3 huge Championship clashes to keep an eye on this weekend

Championship leaders Newcastle United will be looking to extend their lead at the top when they host struggling Bristol City on Saturday.

Rafa Benitez’s men have won three of their last four league games to usurp Chris Hughton’s Brighton at the summit, and victory over Lee Johnson’s relegation-threatened Robins will put them four points clear of the Seagulls for a few hours at least.

That’s because Hughton’s Brighton host fourth place Reading at the AMEX Stadium on Saturday evening, knowing that a victory would take them 11 points clear of Jaap Stam’s side, and very much in the hunt for a return to the top-flight after 34 years.

However, David Wagner’s Huddersfield Town will be looking to put the pressure on Brighton with three points at Barnsley earlier in the day, while the early kick-off in the Championship sees fifth place Leeds host sixth place Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road.

At the bottom, Rotherham United visit Brentford hoping to reduce their 15-point gap to safety, while there’s a massive game at the Pirelli Stadium this evening as 20th place Burton Albion host 23rd place Blackburn Rovers, the latter under the stewardship of new manager Tony Mowbray.

Clearly, it’s going to be an enthralling weekend in the second tier, but here are THREE games in particular that you need to keep an eye on over the next few days…