Oxford striker Mark Harris bursts into the penalty area and goes down under pressure from Norwich defender Ruairi McConville at Carrow Road. Nothing doing though, according to the ref, and on we go.

An active start at Vicarage Road!

Othmane Maamma hits the post for the hosts with a close range drive but an unmarked Luca Kjerrumgaard strikes high and wide from the rebound.

Meanwhile, at the other end, Lewis Dobbin draws a save with a long-range strike from outside the box.

It's all Middlesbrough in the opening five minutes! Morgan Whittaker curls one towards the far post and it just goes narrowly wide via a slight deflection.

Coventry are able to clear the corner.

Coventry are having to ride a wave of early Boro pressure here. Sam Silvera finds space on the left side of the area, cuts inside and blazes it well wide of the mark with Milan van Ewijk hot on his heels.

Lively start for the hosts in the north east.

Philippe Clement has made two changes to his Norwich side that was thrashed 4-1 at Birmingham. Ruairi McConville and Emiliano Marcondes are brought in for Shane Duffy and Mathias Kvistgaarden, who are among the subs.

Oxford boss Gary Rowett makes three changes from the 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough.

Hidde Ter Avest returns to the side following a lengthy spell out with injury and Will Vaulks is in for the injured Cameron Brannagan. Mark Harris comes in up top for Will Lankshear who drops to the bench along with Przemyslaw Placheta.

First moment of promise at the Riverside and it goes the way of Middlesbrough. A dangerous cross comes in from the right from Morgan Whittaker but Bobby Thomas is there to clear for Coventry.

Hull make three changes to their side as they welcome Ipswich this evening.

Matt Crooks misses out due to suspension while Enis Destan drops to the bench having scored twice in his past two games.

John Egan also misses out as Semi Ajayi, Joel Ndala and Darko Gyabi come in.

Meanwhile, a whopping six changes for Ipswich as Jacob Greaves, Jens Cajuste, Kasey McAteer, Marcelino Nunez, Jack Clarke and George Hirst start.

Cedric Kipre, Jack Taylor, Sindre Walle Egeli, Chuba Akpom, Jaden Philogene and Ivan Azon drop out.

Nathan Jones hands Luke Berry his first start of the season as part of two changes for the Addicks, while Amari'i Bell returns to the bench after a three match absence.

Stoke City bring in Junior Bocat, Steven Nzonzi, Tatsuki Seko and Robert Bozenik to the starting line-up.

Sam Gallagher makes the squad for the first time this season as he returns from injury.

Georgi Chekvetadze returns for Watford.

He's named on the bench for the Hornets, who make one change as Mamadou Doumbia comes in for Kwadwo Baah, who is out for the remainder of 2025 having suffered a hamstring injury against Derby.

Former Watford loanees Jamal Lewis and Daniel Jebbison both start for Preston tonight.

Middlesbrough have made two changes from the 1-1 draw at Oxford on Saturday.

Sam Silvera and Riley McGree are in for Matt Targett and Delano Burgzorg, who both drop to the bench.

Coventry boss Frank Lampard makes just the one change from the 3-2 comeback win over West Brom.

Brandon Thomas-Asante returns to the starting line-up with Ephron Mason-Clark dropping to the bench. Haji Wright still isn’t in the squad after suffering a muscular injury while away on international duty with the USA.

New Swans manager Vitor Matos makes four changes from the side that lost to Bristol City on Saturday.

Captain Ben Cabango returns alongside Josh Tymon from their respective suspensions while Jay Fulton is selected to make his 300th appearance for the club. Zan Vipotnik is the other player selected to come in.

John Eustace makes two alterations from Derby's last time out with Danny Batth coming into the defence and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen is picked to replace the injured Carlton Morris.

Curtis Nelson makes the bench after returning from injury.

We're under way in six Championship games and two in League One. Plenty to play for at both ends of the table in each division tonight.

Southampton's clash with Leicester also kicks off in 15 minutes.

Adam Lanigan
BBC Sport reporter at Riverside Stadium

Image source, Shutterstock

Kim Hellberg has been introduced to his new supporters and the Middlesbrough fans have given him a warm welcome.

