Eric Clapton and Friends take on Ed Sheeran in this week’s albums race

Ed Sheeran faces competition from Eric Clapton And Friends if he wants to hold onto the Number 1 spot on the UK’s Official Albums Chart this weekend. The 23-year-old singer / songwriter’s latest album, X, clocked up five weeks in pole position on Sunday - the longest consecutive run at Number 1 since Adele’s record-breaking album, 21, set up camp at the chart’s summit in January 2011 for an 11-week stand.

However, The Breeze by Eric Clapton And Friends is set to give Ed a run for his money in this week’s chart race. The album is new in at Number 2 on today’s Official Albums Chart Update, and is trailing X by just 4,500 copies at this midway stage. Organised by Clapton, The Breeze is a tribute to late US singer/songwriter JJ Cale, who passed away last summer, and features collaborations with a whole host of musicians including Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, and John Mayer, among others.

Dolly Parton slides one place to Number 3 today with Blue Smoke. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers are set for their highest charting UK album in 23 years with Hypnotic Eye (Number 4), while In The Lonely Hour by Sam Smith (Number 5) rounds off today’s Top 5.

New Entries

Following a string of Top 10 singles, UK girl group Neon Jungle are set for a debut Top 10 album this weekend. The quartet’s debut full-length, Welcome To The Jungle, is new in at Number 6 on today’s midweeks.

Cher Lloyd’s long awaited comeback album, Sorry I’m Late, enters at 12 today, while Canadian band Theory Of A Deadman look set to claim the highest charting UK album of their career with Savages (19).

This week’s new entries are completed by The Struts. The Derby indie rockers’ debut album, Everybody Wants, is a 34 today.

The Official Albums Chart Update Top 40 is as follows. The Official Albums Chart Top 100 will be posted in full, here, on Sunday at 7pm.

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