Matchday 41 of the Championship witnessed Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion maintain their advantage over the chasing pack in the pursuit of the automatic promotion places. At the bottom, there continues to remain a close tussle for survival. Only two points separate 18th-placed Stoke City from Middlesbrough, who are occupying the first of the relegation positions.
Three matches to watch out for:
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham: Forest dropped nine points behind second-placed West Brom after the 1-1 draw at Derby County over the weekend. With five games to play, their automatic promotion prospects have seemingly faded and they could now end Fulham’s slim chances of making the top two. Steve Parker’s men are seven points adrift of the Baggies, but they still have to face the west Midlands outfit on the road. Prior to that, however, they are scheduled to play Forest and Cardiff City, who are just below them on the table. The midweek clash at City Ground could prove a testing challenge for them, given they are winless in the past five away games where they have picked up just three points.
Luton Town vs Barnsley: Luton were outclassed by Reading over the weekend as they suffered an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at home. As a result, they remain stranded at the bottom of the standings with a poor goal difference of -32. On Tuesday, they will come up against Barnsley, who are currently just one position and one point ahead of them following their 4-0 humbling at Stoke City. The game could be a potential relegation decider, given the team which ends on the losing side, may drop further behind in the push for survival. Luton and Barnsley are presently five and four points adrift of safety respectively and a draw won’t do either team any favours.
Brentford vs Charlton Athletic: Brentford have been the in-form team since the season resumption and they are currently on a five-match winning run where they have scored nearly three goals per game and conceded none in the process. The Bees are presently seven and six points behind Leeds and West Brom respectively and they have the chance to put the pressure on them with a victory, given they are scheduled to play ahead of their promotion rivals. Thomas Frank’s side should be the overwhelming favourites for the upcoming London derby against the Addicks, who have netted just two goals in the previous seven league games.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
