Championship preview

20 October 2009 12:41
Championship leaders West Brom will be looking to keep up the heat at the top when they host Swansea at the Hawthorns. The Baggies are currently level on points with Newcastle, and Paulo Sousa's Swans will have to be on top form if they are going to get anything from the game. Newcastle, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from their defeat by Nottingham Forest when they travel to Scunthorpe, who beat Sheffield United 3-1 at the weekend. Kevin Blackwell's Blades take on Ian Holloway's Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, with the Seasiders defeating Plymouth 2-0 on Saturday. Roy Keane will be desperate to get his first win for Ipswich after a dreadful start to the campaign - the Tractor Boys are currently rock-bottom in the table and host Watford at Portman Road. Middlesbrough have had a poor run of form at the Riverside of late, and have the chance to turn things around when Derby travel to Teesside. Gareth Southgate's men have lost three on the bounce at home, but Derby's away form is even worse - Nigel Clough's side losing their last three out of four games on the road. Sheffield Wednesday take on promotion hopefuls Preston at Hillsborough, looking to build on their 2-0 win over Coventry last time out. Coventry face a difficult challenge as they travel to Wales to face in-form Cardiff. The third-place Bluebirds may have only drawn against Crystal Palace at the weekend, but they have scored an impressive 11 goals in their last three matches. At the other end of the table Peterborough play Doncaster at the Keepmoat Stadium as both sides look to move away from the relegation zone. Nottingham Forest will be looking to build on their 1-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday, and 19th place Barnsley make the trip from South Yorkshire to take on Billy Davies's team. Crystal Palace travel to Leicester, looking for a win that would see them leapfrog the Foxes in the table. Neil Warnock's side managed a draw at high-flying Cardiff in their last outing, while Leicester's last two games have also ended in stalemates. Plymouth had won two on the trot before they were beaten by Blackpool, and they will look to return to winning ways when Bristol City make the journey to Home Park. Meanwhile, Queens Park Rangers will be hoping for a repeat of their emphatic 4-0 win against Preston when they play host to Reading at Loftus Road.

Source: SKY_Sports