Coventry City may have lost at home to Southampton last Saturday, but they are still in pole position for promotion with eight matches left in the Championship season.
Frank Lampard’s side currently find themselves seven points behind the pack behind them, who are in a very close battle for second place.
Middlesbrough are currently in that position but have dropped down the table in their last two home games. They lost to Charlton before being caught out late in a 1-1 draw with Bristol City.
Chasing them are Ipswich Town and Millwall, both two points behind Boro, but Ipswich have a game in hand. The teams will meet at Portman Road on Saturday before traveling from Middlesbrough to Blackburn.
It looks like it’s going to be an important day in the promotion battle…
Middlesbrough stutter at home as they aim for promotion
The home win was Middlesbrough’s fourth straight defeat. All are against teams in the bottom half of the championship table. Chances were created and 94 shots were taken, but just two goals were scored against Oxford, Leicester, Charlton and Bristol City at the Riverside.
Saturday, March 21st 12:25pm
12:30pm kickoff
In contrast, they have scored seven goals in recent away games against Birmingham and QPR.
The difference is clear and they may be happy to be back on the road to Ewood Park on Saturday. Only Sheffield Wednesday have won fewer points at home this season than Blackburn in the second tier.
David Prutton said on the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast:
“Ipswich hold the game by just two points, which puts them firmly in the box in terms of chasing Middlesbrough. Boro’s focus now is on continuing to do the work necessary to stay in the table.”
“It also means they have to be fully aware of the pressure coming from the teams immediately behind them. Overall, this fixture against Blackburn is a fascinating fixture between two teams chasing points for very different reasons.”
Ipswich and Millwall face off in crunch clash
This is a big deal on Saturday. 3rd place vs. 4th place, pre-season promotion candidates and underdogs punching above their weight to earn this spot.
Saturday, March 21st 11am
12:30pm kickoff
Despite their position, it feels like Ipswich have still slightly underperformed this season, while Millwall will feel like they should be in second place heading into this weekend.
Last Saturday they were leading Blackburn and heading for three points, but Zak Sturge’s controversial red card reduced them to 10 men and they subsequently lost 2-1.
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Sky Sports Essential EFL Podcast looks at Ipswich vs Millwall
David Prutton said on the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast:
“This looks like a very important game in the promotion race. Millwall were in a position where they could move up to second place based on the result, which highlights that they are doing a great job. At the same time, Ipswich are gaining momentum and are showing the consistency that is needed at this stage of the season.”
“There is a belief that Ipswich should be able to compete at this level, but that doesn’t make it any easier to achieve. Getting results every week is still key.
“This looks like an attractive battle between both teams that are well in the mix, yet another example of strong competition at the top end of the table.”
Coventry look ahead to evening kick-off
And Coventry City. Favorite for promotion, but not promoted yet. Their six-game winning streak came to an end last week when they lost at home to Southampton, and they head into Saturday night’s test trip to Swansea City.
Saturday, March 21st 5pm
Kickoff 5:15pm
Swansea lost at home in late November in Vitor Matos’ first game as manager, but their form at home has remained impressive since then. In their 10 games since then on Swansea.com they have won eight and drawn two.
Things could take yet another turn ahead of the international holiday…
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Sky Sports Essential EFL Podcast looks at Swansea vs Coventry
David Prutton said on the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast:
“Coventry are still in a strong position and will be focused on maintaining their gap with the teams below them. The title is still the goal, but staying third at arm’s length is equally important and they are doing well.”
“There’s no sense of panic because they had a chance in the last game and they should have gotten something out of it. Overall, they showed the ability to respond well to setbacks.”
“We feel this is a good opportunity for Coventry to react and we are confident they can get back on track.”
Final championship prediction table
Here’s how Opta predicts the Championship table at the end of the season. Coventry remain the overwhelming favorites to win, but Ipswich are almost expected to overtake Middlesbrough for second place…
“Expected” Championship Table
And here’s how the Championship table ‘should’ look heading into this weekend, according to Opta. Ipswich will move ahead of Middlesbrough, but Millwall are well behind in ninth place.
