Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
We’re heading into the final weekend of the Championship season, and both Burnley and Millwall still have everything to play for.
While Burnley are still chasing the Championship title after a comfortable win over QPR at the weekend, they will be praying for Leeds United to slip up against Plymouth Argyle on the final day.
Meanwhile, Millwall are on the brink of pulling off a big surprise and sneaking into the Championship play-offs, but a trip to Turf Moor is not the fixture they’d be hoping for right now.
Scott Parker and Alex Neil both know all about navigating the route to promotion, for better or worse, and now the pair go head-to-head this weekend with everything on the line.
What Scott Parker and Alex Neil said about red cards in 2019 game
The pair have history as opponents, with a 2019 clash between Parker’s Fulham and Neil’s Preston North End producing two red cards.
Discussing the heated affair at the time, neither manager had any complaints about either of the sending offs, in a rare case of managers accepting the referee’s decision and moving on with things.
On Joe Rafferty’s red card for a high challenge, Neil said: “Having watched them back, no, I don’t think so [that the referee got it wrong]… It was a crap decision from Joe. He went in over the ball with a straight leg and it was a sending off. No complaints.”
Neil even admitted that Fulham’s Denis Odoi was unlucky to be sent off, adding: “The lad is a bit unfortunate, Patrick went up with his hands down and their lad hits him with his shoulder. The fact that he turns and catches him clean in the face, it was still a bad connection. He is really late going for the header.
“If he didn’t catch Patrick as bad as he did, it may not have been a red card. But I think with how clean the contact is and you see Pat’s head jilted back, it looked like a red card.”
Parker’s side would lose the game 2-1, but eventually went on to secure promotion through the play-offs, one of three promotions Parker has earned in his career already.
On the referee’s decisions back in 2019, Parker suggested he wasn’t sure exactly what had happened but was advised it was probably the correct call. He added: “I have not seen it again but at the time it looked like it was a bit of a head rush moment.
“Denis has obviously gone charging in. I think from what I am hearing it seems like it was a sending off so I couldn’t really comment more than that.”
We’ll have to wait and see if the upcoming fixture between the two managers involves as many serious incidents, but one thing’s for sure, both sides need to keep a clear, composed head as they look to end the season in style and achieve their respective goals.
- READ MORE: Scott Parker and Burnley have just matched astonishing 71-year record after thumping QPR 5-0
So much at stake for Burnley and Millwall this weekend
Burnley know that they are relying on Leeds dropping points this weekend, with the Whites’ incredible goal difference likely to prove the decisive factor in the title race.
But, all the Clarets can do is get their end of the bargain done and hope for the best. Given their relentless form all season — Burnley are still unbeaten since November, when they ironically lost to Millwall — the odds are certainly in their favour.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 45 | 21 | 13 | 11 | 58 | 43 | 15 | 76 |
| 5 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 45 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 57 | 53 | 4 | 67 |
| 6 |  CoventryCoventry | 45 | 19 | 9 | 17 | 62 | 58 | 4 | 66 |
| 7 |  MillwallMillwall | 45 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 66 |
| 8 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 45 | 19 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 47 | 5 | 65 |
| 9 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 45 | 18 | 10 | 17 | 64 | 54 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 |  West BromWest Brom | 45 | 14 | 19 | 12 | 52 | 44 | 8 | 61 |
Still, Millwall have proven they can be a tough nut to crack, especially since the turn of the year. They’ve slowly but surely become a real play-offs contender, and only goal difference is keeping them out of the top six as things stand.
However, given Coventry and Middlesbrough play each other on the final day, the Lions will know that only a win can be enough to secure a play-off berth come Saturday afternoon.