Sheffield United received a wake-up call when upset by Birmingham but can kick-start their Championship campaign by winning at Swansea. The Welsh outfit looked disjointed during Russell Martin’s first league game in charge and may take time to adjust to new tactics.
Fulham are favourites for promotion from the Championship but Middlesbrough are no mugs either and a close contest could be on the cards. The hosts ended last season with a miserable run of Premier League results and have plenty to prove here, despite an obvious drop in class.
Coventry are back at their home stadium after two years sharing with Birmingham and can celebrate by beating Nottingham Forest. Just three points and one place separated these teams in the Championship table last term, but City finished far more strongly.
Bournemouth entertain West Brom in this season’s Championship curtain-raiser and we’re siding with the Cherries on Friday night. They already have the benefit of a 5-0 EFL Cup win over MK Dons under their belts, along with home advantage at Vitality Stadium.
Sheffield United will be delighted to have their passionate fans back inside Bramall Lane for Saturday’s Championship opener with Birmingham. The Blades missed those supporters when relegated from the Premier League last term but look well placed to bounce straight back.
The richest game in football is here again, with Brentford in it for the second season in a row after their Championship play-off final defeat to Fulham a year ago. Swansea are looking for a Premier League return after a three-year absence, in a re-run of last year’s semi-final.
Swansea’s Andre Ayew struck the only goal in the first leg at Oakwell and Steve Cooper’s side will be looking to build on their slender advantage. The Swans have won all three encounters against Barnsley this season and are now strong favourites to book a place in the Wembley final.
Watford have set their sights on an immediate return to the Premier League, having won all their games in March and their Good Friday clash with Sheff Wed. The Hornets’ six-match winning run was only ended last weekend when Middlesbrough scored 12 minutes from time to earn a 1-1 draw.
Watford can edge closer to securing automatic promotion from the Championship by winning at Middlesbrough, as well as putting pressure on Norwich in the title race. The Hornets are chasing a seventh straight victory while Boro’s top-six hopes have been rocked by losses either side of the international break.
The international break came at a good time for both of these teams and they will be looking to get their promotion bids back on track in Friday’s clash. Barnsley’s 12-match unbeaten run ended with a derby defeat against Sheffield Wednesday, while Reading have gone three matches without a win.
Brentford head into their final nine matches of the season trailing both Watford and Swansea in the race for the second automatic promotion place behind Norwich. After two successive draws and just three wins from nine matches, the pressure is on if they are to avoid having to go through the play-offs again.
Swansea’s Championship promotion push has suffered a bit of a blip but they are fancied to get back on track when visiting Birmingham. The Swans have been beaten by fellow top-six hopefuls Bournemouth and Cardiff but should find the relegation-threatened Blues more conducive company.
Huddersfield and Cardiff could both be involved in exciting ends to the season but for very different reasons ahead of Friday night’s Championship clash. The Terriers have been sucked into the relegation battle after a dismal run of results, while Cardiff have surged up the table under Mick McCarthy.
There will be important points at stake as well as the Brian Clough Trophy when Nottingham Forest make the short trip to Derby. Unfortunately for neutrals, the bitter rivalry between these teams often means it is a scrappy affair and seven league meetings in the last four seasons have produced just eight goals.