Queens Park Rangers have an opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Championship when they play host to Coventry City on Sunday.
QPR have a two point lead at the top of the table, while Coventry have slipped to seven points below the playoff spots after a poor run of form. QPR will be looking for their first win on four games, while Coventry are winless in their last seven Championship matches.
Forest are looking to close the two point gap between themselves and the playoff zone, while Derby will be seeking to end a three game winless streak.
Second place Swansea City will be looking for three points when they travel to face Barnsley, while a host of teams in the playoff zone will be looking for wins to keep pressure on the Swans.
Third place Cardiff City will host sixth place Watford, while Leeds United and Norwich City can keep up their promotion challenge with wins at struggling Portsmouth and Sheffield united respectively.
At the bottom end of the table, Middlesbrough will look to continue their four game unbeaten streak when they play host to rock bottom Preston North End. Scunthorpe United are four points adrift of safety, and will be desperately seeking points when they host Burnley. Crystal Palace could escape the bottom three if they achieve three points with a home win over Bristol City.
Derby County will be looking to end a three game winless streak when they play host to playoff chasing rivals Nottingham Forest. Derby have dropped into the mid-table mire after a poor run of form, while Forest are only two points outside of playoff zone.
Derby could hand a debut to attacking midfielder Ben Davies, who signed earlier this week from Notts County. Robbie Savage should play for Derby, but the Rams could soon lose their captain after he has seemingly had his head turned by MLS expansion franchise the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“The chance to be part of making soccer popular in America, alongside people like David Beckham is very tempting,” Savage said on his twitter feed. Hopefully, Savage is aware that Vancouver is a team based in Canada!
Forest look set to field an MLS player headed in the opposite direction. Robbie Findley should make his debut after completing his move from Real Salt Lake.
Second place Swansea City will be looking to continue their promotion charge as they travel to face Barnsley at Oakwell. The Swans will be looking for a win to close the three point gap between themselves and league leading Queens Park Rangers.
Barnsley will be without leading goal scorer Adam Hammill, who has left the club to join Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Tykes will be hoping Danny Haynes can fill the void left by Hammill. The pacey striker was signed this week from Bristol City, and could make his debut here against the Swans.
Swansea will be able to field Leon Britton, who this week made a surprising return to the club after he had joined Sheffield United in the summer of last year. “It was a mistake and I should never have left Swansea,” said Britton.
Doncaster Rovers have lost their last two games by a combined score of 8-0, and will be looking for an upturn in form when they travel to face relegation strugglers Ipswich Town. New manager will be looking for his first win, and to help increase the three point gap between the Tractor Boys and the relegation zone.
Ipswich could include Lee Martin, who has been recalled from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic. Darren O’Dea will also be available after extending his loan stay from Glasgow Celtic. Ipswich will be without New Zealand World Cup striker Rory Fallon, who has had his loan spell ended and returned to Plymouth Argyle.
Doncaster will be without Martin Woods who is ruled out with a groin injury. Mustapha Dumbaya, Brian Stock and Shelton Martis are also sidelined for Rovers.
Cardiff City and Watford will go head to head at the Cardiff City stadium in a crucial promotion battle. The two clubs are separated by only two points and both currently occupy the playoff spots.
Cardiff will be without Stephen McPhail, who suffered a hamstring injury in the recent FA Cup defeat to Stoke City. The Bluebird’s are able to field recently signed striker Jon Parkin, and newly acquired Arsenal loanee Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.
Watford will be looking to continue their outstanding run of seven straight wins in all competitions. The Watford attack will be led by Danny Graham, who has netted nine goal in those seven games.
The Hornets have also boosted their attacking option with a double loan swoop from the Premier League. Winger Andros Townsend and striker Andreas Weimann arrived this week on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and Aston villa respectively.
Relegation strugglers Crystal Palace will play host to Bristol City at Selhurst Park. Palace are currently in the bottom three, while City are six points clear and will be dragged into the relegation fight with a defeat here.
New Palace manager Dougie Freedman has no new injury worries and will be hoping for a better performance than the 3-0 defeat suffered at Swansea in his managerial debut.
Bristol will be able to field David James, the England goalkeeper received a red card last time out in a 4-0 defeat to Middlesbrough, but the decision was overturned on appeal.
Leicester City are currently riding a four game unbeaten streak, with their last Championship defeat coming at the hands of Millwall. They will be looking to avoid a repeat result when the Lions visit the Walkers Stadium. A win for Millwall will help decrease the three point gap between themselves and the playoff spots, Leicester are a further three points behind.
