Welsh rivals Swansea City and Cardiff City will clash on Sunday with both teams chasing promotion to the Premier League.
Both teams are currently in the playoff spots, and also looking to extend good runs of form. Swansea are unbeaten in three league games, while Cardiff have not lost in their last four Championship contests.
In what is sure to be a hostile atmosphere, both teams will be looking to keep their focus. Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers called for “passion and quality” from his team, while Cardiff midfielder Peter Whittingham told BBC Sport he is expecting a hot-tempered affair.
Burnley face a tough task to close the six point gap between themselves and the playoff spots when they play host to second placed Norwich. Burnley will be trying to bounce back from their midweek 1-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers, while Norwich are looking to extend an eight game unbeaten streak in Championship play.
Fourth placed Nottingham Forest will be looking for their sixth straight league win when they play host to Watford at the City Ground on Saturday. A win for Watford would allow them to consolidate their own playoff chasing campaign.
Promotion chasing Leeds United will play host to sliding Coventry City at Elland Road on Saturday. Sixth place Leeds have lost only one of their last 16 league games, while Coventry are winless in their last nine Championship matches.
At the other end of the table, Sheffield United will be looking for points to escape the relegation zone when they travel to face Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Ipswich will be looking for their third straight league win, while the Blades are looking to end an eight game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Scunthorpe United currently occupy the relegation zone and are four points adrift of safety. The Iron will be in desperate need of points when they face Hull City who have drawn their last three games.
Rock bottom Preston North End play host to relegation strugglers Bristol City on Saturday with both teams enduring a miserable run of form. Bristol City are five points above the drop zone after a six game winless streak, while last placed Preston have failed to win in their last seven contests.
League leader Queens Park Rangers will continue their title challenge when they travel to face playoff chasing Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Friday. Both teams will enter this game in good form as QPR look to extend their five point lead at the top of the table, while Reading look to close the four point gap between themselves and the playoff spots.
QPR will go to the Madejski looking to extend their run of five league games unbeaten, while Reading have lost only one of their last 13 games, and are unbeaten in eight contests at the Madejski.
Reading’s leading goal scorer Shane Long is doubtful with a hip injury, and will receive a late fitness ahead of kickoff. Mikele Leigertwood is on loan to Reading from QPR and has scored in the last two games, the midfielder will be ineligible to play against his parent club.
Martin Rowlands is an injury doubt for QPR, but forward Tommy Smith is hoping to shake off a hamstring injury in time to play.
Fourth placed Nottingham Forest will be looking for their sixth straight league win when they play host to Watford at the City Ground on Saturday. A win for Watford would allow them to consolidate their own playoff chasing campaign.
Forest captain Paul McKenna could make his long awaited return from injury, while Guy Moussi and Nathan Tyson will be sidelined for the Reds. New signing Robbie Findley is also ruled out for at least two months with a thigh injury.
Watford midfielder Stephen McGinn looks set to start for the Hornets, as he continues his return from a fractured cheekbone.
Portsmouth and Derby County go head to head with both teams seeking to end poor runs of form. Portsmouth are winless in their last nine games in all competitions, while Derby have failed to win in their last five matches.
Pompey are four points ahead of the relegation zone, and will be looking to add to their points total without Carl Dickinson and John Utaka. Dickinson is sidelined with a knee injury, while Utaka left the club on deadline day to join Montpellier.
Derby have no fresh injury concerns, and captain Robbie Savage will continue in midfield after announcing his retirement at the end of the season via the social networking site twitter.
Rock bottom Preston North End play host to relegation strugglers Bristol City on Saturday with both teams enduring a miserable run of form. Bristol City are five points above the drop zone after a six game winless streak, while last placed Preston have failed to win in their last seven contests.
Preston could hand a debut to speedy American forward Eddie Johnson, who joined the club in a deadline day loan move from Fulham.
Bristol’s star striker Nicky Maynard made a comeback from injury in a training game this week, but Maynard is unlikely to feature here. Wolves loanee Andy Keogh and newly signed winger Martyn Woolford should also play for the Robins.
Scunthorpe United currently occupy the relegation zone and are four points adrift of safety. The Iron will be in desperate need of points when they face Hull City who have drawn their last three games.
Scunthorpe have won only one of their last 12 games, and will be without talented winger Martyn Woolford who left the club to join Bristol City on deadline day. The Iron signed Joe Garner and Michael Nelson could also play, having joined from Nottingham Forest and Norwich City respectively.
Defenders David Mirfin and Michael Raynes both returned to training last week, and could both return from injury for the Iron.
Midfielder James Harper is a long term absentee for Hull, while defender Liam Rosenior will be healthy despite being stretchered off during the midweek draw with Leeds United.
