Championship Weekend Preview: Key Matches and Storylines
As the international break approaches, remnants of Halloween linger in the garden, and we find ourselves at the conclusion of another demanding 'nine-point week' in the Championship.
By Saturday evening, nearly every EFL team will have completed a third of their season, and the 2025-26 campaign is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory across all three divisions.
The second tier sees familiar faces reunited, managerial changes heating up, and numerous subplots unfolding. With last weekend's FA Cup first round behind us, League One and Two teams are set to return to their regular fixtures.
Here are five key storylines to watch in this weekend's EFL action.
Rams Rising Ahead of Eustace's Return to Rovers
With colorful decorations ready, all eyes will be on Ewood Park this Saturday at lunchtime.
John Eustace left Blackburn last February to take the reins at Derby County, dropping 16 places in the Championship standings and trading a playoff contention for a relegation battle.
Under Valerien Ismael, Rovers finished seventh, narrowly missing the playoffs by two points, while Eustace managed to guide the Rams to 19th place, just one point above the relegation zone.
This 12:30 GMT match marks Eustace's first return to Ewood Park, though it’s not the first reunion; the struggling Rams previously hosted disgruntled Rovers fans at Pride Park in March, where they took a 2-0 lead within the first seven minutes and secured a 2-1 victory, marking Eustace's first win after three consecutive losses.
Adding to the excitement, former Rovers players Andi Weimann, Danny Baath, and captain Lewis Travis have joined Eustace at Pride Park, further intensifying the atmosphere.
Despite the narratives, this matchup features two of the league's in-form teams. Derby's 2-1 victory over Hull City on Tuesday marked their fourth consecutive win, while Rovers secured a 1-0 win at Bristol City, making it their third straight triumph.
One of these winning streaks will come to an end—don't miss it!
Robins Soaring with Only Sky Blues Ahead
Friday marks one year since Mark Robins was dismissed by Coventry, concluding a seven-and-a-half-year tenure that almost led to promotion to the Premier League the previous season.
After Robins' departure, Frank Lampard took charge of Coventry, while Robins joined Stoke City in January, and the rest is history.
As the two clubs face off on Saturday, Coventry holds a four-point lead at the top of the table following a remarkable start to the season, despite having their unbeaten streak snapped by Wrexham last week. They bounced back with a comeback victory over Sheffield United on Tuesday.
Stoke, on the other hand, has enjoyed three successive wins, scoring nine goals and conceding just one, placing them second ahead of this weekend's clash featuring the league's best offense against the stingiest defense—Coventry has netted an impressive 39 goals, while Stoke has conceded only nine in 14 matches.
Robins experienced heartbreak on his last return to the CBS Arena last March, where Sam Gallagher's brace appeared to secure a late draw for Stoke, only for Bobby Thomas to clinch a 2-1 win for Coventry in the 97th minute.
Fans are hoping for more late drama this Saturday.
Another intriguing matchup this weekend features Preston and Millwall. Despite facing an injury crisis, Preston's 2-1 victory over Swansea on Wednesday marked their third straight win, placing them fourth ahead of their 12:30 GMT trip to Millwall, who sits just a point behind in fifth following a heavy defeat to Birmingham.
If Paul Heckingbottom's side secures a fourth consecutive victory, they could temporarily leapfrog Stoke into second place.
Upward Momentum
Quiz time: Among the 62 teams that finished last season and began this one in the EFL, which team has amassed the most points in 2025?
Is it Coventry? No. Perhaps Bradford? Not even close. Wrexham? Wrong again.
Birmingham City has surged to the top with back-to-back 4-0 home victories, accumulating 83 points this year alone.
League One leaders Stockport follow with 78 points, while Charlton rounds out the top three with a last-minute win over West Brom at The Valley on Tuesday.
In a climate where Sunderland has jumped from Championship playoffs to the top four in the Premier League, can we really expect newly-promoted League One teams to compete at the top tier?
Chris Davies faced criticism after a disappointing 1-0 loss at Bristol City, marking their fourth defeat in five away games without scoring. However, they head to Middlesbrough this Saturday full of confidence, sitting just two points shy of the playoff spots and having scored as many goals in the last two matches as in the previous 11 combined.
Charlton, currently in sixth place, edged through the League One playoffs last year but has adapted well to the Championship, suffering only three defeats in their first 14 matches and boasting the league's second-best defense with just 11 goals conceded.
This record will be put to the test on Saturday at 15:00 GMT as Nathan Jones returns to his roots to face Wrexham, a club he previously labeled as "a circus" before softening his stance. Phil Parkinson, however, isn’t buying it.
The Red Dragons have also found their rhythm following promotion, losing just one of their last eight games and remaining unbeaten in four at home, recently handing Coventry their first defeat at the Racecourse.
Get ready for an exciting showdown—who can keep pace with the Championship leaders?
Sack Race or Promotion Race?
As we head into the weekend, the top of League One is tightly contested, with just three points separating the top six teams. However, the names in contention may not be what many expected before the season began.
Cardiff is the only relegated Championship team in the mix, while Luton struggles in 10th place under new management with Jack Wilshere at the helm ahead of their trip to Stockport, who currently lead the league.
Few anticipated Peterborough and Blackpool would find themselves in the bottom half, let alone the bottom two at this stage, while Reading sits fifth from the bottom and has also replaced their manager, bringing in Leam Richardson to replace Noel Hunt in hopes of turning their fortunes around.
Huddersfield and newly-relegated Plymouth, both expected to challenge for promotion, meet on Saturday at 15:00 GMT, with Lee Grant's Terriers already six points off the playoff pace and Tom Cleverley's Greens languishing in third-bottom with nine defeats in their first 14 games.
It feels like corner flag images may already be prepared in anticipation of this tough division.