The Championship is a two-horse title race as Burnley and Sheffield United battle for the league trophy. The two clubs are running away with automatic promotion as third-place Blackburn Rovers are nine points off second place.
The race for the top six is red-hot with third-place Blackburn and 15th-place Swansea City separated by seven points. There is a lot to play for in round 27.
Rotherham United are not in the promotion playoff mix. Rather, the Millers are battling relegation and start the weekend in 21st place. They are winless in six straight games and are a mere one point outside the relegation zone.
Blackburn Rovers are coming off a 1-0 win against Cardiff which ended a two-game losing streak. Rovers cannot string wins together at the moment to build momentum.
Blackburn Rovers won the reverse fixture 3-0 at Ewood Park against Rotherham in October. Ben Brereton Diaz scored a brace.
First-place Burnley can take a step closer to automatic promotion back to the Premier League with a win over Coventry City. The Clarets are on a six-game Championship winning streak. The reverse fixture between these clubs ended as a 1-0 win for Burnley.
Fourteen points currently separate Burnley and third-place Blackburn. Burnley should seal promotion back to the Premier League unless they suffer an incredible collapse. The Clarets have played 13 home games this season winning nine and drawing four.
Coventry City are 14th and are aiming to make a run at the top six. Four points separate the Sky Blues from the playoff places. Coventry City took a mere six points from the last 18 points on offer in the league.
Middlesbrough are coming off a 5-1 FA Cup third-round defeat against Brighton. The loss won’t be seen as a bad thing by manager Michael Carrick, however. The Boro are winless in four straight games against Millwall, including a 2-0 loss at The Den earlier this season.
Millwall are sixth in the table and go into this playoff six-pointer level on points with fifth-place Middlesbrough. Goal difference currently separates these promotion playoff chasers. The Lions took 11 points from the last six games.
Middlesbrough picked up 15 points from the last six games. Carrick has completely turned around Boro after the dismissal of former manager Chris Wilder. Middlesbrough are on a three-game winning streak in the Championship.
Second-place Sheffield United will host 18th-place Stoke City on Saturday at Bramall Lane. Stoke City shocked the Blades in October with a 3-1 win at the Bet365 Stadium. The home team is unbeaten in six straight games when Sheffield United and Stoke City play.
The Blades picked up 16 points from their last 18 points on offer. They outscored their last six opponents 10-4. Sheffield United’s last two home matches ended as wins.
Stoke City took only five points from the last six matches in the league. The Potters go into the weekend on a two-game losing streak. Stoke City have played decently on the road this season with a record of 5W-3D-5L. The Potters are unbeaten in back-to-back away games.