Wolves v Blackburn - Mowbray's men will take time to acclimatise
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Friday, 20:00
Wolves have returned to the Championship for the first time since 2018 and have turned to the relatively unknown Cesar Peixoto. The Portuguese coach has been chosen as the man to guide the Black Country side back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, although a few bumps in the road are to be expected.
Peixoto has tended to overachieve during his managerial career, guiding unfancied outfits to above-average finishing positions - this is a completely different scenario for the 49-year-old.
On the pitch, the Wolves squad is a mish-mash of mid-table PL players, with undoubted talent in the shape of Mateus Mane and Fer Lopez. It'll be interesting to see how this squad adapts to the rigours of a 46-game season, but their League Cup victory over Port Vale suggests that they should be ready for their opener at Molineux.
Tony Mowbray has returned to Ewood Park with the majority of Championship fans (excluding Burnley supporters) hoping that the Teessider can oversee a lengthy stint in Lancashire. Unfortunately, this squad does not look like it has been built for Mowbray's preferred style of fast-paced attacking football.
Mowbray sides tend to start quickly but this is a tough opening test. They will battle admirably and should find a way of getting on the scoresheet, but it may not be enough.
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Bolton v Preston - A point each for a pair of potential strugglers
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Saturday, 12:30
Until last week, Bolton's attack looked fairly lightweight, and it was difficult to see where the goals were likely to come from. Subsequently, they added Ryan Hardie, who is proven at this level.
Steven Schumacher's sides are usually strong at home, but their squad looks weaker this time around, and some of the new players, such as Hardie, may need a few weeks to acclimatise to their environment. Furthermore, Ricardo Rodrigues is out for six weeks, which is a blow for the play-off winners.
I can see the Trotters being hard to beat for periods this season, with plenty of 0-0 and 1-1 draws against fellow bottom-half outfits.
PNE still have business to do, although Alfie Devine's arrival has given the fans plenty of positivity. Nevertheless, the loss of Ben Whiteman and the imbalanced squad negate some of that optimism. Neither side has the requisite quality to win this.
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Bristol City v Millwall - Back BTTS at Ashton Gate
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Saturday, 15:00
Bristol City fans were left frustrated by their team's inability to take their chances in the League Cup opener against Walsall nine days ago, but there are reasons to be positive at Ashton Gate. They fired in 32 shots and were able to bring Scott Twine, Dom Ballard and Emil Riis off the bench in the second half.
It's early days for Michael Skubala, yet his Lincoln side were always competitive and they have had an extra few days on the training pitch to rectify those imperfections. The hosts have a poor record when hosting the Lions, losing three of the last four, but they should at least hit the target this time around.
Away specialists Millwall will be hoping to get off to a positive start, but they already have various injuries to contend with. Nevertheless, Alex Neil's side are rarely beaten in this part of the world, and they should be competitive. They netted in 10 of their last 12 away games at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, and retain the services of Femi Azeez, for now.
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Charlton vs Derby - Carey to shine in the season opener at the Valley
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Saturday, 15:00
This isn't a game that is likely to get too many pulses racing on Saturday afternoon. Charlton are an effective outfit at home under Nathan Jones and most of their summer business makes a lot of sense. They have improved at the back, and Nathaniel Chalobah should also give their midfield a little more bite.
With Chalobah holding the fort, it gives license for other players to maraud forward, and Sonny Carey is likely to be one of those beneficiaries. The former Blackpool midfielder got off the mark at the weekend in the League Cup and is the sort of player who scores in streaks. He also made a fast start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Derby showed their flaws in the League Cup last weekend and looked a little vulnerable at the back. The hosts will look to take advantage of that.
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Middlesbrough v Lincoln - Highly entertaining opener in Teesside
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Saturday, 15:00
Boro fans were pleased to see many of their new signings slotting into the XI against Wrexham last weekend, with Will Lankshear scoring a debut goal, Kyle Joseph producing an industrious cameo and Sebastian Berhalter putting in a man-of-the-match performance.
Kim Hellberg's teams tend to improve in their second season, and many are expecting a promotion charge from the Teessiders. Taking their chances will be pivotal this season, and they conspired to miss a fair few opportunities at the Riverside last weekend. However, encouragingly, they are creating chances and the Lincoln defence may struggle to deal with this.
Lincoln made an encouraging start to the season, beating Derby in the League Cup. They had just 29% possession, yet took 14 shots and produced the game's best chances.
This approach has scuppered Boro in previous seasons, but they should be used to dealing with it, and if they can get the opening goal, that should settle any early-season nerves. Boro are a short price, but we can push this out to 21/202.05 using Betfair's Bet Builder tool
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Norwich vs West Brom - Canaries to get off to fast start
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Saturday, 15:00
There is plenty of optimism amongst Norwich fans ahead of this season. There is a positive atmosphere in the camp with Philippe Clement having endeared himself to everyone at Carrow Road, and despite some setbacks (notably Ali Ahmed's season-ending injury), they should be able to kick on.
