The Easter weekend in the Championship starts on Good Friday with games that involve teams battling it out for automatic promotion, play-off places and to avoid relegation. We take a look at two massive fixtures that will have an impact on who will be in the Premier League next season.
READING V LEEDS (2pm)
A monumental game is in store at the Madejski Stadium as Brian McDermott’s Royals can go top of the Championship table above Southampton and move seven points clear of third-placed West Ham with a win.
Reading are in impressive form with 11 wins in 13 outings going into this game, while they have won six consecutive matches in front of their own fans ahead of the Whites’ clash.
The Royals are also looking for their first-ever double over Leeds having won 1-0 at Elland Road earlier in the season.
McDermott, who celebrates his 51st birthday on Sunday, will hope to have Jem Karacan, Jimmy Kebe and Jay Tabb fit after they picked up knocks in the 4-2 win at West Ham last week.
Leeds will arrive in Berkshire in confident mood, despite looking for just a fourth win in 12 matches after last week’s 2-0 home defeat against Watford, because they have not lost or conceded away from home under Neil Warnock as they search for a third straight away win.
Warnock has problems in defence so Zac Thompson and Leigh Bromby could return for suspended duo Darren O’Dea and Paul Connolly.
It looks favourable for Reading but Leeds are doing well on the road and we would not be surprised if they snatched a share of the spoils as they look to make up the six-point gap between themselves and the play-off places.
Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 11/4
Value Bet: 2-2 Draw Correct Score @ 14/1
BARNSLEY v WEST HAM (5.15pm)
The late game in the Championship sees West Ham make the trip to South Yorkshire desperate for maximum points to keep alive their bid to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Depending on the outcome of the earlier game between Reading and Leeds, Sam Allardyce’s side could be seven points adrift of the Royals should they come out on top at the Madejski Stadium.
Even if Leeds do the Hammers a favour, they are still four points behind before a ball is kicked so they will not want to pass up this chance of three points at Oakwell.
West Ham have only won one game in seven, but have one defeat in 12, which tells you they are drawing far too many matches at the business end of the season.
However, they enjoy a good record against the Tykes with five successive wins in league and cup – including this season’s 1-0 victory at Upton Park – going into this clash.
Papa Bouba Diop, who scored the winner in December, is fit after his recovery from a hamstring injury, while defenders Winston Reid and Guy Demel are also available.
Keith Hill’s Barnsley are embroiled in a nightmare run at the moment with nine defeats and just two wins from the last 12 which leaves them nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Hill has no new injury or suspension problems, but is still without seven first-team players going into the encounter.
West Ham’s need for points is greater than Barnsley’s at this moment in time and anything less than a win for the Londoners could be catastrophic for their promotion hopes.
Prediction: West Ham Away 90 Minutes @ 4/5
Value Bet: Nolan 1st Goal West Ham 2-0 Scorecast @ 30/1
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The Championship is back in full swing now with the third round of fixtures set to take place this midweek. Here, we pick out the big games from Tuesday’s action, including Southampton’s attempt to maintain their 100% start.