There are nine matches in the Championship on Tuesday as the race for automatic promotion and the play-off places hots up. We will have a look at three of the big contests and try to pick a winner or two (West Ham 10/11 Championship Outright).

Ipswich v West Ham

West Ham go into the clash with Ipswich sitting on top of the pile and looking good for an immediate return to the Premier League.

But boss Sam Allardyce knows that there could still be a few twists and turns before the end of the season with plenty of clubs within touching distance ready to strike if the Hammers start to falter.

They head into Tuesday’s encounter in East Anglia having secured three successive league victories and confidence will be high that they will make it four as they face an Ipswich side at the wrong end of the table and just four points outside of the relegation zone.

West Ham have won eight times on their travels so far this term, while The Tractor Boys have been less that convincing on the own patch with seven defeats already and so it all points to a tough outing for Paul Jewell’s men.

The hosts have not won a Championship match since beating Derby 1-0 on December 17 and their position in the table reflects a lack of success and confidence in recent times.

Lee Bowyer will miss the match due to a groin injury, while goalkeeper Alex McCarthy is another absentee as he serves a one-match suspension.

And Jewell could hand a debut to midfielder Ryan Stevenson after he signed from Hearts, while Matt Taylor is set to return to the West Ham squad.

Taylor has had two outings for the reserves to prove his fitness and may return but fellow midfielder Papa Bouba Diop looks set to miss out with a hamstring injury.

Odds: Ipswich 11/4, West Ham Evens, draw 5/2

Southampton v Cardiff City

Southampton will go top of the table if they beat Cardiff and the Hammers suffer defeat to Ipswich and victory will see them open up a four-point gap over the Bluebirds in third place.

Therefore there is much on the line for Nigel Adkins’ side as they host the Carling Cup finalists at St Mary’s Stadium.

And they certainly need a lift after some poor results of late with only six points taken from their last five Championship games and a 2-0 defeat to Leicester in their last league outing.

But the south coast outfit will face a Welsh side in red-hot form, as they have taken 11 points from a possible 15, while also dumping Crystal Palace out of the Carling Cup to book a date at Wembley against Liverpool.

Southampton will have to do without defender Jos Hooiveld, who misses out with a hamstring strain but Jose Fonte and Richard Chaplow are fit to play after recovering from injury.

Iago Falque is back after being cup-tied while Adam Lallana will be given a late fitness test on his groin injury.

Cardiff manager Malky Mackay has has no new injury worries as captain Mark Hudson returns after a calf strain with full-back Kyle McNaughton also likely to start after returning from a spell on the sidelines.

Odds: Southampton 10/11, Cardiff 3/1, draw 5/2

Hull v Doncaster

Hull take on Doncaster at the KC Stadium desperately trying to hang on to the final play-off spot.

They currently sit in sixth place in the table, just two points better off than Birmingham, who play Leeds on Tuesday evening.

With their participation in the FA Cup now over, boss Nick Barmby can concentrate his efforts on keeping pace with the top clubs in the second tier of English football to try and plot a course back to the promised land.

They have won their last two league games but suffered three straight defeats prior to beating Reading and Peterborough.

Consistency is the key to a sustained promotion push and Hull have been unable to string together too many wins in recent times but they will never have a better chance of landing the spoils than against a Doncaster side second bottom in the table.

The South Yorkshireman have taken just four points from their past five games and need to get something going pretty quickly if they are to stave of the threat of relegation.

But they will face a Hull side that should be back to full strength after Barmby rested several players for the FA Cup defeat to Crawley.

It will be tough for Donny and it is difficult to see past a Tigers’ victory.

Odds: Hull 4/7, Doncaster 11/2, draw 11/4

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