They have a talented squad, and they produced an xG of 3.52 against MK Dons in the League Cup last weekend. They aren't likely to change that approach here. Mo Toure, Andre Brooks and Anis Slimane all got on the scoresheet, and that will put a spring in their step ahead of this opener.
West Brom also flew out of the blocks last weekend, swatting aside Rotherham at the New York Stadium. James Morrison's side were incredibly tough to break down during the second half of the season, but they should offer far more going forward this time around. Jimmy Jay-Morgan has enjoyed a fantastic pre-season and is likely to be heavily involved once again.
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Portsmouth vs QPR - Pompey to edge out QPR in a tight 90 minutes
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Saturday, 15:00
Pompey were tough to beat at Fratton Park last season. They averaged 1.09 goals per game, and conceded an average of just one goal per match. Only five teams, including champions Coventry, netted 2+ at this venue, and they managed to avoid conceding three or more in any of their home matches. John Mousinho has retained the majority of that squad, with one of two solid-looking signings, including Rocco Shein.
QPR have an abundance of attacking talent and they looked fairly efficient going forward against Millwall last weekend. They rarely win at this venue, although they have lost just one of their last four. The other three have ended 1-1.
The Londoners still have injury issues, particularly in the final third, and that could hinder their chances of getting off to a positive start.
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Stoke v Swansea - Points shared in the Potteries
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Saturday, 15:00
Stoke beat Oldham in last weekend's League Cup contest, but this will be much tougher for Mark Robins' men. They have caught the eye this summer with some of their spending, not least the acquisition of Ethan Galbraith from this weekend's opponents. There are still some question marks surrounding the striking department, although Robert Bozenik looked sharp off the bench last weekend and could be the man to lead the line for the Potters.
Swansea were the better side against Birmingham last weekend, yet they were defeated 1-0 in South Wales. It is the first full season for Vitor Matos, and if last season is to be replicated, they will be far sharper at home and may struggle on the road. Cameron Burgess' injury is a blow, but they should have enough to take a point from this opener.
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Sheffield United v Birmingham - Entertaining televised tie at Bramall Lane
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Saturday, 17:30
There has been some negativity surrounding Sheffield United, and their perceived lack of transfer business this summer. The Blades have retained the core of their squad from last season, and they were convincing against Mansfield last weekend, with an xG of 2.67 and sharing the goals around.
Chris Wilder's side scored in every single one of their home games from November 8 onwards last term and they are unlikely to change their approach this season.
Birmingham's transfer business remains unfinished, and they will be expected to improve as the season progresses. Chris Davies' men were weak on the road last season, which was their undoing, but they picked up an expected victory away from home in the League Cup. They were beaten 3-0 here last season, and they won't want a repeat of that.
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Watford v Southampton - Lively 90 minutes in Hertfordshire
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Sunday, 13:30
Watford ended the season in chaotic fashion, and their transfer business has done little to alleviate concerns amongst supporters. Alessio Dionisi is an interesting choice, and his teams tend to be front-footed and incredibly attack-minded.
Although they required a late Marc Bola strike to edge past League Two opposition in the League Cup, they produced an xG of 4.30 and had 59 touches inside the opposition box.
Southampton have various attacking weapons and aren't afraid of pouring forward under Tonda Eckert. They had a habit of conceding soft goals on the road last season and it wouldn't be a surprise to see that continue. They are always likely to find a way past the opposition and a goal-fest could potentially ensue here. This could be a terrific watch on Sunday lunchtime.
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Burnley v West Ham - Terrific Taty to taunt the Clarets
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Sunday, 16:00
Both of these sides will be keen to make an instant return to the Premier League. West Ham have retained the services of Nuno, and many of the key players, including Jarrod Bowen and Taty Castellanos, remain at the club. They played the perfect counter-attacking game last weekend against Pompey, limiting their opponents to very little and showing enough quality on the break.
Pablo, Mohamadou Kante and the aforementioned Bowen all caught the eye, but it was Castellanos who was pivotal, recording the joint-most touches in the opposition box and registering an xG of 1.18.
Burnley may take a little longer to acclimatise to life back in the Championship. Their squad is bloated and the club is in debt, so some sales are required before September. Nicky Hayen may take a few weeks to get used to the second tier, and this is a tough opener for the former Club Brugge boss.
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Cardiff v Wrexham - End-to-end Welsh derby to close the weekend
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Sunday, 16:00
Cardiff returned to the second tier at the first time of asking under Brian Barry-Murphy. The men from the Welsh capital will be hoping to build on that promotion, and they have kept the core of that squad, which featured many academy graduates. BBM is likely to use the loan market this summer, and he has also added Jack Moylan from fellow newcomers Lincoln.
They looked excellent going forward against Swindon in the League Cup last weekend, but showed their vulnerabilities at the back, and they still look unprotected at the back, particularly down the flanks.
Wrexham have added to their squad and will be aiming for promotion this time around. Phil Parkinson's side tended to struggle on their travels last season, but they should be up for this contest, under the lights on Monday evening.
They managed just one clean sheet in their final six away games last season, and they may not be able to keep the recently promoted hosts off the scoresheet here.
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