Manager Nigel Adkins has kept the positivity going around St Mary’s following promotion from League One last term, and now the south coast outfit sit five points clear at the top of the Championship table.

Southampton battled hard for a 1-0 victory over much fancied West Ham United in midweek and will be full of confidence going into this away trip to face the Royals.

Reading continue to struggle without their former striker Shane Long, who decided to move to the Premier League with West Brom in the summer.

There has been some improvements at the Madejski Stadium in recent weeks and the Royals were able to hold a strong Derby County outfit in midweek to a 2-2 draw.

However with the Saints full of confidence and their striker Ricky Lambert continuing to score goals, the visitors should come away with the three points.

Another clash at the top of the table sees third-placed Middlesbrough take on Derby, who currently hold fourth spot in a competitive Championship table (Middlesbrough 8/11, draw 5/2, Derby 4/1 in the match betting).

The Rams have made an impressive start to the season and will be boosted by the news in midweek that their manager Nigel Clough has signed a new deal at Pride Park.

With far less expectation than last season, Boro have thrived under Tony Mowbray and have looked like a competitive outfit this term, despite struggling to score enough goals.

A 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in midweek may have brought the side back to earth but they may well take the three points on offer at the Riverside, where visitors have struggled to pick up wins this season.

Leeds United make the trip south to face Peterborough United following a less than convincing performance against Coventry City at Elland Road (Peterborough 6/4, draw 12/5, Leeds 7/4 in the match betting).

The Whites dominated the first half put could not put the game to bed and conceded in the third minute of stoppage time to record a 1-1 draw with the Sky Blues.

Peterborough, like Southampton, have made a positive start to life in the second tier of English football and they proved their credentials with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Cardiff in midweek.

Saturday’s game against Leeds should have plenty of goals and Whites boss Simon Grayson and his men may make the journey back to West Yorkshire with a point.

After Forest got their first win under manager Steve Cotterill against Boro, they will be confident of going to Blackpool with the chance of taking all three points (Blackpool Evs, draw 5/2, Forest 13/5 in the match betting).

The two sides have had some thrilling encounters in the past, especially when they met in the Championship play-off semi-finals two seasons ago.

Blackpool came out on top over the two legs, but it is a relatively new look Tangerines side without the likes of DJ Campbell and Charlie Adam.

Forest look like they have turned a corner and should pick up a rare away victory at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

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Southampton

Cardiff v Southampton

The Saints are competing at the top of the table following promotion from League One last term – continuing the trend of teams who have recently done well after coming up from the third tier.

Last season, it was the likes of Norwich City, Millwall and Leeds United who were battling near the top end early on, with the Canaries ultimately securing back-to-back promotions.

Southampton will be looking to imitate that success under manager Nigel Adkins, who has worked wonders at St Mary’s since he joined from Scunthorpe United, but his side face a tough test against a highly-respected Cardiff in midweek.

The Saints will be boosted by the return of trio Dan Harding, Radhi Jaidi and Lee Barnard (7/1 first goalscorer) who have all recovered from injuries.

Getting the first goal could be key for Southampton, as the men from the south coast have won all five games where they have taken the lead and a victory against the Bluebirds would make it their best start in the league for 58 years.

Cardiff have been on a great run of form, however, and haven’t tasted defeat in their last seven league and cup outings and will be a tough proposition – especially on their home turf.

With the way the Saints have been playing, they have the ability to get something out of this game, though, and Adkins’ side should come away from Wales with a point.

Middlesbrough v Leicester

In the only other game in the Championship on Wednesday, two title contenders – Middlesbrough and Leicester City – go head-to-head at the Riverside (Middlesbrough 5/4, draw 12/5, Leicester 21/10).

Both games between these two sides ended in draws last season with six goals being scored in the last game at the Riverside.

You can expect goals in this upcoming clash, too, with attacking threats all over the park for both clubs.

The Foxes (7/1 Championship outright) welcome back David Nugent, who has managed to recover from a hamstring injury which has ruled him out of action in the Championship for the last month.

Boro have looked strong in defence this term but, with the likes of Nugent, Darius Vassell and Jermaine Beckford in their ranks, Leicester will fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet.

It is tough to call a winner in this one between two fairly evenly-matched sides but, based on current form, Middlesbrough should just edge it to keep the pressure on the Saints at the top of the table.

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