Millwall face Doncaster Rovers at the New Den, with the home team looking to close the four point gap between themselves and the playoff spots. Doncaster are five points behind Millwall, and will be looking to follow on from their 1-0 midweek win over Burnley.
New signing Hameur Bouazza could make his Millwall debut, while Paul Robinson, Tony Craig and Darren Ward are all ruled out with injury.
Doncaster forward James Hayter is ruled out with an Achilles injury, while James Coppinger is an injury doubt for Rovers.
Leicester City will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six league games when they play host to Barnsley at the Walkers Stadium. Leicester are four points off the Championship playoff zone, while Barnsley are a further two points behind.
Miguel Vitor and Aleksandar Tunchev are both sidelined for injury for Leicester, while Nigerian striker Yakubu will lead the line after scoring two in the Foxes’ last three league games.
Stephen Foster was described by Barnsley manager Mark Robins as having a 50/50 chance of playing, while Jay McEveley is ruled out.
Robins could hand a debut to on-loan pair Jacob Mellis and Frank Nouble, who joined the club on loan from Chelsea and West Ham United respectively.
Burnley face a tough task to close the six point gap between themselves and the playoff spots when they play host to second placed Norwich City. Burnley will be trying to bounce back from their midweek 1-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers, while Norwich are looking to extend an eight game unbeaten streak in Championship play.
Jay Rodriguez will feature in the Burnley attack, and will be looking for a goal to celebrate his call-up to the England Under-21 side team this week. Marvin Bartley could be handed his Burnley debut, after joining the club on deadline day from Bournemouth.
Arsenal loanee Henri Lansbury will play for Norwich, and will be hoping for a repeat of his midweek heroics, when he netted a late winner in the comeback victory over Millwall.
Promotion chasing Leeds United will play host to sliding Coventry City at Elland Road on Saturday. Sixth place Leeds have lost only one of their last 16 league games, while Coventry are winless in their last nine Championship matches.
Arsenal loanee Sanchez Watt is ruled out for Leeds with a hamstring injury, while Neil Kilkenny could be in the starting lineup after returning from the Asian Cup. Defender Neill Collins will not feature after leaving the club to join Sheffield United on deadline day.
Striker Marlon King will lead the line for Coventry and has scored in each of the Sky Blues’ last three games. King’s contract expires in the summer and manager Aidy Boothroyd this week told BBC Sport he is determined to keep the Jamaican international at the club.
Coventry will be without midfielder Conor Thomas, who joined Premier League club Liverpool in a deadline day loan move.
Middlesbrough are currently riding a six league game unbeaten streak, and face a fellow relegation struggler in Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Palace enter the game on the back of three consecutive draws are and only one point above the drop zone, Boro are five points ahead of them.
Palace have no fresh injury concerns, so Nathaniel Clyne and Patrick McCarthy will continue in a back line that has conceded only one goal in their last three games. Dean Moxey could also feature in the Palace defense after joining from Derby County on deadline day.
Middlesbrough will be without midfielders Barry Robson and Kevin Thomson, while Mickael Taveres could return for Boro.
Deadline day signings Maximilian Haas and Merouane Zemmama could make their Middlesbrough debuts, after joining the club from Bayern Munich II and Hibernian respectively.
Sheffield United will be looking for points to escape the relegation zone when they travel to face Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Ipswich will be looking for their third straight league win, while the Blades are looking to end an eight game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Ipswich will be without Republic of Ireland midfielder Alan Quinn, who has been ruled out for at least another month with a groin problem.
Joe Mattock will be unavailable for the Blades, after the West Brom loanee was injured and stretchered out of the recent defeat to Leicester City.
Nick Montgomery and Ched Evans are also doubtful for the Blades, while Daniel Bogdanovic could miss the game with injuries sustained in a car accident this week.
Defender Neill Collins could play for the Blades after signing from Leeds United on deadline day.
Welsh rivals Swansea City and Cardiff City will clash on Sunday with both teams chasing promotion to the Premier League. Both teams are currently in the playoff spots, and also looking to extend good runs of form. Swansea are unbeaten in three league games, while Cardiff have not lost in their last four Championship contests.
In what is sure to be a hostile atmosphere, both teams will be looking to keep their focus. Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers called for “passion and quality” from his team, while Cardiff midfielder Peter Whittingham told BBC Sport he is expecting a hot-tempered affair.
“The atmosphere is pretty crazy and it is hard not to get sucked in and involved. Like flying into tackles and doing and silly reckless things,” said Whittingham. “We can’t do that, we must use our heads as we know if we play our best on the day we will get the three points.”
Midfielder Andrea Orlandi is out with a thigh injury for Swansea, while defenders Garry Monk and Neil Taylor are also sidelined.
