LFW looks ahead to the forthcoming weekend's action in the Coca Cola Championship.
Welcome back to LFW Championship preview and following the midweek Carling Cup games, the Championship is still well represented in the competition with both Burnley and Derby making it to the semi final stages. I think the draw is Saturday but what's the betting that they will be kept apart? Our congratulations go to both sides.
Onto the weekends and Sky have chosen two games for live coverage, one of them we know about as league leaders Wolves visit Loftus Road for Saturday's evening kick off. LFW preview of the game will be online soon...
The other live game is on Sunday lunchtime and is the East Anglian derby game between Norwich and Ipswich at Carrow Road. Ispwich will possibly go into this one slight favourites and are in reasonable form, whereas Norwich are still struggling to put any sort of form together and currently sit 4th from bottom wiith just 1 win in their last seven games.
Moving back to Saturday's games and besides ourselves of course, the game of the day is arguably at Bramall Lane as Sheffield United take on Carling Cup semi finalists, Burnley in a 5th v 4th clash. Third place Reading have a tricky looking trip to Barnsley to look forward too and Preston, who have sneaked into the top six almost unnoticed, travel to Cardiff who sit just below them in 7th as the teams ironically swapped places after last weekends results.
There is a decent looking game at Ashton Gate as Bristol City take on Swansea. Bristol are without a win in 4 games and have only won 2 of their 10 home games so far this season, wheras Swansea are still finding life in the Championship extremely comfortable and currently sit in 8th place. The bottom three all have tricky looking games with Doncaster the only side with a home fixture amongst them as they take on Plymouth - and what a massive journey that is for Argyle fans just before Christmas. Nottingham Forest travel to Coventry and managerless Charlton have a long and diffcult looking trip to Blackpool.
LFW will return with a preview of a full programme of midweek fixtures on Sunday evening.
Saturday, 6 December, 2008
Barnsley v Reading
Birmingham City v Watford
Blackpool v Charlton Athletic
Bristol City v Swansea City
Cardiff City v Preston North End
Coventry City v Nottingham Forest
Derby County v Crystal Palace
Doncaster Rovers v Plymouth Argyle
Queens Park Rangers v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield United v Burnley
Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday
Sunday, 7 December, 2008
Norwich City v Ipswich Town 12:45