How Coventry, West Brom, Bristol City & Middlesbrough's final 8 Championship fixtures compare | OneFootball

FLW compares the final run-in between Coventry City, West Brom, Bristol City and Middlesbrough.

The race for a place in the top six is set to go down to the wire with eight games remaining of the regular season.

It’s been another enthralling campaign of Championship action, with teams across the second tier hoping to realise their Premier League ambitions.

With 24 points left to play for between now and the beginning of May, fans up and down the country will be hoping their respective sides can squeak into the play-offs and have a chance of gaining promotion to the big time.

Heading into this weekend, just three points separate eighth-placed Middlesbrough between seventh-placed Bristol City and current sixth-place holders West Brom, while Coventry City are two points clear of the Baggies in fifth place after a resurgence under Frank Lampard.

All to play for heading into the final run-in, Football League World compares the fixture list of West Brom, Bristol City and Middlesbrough.

Coventry City’s remaining fixtures

When Frank Lampard took over the hotseat at the CBS Arena, Coventry at the time were just two points above the relegation zone, but an excellent run of nine wins from 10 games has left the club in a superb position to get into the play-offs come the end of the season.

The Midlands outfit responded emphatically before the international break with a thumping 3-0 win over Sunderland and look revitalised under Lampard as they aim to go one step further at Wembley and book their place in the top-flight.

Heading into the final eight games of the season, the Sky Blues face a difficult first couple of games, travelling to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United, before hosting Burnley the following weekend.

Winnable games on paper against Portsmouth and Hull follow, before a crunch Midlands derby against West Brom occurs on Good Friday, while a trip to relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle gets underway just three days later.

Coventry’s final away trip of the regular season comes at Kenilworth Road against Luton Town, before Lampard’s men wrap up the campaign at home to Middlesbrough, where a top six place could still be on the line.

West Brom’s remaining fixtures

Tony Mowbray’s West Brom are the team being hunted at the moment for the elusive sixth-placed position, with Albion needing to maintain a consistent run of form both at The Hawthorns and on the road to fend off the competition.

Albion may have to put an unwanted record to bed too in order to compete for promotion, with the Black Country outfit failing to register back-to-back league victories since September 2024.

The Baggies kick off their final eight-game run-in with a trip to Norwich City on Saturday, before taking on play-off rivals Sunderland and Bristol City within the space of three days.

Albion host Watford the following week before making the short trip to the CBS Arena to entertain Coventry City on Good Friday, which could be a massive game in pursuit of the play-offs.

After a tricky period, Albion have three very winnable games on paper to end the season, hosting Derby County before making the journey to South Wales to visit Cardiff City.

On the final day of the season, West Brom meet Luton Town at The Hawthorns, which could have implications at both ends of the table.

Bristol City’s remaining fixtures

Meanwhile, Bristol City have been on a sensational run of form in the Championship to push themselves into top six contention, going unbeaten in their last seven league games and winning four in the process.

Hitting an upward trajectory at the right time, Bristol City will be confident of their chances to gatecrash the top six if this form continues.

The Robins make the trip to automatic promotion contender Burnley this weekend before hosting both Watford and West Brom in crucial clashes.

After their meeting with the Baggies, Liam Manning’s men travel to QPR before another blockbuster fixture at Ashton Gate with Sunderland.

Back-to-back away meetings with Luton Town and Leeds United follow, before the Robins host Preston on the final day of the season, hoping they have done enough to secure a play-off place.

Middlesbrough’s remaining fixtures

Finally, Middlesbrough have hurled themselves back into the promotion picture after an unstable short period under Michael Carrick.

The former Manchester United midfielder had his future up in the air at one point at the Riverside Stadium, but has managed to arrest the slide, with the 43-year-old overseeing three victories from their last five games.

Some better consistency sees Boro just three points off West Brom, and they will look to close that gap when they host Oxford United this Saturday.

A Good Friday trip to out-of-form Blackburn follows, before Carrick’s men host Leeds United on the 8th April.

Boro head to the Den to face Millwall before entertaining relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle. A trip to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday is also on the agenda.

For the final two games of the season, Middlesbrough return to the Riverside to host Norwich City, while a final-day away trip to Coventry City has the potential to be season-defining.

West Brom and Coventry City have the most appealing run-ins

Despite having some difficult games to come, West Brom will be backed to succeed in the race for the top six given their fantastic run of form against the top sides in the division.

The Baggies are unbeaten this season against all of the top three in Leeds, Sheffield United and Burnley, and will be aiming to take that kind of metal into their clashes with the likes of Sunderland and Bristol City.

After a tough run, Albion also have appealing fixtures against teams towards the bottom end of the division, and while they will be fighting for their lives, Tony Mowbray’s men do possess enough quality going forward to overcome those challenges.

Meanwhile, Coventry City are only heading one way under Frank Lampard right now, with the Sky Blues completely transformed under the former Chelsea midfielder.

Under a new lease of life and entering form at the exact right time, Coventry have to be favoured to retain their place in the top six and use their experience from last season to finally secure a place back in the Premier League.

It proves to be a topsy-turvy journey between now and the end of the season to decide who secures their ticket into the play-offs, with this division well-known for its sheer unpredictability.