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Championship preview

Image: Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay will hope to keep the pressure on Brighton

Cardiff will be hoping to overtake Brighton at the top of the Championship after Tuesday's round of matches.

Brighton aim to bounce back; Cardiff out to apply pressure

Brighton will be looking to bounce back from a surprise home defeat at the weekend and stay top of the Championship after Tuesday's round of matches. The Seagulls lost at home to Birmingham but stayed ahead of Cardiff on goal difference. The Bluebirds will have to be on their guard against Lee Clark's outfit, while in-form Wolves are level on points and could take advantage of any slip-ups from the sides ahead of them if they beat Crystal Palace at Molineux. Brighton remained top of the table despite a surprise home defeat to Birmingham, while Ipswich remained in the bottom three after losing an early lead at Oakwell. Paul Jewell's side are without a win in six league matches since beating Watford at Vicarage Road in August. Cardiff City are second on goal difference after beating Blackpool at home on Saturday, while Birmingham City bounced back impressively from their 5-0 loss to Barnsley in their previous outing to record a surprise win over table-topping Brighton. Wolves' attempt to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking has gathered pace with four straight wins, while Crystal Palace are unbeaten in five having carved out a hard-earned 1-0 win at Bolton on Saturday. Simon Grayson's Huddersfield slipped to only their second defeat of the season on Saturday, while visiting Leicester, just one place above the Terriers, snatched a last-gasp win at Middlesbrough thanks to a Lloyd Dyer goal. Hull City have lost their last two games, most recently slipping to a shock 3-1 home defeat against previously winless Peterborough United. Ian Holloway rang the changes for Blackpool's last game, and could do so again after the Tangerines shipped three to Cardiff City without reply. Barnsley will be looking to take three points at home from bottom-of the table Peterborough, who managed to record their first win of the season away at Hull on Saturday.

Headache

Bristol City will have a defensive selection headache after George Elokobi was ruled out for the rest of the season after fracturing and dislocating an ankle. Joe Bryan was also concussed in the defeat at home to Leeds, while opponents Millwall go into Tuesday's game third from bottom after picking up a point at Turf Moor. Burnley conceded a late equaliser on Saturday to spurn the chance to move up the table, while Sheffield Wednesday boss Dave Jones will be looking to halt the Owls' dismal run of five straight league defeats that puts them one place above the relegation zone. Charlton have only won once at home this season, and they will need to be on their guard as Watford will be on a high having beaten high-flying Huddersfield on the road last weekend. Bolton's assault on the Championship has got off to a stuttering start, and they take on Leeds while languishing in 18th place. Neil Warnock's side are in form, with two wins in the league bookending their Capital One Cup victory over Everton last week.

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