Image source, PA Media

North End defender Liam Lindsay makes a fumble in the backline and Kwadwo Baah goes racing towards Freddie Woodman for the 1v1.

The Preston goalkeeper holds firm though and comes out the victor.

Early spell of possession for Preston North End.

The only man to score at Deepdale in the last five games is Will Keane... who is out with injury.

Can one of the other men in white make their mark tonight?

Lewis Koumas is the latest to pull the trigger for the hosts but his powerful strike cannons off a defender and behind for a corner.

Stoke mass their ranks in the D before attacking the cross late, but Pompey are able to clear.

Andrew Moran gets in on the act with another run forward and low shot after the restart, but it's meat and drink for Will Norris.

Frantic start from Narcis Pelach's men.

Image source, Rex Features

Mike Pejic
Former Stoke defender on BBC Radio Stoke

It's already much better from Stoke.

They're playing forward and working the ball well. The pace of the game is showing.

It's a fast start.

It's all Stoke in the opening two minutes.

Leicester loanee Tom Cannon has ploughed a lonely furrow up front this season but he has company tonight from Sam Gallagher and Cannon shows his delight by finding space 25 yards out and skidding a low strike past the base of Will Norris' post.

What a start for the hosts who rattle the crossbar within 40 seconds through Ben Wilmot's thunderous angled drive from outside the area, with Enda Stevens' follow-up saved by keeper Will Norris.

We are under way at Bramall Lane, the Bet365 and Deepdale... Ashton Gate is due to follow in 15 minutes.

What does the first half have in store for us?

Huddles everywhere you look, the action is moments away...

Chris Wilder has made three changes to the Blades side which drew at Portsmouth, handing Tyrese Campbell and Jamie Shackleton their debuts.

Kieffer Moore and Alfie Gilchrist drop to the bench while Andre Brooks starts on the right in place of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.

Image source, BBC Sport

Luke Williams has also made three changes for the Swans with Josh Key replacing Kyle Naughton after Sunday’s draw against Bristol City.

Jay Fulton is handed a first start since the opening day in place of Goncalo Franco while Brentford loanee Myles Peart-Harris comes in for Slovenian striker Zan Vipotnik, the only fit forward at the club, presumably to play in a false nine role.

Liam Cullen remains sidelined after illness.

Image source, BBC Sport

Narcis Pelach has made three changes and named an attacking line-up for his second home match in charge.

Million Manhoef came off in the second half at the Riverside on Saturday and misses out with Sam Gallagher starting up top alongside Tom Cannon.

Enda Stevens makes his first start of the season while Andrew Moran partners Wouter Burger in midfield.

Jordan Thompson, Junior Tchamadeu and Eric Bocat drop to the bench alongside on-loan Spurs defender Ashley Phillips who returns after an absence with concussion.

Image source, BBC Sport

John Mousinho has made two changes to his Pompey side which played out a stalemate at home to Sheffield United on Saturday.

Defender Conor Shaughnessy remains out with Tom McIntyre keeping his place in central defence but Connor Ogilvie has recovered from the flu and replaces full-back Jacob Farrell while Harvey Blair is handed his first start out wide in place of Sammy Silvera, who drops to the bench.

Image source, BBC Sport

Striker Will Keane is out with injury so Milutin Osmajic starts up front for what may be one of his last games for Preston North End for a while.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Stefan Thordason, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen and Robbie Brady also join the starting line-up.

Image source, BBC Sport

While Watford manager Tom Cleverley mentioned that he would "need all 20, 21 players in my first-team squad this week to be successful", there's only two changes to the Watford side that defeated Sunderland on the weekend with Kwadwo Baah joining the midfield and Imran Louza up top.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

It's been quite the week for Preston North End.

The Lancashire club slipped to a 3-1 defeat to Millwall on Saturday to give the Lions their first win of the season, with Jordan Storey's 87th-minute goal nothing more than a consolation prize.

