Leeds United returned to the top of the league standings ahead of West Bromwich Albion in the previous round of fixtures. The Baggies started off the matchday with an away trip to Brentford and it was one to forget for them as they succumbed to a 1-0 loss. Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who were only behind them on goal difference, therefore reclaimed the first position following a solid 3-0 win over fellow promotion rivals Fulham.
Three games to watch out for – Matchday 40:
Sheffield Wednesday vs West Bromwich Albion: The Baggies are the second highest scorers in the Championship this term with 64 goals from 39 outings, but they have failed to find the net since the restart. The west Midlands outfit have picked up just one point from the previous two games and their shot accuracy has been pretty poor with just three of their 27 attempts being on target. Slaven Bilic’s side face a potentially must-win encounter at the Hillsborough Stadium, considering back-to-back victories for third-placed Brentford sees them only five points adrift of the second spot.
Reading vs Brentford: Brentford have registered successive wins since the resumption of play after the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, they have become the nearest challengers for the top two. They are presently only five points behind the Baggies in the quest for the second automatic promotion place and can put the pressure on their rivals with a win, given they are scheduled to play 24 hours prior to them. Thomas Frank’s men have won the previous three games with clean sheets, but they will have a testing challenge on their hands at Reading. The Bees have won just one of the previous four meetings against the Royals.
Queens Park Rangers vs Fulham: Fulham have failed to pick up any point since the restart after back-to-back losses against Brentford and Leeds respectively. Still, they are within seven points of the second automatic promotion place occupied by West Brom and need to return to winning ways to take advantage of any slender chance of leapfrogging the Baggies by the end of the season. The Cottagers are unbeaten in the previous four west London derbies against the Hoops with two draws and two wins. Anything less than a victory on Tuesday could end their top-two prospects and put them under threat from the chasing pack for the play-offs.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
