There are no doubts about the headliners among the dozen Championship matches on Monday, with leaders Coventry and third-placed Ipswich kick-starting the entertainment in the earliest match (18:00 GMT) at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Frank Lampard’s side have an eight-point lead over Middlesbrough, with a further five back to pre-season favourites Ipswich.
But the Tractor Boys will be hopeful the bruises from their 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture on 6 December are still tender.
Despite that highlight, Kieran McKenna’s side endured a December very much in keeping with a two steps forward-one step back type of season.
Either side of that crushing win over the Championship leaders, there were draws against Blackburn and on Boxing Day against Millwall, as well as a loss in between to Leicester City.
Consistency from week to week has not been their strong point this season.
For Coventry, a free-scoring opening to the season saw them grab top spot and they have not released it since.
But with just two wins out of five this month and only four goals scored, could they be experiencing a touch of mid-season dip?
After scrambling past Swansea on Boxing Day, a more emphatic three points here against a side who may yet turn out to be their closest rivals would be huge.
