EFL’s Showdown Saturday: Can Leeds turn screw? Wrexham to close in on history?

The promotion races across the Championship, League One and League Two take centre stage again at lunchtime on Saturday, with Sky Sports+ showing six EFL games live.

All 12.30pm Kick Off on Sky Sports+

CH: Leeds vs Preston, Plymouth vs Sheff Utd (also SSF)
L1: Wigan vs Wrexham, Wycombe vs Stevenage
L2: Doncaster vs AFC Wimbledon, Swindon vs Bradford

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Championship: Will Leeds to turn the screw & can Sheff Utd divert from dip?

A lot can change in a week in the Championship. In the last seven days, Sheffield United, Leeds and Burnley have all enjoyed the joy of being at the summit.

Leeds looked to be slipping, but enjoyed a massive win at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night as the other two slipped. They head into the weekend back on top, although may not be there by kick-off, with Burnley playing on Friday night.

Sheffield United, meanwhile, have suffered a dip at the wrong time. They were top a week ago, but have suffered back-to-back defeats against Oxford and Millwall. They are now looking up at the other two, with the two-point deduction they suffered at the start of the season looking more and more costly as the campaign rolls on.

Leeds host Preston. It looks a winnable game, but lately Leeds seem to struggle against the team they should beat, and flag against those they don’t. Sheffield United have the long trip down to Plymouth, who were hammered in midweek by Swansea and are in the last-chance saloon as they strive to stay up.

Latest Leeds & Sheff Utd highlights

League One: Wrexham to tighten grip on history?

It is a full-on race to the finish now in League One between Wrexham in second and Wycombe in third. The latter won their game in hand against Huddersfield in midweek, meaning three points separate the pair with five games to go – although Wycombe have the advantage of a slightly better goal difference.

Wrexham head to Wigan, who need a couple more points to really guarantee their survival. Wycombe host a Stevenage side who are about as mid-table as mid-table can be. Whether they are already mentally on the beach, or pose a freewheeling threat to the Chairboys, remains to be seen.

It is set to be a decisive few hours in that neck of the third tier. Victory, and Wrexham will be a step closer to securing a third-straight promotion – no side has ever done that. Slip, and Wycombe will be hoping to pounce.

League Two: More twists at the top?

Doncaster and AFC Wimbledon are fourth and fifth in League Two heading into the weekend, both needing a win to keep the possibility of automatic promotion in their hands.

They meet at the Eco-Power Stadium, both with an eye on Walsall above them who have flagged badly in recent months.

Bradford, meanwhile, have taken the lead in what is a ridiculously tight race. They head to a Swindon side who are buried in mid-table, but are unlikely to go into the run-in quietly with Ian Holloway at the helm.

It is all to play for.

Listen to the Essential EFL podcast – predictions, interviews and more

Sky Sports brings you the Essential EFL podcast channel, featuring all the best content from the Championship, League One and League Two.

Among the latest offerings are…

EFL Interviews: Featuring chats with Sheff Utd’s Rhian Brewster, Watford’s Mattie Pollock and Stoke’s Nathan Lowe
Championship Catch-up: Simeon Gholam and Andy Hinchcliffe take a look at the latest in the Championship promotion race.

Make sure you don’t miss an episode…

EFL Goal Zone on Soccer Saturday

Catch all of the goals from the 12.30pm kick-offs on Sky Sports News live on Soccer Saturday with a dedicated part of the studio set aside to showcase every ball hitting the back of the net.