This is big for both teams.

Joel Bagan is out for Cardiff and Manolis Siopis, Ruben Colwill and Yakou Meite have to settle for substitute berths.

In come Perry Ng, Alex Robertson, Joe Ralls and Cian Ashford.

Derby are desperate to end a five match losing streak in the league and there are five changes to the side beaten by Sunderland.

Kane Wilson sits this one out with Marcus Harness, Liam Thompson, Kayden Jackson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on the bench.

Replacing them are the highly rated Eiran Cashin, Ryan Nyambe, Ben Osborn, Corey Blackett-Taylor and there's a first start for Lars-Jorgen Salvesen up front.

Seven big games with so much riding on them.

Let's go!

Image source, Rex Features

Andy Sixsmith
Final Score reporter

While the Black Cats are dark horses for promotion, Plymouth’s survival struggles made all the more difficult with Morgan Whittaker’s sale to Middlesbrough.

Plenty to chew on for Pilgrims fans who started the 400-mile pilgrimage to Sunderland at 3am today!

What keeps them going, I asked one supporter? “Coffee, bacon sarnies & blind faith,” came the reply.

Naz Premji
Final Score

All eyes at the CBS Arena will be on Watford boss Tom Cleverley as speculation continues about his job.

Watford have released two statements saying he is getting the full backing of the board and will continue in the hotseat.

The Hornets' away form is not great and they take on a Coventry side who are now motoring under new boss Frank Lampard, who will be looking to add to the visitors' problems.

The Sky Blues are looking to add to their ranks and the next few weeks will be interesting in this part of the West Midlands.

Image source, Getty Images

Given recent form which has seen Watford win just once in their last six league outings, it will come as a surprise to some that Tom Cleverley's outfit remain so high in the table in eighth place.

It is testament to an impressive first half of the season from the Hornets that just one point separates them from Blackburn Rovers in the final play off spot in sixth.

That said, a haul of just four points from a possible 24 since Boxing Day have set an alarm bell or two ringing at Vicarage Road and they need some more upward momentum.

In the blue corner today Coventry present tricky opponents with Frank Lampard's side looking to add a third win on the spin for the first time since January last season.

A 2-0 win at Blackburn on Tuesday provided further proof that their new manager (he took over in late November) is starting to get his side ticking.

Image source, Rex Features

You know there's always that team which comes from nowhere to mount a promotion challenge? Well, enter Bristol City.

The Robins have quietly got themselves to within four points of the top six and coincidentally, today's opponents, Blackburn Rovers.

Liam Manning's side are sixth in the form table, on a run of just one defeat from their past six EFL games and have won three on the spin at home.

Squad depth will be the test for City with no additions so far in the transfer window and competition for the signing of Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle, external who they have been linked with.

You know there's always that team which drops like a stone out of contention? Well, enter Blackburn Rovers.

While Bristol City are accelerating up the table, Rovers boss John Eustace is trying to put the handbrake on their slump.

Despite only one win from their past six games they are still holding on to sixth place which is testament to their six game winning streak towards the end of 2024.

"Most clubs are looking for the same areas of improvement, but we will continue to pursue our list of targets in the hope that we can secure players to add strength and depth to this hard-working and honest group of players for the remainder of the season," said chief executive Steve Waggott.

In the meantime Blackburn must hope they can stop the rot, starting at Ashton Gate this afternoon.

Middlesbrough moved back into the play-off spots with a strong win over West Brom on Tuesday and they have been very busy since.

Ryan Giles has arrived on loan from Hull, Morgan Whittaker has been snapped up from Plymouth and George Edmundson's hokey-cokey with Ipswich has concluded with him making a permanent switch to Teesside.

It is yet more backing for head coach Michael Carrick from owner Steve Gibson and 5,000 Boro fans should travel to Preston with a renewed spring in their steps.

But it is November since they last won successive league games and Preston are slowly but surely, inching themselves up the table under Paul Heckingbottom.

And there is nothing North End like better than giving a bloody nose to one of the Championship's big hitters.

Bottom of the league, seven points from safety and humped 5-0 in your last match, these are not good times to be a Plymouth fan. Oh, and your best player has just left!

What do you want on top of that? The longest away journey in the EFL. A round trip of more than 800 miles up to Sunderland.

Coupled with the effects of Storm Eowyn yesterday, kudos to any members of the Green Army who have made it.

On the pitch, the Black Cats are unbeaten at home this season whereas the Pilgrims have not won away so odds will be heavily on the fourth-placed team to close the gap on the three above them.

But as we saw last night, this league doesn't always go to plan.

Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

This time last week, Cardiff City Stadium was shaking with noise as the home side crushed their arch rivals Swansea City 3-0.

Today’s meeting against Derby County may not get the juices flowing like a south Wales derby, but it is a match of equal importance in the battle for Championship survival.

Cardiff City, 21st in the table, are just one place and one point above Derby, who are in the relegation zone but could climb out of it with victory today.

