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Football: Championship round up

Burnley try for promotion, Derby prepare for play-offs as Barnsley stare relegation in the face and Reading look to reverse defeat with a home success against Middlesbrough

WIGAN boss Uwe Rosler has ordered his players to forget about a return trip to Wembley as they attempt to ruin Burnley’s promotion party tonight.

Victory for the Clarets would send Sean Dyche’s men back into the Premier League along with leaders Leicester, who could claim the title at Bolton on Tuesday evening.

Even a draw could be enough for Burnley after Friday’s 1-0 win at Blackpool left them on the brink of promotion.

But victory for the Latics would all but assure them of a play-off berth, and that will be Rosler’s only focus.

“There can’t be any talk about us getting promotion yet. We need to leave talk of that until we actually achieve it,” he said.

“So far, we have taken every game step-by-step and it’s been the right thing to do for us.

“That must continue and all we want to focus on now is Burnley. If we get to Wembley again, then that will be the time to talk about it.”

Derby will hope to prepare themselves for the play-offs by following up their 2-0 win at Doncaster on Friday evening with victory over relegation-haunted Barnsley.

Manager Steve McClaren said: “It’s about performance now, making sure we finish as high as we can and being ready for the play-offs.”

The Tykes, who lost 1-0 at home to derby rivals Leeds on Saturday, remain three points adrift of safety.

QPR will book their place in the end-of-season showdown if they bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at Leicester on Saturday with a positive result at home to Watford, who beat Ipswich 3-1 the same day.

Brighton still have work to do after a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield, and will hope to go one better when lowly Blackpool head for the Amex Stadium, while Reading will look to repair the damage of their defeat at the DW Stadium at home to Middlesbrough tomorrow evening.

The Teessiders’ four-game winning streak came to a halt on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium by Millwall.

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