EFL Preview: Silverware and survival at stake

Mark Robins' Stoke have a Championship six-pointer against Cardiff while Alfie May will be in the Birmingham squad as they meet Peterborough at Wembley

With five games remaining for the vast majority of EFL teams, we are at the point of the season when things become set in stone.

Birmingham City were the first to permanently etch their name into the story of 2024-25 as on Tuesday night as they secured promotion from League One with six games to spare.

Saturday will see a host of potentially crucial games across the Championship, League One and Two, with one side potentially having relegation confirmed and the net closing on plenty more.

Let's take a look ahead to the biggest weekend of the season, so far...

Digging for victory in the Eight Escape

While three sides are set to slug it out for two automatic promotion places at the top of the Championship, at the other end eight teams separated by just eight points are embroiled in a five-match mini league to avoid relegation.

Four of those sides meet in two fixtures on what could prove to be a pivotal afternoon in the fight for survival.

Cardiff City sit below the dotted line in 22nd, behind Derby on goal difference, ahead of Stoke's trip across the Severn on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Potters are 20th, just two points ahead of the Bluebirds, having being pegged back in stoppage-time by Luton on Tuesday night.

Boss Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke that goal 'just flattens everything,' adding: "I'm really disappointed but, take the emotions out of it, we've got to take the point and make it into a better one at Cardiff on Saturday.

"There's still a long way to go and we now have to be ready to go again."

Cardiff needed a last-gasp equaliser of their own to salvage a point they barely deserved at Preston at almost exactly the same moment and City boss Omer Riza told BBC Radio Wales: "We are working our hardest to make sure we survive.

"It's very important to this club, to the fans and to us as staff. We don't want to be remembered here for getting relegated.

"We have to be positive. We have to keep believing and we have to keep fighting.

"We are unbeaten in four which I suppose we'll take forwards confidence-wise for Saturday."

While fans in the stands might have begun to set score notifications for rival teams and pack earpieces, the players won't be asking for updates from other games just yet.

Derby head to Fratton Park in the other 'six-pointer' with opponents Portsmouth four places higher despite their last-second defeat at Coventry on Wednesday but would fall below the Rams if John Eustace's side can claim victory.

"We can't really look at other teams," skipper Ebou Adams told BBC Radio Derby.

"It's not enough to say that we are out of the relegation spots on goal difference, we still have to go out and win games. The only positive that we can take on being out [of the bottom three] on goal difference is that it's in our hands.

"It's up to us to keep winning games."

Luton skipper Carlton Morris and his side are still second-bottom despite a five-match unbeaten run

Basement-boys Plymouth face a tough task to close what is effectively a six-point gap to safety, such is their inferior goal difference, when third-placed Sheffield United head to Home Park at 12:30 BST.

Second-bottom Luton will host free-falling Blackburn, who picked up just their second point in eight games at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.

The Hatters will be without forward Elijah Adebayo, who will miss the run-in with a serious knee injury, as they seek to make it six games unbeaten and close a two-point gap to safety, which is effectively three as their goal difference is worse than the sides they are chasing.

After a 3-1 home defeat to QPR on Wednesday, Oxford United head to Hillsborough with a three-point cushion over the bottom-three, but Hull City, in 19th, could find themselves back in the drop-zone by the time they kick-off at home to play-off chasing Coventry on Monday night (20:00 BST).

Clarets aim to seize initiative in see-saw contest

Scott Parker's Burnley are now unbeaten in 28 league games but relinquished top-spot to Leeds on Tuesday night

Burnley will seek to take over leadership of the Championship when they get the weekend programme underway with the visit of Norwich City to Turf Moor on Friday night (20:00 BST)

The Clarets were held at Derby on Tuesday to allow Leeds to take over at the top on goal difference courtesy of their win at Middlesbrough.

If Burnley avoid defeat against the Canaries it will mean a 28th change at the summit this season, though Leeds will have the opportunity to reclaim ownership as they welcome Preston to Elland Road at 12:30 BST on Saturday.

After a nightmare week, third-placed Sheffield United will seek to get back on track as they head to rock-bottom Plymouth, also at 12:30 BST.

The Blades saw their six-match winning streak on the road ended at Oxford United last Saturday before going down by the same 1-0 scoreline at home to Millwall on Tuesday to fall two points behind their title rivals.

In the race for the play-offs, fifth-placed Bristol City will aim to continue the momentum generated by their 96th-minute winner against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday as they head to QPR.

A point behind, Coventry returned to the top-six courtesy of a last-gasp win over Portsmouth on Wednesday but don't play until Monday night at Hull City so could be overhauled by Middlesbrough, if Boro can pick up a win at Millwall, who remain in the hunt in ninth after their Bramall Lane heroics.

West Brom are five points adrift of the play-off spots and nothing but a win will do as they host Watford, who themselves are only a point behind the Baggies in 10th.

Blues hoping for silverware double this weekend

Birmingham celebrated League One promotion on Tuesday, and it could get even better this weekend

After securing promotion with a win at Peterborough on Tuesday, and with a Wembley date against Posh in the EFL Trophy on Sunday, Birmingham could seal the title on Saturday lunchtime without even playing.

Second-placed Wrexham head to Wigan, in 18th, at 12:30 BST requiring a win to prevent Blues being confirmed as champions with six games to spare.

The Red Dragons are also in need of points to hold off the charge of third-placed Wycombe, three behind after their midweek win at Huddersfield, with the Chairboys set to host Stevenage, also at 12:30 BST.

Later on Saturday, Stockport and Charlton could take a big step towards sealing a play-off spot as they host resurgent Rotherham and head to lowly Cambridge United respectively while Reading host battling Northampton aiming to stay sixth.

At the other end basement-boys Shrewsbury will be relegated if they lose at Lincoln or if Bristol Rovers win at home to Exeter while fourth-bottom Burton will continue their quest for survival at home to Huddersfield while third-bottom Crawley host Leyton Orient.

Mark Hughes and Carlisle face a crucial clash at second-bottom Morecambe

Six-pointers galore in fourth tier

There are some potentially decisive games at both ends of the table in League Two on Saturday.

Rock-bottom Carlisle head to second-bottom Morecambe seeking to climb off the foot of the table and keep their slim survival hopes alive.

The sides they are both chasing also lock horns with third-bottom Accrington, six points ahead of Morecambe and eight clear of Carlisle, hosting Tranmere, who sit a point above them in 21st.

In the race for promotion, leaders Bradford face a tricky trip to Swindon at 12:30 BST while at the same time fourth-placed Doncaster, who are only three points behind top-spot with a game in hand, entertain AFC Wimbledon, who sit fifth, two points behind Rovers and only four adrift of the automatic promotion places themselves.

Second-placed Port Vale, off the top on goal difference alone, will host Bromley at 15:00 BST while Walsall, now third after losing to Vale last time out, will seek to end their nine match winless streak as they head to Barrow.