The long Easter weekend provides two crucial sets of fixtures in the Championship with important scores to be settled at both ends of the table. 10 fixtures take place on Good Friday on what promised to be another exciting day of Championship football.
Millwall vs Nottingham Forest
Friday's early kick off sees in-form Millwall welcome Aitor Karanka‘s Middlesborough to South London. The Lions have taken everybody by surprise since sneaking into the Championship through the play-offs last season and currently sit in 10th place in the table, just four points off sixth placed Middlesbrough. Neil Harris' side have won four of their last five league games and pulled off a brilliant 2-0 win at Barnsley last time out. Forest on the other hand have been the Championship's draw specialists in recent weeks, taking a point from their last three league games. The Reds will however take confidence from the fact that they have already prevailed over Millwall on two occasions this season, securing a narrow 1-0 win at the City Ground in early August before beating Harris' side in the EFL Cup at the Den two weeks later.
Barnsley vs Bristol City
José Morais' Barnsley edged perilously close to the Championship drop zone following their defeat to Milwall two weeks ago. The Tykes have only won once in their last 13 league games and are currently clinging onto safety by virtue of having a marginally better goal difference than fellow strugglers Birmingham. Meanwhile Bristol City are on the fringes of the play-off positions following their 1-0 win over Ipswich two weeks ago. If they are to progress further however, City will need to improve on their current indifferent form. In their last 10 games Lee Johnson's side have won three, drawn four and lost three.
Brentford vs Sheffield Wednesday
11th placed Brentford welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Griffin Park on Saturday, hoping to overturn their recent dip in form. The Bees have only won once in their last five league games and have dropped six points off the pace in the race for the play-offs. Chris Wilder's Sheffield United are also in desperate need for a return to form having secured one win in their last four matches. The Blades currently find themselves in 9th place, two points adrift from the play-off positions. Wilder's side have impressed since gaining promotion from League One last season and their 18 victories so far this campaign certainly represent a significant achievement.
Cardiff vs Burton
High-flying Cardiff boosted their automatic promotion hopes with an impressive 3-1 win at Brentford a few weeks ago. Neil Warnock's side are one of the in-form Championship teams, having secured victories in their last seven league games. This superb recent form has seen the Bluebirds open up a five point lead over third placed Fulham as they push for a return to the Premier League. Cardiff currently hold the best defensive record in the league having conceded just 31 times in their 37 games. Burton on the other hand have endured a miserable season and sit in 23rd position, three points adrift of safety. In direct contrast to Cardiff, Burton are currently on the worst form in the Championship having lost four times and drawn once in their last five games. Nigel Clough's side are also the lowest goalscorers in the Championship so far this campaign, finding the net just 27 times.
Leeds vs Bolton
Despite a decent start to the season, Leeds' campaign is in danger of quickly running out of steam. The defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last time out was Leeds' third defeat in four games and leaves Paul Heckingbottom's side 12 points behind the play-off positions. Phil Parkinson's Bolton secured a potentially crucial victory over high-flying Aston Villa last time out. The victory was Wanderers' second win in their last nine league games and moved the newly promoted side six points above the Championship drop-zone.
Norwich vs Fulham
One win in their last eight league games has seen Norwich's play-off hopes fizzle out. Although results have been far from ideal in recent weeks, Daniel Farke's side have still provided Norwich fans with a certain degree of entertainment with results including a 4-3 defeat at Hull and a 3-2 victory over Reading two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Fulham's remarkable recent form has seen Slaviša Jokanović's side have put themselves right in the mix for promotion. The West London club are still unbeaten in 2018, winning 10 of their 13 league games since the turn of the year. This form has given Fulham a handy eight points cushion in the play-off positions and has applied serious pressure on the league's top two.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Preston North-End
Jos Luhukay‘s Sheffield Wednesday eased their relegation fears with an impressive victory at Elland Road. The 2-1 win was Wednesday's first league win in six games and moved the Owls up to 17th place, eight points above the drop zone. They face a difficult test against Alex Neil's play-off chasing Preston on Saturday however with The Lillywhites moving up to eight place having having won three of their last four league games. The main problem that Neil's side have faced this season has been converting draws into victories. Preston have drawn 15 league games so far this season, more than any other team in the Championship.
Middlesbrough vs Wolves
Tony Pulis' Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last six league games and will come into Saturday's match against the league leaders hopeful of springing a surprise. Boro find themselves a point inside the play-off positions with just six games left to spare. Wolves have taken this season's Championship by storm and are currently sitting proudly at the top of the table, six points clear of second placed Cardiff. The Midlands side appear to be cantering towards promotion having easily won their last two games. One remarkable statistic which could play on the minds of Nuno Espírito Santo's players is the fact that Wolves have not won at Middlesbrough since 1951.
Reading vs QPR
Reading sacked manager Jaap Stam last week after what has been a disappointing campaign following The Royals' heartbreaking play-off defeat last season. New boss Paul Clement will have his work cut out with Reading currently sitting three points above the relegation zone and without a win in their last nine league games. Clement's first game in charge will be against Ian Holloway's QPR. Rangers appear to have secured their Championship status for another season, sitting a comfortable 14 points above the relegation zone.
Derby vs Sunderland
Gary Rowett's Derby have hit a worrying run of form that has seen the Rams slide perilously close to slipping out of the play-off positions. Derby have not won in their last seven league games and are now clinging onto a play-off position by just one point. With three defeats in their last three games, Chris Coleman's Sunderland look increasingly resigned to playing League One football next season. Sunderland have endured a terrible campaign since being relegated from the Premier League last season, shipping in more goals than any other side in the Championship, having conceding 68 times in their 38 games.
