MATCH 16: CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN

Tom Phillips previews the runners and riders ahead of another round of the Sky Bet Championship.

The Form Guys:The current form team in the Championship are Bournemouth, with Eddie Howe guiding the Cherries to five straight wins and second place in the table prior to Tuesday night. If they are to make it six they’ll have to do after a 235-mile trip to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls have hit a real dip in form, and starting with their defeat against Cardiff City at the end of September the Owls are without a win in seven games. Their record is poor against top half sides, winning just one in nine.

Watfordare the league’s current leaders and are also in a rich vein of form. The Hornets could stretch their unbeaten run to ten games with the right result away at Birmingham City on Tuesday. With new manager Gary Rowett now in charge they’ve managed to end a three game losing run with an impressive point against Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. If Rowett could inspire his team to an unlikely win against the Hornets, it would be the Blues’ first victory since 30 September.

There are two teams in top form outside of the top six, the surprise package being Huddersfield Town. Many have suggested their turn in fortune can be credited to their on loan front man Grant Holt, as when he arrived the Terriers were languishing in 21^st with five points from eight matches. Huddersfield now have twenty points and occupy fourteenth position and could even rise as high as ninth with a win Tuesday. To achieve this they’ll have to get past Derby County. After two consecutive losses the Rams have dropped to fifth, so Chris Powell’s team could be facing them at the right time.

The other in form team is seventh placed Blackburn Rovers. Rovers are unbeaten in five, winning their last three matches. They now travel to London to face Millwall who could slip as low as twentieth if they lose to Gary Bowyer’s team.

Without a Win:After defeat at Cardiff City Stadium it’s now no wins in seven for Leeds United. Tuesday night signals Neil Redfearn’s first home game as full time manager, as Leeds welcome Charlton Athletic to Elland Road, hoping he can inspire a change in form. Charlton have lost their last two away games, while Leeds haven’t won at home in their last three encounters.

Brighton and Hove Albionhaven’t won in the league since 23 August, a run that has lasted eleven games. Despite this they’ve not fallen into the drop zone, but are teetering on the edge, just one point above the bottom three. They play Wigan Athletic at the Falmer stadium this week, who are just three points above the Seagulls. The Latics are six games without defeat, but in that time have only won once, managing to draw a staggering five times in six games.

The team with a real change in fortune is Nottingham Forest. They had not lost a game when they faced City in October, but now they find themselves without a win in eight and with three defeats in their last four outings. Forest will be looking to rectify that with Brentford’s visit on Wednesday night. The Bees could make it an East Midlands double if they beat Forest after dispatching their neighbours, Derby, 2-1 in Griffin Park on the weekend.

Best of the Rest: The standout game out of the remaining fixtures is Middlesbrough v Norwich City. The two teams are vying for top spot with Boro’ just two points adrift and Norwich just three. Both enter the game with weekend wins and will be high on confidence. This will be their first league encounter since 2011 when the sides drew 1-1 at the Riverside. An equally tight affair wouldn’t be a shock on Tuesday night.

Full Championship Fixture List

19.45 unless stated

Tuesday 4^th November

Birmingham v Watford

Brighton v Wigan

Derby v Huddersfield

Ipswich v Wolves

Leeds v Charlton

Middlesbrough v Norwich

Millwall v Blackburn

Sheffield Wednesday v Bournemouth

Bolton v Cardiff (20:00)