After a weekend postponed due to the death of the Queen, the EFL returns to regularly scheduled programming with all the necessary drama raring to go.
Bristol City were left ruing defensive errors after leaving Carrow Road without a deserved point against Norwich City in midweek, but a clash against 5th-placed Burnley offers a chance to rectify their play-off charge.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield Town will hope to exploit that new-manager-smell against Cardiff City as Watford welcome a searing Sunderland side after their emphatic 3-0 rout of play-off hopeful Reading.
In League One, it's second versus third in the table as in-form Portsmouth take on clean-sheet-happy Plymouth. In League Two, Mark Hughes' Bradford City will continue their mission of inserting themselves into the play-off picture.
Below, we highlight the EFL's five big weekend match-ups to keep an eye on.
Championship
Burnley versus Bristol City:
A highly-anticipated derby clash left Burnley feeling the of frustration of a fifth draw in their ninth game of the Championship season. The statistic paints a stark portrait of the glaring issue facing Vincent Kompany’s side. Despite controlling large portions of matches, Burnley’s lack of incision and threat in the final third make for an ultimately toothless display.
Against Bristol City, that flaw could be fatal. The 11-day hiatus from football threatened to put cold water on the Robins' blistering play-off momentum, and against Norwich City, they faced their most difficult test yet, and while manager Nigel Pearson was left ruing his side's avoidable defensive lapses in their a fiercely exciting 3-2 loss, it was admittedly difficult to come away from this match entirely angry at going toe-to-toe with Norwich City away from home. The Robins easily could have left Carrow Road with a share of the spoils without any accusations of nicking.
Bristol City's loss knocked them out of the play-off spots, usurped by a supercharged Sunderland. Burnley and Bristol City boast 14 points apiece going into the 10th game of the season. Bristol City need their play-off spot back. Burnley need to kill off a penchant for draws.
Huddersfield Town versus Cardiff City:
Will it be a case of new manager bounce or too little too late for the Terriers? A torrid start to the season made the sacking of Danny Schofield more a question of when, not if, but it’s mentally taxing to recall the halcyon days of a promotion hope that only months ago permeated the John Smith’s Stadium when glancing down at Huddersfield’s most recent displays.
Still, it’s a point of pride on the line here, and Huddersfield will be gnawing at the bit to put right a season of so many wrongs. What better way to do that than in front of a home crowd at 3pm?
What are your EFL predictions this week? Have your say in the comments.
Cardiff City suffered a scare of sorts in the final minutes of their 3-2 midweek victory over Middlesbrough, but with a losing streak well and over, manager Steve Morison will be ruthless in his efforts to keep the Bluebirds' performances on the up. A change in formation reaped immense dividends as key issues were solved in providing striker support and getting the best out of one of their best players, Perry Ng.
Terriers, take note. It’ll probably be a variation of the same on Saturday.
Watford versus Sunderland AFC:
Sunderland scored one of the best goals of the season in their 3-0 victory over Reading on Wednesday night. The irony here is that with leading goalscorer Ross Stewart out for six weeks through injury and the club's only other recognised striker in Elis Simms limping off early, goals looked to be a no-show for Tony Mowbray's side at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Instead, Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke lit up Reading, emphatically ending the Royals' unblemished home record and charging Sunderland into the playoff spots.
It's still early days for Tony Mowbray, but his three games in charge have yielded two impressive victories on either side of a blip at the Riverside stadium. Saturday's clash at Vicarage Road represents an opportunity for Sunderland to establish themselves as viable contenders.
Watford's staggering form does not bode well for manager Rob Edwards. After their abysmal defeat to Blackburn Rovers in the week, anything short of a victory won't go down well with the Hornets faithful.
Still, despite sitting 10th in the table, only one point separates them from Saturday's opponents. Watford will be vying for a bounce back to the top. Sunderland, however, will hardly be accommodating.
League One:
Portsmouth FC versus Plymouth Argyle:
This week saw Portsmouth extend their indomitable winning streak as Plymouth Argyle extended their incredible clean sheet record, but one of these records must inevitably come to an end on Saturday when League One’s second and third-placed sides face each other.
Portsmouth proved that the rumoured manager of the month curse and 'opposition new boss bounce theory' are matters of fiction with their 2-0 victory over Burton. Meanwhile, Plymouth’s hard-fought 1-0 victory at Home Park, courtesy of a 70th-minute winner from substitute Morgan Whittaker, offers a warning to not count out the Pilgrims’ incessant verve.
Plymouth sit two points behind Portsmouth in the table. Expect intensity - it is the Dockyard Derby, after all.
League Two:
Stevenage versus Bradford City
Both Stevenage and Bradford City surge into Saturday off the back of consecutive wins, and neither will want to see their streak ended prematurely. Stevenage are the bookies’ favourite, sitting second in League Two on 19 points, but Bradford City are enjoying a four-game unbeaten stretch, with manager Mark Hughes admitting they are “in a good place” having lifted themselves into the play-off picture.
City will be vying to close the points gap separating them from the table’s leaders. Forward Andy Cook in particular will be a big player. The season’s top goalscorer added two headers to his season's tally, the first arriving just three minutes into City’s triumph over Tranmere Rovers.
