Football League: Promotion and Relegation Permutations Ahead of Weekend Fixtures
There are only a handful of games left in the Football League season and not much is settled at the top or bottom of any of the three divisions. Bristol City know they'll be playing in the Championship next season, while Blackpool know they'll be moving the other way.
Wigan Athletic, just two seasons removed from winning the FA Cup, seem set to join them there.
Here are the promotion and relegation permutations for each division, beginning with the Championship. First, here are this weekend's fixtures:
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| Date | Time | Match |
| Friday, April 17 | 7:15 p.m. (BST) / 2:15 p.m. (ET) | Norwich City vs. Middlesbrough |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Blackburn Rovers vs. Nottingham Forest |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Ipswich Town |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Blackpool vs. Fulham |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Bournemouth vs. Sheffield Wednesday |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Brentford vs. Bolton Wanderers |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Cardiff City vs. Millwall |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Charlton Athletic vs. Leeds United |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Huddersfield Town vs. Derby County |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Watford vs. Birmingham City |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Wigan Athletic vs. Brighton and Hove Albion |
For a look at the current standings, visit BBC Sport.
Middlesbrough can move from fourth to first for a brief time, if they manage to overcome Norwich City away from home. That's a tall order for Aitor Karanka's team.
But the reward for victory is moving from the playoff spots to a step closer to cementing an automatic promotion place. Karanka has emphasised the importance of earning points at this stage, per Sky Sports: "He said two weeks ago that to win now 1-0 is the same as winning 10-0 in September. Every single point is important, every single set-piece is important, and the most important thing is that the players know."
Karanka was quoting current Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, with whom he worked alongside at Real Madrid. Like Mourinho, Karanka has built his team on the foundation of a rock-solid defence. Yet goals have been hard to come by.
If Boro can't find their form in front of goal, Watford could profit. Writing for SkySports.com, Peter Beagrie believes manager Slavisa Jokanovic's team's recent win over Nottingham Forest has given their promotion hopes a major fillip.
Another big win could push a team with all the momentum into the automatic spots. Beagrie noted how Watford have lost just one of 11 games, while also emphasising his belief Bournemouth will seal automatic promotion.
At the playoff level, Derby County have a great chance to create some distance between themselves and seventh, as well as apply pressure to the top two. That's assuming the Rams win on their travels against Huddersfield Town.
In Nahki Wells, the hosts boast a striker pacy and cunning enough to embarrass the Derby defence. Rams' gaffer Steve McCLaren will rely on a talented midfield, featuring youthful playmaker Will Hughes, to craft enough opportunities for Derby to get a faltering promotion push back on track. That would mean taking one step closer to sealing a playoff spot.
At the bottom, defeat for Wigan would ensure a drop to League 1. It would complete a stunning tumble for the Latics since the heady days of 2013 and raising silverware at Wembley.
League One
Here are the weekend's League One fixtures:
| Date | Time | Macth |
| Friday, April 17 | 7:45 p.m. (BST) / 2:45 p.m. (ET) | Port Vale vs. Preston North End |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Barnsley vs. Peterborough United |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Bristol City vs. Coventry City |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Colchester United vs. Scunthorpe United |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Crawley Town vs. Notts County |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Crewe Alexandra vs. Walsall |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Doncaster Rovers vs. Fleetwood Town |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Gillingham vs. Rochdale |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Milton Keynes Dons vs. Leyton Orient |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Oldham Athletic vs. Chesterfield |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Sheffield United vs. Bradford City |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Swindon Town vs. Yeovil Town |
To see the full and current standings for the division, follow this link.
Bristol are already promoted with room to spare. No team will join them in Week 43, but Preston North End can't afford any slips.
They are under pressure from a chasing pack that have games in hand. Third-placed MK Dons have played the same number of matches (42), while Swindon Town have played a game less in fourth.
That means it's vital for Preston to secure a win when they make the trip to Staffordshire to take on Port Vale. The form of striker Joe Garner will be a key factor.
Garner has been nominated for the League 1 Player of the Year award, having hit 20 goals, per the league's official site. Wales Under-21 defender Tommy O'Sullivan could be used to help keep Garner quiet, after the Cardiff City youngster extended his loan spell at Vale, per BBC Sport.
Another player in the running for the award is 19-year-old Dons' midfield talisman Dele Alli. He'll be hoping O'Sullivan and Vale can do his team a favour and let Milton Keynes move into the last remaining automatic promotion spot. The Dons' vastly superior goal difference will prove vital in the race for second.
At the bottom, defeat for Colchester United would leave the U's on the brink of dropping into English football's bottom tier. Opponents Scunthorpe aren't exactly assured of safety, holding just a four-point lead over the quartet of teams propping up the division.
Meanwhile's Crawley Town's clash with Notts County is the classic relegation six-pointer. Temporarily leaving the drop zone could be the reward for a win.
League 2
Here are this weekend's fixtures for the bottom division:
| Date | Time | Match |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | AFC Wimbledon vs. Wycombe Wanderers |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Accrington Stanley vs. Stevenage |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Cambridge United vs. Mansfield Town |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Carlisle United vs. Plymouth Argyle |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Exeter City vs. Southend United |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Luton Town vs. Hartlepool United |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Morecambe vs. Burton Albion |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Newport County AFC vs. Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Northampton Town vs. Cheltenham Town |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Portsmouth vs. Bury |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Shrewsbury Town vs. York City |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Tranmere Rovers vs. Oxford United |
To see how the table looks, go to BBC Sport.
Wycombe Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town can apply real pressure to Burton Albion at the top of League Two. The latter can actually go top if they beat York City at home. Meanwhile, Wycombe will have a harder time winning away to AFC Wimbledon, led by powerhouse striker Adebayo Akinfenwa.
Just five points separates third from first in a division where three teams can earn promotion without the hassle of the playoffs.
Wanderers have a four-point cushion ahead of the playoff places. But Bury and fifth-placed Southend each have a game in hand.
Luton Town are the team currently on the outside looking in. The Hatters trail seventh-placed Plymouth Argyle by just three points.
But their promotion bid has been rocked by the red card recently given to 35-year-old striker Paul Benson. He'll miss Luton's last three games, including meetings with playoff-placed Southend and Stevenage, per Sky Sports.
If Luton's promotion hopes are dented, it's Hartlepool United who'll benefit. They are just a single point above the drop zone.
The rise above the drop has been keyed by a surprisingly stingy defence. Scott Harrison has been an important figure in the more miserly approach.
The 21-year-old won the League Two Young Player of the Month award for March. He expressed his delight, per the Football League's official Twitter feed:
Benson's absence will certainly be welcome news for the bullish centre-back.
It's the teams at the bottom who'll be most affected by this weekend's Football League results.
