Football League analysis: Five eye-catching Good Friday matches across the EFL

The Easter Weekend represents one of the highlights of the domestic calendar in the EFL with a packed schedule across the three divisions, which promises to deliver no shortage of drama as the race for promotion, scramble for the play-offs places and battle for survival ramps up ahead of the final stretch.

Not too much will be decided come Monday evening, but there are a number of crucial encounters that will likely have a season-defining impact at both ends of the EFL divisions.

One team that could be celebrating as soon as Friday (although they probably have been doing so for a number of weeks already) is Lincoln City, who are closing in on completing a remarkable promotion to the Championship, which could be confirmed with a victory at home to AFC Wimbledon and results going their way elsewhere.

Portsmouth versus Oxford United and Wrexham versus Southampton are two standout fixtures to come on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, but first, the Championship automatic promotion race takes centre stage as Middlesbrough-Millwall headlines the pick of the Good Friday action.

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Middlesbrough vs Millwall (Championship)

Good Friday gets underway with a bang as the Championship returns from the international break with a huge lunchtime meeting between Premier League hopefuls Middlesbrough and Millwall at the Riverside Stadium.

With Coventry City seemingly out of sight at the top of the table, barring a collapse of epic proportions, there are now three teams vying for the second automatic promotion spot – though Hull City may rightfully argue they remain in the mix as well.

Middlesbrough failed to take advantage of the draw between Ipswich Town and Millwall before the break, meaning the gap between the second-placed hosts and fourth-placed Millwall remained two points – the Tractor Boys in third are also two points behind Boro but do have a game in hand and do not play on Friday as a result of Southampton’s FA Cup participation.

That gives Kim Hellberg’s side, who have failed to win their previous three games, the opportunity to move five points clear of their rivals for the weekend at least, as they aim to rediscover that winning feeling at home after four games without a win against bottom-half opposition.

As for Millwall, they responded from their disappointing collapse against Blackburn Rovers with a highly credible result at Portman Road but now face another stern test of their promotion credentials with the tantalising prospect of leapfrogging their opponents with victory – a defeat for Alex Neil’s side would not put them out of the race but would likely leave them with too much ground to make up.

Huddersfield Town vs Reading (League One)

Nine seasons ago, these two sides faced off in the richest game in football, and for both, a Wembley final will again be on the agenda, but this time in the League One play-offs.

There is quite a scrap developing for a place in the top six, with Luton Town in 11th six points behind sixth-placed Reading, whilst the three teams currently occupying the spots above the Royals will be looking nervously over their shoulders at the chasing pack – including third-placed Bolton Wanderers who have a six-point cushion but face a pretty daunting fixture run-in which begins away at in-form Plymouth Argyle.

When Liam Manning won his third successive game in charge at the end of January, the Terriers had a six-point buffer to seventh-placed and were eight clear of Reading, but just two wins in nine since have left them four points behind Friday’s opponents in what feels a must-win game for the home side if they are to remain in the hunt.

Coaches Martin Drury and Jon Stead are also leading the team for the first time after boss Manning was granted compassionate leave for the remainder of the season.

Reading have been one of the form teams since the turn of the year and climbed back into the top six with victory last week, though they have played a game or two more than most of the teams around them, but will be relishing the chance to put clear daylight between themselves and a direct rival.

Blackpool vs Exeter City (League One)

A classic six-pointer awaits at Bloomfield Road as relegation-threatened Blackpool take on Exeter City, with the two teams either side of the dotted line towards the bottom of the League One table.

It was looking bleak for Blackpool a few weeks ago following defeat at Doncaster Rovers, but back-to-back home wins, with an impressive goalless draw at Cardiff City sandwiched between, have provided a timely boost to their survival bid, and the Tangerines can move five points clear of their opponents in the drop zone with a positive result on Friday.

Meanwhile, Exeter’s season is spiralling. Gary Caldwell left the Grecians in 14th position and seven points above the relegation places, but the returning Matt Taylor has been unable to conjure a win in his first seven games as interim manager, with the overall winless run now stretching to 14 games.

Exeter failed away from home in a crunch game against Wigan Athletic two weeks ago, and they cannot afford a repeat outcome as they risk becoming cut adrift in a similar fashion to Rotherham United and Northampton Town.

Salford City vs Notts County (League Two)

The League Two promotion race is really heating up and two contenders meet at The Peninsula Stadium as Salford City welcome Notts County.

Both sides were the big winners last weekend as Salford edged out second-placed MK Dons and Notts County beat Harrogate Town to move above Cambridge United into the top three.

Sixth-placed Salford currently sit well inside the play-offs after a run of five wins in six and will now be eyeing a potential automatic promotion push with just three points separating them and third-placed County ahead of kick-off, with the two sides between them – Cambridge and Swindon Town – also meeting each other on Thursday night.

It was an eventful March for Notts, who are going in search of a return to the third tier after relegation in 2014/15, having lost in the play-off semi-finals last season, with this the first of two crunch away games in the next eight days.

Newport County vs Crawley Town (League Two)

Not many people would have expected to see Christian Fuchs versus Colin Kazim-Richards in the dugout of a League Two clash at the start of the season, but a fascinating head-to-head could be decisive as the pair look to keep their respective sides in the Football League.

Former Leicester City title-winning defender Fuchs has guided the Welsh side off the foot of the table since his arrival in November, and they now sit just two points above the drop.

Crawley find themselves level with Newport on 34 points after journeyman striker Kazim-Richards ended a winless run of 10 games with a 2-0 success over Gillingham on his management debut last time out.

Neither would have anticipated Barrow to beat leaders Bromley last Saturday, but with the bottom two both facing tough away trips, a victory here for either side would provide a huge boost to their survival chances and also drag Tranmere Rovers firmly into the dogfight should they lose at Shrewsbury Town.

READ MORE: Championship analysis: Coventry City are almost there but second is up for grabs