Arsenal loan duo Aaron Ramsey and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas are expected to play for Cardiff, while Stephen McPhail and Seyi Olofinjana are injury doubts.
In what is sure to be a hostile atmosphere, both teams will be looking to keep their focus. Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers called for “passion and quality” from his team, while Cardiff midfielder Peter Whittingham told BBC Sport he is expecting a hot-tempered affair.
Burnley face a tough task to close the six point gap between themselves and the playoff spots when they play host to second placed Norwich. Burnley will be trying to bounce back from their midweek 1-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers, while Norwich are looking to extend an eight game unbeaten streak in Championship play.
Fourth placed Nottingham Forest will be looking for their sixth straight league win when they play host to Watford at the City Ground on Saturday. A win for Watford would allow them to consolidate their own playoff chasing campaign.
Promotion chasing Leeds United will play host to sliding Coventry City at Elland Road on Saturday. Sixth place Leeds have lost only one of their last 16 league games, while Coventry are winless in their last nine Championship matches.
At the other end of the table, Sheffield United will be looking for points to escape the relegation zone when they travel to face Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Ipswich will be looking for their third straight league win, while the Blades are looking to end an eight game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Scunthorpe United currently occupy the relegation zone and are four points adrift of safety. The Iron will be in desperate need of points when they face Hull City who have drawn their last three games.
Rock bottom Preston North End play host to relegation strugglers Bristol City on Saturday with both teams enduring a miserable run of form. Bristol City are five points above the drop zone after a six game winless streak, while last placed Preston have failed to win in their last seven contests.
League leader Queens Park Rangers will continue their title challenge when they travel to face playoff chasing Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Friday. Both teams will enter this game in good form as QPR look to extend their five point lead at the top of the table, while Reading look to close the four point gap between themselves and the playoff spots.
QPR will go to the Madejski looking to extend their run of five league games unbeaten, while Reading have lost only one of their last 13 games, and are unbeaten in eight contests at the Madejski.
Reading’s leading goal scorer Shane Long is doubtful with a hip injury, and will receive a late fitness ahead of kickoff. Mikele Leigertwood is on loan to Reading from QPR and has scored in the last two games, the midfielder will be ineligible to play against his parent club.
Martin Rowlands is an injury doubt for QPR, but forward Tommy Smith is hoping to shake off a hamstring injury in time to play.
Fourth placed Nottingham Forest will be looking for their sixth straight league win when they play host to Watford at the City Ground on Saturday. A win for Watford would allow them to consolidate their own playoff chasing campaign.
Forest captain Paul McKenna could make his long awaited return from injury, while Guy Moussi and Nathan Tyson will be sidelined for the Reds. New signing Robbie Findley is also ruled out for at least two months with a thigh injury.
Watford midfielder Stephen McGinn looks set to start for the Hornets, as he continues his return from a fractured cheekbone.
Portsmouth and Derby County go head to head with both teams seeking to end poor runs of form. Portsmouth are winless in their last nine games in all competitions, while Derby have failed to win in their last five matches.
Pompey are four points ahead of the relegation zone, and will be looking to add to their points total without Carl Dickinson and John Utaka. Dickinson is sidelined with a knee injury, while Utaka left the club on deadline day to join Montpellier.
Derby have no fresh injury concerns, and captain Robbie Savage will continue in midfield after announcing his retirement at the end of the season via the social networking site twitter.
Rock bottom Preston North End play host to relegation strugglers Bristol City on Saturday with both teams enduring a miserable run of form. Bristol City are five points above the drop zone after a six game winless streak, while last placed Preston have failed to win in their last seven contests.
Preston could hand a debut to speedy American forward Eddie Johnson, who joined the club in a deadline day loan move from Fulham.
Bristol’s star striker Nicky Maynard made a comeback from injury in a training game this week, but Maynard is unlikely to feature here. Wolves loanee Andy Keogh and newly signed winger Martyn Woolford should also play for the Robins.
Scunthorpe United currently occupy the relegation zone and are four points adrift of safety. The Iron will be in desperate need of points when they face Hull City who have drawn their last three games.
Scunthorpe have won only one of their last 12 games, and will be without talented winger Martyn Woolford who left the club to join Bristol City on deadline day. The Iron signed Joe Garner and Michael Nelson could also play, having joined from Nottingham Forest and Norwich City respectively.
Defenders David Mirfin and Michael Raynes both returned to training last week, and could both return from injury for the Iron.
Midfielder James Harper is a long term absentee for Hull, while defender Liam Rosenior will be healthy despite being stretchered off during the midweek draw with Leeds United.
Millwall face Doncaster Rovers at the New Den, with the home team looking to close the four point gap between themselves and the playoff spots. Doncaster are five points behind Millwall, and will be looking to follow on from their 1-0 midweek win over Burnley.