To do that, the Rams must halt a five-match losing run in the league against a Bluebirds side who are unbeaten in their past seven games in all competitions.

Image source, Rex Features

The form of these two couldn't be more stark - one upwardly mobile, the other stuck on the hard shoulder and watching others fly past them.

Cardiff have had one of those seasons - one minute they looked dead and buried, the next they were climbing towards mid-table before another slump which they now seem to be recovering from once again.

The Welshmen are ninth in the current form table, unbeaten in their past six league games, taking 10 points.

But for all that, they are still only one point above the relegation zone and today's opponents which is perhaps a clear sign of just how badly they had been doing before this current run.

Boss Omer Riza is desperate for reinforcements before the transfer window closes: "I think it will be massive - we need a little bit more just to help the group," he said.

Now, remember what we said about the form table? Well Derby are 23rd over the past six games with only Luton taking fewer than their three points.

It's a run which has seen head coach Paul Warne deny they are 'sleepwalking into relegation' but they'll surely need more additions than that of Lars-Jorgen Salvesen if they're to avoid a swift return to League One.

This is one of those games you feel, even at this stage, will have a big say on both sides' seasons.

Two teams locked on 38 points on the right side of mid-table meet at Loftus Road – the hosts a place head on goal difference in 10th – and it is QPR who bring the better form into the match-up.

Tenth placed Rangers are chasing a fifth win on the spin here and have won eight of their last dozen league outings. Much more of this and they will be rightfully eyeing a play-off place.

For Wednesday and manager Danny Rohl, the form is not quite as hot coming to west London with just one win in their last six and fresh from the disappointment of Bristol City snatching a late 2-2 draw with four minutes to go in their midweek fixture on Wednesday.

The pair shared a dramatic 1-1 draw back at Hillsborough back in September with both goals coming in the final minute of the 90.

Image source, Getty Images

Ben Mundy
BBC Final Score reporter at The Hawthorns

The sun is out to welcome Tony Mowbray back to The Hawthorns.

He takes charge of West Brom at home for the first time since 2009. And the club have printed a beautiful programme to honour his return – his smile and fond wave laden across the front cover.

It’s just 11 months since his life-saving surgery from cancer, so I expect an incredible reception here when he emerges from the tunnel just before 3 o’clock.

It could well be an even louder roar come 5 o’clock. West Brom are unbeaten at home in their past nine – and Portsmouth have lost their past five away.

The weather, and Mowbray’s return, sets this one up to be a cracker.

A fascinating afternoon in store at the highest ground in English football as Tony Mowbray takes charge of West Brom at The Hawthorns for the first time since May 2009.

The Baggies in that near-three-year period under Mowbray played some great football and scored loads of goals while always having a tendency to leak goals - think Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham - but it is a time fondly remembered by Albion fans.

They slipped up at Middlesbrough on Tuesday, but have a second chance to put things right this afternoon.

Up against them is a resurgent Portsmouth, boosted by successive wins for the first time all season and 18th is their highest place since August.

But their revival has been centred on Fratton Park, so it would be a huge leap forward if they could claim just a second away win of the campaign.

A reminder of today's 15:00 GMT kick-offs...

• Bristol City v Blackburn
• Cardiff v Derby
• Coventry v Watford
• Preston v Middlesbrough
• QPR v Sheffield Wednesday
• Sunderland v Plymouth
• West Brom v Portsmouth

Well, a fine Saturday so far for Millwall.

The first win of Alex Neil's reign moves them seven points clear of trouble ahead of the 15:00 GMT games.

But more woe for Luton, while Stoke will be looking over their shoulders too.

Norwich, though, take top honours from the early games, a five-star mauling of Swansea pushing the Canaries into the top 10.

Peter Rhoades-Brown
Former Oxford and Chelsea winger on BBC Radio Oxford

We will take that all day long!

We had the best chances to win the game, the crowd wasn't great for them (Stoke) today, they sensed that they should've got more from that game.

We dealt with everything that was thrown at us, the crowd was excellent for Oxford in the corner of the stadium.

Mike Pejic
Former Stoke defender on BBC Radio Stoke

Disappointed that we didn't get the three points, but not deserved, the final delivery for both sides wasn't there.

Gary Rowett will be pleased with the away point, they looked sharp overall.

There wasn't enough quality in the final third to claim all the three points for both teams.

A first Championship win at the fifth time of asking for Alex Neil as Miha Ivanovic's brilliant volley delivers three priceless points for Millwall.

They are up to 16th and more importantly open up a seven-point gap on the bottom three.

On the flip side, Luton's misery continues. It is one point from three games under Matt Bloomfield and one point from seven overall.

They are down in 23rd and bang in trouble.

Liam Walsh is a bit late on Joe Bryan as the Millwall defender clears the ball.

It's got a bit tasty in the last few minutes as both sides recognise the importance of this result, with Bryan not happy with the challenge.

Luton win a soft free-kick and Japhet Tanganga is booked for protesting.

This really must be it for the Hatters.