A look ahead at this weekends Championship games.

By Jemma Tappenden
March 30 2007

Its just like musical chairs, but how will the top eight of the Championship table look after this weekend? An insight into how the Top 8 go into action this week.

If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen. Well I’m afraid I’d be running a mile right now if I was the manager of any one of the top 8 clubs in the Championship at present. The prize is massive; the stakes are high and the pressure immense. With all 8clubs having dropped points at some point over their last couple of matches there is no room for error, the fates of each literally in their own hands.

The Championship promises to be juicy this weekend, in what has become probably the closest promotion battle in the last 10 years. It begins tonight, as Preston travel to rock bottom club Leeds Utd. Make no mistake; this will not be an easy victory for the Lilywhites. Desperately scrapping for a different prize of their own – survival – Leeds will not be brushed aside easily. But a victory for Preston this evening would see them go level on points with Blues, and an impressive 5 points over Mick McCarthy’s men.

Sunderland visit Cardiff this weekend in a 3rd Vs 7th placed battle at Ninian Park. With the exception of the two clubs involved, undoubtedly the rest of the promotion contenders will cross their fingers for a share of the spoils.

Molineux also hosts a hotbed of action this weekend, as McCarthy’s battlers take on George Burley’s Southampton. Southampton will be desperate to steal all three points, as they strive to keep the dream of automatic promotion alive. Anything less for Burley’s men would see that dream diminish somewhat. McCarthy says his priority is to consolidate a play off place, but it is likely that the Wolves management team still harbour ambitions of an automatic promotion to the Premiership, after the almost impossible has looked increasingly more possible in the eyes of the devoted Gold and Black Army. Promotion was never an expectation at Molineux this season, but a string of good results breathed a little fire back into the hearts of Wolves fans.

The Baggies travel to QPR this weekend, in a game which is nothing less than a must win. No wins in 5 in the League for Mowbray’s men has seen Albion drop to 6th, 3 points behind local rivals Wolves and dangling dangerously close to the edge of the playoffs. A bad result for Albion this weekend could see them drop out of the play off places all together if Southampton and Cardiff get results. QPR are unbeaten in 3, and Albion face the heart wrenching situation of facing an ex-local rival – Rohan Ricketts, fresh on loan to QPR and eager to impress.

Blues will have to wait until the the outcome of all of those fixtures before they play their own hand in on Sunday. They face inform Coventry City. The wrong set of results for them could see them exit the automatic promotion places altogether.

So, its excitement all round this weekend. But with the stakes so high this time round, it’s likely to be Monday morning before my heart rate stabilises.