Coventry v Middlesbrough Team News
Coventry is set to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation, featuring Wilson in goal. The backline will include van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, and Bidwell. Grimes and Sheaf will anchor the midfield, while Sakamoto, Rudoni, and Wright will support Simms up front. On the bench, they’ll have Collins, Binks, Allen, Paterson, Borges Rodrigues, Latibeaudiere, Thomas-Asante, Eccles, and Moore ready to step in.
Middlesbrough will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 setup. Their goalkeeper, Travers, will be shielded by Dijksteel, Fry, Howson, and Iling-Junior. Hackney and Morris will hold the midfield, with Whittaker, Borges, and Azaz aiding Conway in attack. The substitutes for them include Glover, van den Berg, Barlaser, Iheanacho, Burgzorg, Forss, Edmundson, Lenihan, and Giles.
Referee: Stuart Attwell from Warwickshire.
Burnley v Millwall Team News
Burnley’s formation is the same at 4-2-3-1. Trafford is in goal, supported by Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, and Lucas Pires. Brownhill and Cullen are tasked with midfield duties, while Edwards, Mejbri, and Anthony back up Barnes in the attack. The bench holds Hladky, Sonne, Worrall, Sarmiento, Redmond, Foster, Ramsey, Laurent, and Koleosho.
Millwall will mirror the 4-2-3-1 as well. Evans will be the keeper, with Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, and Sturge in defense. De Norre and Saville command the midfield, while Honeyman, Ivanovic, and Azeez support Coburn in front. Their substitutes include Przewozny, Wintle, Kelly, Langstaff, Leonard, Emakhu, Cundle, Harding, and Matthews.
Referee: Andrew Kitchen from Durham.
Derby v Stoke Team News
Derby line up in a 3-5-2 formation. Vickers is their goalkeeper, with Langas, Phillips, and Clarke forming a three-man defense. In the midfield, Wilson, Armstrong, Adams, Thompson, and Forsyth will be active, while Yates and Harness lead the attack. Their bench features Luthra, Barkhuizen, Osborn, Roofe, Mendez-Laing, Goudmijn, Jackson, Blackett-Taylor, and Pieters.
Stoke will adopt a 4-2-3-1 format, seeing Johansson in goal, defended by Wilmott, Phillips, Gibson, and Gooch. Burger and Baker control the midfield, with Lawal, Bae, Al Hamadi backing Gallagher. The substitutes are Bonham, Pearson, Seko, Moran, Koumas, Manhoef, Fawunmi, Lowe, and Griffin.
Referee: Oliver Langford from W Midlands.
Plymouth v Leeds Team News
Plymouth has chosen a 3-4-2-1 setup with Hazard in goal. Their defense will be made up of Szucs, Palsson, and Taloverov, while Edwards, Roberts, Randell, and Mumba cover the midfield. Hardie and Bundu will support Tijani up front. The bench consists of Grimshaw, Ogbeta, Houghton, Wright, Boateng, Katic, Sorinola, Baidoo, and Issaka.
Leeds will stick to a 4-2-3-1 arrangement, with Darlow in goal. Their defense includes Bogle, Rodon, Ampadu, and Byram, while Tanaka and Gruev anchor the midfield. Gnonto, Aaronson, Solomon, and Piroe will lead the attack. Their substitutes are Meslier, Schmidt, Wober, Guilavogui, Rothwell, Ramazani, Gray, Fernandez, and Bamford.
Referee: Jeremy Simpson from Lancashire.
Portsmouth v Hull Team News
Portsmouth employs a 4-2-3-1 strategy, with Killip as the goalkeeper. The defense is formed by Devlin, Shaughnessy, Atkinson, and Ogilvie. Potts and Lang will cover the midfield, while Blair, Pack, and Murphy will support Bishop in attack. Their bench includes Schmid, Poole, Bramall, Dozzell, Hayden, Gordon, Ritchie, Saydee, and O’Mahony.
Hull will also use a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Pandur in goal. The backline features Lewie Coyle, Egan, Hughes, and McLoughlin. Crooks and Puerta will manage the midfield, while Kamara, Gelhardt, Joseph, and Joao Pedro team up for the forward line. Their substitutes are Lo-Tutala, Jones, Lincoln, Burns, Alzate, Drameh, Amrabat, Palmer, and Burstow.
Referee: John Busby from Oxfordshire.
Bristol City v Preston North End Team News
Bristol City lines up in a 3-4-2-1 system, led by goalkeeper O’Leary. Their defense consists of Tanner, Vyner, and Dickie, while Hirakawa, Williams, Knight, and McCrorie cover midfield. Twine and Bird will support Wells in the attack, with Bajic, Roberts, Morrison, McGuane, Earthy, Bell, Mehmeti, and Armstrong waiting on the bench.
Preston North End opts for a 3-1-4-2 configuration. Cornell is the keeper, backed by Storey, Lindsay, and Gibson on defense. Whiteman commands a deeper midfield role, while Kesler-Hayden, Ledson, Brady, and Hughes support Osmajic and Jakobsen up front. Their bench includes Stowell, Porteous, Bauer, Meghoma, Thordarson, Greenwood, Evans, and Mawene.
Referee: James Linington from Isle of Wight.
Sheff Utd v Blackburn Team News
Sheffield United, likely sticking with a 4-2-3-1, will feature Adam Davies in goal, flanked by Gilchrist, Ahmedhodzic, Holding, and McCallum. Vinicius Souza and Peck will handle midfield, with Brooks, O’Hare, and Brooks supporting Cannon in attack. On the bench, they have Faxon, Brewster, Moore, Burrows, Robinson, Tom Davies, Campbell, Seriki, and One.
Blackburn will employ a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Toth as the goalkeeper. Their defense will consist of Brittain, Hyam, Batth, and Yuri Ribeiro, while Tronstad and Travis control the midfield. Dolan, Cantwell, Hedges, and Ohashi make up the attacking line. Their substitutes include Pears, Sanderson, Carter, Pickering, Forshaw, Kargbo, Woodrow, Dennis, and Gueye.
Referee: Farai Hallam from Surrey.
Playoff Situation
In short, every one of the five competing teams must win to secure a playoff spot. Yet, intriguingly, a draw or even a loss might suffice for some. As two contenders face particularly tough opponents—Millwall at Burnley and Blackburn at Sheffield United—Middlesbrough, sitting in ninth place, still has a shot at the playoffs if they can secure a win against Coventry.
Bristol City, currently fifth, could guarantee themselves a playoff semi-final matchup against Sunderland with a victory. They could also afford a loss and still potentially qualify—it’s all rather tight.
Fixtures for Today
Here’s a quick look at today’s key matchups—the ones in bold are especially noteworthy:
- Bristol City vs Preston North End
- Burnley vs Millwall
- Coventry vs Middlesbrough
- Derby vs Stoke
- Norwich vs Cardiff
- Plymouth vs Leeds
- Portsmouth vs Hull
- Sheff Utd vs Blackburn
- Sunderland vs QPR
- Swansea vs Oxford Utd
- Watford vs Sheff Wed
- West Brom vs Luton
It’s quite remarkable—twelve out of the twenty-four teams have something significant at stake today. All games kick off at 12:30 pm, and you can follow the unfolding drama right here.
