Andrew McDermott 
Accrington only booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round on Tuesday night so have had little time to prepare for the visit of Premier League side Leeds. To make matters worse, Stanley needed extra time to get past National League outfit Boreham Wood so the quick turnaround will do them no favours.
Tottenham have won only four times in all competitions since October 19 so look uneasy favourites for Wednesday’s trip to Selhurst Park. Their top-four hopes suffered a further setback on New Year’s Day when they lost 2-0 at home to Aston Villa and Antonio Conte has expressed his frustration at the quality of his squad.
Wigan and Sheffield United are currently on course to exit the Championship via opposite ends ahead of their meeting on Monday evening. The Latics are languishing in the relegation zone but United are on course for a return to the Premier League in second place.
Birmingham can leapfrog Reading with a victory in Friday night’s televised Championship match and are fancied to seize the opportunity. Blues are three points behind their visitors with a better goal difference and will be looking to climb into the top half of the table during the second half of the season.
Rob Edwards will take charge of Luton at Kenilworth Road for the first time with a rare morning kick-off against Millwall on Sunday. His first match in charge ended in a last-gasp defeat at Middlesbrough while Millwall have failed to win either of their two games since the World Cup break.
Two teams in fine form clash when Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray welcomes his former club West Brom to the north east. The Black Cats have already returned to Championship action, beating Millwall last weekend to bookend the World Cup break with victories.
It’s derby day in Lancashire when Blackburn and Preston meet at Ewood Park as the Championship returns. Both sides will be raring to go having signed off before the World Cup with a defeat, while Preston will want to erase memories of a 4-1 hammering the last time they met in April.
Burnley have been sitting pretty at the top of the table while the Championship has been on hold for the World Cup but that might not be the case when they return to action at managerless QPR on Sunday. Sheffield United could hit the summit with a win over Huddersfield 24 hours before the teams line up at Loftus Road.
Netherlands have never won the World Cup but will be starting to dream of ending their long wait if they get past the United States to reach the quarter-finals. The Dutch have not been the most exciting team to watch but progressed as group winners, while the Americans made it out of Group B despite only scoring two goals.
England will put their unbeaten record against African opposition on the line when they face Senegal in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Gareth Southgate’s men eased through to the knockout stage as group winners for the first time since 2006 and with the best goal difference they have enjoyed at a major tournament.
Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the biggest World Cup upsets with their victory over Argentina and are dreaming of a place in the last 16 ahead of their clash with Poland. The stunning 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi’s men has thrown Group C wide open while Poland are seeking their first triumph after drawing 0-0 with Mexico.
Tunisia and Australia meet in the second round of matches and both will fancy their chances of taking a step towards a longer stay at Qatar 2022. The Tunisians have a point on the board after drawing with Denmark, hours before the Socceroos got their hardest match out of the way, going down 4-1 to France.
Wales ended their first World Cup game in 64 years with a late equaliser and will hope to take that momentum into a final match against Iran. England look set to dominate the group as expected after beating Iran 6-2 but second place is up for grabs and all three teams have reasons to believe they can progress.
Qatar have already made unwanted World Cup history and must improve quickly if they are to make a mark on the tournament they are hosting. The minnows became the first host nation to lose the opening match of a World Cup tournament in what was supposed to be their easiest game as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Ecuador.