Will there be a change at the top of the Championship following the post-Christmas matches next week?

First up on Boxing Day, Newcastle will look to protect their lead at the top when they host Sheffield Wednesday at 7.45pm on Sky Sports 1. Though Brighton are breathing down their necks, the Toon will feel confident in their chances of bouncing straight back to the Premier League as they head into the New Year. There is a 9 point gap between them and 3rd place Reading and, bar a handful of slip-ups, Rafa Benitez’s side have looked fantastic. And in Dwight Gayle, taken off of Crystal Palace’s hands over the summer, they have the league’s top scorer, his 17 goals already more than he managed in 3 years in London.



Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, aren’t doing too badly themselves; in 6th place they are at the bottom end of the play-off zone, a tight little group with only a few points separating 6 teams. Wednesday will also take comfort from the fact that 3 of Newcastle’s 5 losses this season have come at St James’ Park. Nevertheless, it’s very tough to topple the Toon at the moment, with Spreadex offering a Newcastle/Sheffield Wednesday Goal Supremacy spread of 0.8-1 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.35-2.55.

Brighton will be watching that game very carefully, as if Newcastle fail to win then the Seagulls would go top on Tuesday with a victory over QPR, who they host at 12.30pm on Sky Sports 1. After automatic promotion slipped out of their fingers thanks to inferior goal difference, before losing in the play-off semis, Brighton are trying to make sure they don’t miss out this time around. They haven’t lost a league game since the middle of September, yet have consistently been kept from the top spot thanks to Newcastle. Even their own formidable forward, Glenn Murray on 14 goals, is behind the Toon’s free-scoring counterpart.



That could change, dependant on Monday’s result, with a win against QPR. The Hoops aren’t having the best season; they are just 3 points above the relegation zone, and have lost their last 4 games on the trot. It seems the departure of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank and the return of Ian Holloway has failed to turn things around, and it is hard to imagine the London club posing much threat to their south coast opponents. With that in mind, Spreadex are offering a Brighton/QPR Goal Supremacy spread of 0.95-1.15 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.4-2.6.

Just like Brighton, Derby and Birmingham will be keeping an eye on the result of Sheffield Wednesdsay’s trip to Newcastle, if for slightly different reasons; the two meet at 3pm on Sky Sports 1. Both sides are currently lurking on the outside of the play-off places, the Rams by 1 point, the Blues by 3. A win for Derby, and a failure to win for Wednesday, would see them leap-frog into 6th place; for the Blues things are a bit more complicated, as they would need a substantial loss for the Sheffield side, and a decent win over Debry, to make the jump.



Derby are in pretty great form at the moment, last weekend’s draw against Fulham bringing to an end the Rams’ 7 game winning streak. As for Birmingham, they’ve had a disappointing December, a victory over Ispwich joined by losses against Barnsley, Newcastle and Brighton. That divergence in fortunes is what gives the host the advantage, at a Derby/Birmingham Goal Supremacy spread of 0.75-0.95 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.3-2.5.