EFL preview: High stakes as season reaches crunch time

With nine games in the Championship and half a dozen in League One, Tuesday could be one of the most significant midweek matchdays this season.

The Championship's top three - Burnley, Sheffield United and Leeds - are all in action. Any one of those teams could finish the night at the summit.

In League One, runaway leaders Birmingham City know a victory will send them up with six matches still remaining.

And it feels like the last-chance saloon for third-placed Wycombe as they play their game in hand on second-placed Wrexham.

Here's what to look out for...

In a hugely important game for sides at both ends of the Championship table, pole sitters Burnley travel to Derby, whose recent resurgence under John Eustace which saw them win four in four, was checked by defeat to Swansea on Saturday.

The Clarets will seek to keep destiny in their own hands having regained top spot in the table for the first time since 19 October with a win over Coventry at the weekend.

But manager Scott Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire that despite a run of 27 games unbeaten he does not expect any easy games from now until May.

"They [Derby] will be tough opposition but you get to this point of the season and every game is a tough game," he said.

"A lot of teams have got different things that they are fighting for whether that is promotion, relegation or the play-offs but hopefully we will go there and get the job done."

Sheffield United, who might be rueing that two-point deduction for late transfer payments last season with each passing week, host ninth-placed Millwall.

Could those two points prove the difference at the finishing line?

And spare a thought for Leeds, whose nervous fans are barely able to watch from behind their cushions as the spectre of the play-offs looms once again following a run of just seven points from a possible 18.

It is a wobble which has seen them slip out of the top two for the first time in five months and makes Tuesday's trip to a Middlesbrough side fresh from five wins in seven and intent on securing their own play-off place, look tricky to say the least.

Eighth-placed West Brom travel to Bristol City aiming to bump the Robins out of sixth spot.

Tony Mowbray's men will have to locate their shooting boots after failing to find the net in their last two outings, despite dominating against Sunderland on Saturday.

If the Baggies are stuttering as the finish line approaches, with no wins in four, Mowbray told BBC Radio WM it is not for lack of effort

"We are frustrated but I don't feel the need to apologise as everyone is giving everything at the moment and the results are not falling our way but we have to dig in really deep," he said.

If they do manage to chisel out a win, Coventry could still grab sixth back off them on Wednesday when they host Portsmouth if they can shake off the disappointment of losing to Burnley at the weekend.

After five wins on the bounce to reach the top six, Frank Lampard's side have now lost three of their last four games.

Things at the bottom appear tighter than ever.

A gargantuan game at the bet365 Stadium sees 20th-placed Stoke City host a resurgent Luton Town, who are unbeaten in four games but still remain in the drop zone.

Eight, or even nine sides from QPR down, cannot consider themselves safe.

Points totals of 49, 44, 41, 49 and 51 have been needed for safety in the last five seasons.

Elsewhere at the bottom on Tuesday, 22nd-placed Cardiff visit Preston and Hull go to Watford.

Oxford or QPR could take a huge stride towards safety on Wednesday with Marti Cifuentes' Hoops two places and a point ahead of the U's.

Bottom side Plymouth travel to south Wales to tackle Swansea having found a bit of form this month.

Miron Muslic's side are just four points off Derby in the final safe position and go into this match buoyed by taking four points from their last two games including Saturday's 2-1 win over Norwich.

One team feeling pretty comfortable will be Birmingham City, who can confirm their return to the Championship if they beat Peterborough.

And it could be an extra special week for Chris Davies' side, who have lost just one of their last 25 league outings.

The runaway League One leaders have the chance to add silverware to promotion against the same opposition at Wembley on Sunday in the English Football League Trophy Final.

The scrap behind them is warming up nicely with Wrexham holding the aces in the battle for the second automatic spot, sitting six points ahead of Wycombe, who have a game in hand.

The Welsh side are not in action until the weekend but Wycombe can close that gap to three points when they take on Huddersfield at the John Smith's Stadium on Tuesday.

At the other end of League One, Wigan can extend a current six-point cushion between them and the final of the four relegation spots when they travel to Exeter.

With a game in hand on Burton who currently occupy that 21st place they should be confident of pulling clear of trouble.

Bottom club Shrewsbury will be anything but, without a win in 11 and approaching must-win territory should they lose to a Reading side who have charged to within a point of the play-off spots with just one defeat in their last 13.