Championship preview

Baggies on top at start of 2008

By Lewis Rutledge   Last updated: 31st December 2007

Championship preview

Mowbray: Top of the leaague

Related links

Teams

Also see

West Brom start 2008 as Championship leaders but the race for promotion is still wide open, while competition is also fierce at the bottom of the table.

Tony Mowbray's Baggies will find it difficult to make a winning start to the New Year as they travel to Ipswich, who are unbeaten at home this season.

Watford will be looking to end their recent bad run against an equally out-of-form Southampton, while third-paced Bristol City take on Coventry.

Two of the season's surprise packages, Stoke and Hull, meet at The Britannia Stadium, while Wolves and Sheffield United, two sides that were expected to challenge for top spot but have slipped back into mid-table, lock horns at Molineux.

Preston tackle Sheffield Wednesday in a relegation six-pointer, while bottom club Colchester face high-flying Charlton.

Crystal Palace, who have collected more points in their last six games than any other team, play struggling Norwich.

Elsewhere, play-off hopefuls Plymouth are away to Cardiff, Blackpool entertain Burnley, Queens Park Rangers meet Leicester, and Scunthorpe host Barnsley.

Click on the links below for an individual preview

Blackpool v Burnley

Bristol City v Coventry

Cardiff v Plymouth

Charlton v Colchester

Crystal Palace v Norwich

Ipswich v West Brom

Queens Park Rangers v Leicester

Scunthorpe v Barnsley

Sheffield Wednesday v Preston

Southampton v Watford

Stoke v Hull

Wolves v Sheffield United