EFL 11/4 Acca | Gab Sutton

Sunderland’s back-to-back defeats, to Leeds and Hull, was the mini-blip they might have been able to afford in most Championship automatic promotion races, but in this one – where 97 points is the projected benchmark – they probably couldn’t.

Nonetheless, Regis Le Bris’ side have responded admirably with back-to-back wins, which have at least secured their comfort in the top six, but they probably need to accrue near enough maximum points in the final 10 to have a squeak of the top two.

The Black Cats have talented winger Tommy Watson back fit, though, to provide much-needed depth on the flanks, and have the luxury of bringing the quality of him, Chris Rigg, Wilson Isidor and Dennis Cirkin – some of the top performers in the Championship this season – off the bench.

Having been level on points with the relegation zone after November’s 3-1 loss at Portsmouth, Preston North End have steadily climbed into midtable safety with just five defeats in their last 21 – but they’re now winless in five.

Having managed a whopping 16 clean sheets from 35 league games, Stevenage’s defensive resolve faces the ultimate test: a trip to St Andrews.

Runaway leaders Birmingham have been formidable at home, winning 15 of their 18-league hosting's, and drawing the other three – with Reading, Northampton and Blackpool – conceding only seven goals.

The Boro can take some encouragement from the fact Blues have needed questionable refereeing decisions to go their way in recent home encounters – such as Jack Currie’s early dismissal against Leyton Orient, and the second half penalty awarded against Lincoln for contact on Tomoki Iwata.

Nonetheless, when Chris Davies’ side do get their noses in front, they can be hard to stop because they manage games so well.

Wimbledon have kept a steady hand on the Tilley this season, having stayed in the top seven since December – and it only took that long to get there due to a backlog of fixtures from September due to a damaged pitch.

Johnnie Jackson’s side are a well-rounded outfit, with defensive strength maintained regardless of absentees, midfield creativity in Jake Reeves and Marcus Browne, a selfless focal point in Omar Bugiel and a serial goalscorer in Matty Stevens.

The Dons’ only weakness is that they can struggle to find the net when Stevens doesn’t, which is what might hold them back from being a top three side, but they’re comfortably a top seven outfit.

Cheltenham are aspiring to that level in the next couple of seasons, hopefully with new ownership, but they’re nowhere near as efficient: Michael Flynn’s side have conceded over twice the number of league goals in 35 games (50) as their hosts (23).

* Odds correct at the time of writing. 18+ only. GambleAware.