New signing Hameur Bouazza could make his Millwall debut, while Paul Robinson, Tony Craig and Darren Ward are all ruled out with injury.
Doncaster forward James Hayter is ruled out with an Achilles injury, while James Coppinger is an injury doubt for Rovers.
Leicester City will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six league games when they play host to Barnsley at the Walkers Stadium. Leicester are four points off the Championship playoff zone, while Barnsley are a further two points behind.
Miguel Vitor and Aleksandar Tunchev are both sidelined for injury for Leicester, while Nigerian striker Yakubu will lead the line after scoring two in the Foxes’ last three league games.
Stephen Foster was described by Barnsley manager Mark Robins as having a 50/50 chance of playing, while Jay McEveley is ruled out.
Robins could hand a debut to on-loan pair Jacob Mellis and Frank Nouble, who joined the club on loan from Chelsea and West Ham United respectively.
Burnley face a tough task to close the six point gap between themselves and the playoff spots when they play host to second placed Norwich City. Burnley will be trying to bounce back from their midweek 1-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers, while Norwich are looking to extend an eight game unbeaten streak in Championship play.
Jay Rodriguez will feature in the Burnley attack, and will be looking for a goal to celebrate his call-up to the England Under-21 side team this week. Marvin Bartley could be handed his Burnley debut, after joining the club on deadline day from Bournemouth.
Arsenal loanee Henri Lansbury will play for Norwich, and will be hoping for a repeat of his midweek heroics, when he netted a late winner in the comeback victory over Millwall.
Promotion chasing Leeds United will play host to sliding Coventry City at Elland Road on Saturday. Sixth place Leeds have lost only one of their last 16 league games, while Coventry are winless in their last nine Championship matches.
Arsenal loanee Sanchez Watt is ruled out for Leeds with a hamstring injury, while Neil Kilkenny could be in the starting lineup after returning from the Asian Cup. Defender Neill Collins will not feature after leaving the club to join Sheffield United on deadline day.
Striker Marlon King will lead the line for Coventry and has scored in each of the Sky Blues’ last three games. King’s contract expires in the summer and manager Aidy Boothroyd this week told BBC Sport he is determined to keep the Jamaican international at the club.
Coventry will be without midfielder Conor Thomas, who joined Premier League club Liverpool in a deadline day loan move.
Middlesbrough are currently riding a six league game unbeaten streak, and face a fellow relegation struggler in Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Palace enter the game on the back of three consecutive draws are and only one point above the drop zone, Boro are five points ahead of them.
Palace have no fresh injury concerns, so Nathaniel Clyne and Patrick McCarthy will continue in a back line that has conceded only one goal in their last three games. Dean Moxey could also feature in the Palace defense after joining from Derby County on deadline day.
Middlesbrough will be without midfielders Barry Robson and Kevin Thomson, while Mickael Taveres could return for Boro.
Deadline day signings Maximilian Haas and Merouane Zemmama could make their Middlesbrough debuts, after joining the club from Bayern Munich II and Hibernian respectively.
Sheffield United will be looking for points to escape the relegation zone when they travel to face Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Ipswich will be looking for their third straight league win, while the Blades are looking to end an eight game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Ipswich will be without Republic of Ireland midfielder Alan Quinn, who has been ruled out for at least another month with a groin problem.
Joe Mattock will be unavailable for the Blades, after the West Brom loanee was injured and stretchered out of the recent defeat to Leicester City.
Nick Montgomery and Ched Evans are also doubtful for the Blades, while Daniel Bogdanovic could miss the game with injuries sustained in a car accident this week.
Defender Neill Collins could play for the Blades after signing from Leeds United on deadline day.
Welsh rivals Swansea City and Cardiff City will clash on Sunday with both teams chasing promotion to the Premier League. Both teams are currently in the playoff spots, and also looking to extend good runs of form. Swansea are unbeaten in three league games, while Cardiff have not lost in their last four Championship contests.
In what is sure to be a hostile atmosphere, both teams will be looking to keep their focus. Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers called for “passion and quality” from his team, while Cardiff midfielder Peter Whittingham told BBC Sport he is expecting a hot-tempered affair.
“The atmosphere is pretty crazy and it is hard not to get sucked in and involved. Like flying into tackles and doing and silly reckless things,” said Whittingham. “We can’t do that, we must use our heads as we know if we play our best on the day we will get the three points.”
Midfielder Andrea Orlandi is out with a thigh injury for Swansea, while defenders Garry Monk and Neil Taylor are also sidelined.
Arsenal loan duo Aaron Ramsey and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas are expected to play for Cardiff, while Stephen McPhail and Seyi Olofinjana are injury doubts.
