Sunday 26 March 2017 08:41, UK
With no Sky Bet Championship action this weekend, David Prutton looks ahead to the key fixtures in League One and League Two and predicts who will come out on top.
There are a couple of key clashes live on Sky Sports on Sunday, with Scunthorpe hosting Bradford in League One before Doncaster face Plymouth Argyle in League Two.
Read on to see who EFL expert Prutton is predicting to win this weekend...
It's funny because if you went back a few months, Scunthorpe were nicely nestled behind Sheffield United so it's not a tailing off because it is the most important part of the season.
Bradford have got Charlie Wyke who is in great form and while you would have expected them to beat Swindon, you still have to win against the team put in front of you. They are trying to claw back points on the front-runners in the league but after that, you have to think about consolidation.
Graham Alexander has done a terrific job and Stuart McCall, again they are names we are all very familiar with and the clubs feel comfortable to have these men in charge so I think it shows with the league positions they are in.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 1-1 (9/2 with Sky Bet)
I'm working on these games and this one should be good. There are six points between these two with the added intensity of first against second with some great goalscorers in both sides - Graham Carey springs to mind with Tommy Rowe for Doncaster. It is hopefully going to be a nice, tight game.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 2-1 (7/1 with Sky Bet)
I'm going to go for an away win even though Millwall are coming off the back of a few draws and with Swindon losing to Bradford. With the position they are in at this point in the season, I think it is imperative for Millwall to stay in the play-off chase and Swindon just need to hang on for dear life to survive.
Millwall have built on their defence with good recruitment and it has been a credit to them and they also have a potent attacking threat with the likes of Steve Morison and Lee Gregory.
It would have been tough to keep that amount of consistent clean sheets heading into the end of the season and from their point of view, they're probably thinking it's best to ship the goals now rather than at some point in the play-offs.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 0-2 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
AFC Wimbledon have had a decent season, I think their mid-table position suits them at this moment in time and Southend have just nestled into the play-offs. The way that Phil Brown has gone about this season is to be commended and the recruitment again, although there have been questions about Nile Ranger. They can score goals and also having Anton Ferdinand there gives them more experience.
I think it has to be consolidation for AFC Wimbledon this season. We looked at them playing MK Dons a few weeks ago and their rise has been meteoric to catch up with them so quickly. Neal Ardley, as a young manager, will want to be as successful as possible and it's the old cliche of not running before you can walk, which is exactly what they need to do.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 1-2 (9/1 with Sky Bet)
This is a tough one. I've seen Bury a few times and they have been very good, James Vaughan is scoring goals which we always knew he would. There might be question marks about if he can do it higher up in terms of form and fitness.
They come up against a Fleetwood team who, until a few weeks ago, were looking like they might sneak into the automatic promotion places but for them to be in the play-offs would be a great achievement and after that, it becomes a bit of a lottery.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 2-2 (14/1 with Sky Bet)
Coventry finally got their first win under Mark Robins against Port Vale but wow, it looks ominous for them. I think it has been terrible season upon terrible season. It's strange because it started so well last season, then it fell apart and Tony Mowbray left followed by Russell Slade - it is the very epitome of how not to go about a season. Not getting the results, changing manager after manager with a near-constant turnover.
But Bristol Rovers are looking good. They are in the top half of the table in eighth and are in a good position after coming off a win against Chesterfield.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 0-2 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
I think Oxford pushing for the play-offs is a great achievement. We talked about some form of consolidation but with the way they have gone about the season, getting into the Checkatrade Trophy final, goes to show how good they are at beating teams in and around them.
I really like the way Oxford play and I've always admired the way Michael Appleton manages. He wants his teams to get the ball down and play. They have the likes of Chris Maguire, who I played with at Sheffield Wednesday, and with someone like him, they have always got a chance.
The 4-2 scoreline against Bolton on Tuesday night doesn't do justice to how close the game was and I think they go to Northampton and win for me.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 0-1 (17/2 with Sky Bet)
The pace Sheffield United have set this season has been fantastic. Apart from that first month, they have never really looked like messing it up although there have been a few dodgy results here and there. For me, it is getting to that stage of the season where they are showing their true strength and might.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 0-2 (5/1 with Sky Bet)
Bolton have shown some good resilience, I saw them against Bradford a few weeks ago where they were 2-0 down and there was a lot riding on the game with Phil Parkinson going back to Valley Parade so there was that real edge to the game.
Not that being a 'big' team means you're going to be good, but they are such a physically imposing team and up against a Shrewsbury side who are struggling, they will field their power and their goalscoring prowess with the likes of Gary Madine and Filipe Morais.
He played under Parkinson at Bradford so he knows about him. From what I heard, Morais sort of got released from Bradford so it is a sense of him getting back onto his feet again under a manager who brought the absolute best out of him. I think there is something in him where he wants to be as useful and prolific as possible and that team of good players have brought out another level in him.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 0-2 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
You think on paper the huge distance between these two in the league would make it a forgone conclusion but even Pompey being in third are prone to the odd crazy result. Graham Westley tried his best at Newport but now he has moved on and again, it is a team that needs to consolidate and just stay in the league by the skin of their teeth. I cannot see them going to Pompey and getting anything.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 2-0 (9/2 with Sky Bet)
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