Bruno Berner look sset to continue in the Leicester defense, and recently signed a new one year contract at the club. Recent signing Yakubu will be looking to continue his good start for the Foxes, having found the net in his first two games for the club.
Millwall are looking to extend a nine game unbeaten streak, a run of games that includes a 2-0 home win over Leicester. The Lions have a number of defensive injury problems, and could hand a debut to recent loan signing Jens Berthel Askou. The Danish center back has joined on a one month loan spell from Norwich City.
Middlesbrough will be looking to continue their climb away from the relegation zone with a win as they play host to rock bottom Preston North End. Boro are currently four points clear of the drop zone, while last placed Preston are seven points adrift of safety.
Boro will be looking to continue a four game unbeaten streak in league play, but must do so without star defender David Wheater. Youth academy product Wheater has left the club to join Premier League Bolton Wanderers, Seb Hines is a possible replacement for this game.
Stephen McManus is a long term absentee for Boro, while young forward Luke Willians is also ruled out with an ankle injury.
Iain Hume earned Preston a point last time out with an injury time equalizer against Leicester. Hume looks set to lead the line again, and could be joined by recent loan signing Nathan Ellington, who has joined the club from Watford.
Sheffield United will play host to Norwich City, with both teams chasing points for different reasons. The Blades are only two points above the relegation zone, while Norwich are currently in the playoff zone, and only two points behind second placed Swansea City.
United will hand a debut to striker Marcus Bent, who joined the club on loan from Birmingham City. The Blades could also include Joe Mattock and Shane Lowry, who recently arrived on loan from West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa respectively.
Leon Britton will be unavailable, after returning to Swansea City in a surprising transfer window deal.
Norwich will be looking to extend a five game unbeaten streak and continue their promotion push. Leading goal scorer Grant Holt will be leading the attack for the Canaries.
Promotion chasing Leeds United will return their focus to league play after a noble FA Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal. Leeds are currently in the playoff spots and two points behind second place Swansea City. They will be looking to close that gap when they travel to face struggling Portsmouth, who are riding a five game winless streak.
Pompey are set to hand a debut to Ritchie De Laet, who has joined on loan from Manchester united until the end of the season. De Laet will likely partner Wolverhampton wanderers loanee Greg Halford at the heart of the defense.
The Leeds back line will be boosted by the inclusion George McCartney, who joined from Sunderland and will begin his second loan spell at the club. Leeds defender Andy O’Brien is an injury doubt and could miss the trip to face his old club after limping out of the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal.
Playoff chasing Reading will take on Hull City looking to decrease the two point deficit between themselves and the playoff zone. Hull are a further four points behind Reading, and both teams will be looking for their third straight Championship win.
Andy Griffin will feature on the Reading defense, and this week emphasized the importance of this game to the Royals’ promotion push. “These results have a greater impact on where you finish regarding the play-offs or automatic promotion,” Griffin told BBC Sport.
Liam Rosenior will return from suspension for Hull, while Paul McShane will make his return from a shoulder injury. Hull could also include Northern Ireland international Corry Evans, who recently joined on loan from Manchester United.
Hull will be without defender Kamil Zayatte, who has left the club and returned to France for family reasons.
Relegation threatened Scunthorpe United will be looking for badly needed points when they play host to Burnley. Burnley will be looking for a win to close the six point gap between themselves and the playoff spots.
Scunthorpe could include recently signed duo Mark Duffy and Paul Reid, who arrived last week from Morecambe and Colchester United respectively. Norwegian Under-21 international Abdisalam Ibrahim could also feature, after arriving on loan from Manchester City.
Manager Eddie Howe will be taking charge of his first game as Burnley boss after leaving Bournemouth. Howe will be unable to select striker Martin Paterson, who has still not recovered from a thigh injury.
Queens Park Rangers have an opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Championship when they play host to Coventry City on Sunday.
QPR have a two point lead at the top of the table, while Coventry have slipped to seven points below the playoff spots after a poor run of form. QPR will be looking for their first win on four games, while Coventry are winless in their last seven Championship matches.
Manager Neil Warnock will have some fresh blood at his disposal for QPR. Pascal Chimbonda arrived on a free transfer this week, while Wayne Routledge and Ishmael Miller arrived on loan from Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion respectively.
