EFL Weekend Preview: Millwall and Ipswich Town go head-to-head and intense League One play-off scrap

Another blockbuster weekend in the EFL is upon us, with more drama guaranteed across the three divisions in the race for promotion and the battle to avoid relegation.

With significance riding on fixtures everywhere you look, we take a look at some of the major storylines at the heart of the action this weekend.

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Millwall brace themselves for part one of promotion double-header

The standout EFL game of the weekend comes at Portman Road on Saturday lunchtime as third-placed Ipswich Town host fourth-placed Millwall, with the two sides level on 68 points, though the Tractor Boys do hold a much superior goal difference and have a game in hand.

The Lions squandered the opportunity to climb into the top two last week after a controversial red card (since rescinded on appeal), and a late collapse at home to their bogey side, Blackburn Rovers, ended a four-game winning run, meaning the gap to Middlesbrough is two points.

Alex Neil’s side now face a crunch test of their credentials with consecutive away games either side of the international break at their nearest promotion rivals, in what is likely to be a decisive factor in maintaining a top two push or having to settle for the play-offs.

Should Millwall emerge from their Good Friday encounter at the Riverside Stadium relatively unscathed, optimism levels will go through the roof as five of their final six games are against teams in the bottom half – Norwich City, currently in 12th position, the other – with Ipswich and Middlesbrough still to face each other.

That being said, in true Championship style, their three games against relegation-threatened teams at this stage of the season are never an easy task, as demonstrated by the result at The Den last Saturday.

A flash in the pan or a turning point for West Brom?

West Bromwich Albion earned a valuable 3-0 victory over Hull City last Saturday to lift themselves out of the relegation zone – their first victory in the league since December 29.

Not only was the result (and goal difference boost) a much-needed one, but the manner in which they dominated their promotion-chasing opponents – albeit the Tigers were down to 10 men from the 36th minute – made for promising signs ahead of the run-in.

After a damaging defeat to Oxford United at the end of last month, interim manager James Morrison has picked up an impressive five points from three matches and was only denied a first win prior to last weekend by a Southampton injury-time equaliser.

Recent defeats for Leicester City and Portsmouth mean there are now just four points separating the Foxes in 23rd and Blackburn Rovers in 19th, with West Brom desperate to put a little breathing space between themselves and the bottom three heading into the international break.

The Baggies face a trip to Bristol City on Saturday and will sense a possible opportunity to maintain their upturn in form against a side who have seemingly dropped out of play-off contention with four defeats in six games and only one win in six previous matches at Ashton Gate.

Meanwhile, Blackburn, Oxford and Leicester all face slightly more daunting challenges on paper against promotion and top-six-chasing opposition.

The play-off battle heats up in League One

The automatic promotion race in League One may already be as good as settled, but there is an almighty scramble developing for a place in the top six.

The gap between sixth-placed Reading and Luton Town in 11th is currently four points, with Stockport County in fifth also looking nervously over their shoulders at the chasing pack, though they do still have two games in hand on the majority of the teams around them.

This Saturday will see not one, not two, but three head-to-head encounters between play-off rivals, starting with an early kick-off at Kenilworth Road as Luton – targeting three league wins in a row for the first time this season – meet Stockport, with the two sides already set to meet once more this season in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium next month.

Elsewhere, Stevenage will be hoping to bounce back from defeat at Home Park and leapfrog visitors Reading, whilst Plymouth Argyle will be looking to continue their fine upward trajectory against a Huddersfield Town side who have struggled to build any real momentum under Liam Manning.

Wycombe Wanderers may be feeling left out of the fun but buoyed by their unexpected victory at Cardiff City on Tuesday, face a resurgent Leyton Orient away from home with the opportunity to bolster their play-off ambitions.

A familiar face at the centre of a pivotal game at the bottom

The fight to stay in League One is just as intense, with Blackpool trying to avoid dropping into the fourth tier exactly ten years on from previously doing so.

Results last weekend had created a little daylight for those outside the relegation zone, but Blackpool’s hard-fought victory over bottom side Port Vale in midweek has put them back within striking distance of four clubs.

The two clubs immediately above the dotted line meet each other on Saturday as Wigan Athletic welcome Exeter City to The Brick Community Stadium, with Latics boss Gary Caldwell coming up against the side he left little over a month ago.

Wigan have been much improved under the returning Scot, winning three of seven – all of which have come on their home turf against teams challenging towards the top end of the table – and were agonisingly close to three points at Barnsley in midweek until 19-year-old Charlie Lennon bundled in a late equaliser for the hosts.

As for Exeter, their last victory on January 24 saw the Grecians rise to 10th, but since then it has been a struggle – a 12-game winless run to be precise – with Matt Taylor back in the dugout to replace the departed Caldwell, unable to find a victory in his first five games in charge.

With Blackpool and Rotherham United travelling to the top two, Wigan and Exeter – both currently one point above the Tangerines – will know the value of a win would likely re-establish a slight cushion for another week at the very least.

Keep an eye on Oldham and Tranmere…for different reasons

There always tends to be a team, or teams, to watch out for late in the season who peak at the right time and that is certainly looking like Oldham Athletic right now in League Two.

A largely inconsistent season in mid-table obscurity, along with fellow promoted side Barnet, Oldham are now on the charge with six wins in their last seven matches – including two crucial victories over Chesterfield and Grimsby Town in the past week – to move within four points of the play-offs and Micky Mellon’s side will fancy their chances to extend that run at home to relegation-threatened Harrogate Town on Saturday.

Whereas Oldham are looking up, Mellon’s former side, Tranmere Rovers, are in real danger of being dragged into the relegation dogfight to avoid falling out of the Football League.

When Tranmere won at Harrogate on New Years Day, they moved 15 points clear of the bottom two, but 14 matches and 12 defeats later, a comprehensive 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture has seen that gap now cut to six – a realisation of the challenge facing new manager Pete Wild on what was a miserable first home game in charge.

Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes to distance themselves from the relegation zone, whilst there are signs of life in the four teams at the bottom who are separated by just two points, with Tranmere searching for a first home win in 2026 against promotion-chasing Swindon Town to alleviate the mounting pressure.

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