Championship Preview – Matchday 9

Nottingham Forest head to second-from-bottom Stoke City on Friday evening, knowing three points will take them top of the Championship.

It’s five years since the Reds last topped the second tier (if you ignore the few hours they spent their on the opening weekend of the 2017/18 campaign), and a positive result would see them extend their unbeaten league run to eight games.

They did suffer somewhat of a hammering in the EFL Cup, with Arsenal thumping them 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium, while the Potters also bowed out but to lower-league opposition – Crawley Town beating them on penalties.

Last weekend’s goalless draw at Brentford did end a run of four losses, though they are five points from safety, above only Huddersfield Town who they face on Tuesday.

Rise

Five points from the last nine available have moved Wigan Athletic away from the bottom three, and they will look to continue their good run at Fulham in Friday’s other fixture, while Saturday’s action kicks off in the Capital as Queens Park Rangers host West Bromwich Albion.

The two side both sit on sixteen points – one off the top going into this round of fixtures while Preston North End are in third place, just one point above opponents Bristol City.

Favourites Leeds United host a Charlton Athletic side who are down in eighth after suffering back-to-back defeats while Swansea City, who are level with Marcelo Bielsa’s side in second place host Reading, who look set for another season battling against relegation after losing their last three on the bounce.

Escape

The Royals finished in twentieth place in each of their last two seasons, and that is where they find themselves after eight games this term, leaving them at a price of 5/1 to be relegated.

Huddersfield host Millwall looking to pull themselves off the bottom of the table while Barnsley, who are favourites for the drop in the eyes of the bookmakers host Brentford in Sunday’s only fixture.

Sheffield Wednesday, who have taken four points from six under Garry Monk take on one of their new manager’s former sides Middelsbrough while Blackburn Rovers host a Luton Town side just a place above the dreaded dotted line.

Elsewhere

Fourteenth plays thirteenth with Hull City welcoming Cardiff City to the KCOM Stadium while Derby County take on Birmingham City in desperate need for some positivity after a troubled week off the pitch.

On the pitch, they haven’t won since the opening day of the season and now have to endure the rest of the campaign without their club captain, who has been sidelined with a knee injury.