Alejandro Faurlin limped out of QPR’s last game and his fitness will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Lee Carsley is ruled out for Coventry, while Ben Turner could make his long awaited return from a knee injury. Striker Marlon King will return from suspension for the Sky Blues.
Forest are looking to close the two point gap between themselves and the playoff zone, while Derby will be seeking to end a three game winless streak.
Second place Swansea City will be looking for three points when they travel to face Barnsley, while a host of teams in the playoff zone will be looking for wins to keep pressure on the Swans.
Third place Cardiff City will host sixth place Watford, while Leeds United and Norwich City can keep up their promotion challenge with wins at struggling Portsmouth and Sheffield united respectively.
At the bottom end of the table, Middlesbrough will look to continue their four game unbeaten streak when they play host to rock bottom Preston North End. Scunthorpe United are four points adrift of safety, and will be desperately seeking points when they host Burnley. Crystal Palace could escape the bottom three if they achieve three points with a home win over Bristol City.
Derby County will be looking to end a three game winless streak when they play host to playoff chasing rivals Nottingham Forest. Derby have dropped into the mid-table mire after a poor run of form, while Forest are only two points outside of playoff zone.
Derby could hand a debut to attacking midfielder Ben Davies, who signed earlier this week from Notts County. Robbie Savage should play for Derby, but the Rams could soon lose their captain after he has seemingly had his head turned by MLS expansion franchise the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“The chance to be part of making soccer popular in America, alongside people like David Beckham is very tempting,” Savage said on his twitter feed. Hopefully, Savage is aware that Vancouver is a team based in Canada!
Forest look set to field an MLS player headed in the opposite direction. Robbie Findley should make his debut after completing his move from Real Salt Lake.
Second place Swansea City will be looking to continue their promotion charge as they travel to face Barnsley at Oakwell. The Swans will be looking for a win to close the three point gap between themselves and league leading Queens Park Rangers.
Barnsley will be without leading goal scorer Adam Hammill, who has left the club to join Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Tykes will be hoping Danny Haynes can fill the void left by Hammill. The pacey striker was signed this week from Bristol City, and could make his debut here against the Swans.
Swansea will be able to field Leon Britton, who this week made a surprising return to the club after he had joined Sheffield United in the summer of last year. “It was a mistake and I should never have left Swansea,” said Britton.
Doncaster Rovers have lost their last two games by a combined score of 8-0, and will be looking for an upturn in form when they travel to face relegation strugglers Ipswich Town. New manager will be looking for his first win, and to help increase the three point gap between the Tractor Boys and the relegation zone.
Ipswich could include Lee Martin, who has been recalled from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic. Darren O’Dea will also be available after extending his loan stay from Glasgow Celtic. Ipswich will be without New Zealand World Cup striker Rory Fallon, who has had his loan spell ended and returned to Plymouth Argyle.
Doncaster will be without Martin Woods who is ruled out with a groin injury. Mustapha Dumbaya, Brian Stock and Shelton Martis are also sidelined for Rovers.
Cardiff City and Watford will go head to head at the Cardiff City stadium in a crucial promotion battle. The two clubs are separated by only two points and both currently occupy the playoff spots.
Cardiff will be without Stephen McPhail, who suffered a hamstring injury in the recent FA Cup defeat to Stoke City. The Bluebird’s are able to field recently signed striker Jon Parkin, and newly acquired Arsenal loanee Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.
Watford will be looking to continue their outstanding run of seven straight wins in all competitions. The Watford attack will be led by Danny Graham, who has netted nine goal in those seven games.
The Hornets have also boosted their attacking option with a double loan swoop from the Premier League. Winger Andros Townsend and striker Andreas Weimann arrived this week on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and Aston villa respectively.
Relegation strugglers Crystal Palace will play host to Bristol City at Selhurst Park. Palace are currently in the bottom three, while City are six points clear and will be dragged into the relegation fight with a defeat here.
New Palace manager Dougie Freedman has no new injury worries and will be hoping for a better performance than the 3-0 defeat suffered at Swansea in his managerial debut.
Bristol will be able to field David James, the England goalkeeper received a red card last time out in a 4-0 defeat to Middlesbrough, but the decision was overturned on appeal.
Leicester City are currently riding a four game unbeaten streak, with their last Championship defeat coming at the hands of Millwall. They will be looking to avoid a repeat result when the Lions visit the Walkers Stadium. A win for Millwall will help decrease the three point gap between themselves and the playoff spots, Leicester are a further three points behind.
