstock remains a long term absentee. Forest will be hoping American striker Robbie Findley will receive his work permit in time to play after signing from Real Salt Lake.
Liam Lawrence should return for Pompey, while Danny Webber is ruled out with injury. Dave Kitson and Greg Halford are suspended for Portsmouth, while Michael Brown and Richard Hughes are unavailable due to ongoing contractual issues.
Rock bottom Preston North End are seven points adrift of safety, and will be desperate for points when Leicester City come to town. The Foxes will be looking to close the four point gap between themselves and the top six.
PNE were bolstered this week by the loan signings of Nathan Ellington and Amine Linganzi, from Watford and Blackburn Rovers respectively. At the back, Preston have shipped more goals than any other Championship team and they will face a formidable task in the shape of Leicester’s latest signing.
Sven Goran Eriksson wrapped up the loan signing of star Nigerian striker Yakubu Ayegbini from Everton. A proven goal scorer at Premier League level, Yakubu should be a huge boost to the Foxes’ promotion push.
Sixth place Watford will play host to Derby County on Saturday, with the Rams hoping to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat to non-league Crawley Town.
The Watford attack will be led by Danny Graham, who is currently the division’s leading goal scorer, and was recently named Player of the Month for December.
Nigel Clough could rotate the lineup for the Rams after a bitterly disappointing Cup exit. The rams must return to winning ways if they wish to get back on the thick of the playoff race.
Hull City and Barnsley are currently level on points and will clash here in an important game. The winner could find themselves in the playoff race, while the loser could be looking over their shoulder to the relegation struggle below.
Defender Paul McShane could return for Hull after recovering from a shoulder injury, while Brad Guzan and Aaron Mclean should return to the starting lineup after missing last week’s FA Cup tie.
Liam Rosenior will be serving the final game of a suspension for the Tigers. Hull could hand a debut to defender James Chester, who is a recent signing from Manchester United.
Barnsley will be without Martin Devaney and Jay McEveley, who are both ruled out with injury.