Hellberg takes it all in and notes the impressive noise being generated by them.

The Swede would normally be contemplating a long winter break now or more likely a sunshine getaway as the Allsvenskan goes into hibernation, but instead he's about to plunge headfirst into the Championship's winter slog!

Adam Lanigan
BBC Sport reporter at Riverside Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

It's one against two in the Champions League tomorrow when Arsenal face Bayern Munich, and it's the same tonight in the Championship.

None of the famous anthem here at the Riverside, but that doesn't take away from the fact this is a big game.

It's been an unusual month on Teesside with Rob Edwards departing for Wolves after only 14 league games and surprise Swede Kim Hellberg getting the head coach's role.

But it says a lot about Adi Viveash in how Boro have actually moved up a place to second in his two games in interim charge.

Tonight is a different proposition. Three more wins than another team, 15 goals more, a goal difference 18 superior to the next, Coventry really have dominated the opening three months of the Championship season.

Win tonight and they march 10 points clear of Boro and could leave the rest of the division asking how Frank Lampard's side can be stopped.

But victory for the hosts and Viveash will deliver the ideal handover to the new man.

Image source, Getty Images

Interim boss Adi Viveash will remain at Middlesbrough as part of new head coach Kim Hellberg's backroom staff and will be hoping to hand over the keys to the Swede with the club in the best shape possible.

But the 56-year-old has a heck of a job on his hands trying to stop the juggernaut that has been his former club Coventry so far this season.

The Sky Blues have racked up 43 goals in just 16 games - some 15 more than Hull City who are the next highest-scoring side with 28 - and have won nine of their past 10 league games (L1).

"Coventry at the moment is the biggest challenge," Viveash told BBC Radio Tees. "We've got to make coming to the Riverside their biggest challenge."

Boro have stuttered in recent weeks with just one win in five (D3 L1), though they are unbeaten at home in the Championship so far this season (W5 D2).

Read more about Boro's challenge of reining in the soaring Sky Blues here.

Image source, PA Media

Sometimes the magnitude of games of football just speak for themselves. It is first v second. It's the biggest match of the Championship season so far as Middlesbrough welcome leaders Coventry City.

We are not even at the halfway stage of the campaign yet, but the stakes are high at the Riverside Stadium.

Coventry win and they will end the night 10 points clear at the summit. If Boro win they can reel the Sky Blues back to within four points.

Boro's newly-appointed boss Kim Hellberg will be watching from the stands following the departure of Rob Edwards to Wolves with interim head coach Adi Viveash taking charge for the final time - somewhat aptly against the club where he spent seven years as assistant to Mark Robins.

There is plenty happening off the pitch, but the result on it could go some way to determining who finishes in the automatic promotion spots come May.

Image source, Shutterstock

A match featuring two relegated sides often receives big billing and rightfully so.

With parachute payments, talent-packed squads and 'big club' mentalities, both Southampton and Leicester would have been expected to deliver one of the highest-quality games the Championship has to offer.

And while this encounter still has plenty of intrigue surrounding it, will it deliver the level many anticipated it would before the season started?

Neither find themselves in the play-off contending positions prior to this match and while both seem to finally be finding their feet, they both have some faith to restore across their respective fanbases.

Win this and one of these clubs could be vaulting forward in the right direction while defeat could open up a number of new questions.

Swansea host Derby tonight hoping to get off to a good start under new head coach Vitor Matos.

Having learned under the tutelage of former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, we’re told to expect a lot of pressing and what Matos referred to as "off-the-ball dominance".

Matos was unveiled as head coach of the Swans on Monday, signing a four-year deal, luring him from Portuguese second-tier side Maritimo.

Derby will be looking to return to winning ways after their five-match run of victories was ended my Watford at the weekend.

The Rams could climb into the play-off places with a win but look set to try to do so with the Championship’s joint-top goal scorer Carlton Morris who went off injured on Saturday.

The head-to-head stats make good reading for the Swans who have won each of their last three league games against Derby, as many as in their previous 17 against the Rams (D7 L7).

Recent form favours the visitors however as Derby have won their last two away league games, last winning three in a row in the Championship back in July 2020.