Bruno Berner look sset to continue in the Leicester defense, and recently signed a new one year contract at the club. Recent signing Yakubu will be looking to continue his good start for the Foxes, having found the net in his first two games for the club.
Millwall are looking to extend a nine game unbeaten streak, a run of games that includes a 2-0 home win over Leicester. The Lions have a number of defensive injury problems, and could hand a debut to recent loan signing Jens Berthel Askou. The Danish center back has joined on a one month loan spell from Norwich City.
Middlesbrough will be looking to continue their climb away from the relegation zone with a win as they play host to rock bottom Preston North End. Boro are currently four points clear of the drop zone, while last placed Preston are seven points adrift of safety.
Boro will be looking to continue a four game unbeaten streak in league play, but must do so without star defender David Wheater. Youth academy product Wheater has left the club to join Premier League Bolton Wanderers, Seb Hines is a possible replacement for this game.
Stephen McManus is a long term absentee for Boro, while young forward Luke Willians is also ruled out with an ankle injury.
Iain Hume earned Preston a point last time out with an injury time equalizer against Leicester. Hume looks set to lead the line again, and could be joined by recent loan signing Nathan Ellington, who has joined the club from Watford.
Sheffield United will play host to Norwich City, with both teams chasing points for different reasons. The Blades are only two points above the relegation zone, while Norwich are currently in the playoff zone, and only two points behind second placed Swansea City.
United will hand a debut to striker Marcus Bent, who joined the club on loan from Birmingham City. The Blades could also include Joe Mattock and Shane Lowry, who recently arrived on loan from West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa respectively.
Leon Britton will be unavailable, after returning to Swansea City in a surprising transfer window deal.
Norwich will be looking to extend a five game unbeaten streak and continue their promotion push. Leading goal scorer Grant Holt will be leading the attack for the Canaries.
Promotion chasing Leeds United will return their focus to league play after a noble FA Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal. Leeds are currently in the playoff spots and two points behind second place Swansea City. They will be looking to close that gap when they travel to face struggling Portsmouth, who are riding a five game winless streak.
Pompey are set to hand a debut to Ritchie De Laet, who has joined on loan from Manchester united until the end of the season. De Laet will likely partner Wolverhampton wanderers loanee Greg Halford at the heart of the defense.
The Leeds back line will be boosted by the inclusion George McCartney, who joined from Sunderland and will begin his second loan spell at the club. Leeds defender Andy O’Brien is an injury doubt and could miss the trip to face his old club after limping out of the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal.
Playoff chasing Reading will take on Hull City looking to decrease the two point deficit between themselves and the playoff zone. Hull are a further four points behind Reading, and both teams will be looking for their third straight Championship win.
Andy Griffin will feature on the Reading defense, and this week emphasized the importance of this game to the Royals’ promotion push. “These results have a greater impact on where you finish regarding the play-offs or automatic promotion,” Griffin told BBC Sport.
Liam Rosenior will return from suspension for Hull, while Paul McShane will make his return from a shoulder injury. Hull could also include Northern Ireland international Corry Evans, who recently joined on loan from Manchester United.
Hull will be without defender Kamil Zayatte, who has left the club and returned to France for family reasons.
Relegation threatened Scunthorpe United will be looking for badly needed points when they play host to Burnley. Burnley will be looking for a win to close the six point gap between themselves and the playoff spots.
Scunthorpe could include recently signed duo Mark Duffy and Paul Reid, who arrived last week from Morecambe and Colchester United respectively. Norwegian Under-21 international Abdisalam Ibrahim could also feature, after arriving on loan from Manchester City.
Manager Eddie Howe will be taking charge of his first game as Burnley boss after leaving Bournemouth. Howe will be unable to select striker Martin Paterson, who has still not recovered from a thigh injury.
Queens Park Rangers have an opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Championship when they play host to Coventry City on Sunday.
QPR have a two point lead at the top of the table, while Coventry have slipped to seven points below the playoff spots after a poor run of form. QPR will be looking for their first win on four games, while Coventry are winless in their last seven Championship matches.
Manager Neil Warnock will have some fresh blood at his disposal for QPR. Pascal Chimbonda arrived on a free transfer this week, while Wayne Routledge and Ishmael Miller arrived on loan from Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion respectively.
Alejandro Faurlin limped out of QPR’s last game and his fitness will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Lee Carsley is ruled out for Coventry, while Ben Turner could make his long awaited return from a knee injury. Striker Marlon King will return from suspension for the Sky Blues.