Then, yesterday, forward Milutin Osmajic reportedly admitted guilt to an FA charge of violent conduct for biting Blackburn Rovers defender Owen Beck during their 0-0 draw on 22 September - an offence then-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez received a lengthy 10-match ban for in 2013.

Osmajic can still figure in tonight's match against Watford and North End may need to use him while they can, given they've only managed to score once in their past five home league games.

All this while Watford manager Tom Cleverley has been celebrating a big 2-1 win over now-league leaders Sunderland and citing Sir Alex Ferguson's advice on how to prepare for a busy schedule of midweek fixtures.

It's fair to say Narcis Pelach's start to life as Stoke boss has not gone to plan so far.

The Potters followed up a 3-1 defeat at home by Hull City in Pelach's first game in charge with a disappointing 2-0 loss at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

It means Stoke have now lost three games in a row and sit just one place and one point above the relegation zone.

Their opponents tonight are also struggling for points upon their return to the Championship for the first time in 12 years, lying second-bottom, two places and two points behind their hosts.

Portsmouth have endured a particularly tough set of opening fixtures, playing all three of the teams relegated from the Premier League and three of last season's Championship top eight in their first seven games.

Though they have picked up four draws, Pompey are still seeking their first win of the campaign.

Will John Mousinho or counterpart Pelach get up and running tonight?

OK, it's early days.... but...

There may not be much difference in terms of points but, as the Championship standings begin to take shape, none of the teams will want to start finding themselves adrift in the lower end of the table.

Four of the bottom six teams are in action tonight; Stoke City and Portsmouth face off against each other while Sheffield Wednesday head to Bristol City and Preston North End host Watford.

It could be a good chance for all four to carve out some space between them and trouble - especially now that bottom side Cardiff City have finally picked up their first three points of the season.

Image source, Rex Features

Swansea head to Bramall Lane this evening seeking to end the division’s last unbeaten record and make a little history too.

Sheffield United have an incredible record against the Swans at home, taking 45 points from their 21 visits over the past 90 seasons, scoring 56 goals in the process.

Swansea have only won at the Lane twice ever, have never kept a clean sheet there and have failed to score in five of their six visits since the turn of the century.

The Blades have won the last three meetings, scoring eight and conceding none, and, despite their Premier League struggles last season, are on a run of 22 points from a possible 24 at home in the second tier.

They’ll fancy their chances of making that 25 tonight against a Swans side who are unbeaten in their last three, but have failed to win in their 10 midweek matches on the road over the past two years, claiming just four points.

While it's a big night for the sides at the bottom of the table tonight, it was all about the teams at the top in Tuesday's fixtures.

Blackburn Rovers were handed a reality check by Coventry City after the Sky Blues gave them their first defeat of the season, running out 3-0 winners.

Sunderland's convincing 2-0 win over Derby saw them back in the number one spot following West Bromwich Albion's 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough.

But the match of the night may have come at Kenilworth Road, where Oxford United came back from 2-0 down to take a point from a 10-man Luton side after substitute Liam Walsh was shown red just a minute after coming on the pitch.

Though there was one big result at the other end of the table after Cardiff City got their first win of the season against Millwall.

Whew, that'll apply a little pressure on the teams at the bottom that play tonight. What can these four games have in store we wonder?

Preston North End v Watford

Sheffield United v Swansea City

Stoke City v Portsmouth

Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday (20:00)

Image source, Getty Images

Happy Hump Day!

While on most Wednesday evenings thoughts inevitably start creeping towards the weekend, there are still unresolved midweek matters to attend to tonight in the 'World's Most Unpredictable Division TM' - The Championship!

Tuesday night was packed with thrills and spills as leaders West Bromwich Albion lost at home, unbeaten Blackburn were thumped on the road and basement boys Cardiff turned just their third goal of the campaign into their first three points.

Let's see what Wednesday has in store for us, shall we?