Good Friday football on TV – Your guide to Championship fixtures

Good Friday is traditionally a day of fasting and penance in the Christian calendar ahead of Easter Sunday. It’s a day of rest and observation.

For Championship lovers, though, resting is the last thing on their minds once Good Friday rolls around. That’s because, as it tradition, there’s a full calendar of second division footer to get our gnashers stuck into.

The absence of Premier League action also means the Championship dominates TV scheduling, with access to live coverage extended beyond club subscription services on official club websites.

Here’s where you can fill your boots should football on Good Friday be your kind of thing.

The lunchtime kick-off between high-flyers Millwall and Luton Town is the perfect appetiser for this Good Friday feast.

Both sides currently occupy the play-off positions, and Luton’s bright run of form has them dreaming of automatic promotion and their first-ever Premier League berth.

Millwall have endured an indifferent run heading into this encounter, but a big win over Rob Edwards’ side would stand them in good stead heading into the last few games.

Remember when QPR had genuine ambitions for returning to the Premier League?

Then Michael Beale did that interview and everything seemed to go downhill from there. They’ve moved onto their third manager of the season, and it’s not been easy for former Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth in west London. Only Reading (two) have picked up fewer points than QPR (three) over their last six games.

As a result, relegation is staring Ainsworth’s side in the face. They’re just three points adrift of safety with seven games remaining.

Back-to-back victories for the Blades have eased any fears over a stuttering conclusion to their impressive season. They’ve long stationed themselves in second spot behind Burnley, and are in a great position to return to the top flight following a brief absence.

Third-place Middlesbrough and fourth-place Luton are each six points adrift of them having played a game more.

They should beat bottom of the pile Wigan pretty comfortably at Bramall Lane on Friday afternoon.

You shouldn’t expect the most thrilling action at the bet365 Stadium. Both Stoke and Bristol City sit firmly in mid-table with neither side boasting any real hope of making the play-offs. Relegation, meanwhile, is a long way off.

Bristol City’s poor run of form has all but crushed their hopes of an extended season, and their woes could continue on Friday against a Stoke side that is starting to impress under Alex Neil. Only four teams have taken more points from their last six outings than the Potters (11).

Swansea will be in the most buoyant of moods when they play host to Coventry City this Friday. The Swans head into this clash off the back of their dramatic, last-gasp victory in the South Wales Derby over Cardiff.

That victory was significant in the context of the relegation dogfight as Swansea created a bigger buffer between themselves and the drop, all while sticking their biggest rivals right in the thick of it.

Their visitors on Friday, Coventry, are just four points off the final play-off spot but they head into this one after getting battered 4-0 at home to Stoke at the weekend.

It’s been a season of disappointment for Watford supporters. A mid-table finish for the Hornets beckon, and they’re poised to lose the likes of Ibrahima Sarr and Joao Pedro in the summer. A quick return to the Premier League will not play out, and they’ll spend another season (at least) in the second tier.

As for Friday’s visitors to Vicarage Road, Huddersfield Town, they may well end up in League 1 after spending two years in the top flight between 2017 and 2019. However, they’ve given themselves a chance of staying up by claiming seven points from their last three games. The Neil Warnock effect.

The evening kick-off between a pair of former Premier League stalwarts sees Sunderland host Hull City at the Stadium of Light.

Neither side are playing for much, although Sunderland do have an outside shot of making the play-offs despite winning just one of their last six outings. Hull are in similarly poor form, but they’re currently nine points clear of the relegation zone and shouldn’t get dragged into the dogfight.

Good Friday starts with a bang, and ends with an explosion as Michael Carrick’s impressive Middlesbrough host runaway leaders Burnley in the late kick-off on Sky Sports.

While Vincent Kompany’s side were humbled by Manchester City in the FA Cup before the break, they haven’t missed a beat in the Championship. The free-flowing Clarets are currently top by 11 points and are yet to taste defeat in the league this calendar year. They were last beaten by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane back in November, but this will be a tough game.

Carrick’s Boro have dazzled at times, with the former England midfielder showing immense promise in his first senior coaching job. Expect fireworks at The Riverside.