5 things to watch for in the EFL

Nothing underlines the unpredictability of the EFL quite like the top two teams in the Championship both suffering defeats last weekend, but that’s what makes each matchday so entertaining.

At this level of the English football pyramid, there are no guarantees, and each week brings fresh hope and despair for fans all around the country.

We’re all set for another round of thrills and shocks in the EFL Championship, League One and League Two, kicking off with a Yorkshire derby at Saturday lunchtime – here’s five things to keep an eye on this time out.

New bosses at the New York Stadium

There are new bosses in town for both of these teams, with Mark Fotheringham winning his first game as Huddersfield manager last weekend and Rotherham bringing in the talented young head coach Matt Taylor from Exeter. This is a Yorkshire derby with plenty at stake: Huddersfield sit second-bottom even with last week’s win, while Rotherham have slid down the table in recent weeks and Taylor has a job on to stop the rot.

The Millers are winless in their last four games, and have won just one of their last 17 league matches against Huddersfield. They will be hoping that Taylor’s appointment provides them with the shot in the arm they need to turn things around, and are 11/10 to win on Saturday against a team that have lost four out of five away from home.

Fotheringham will hope that the Terriers’ excellent Championship record against newly-promoted sides will apply in this one, too. Huddersfield have lost just one of their last nine against such opponents, and are 5/2 to leave South Yorkshire with an away win.

Burnley to maintain unbeaten home record against Swansea?

Two play-off teams meet at Turf Moor on Saturday and the prize for victory is potentially climbing to the top of the Championship depending on how other results go. Vincent Kompany’s Clarets are the only side yet to lose on their home patch in the league, although they have drawn four out of their six games at Turf Moor so far. Another stalemate is 13/5 in this one, although Burnley will hope to take advantage of the stumbles of the teams above them in the table with a victory – a home win is 3/4.

The Swans have flown up the table in recent weeks, winning four in a row for the first time under Russell Martin. It’s the club’s longest run of successive league wins since December 2007 in the third tier. A fifth straight win for Swansea is 7/2, and may depend on the performance of Oliver Ntcham who has two goals and an assist in his last three games – Ntcham is 9/1 to get the opener on Saturday or 9/2 to score at any time.

Sargent major factor in Norwich’s promotion hopes

Norwich suffered a surprise defeat last weekend – their first loss since August – and have not lost successive Championship games since April 2021. Their opponents the last time that happened? Watford, of course.

Slaven Bilic started out with a 4-0 win in his first game as Hornets’ manager, but has suffered back-to-back defeats since. He will be desperate for a first home victory as boss on Saturday evening, and Watford are 8/5 to pull it off. The Hornets have not lost three straight games outside the Premier League since November 2014.

The Canaries, though, won here 3-0 last season and are looking to win two away games at Watford over consecutive seasons for the first time since January 1934. Josh Sargent bagged two in that game and is 4/1 to get the first goal this time, while Norwich are 6/4 to return to winning ways after last weekend’s disappointment.

Plymouth to stumble at Stadium MK?

Plymouth top the table in League One while this weekend’s opponents, MK Dons, have had a season of struggle after last year’s play-off semi-final. However, the Dons are unbeaten in their last three against Argyle, which includes a 5-0 thrashing back in April of this year. Could the Pilgrims be heading for a stumble at Stadium MK? A home win is 9/4.

Should Plymouth win, they will equal their best-ever points tally after 14 games of a league campaign, a mark that dates all the way back to 1929-30 (and assumes 3 points for a win). They won the Division 3 South title that year, and have designs on the League One crown this season: an Argyle away win is 6/5.

Northampton hoping to cobble together some results

Two of League Two’s leading contenders face off on Saturday, as Leyton Orient host Northampton in a battle between second and third. Orient have the advantage so far this season but are winless in their last three Football League matches with the Cobblers (D1 L2), who haven’t lost at Orient since 2005. Northampton are 3/1 to leave London with a win, although they are enduring a mini-slump themselves with back-to-back 1-0 defeats. After dropping points in their last two games, it’s a good opportunity for Leyton Orient to distance themselves from the Cobblers in third, and a home win is 19/20.