Image source, Opta

Oxford boss Des Buckingham makes two changes to his side from the one which drew 1-1 at Portsmouth last time out.

Elliott Moore and Siriki Dembele come in for Sam Long and Kyle Edwards.

Long is on the bench but Edwards has a slight injury which means he sits this one out.

West Brom also make two changes.

Karlan Grant and Uros Racic get starting berths at the expense of Jayson Molumby and Mikey Johnston who both drop to the bench.

Image source, Opta

Image source, BBC Sport

Cardiff make two changes from their last game, with David Turnbull and Callum O'Dowda in for Joe Ralls and Joel Bagan.

Jak Alnwick captains the side in goal, with Calum Chambers and Dimitrios Goutas partnering at the back.

Callum Robinson and Oliver Tanner lead the line.

Plymouth name an unchanged starting xi, after their 2-1 victory against Blackburn last time out.

Joe Edwards captains the side, With Morgan Whittaker and Michael Obafemi up front.

Image source, BBC Sport

Leeds looked mightily impressive in their Yorkshire derby win over Sheffield United last night, but the top of the tree in the Championship is incredibly tight as we edge closer to the clocks changing.

Are Daniel Farke's men the team to beat or do you think they will be falling apart again come the back end of the campaign?

Let us know who you think are the favourites, as things stand, by joining the conversation using the hashtag #bbcefl on the social media site X, formerly twitter, and we'll publish the best takes here.

We have plenty to keep us occupied for the next two hours, but of course the fun doesn't end there... we'll bring you all the build-up to the remaining games on the slate, and live text commentary too, right here, across the weekend.

Saturday

Blackburn v Swansea

Middlesbrough v Bristol City

Millwall v Derby

QPR v Portsmouth

Sheffield Wednesday v Burnley

Stoke v Norwich

Sunday

Hull City v Sunderland

Image source, Rex Features

What a way to start the day. Two fierce rivals separated by 19 miles but bonded by 139 years of competition.

This will be the 123rd competitive meeting, and not many of those have been much bigger.

Following relegation from the Premier League last season, the Hatters have won just two of their opening nine matches and are one point above the relegation zone.

"I think it's probably the game that we need at the moment," under-fire Luton boss Rob Edwards told BBC Three Counties Radio - oh, did we mention he joined the club after being sacked by the Hornets after just 11 games in 2022?

Watford lie sixth, and could even go level at the top with a win, though they have lost their past three on the road in the Championship, and two in a row at Luton without scoring.

Despite that boss Tom Cleverley is aiming to inflict more pain on their rivals this afternoon.

Get the popcorn ready, this should be box office...

Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales at Cardiff City Stadium

Cardiff City were meant to have a new manager by now, or at least that was the plan when the Championship’s bottom side sacked Erol Bulut last month.

But three games and four weeks later, the Bluebirds are still looking for a permanent successor to Bulut.

As a result, interim boss Omer Riza remains in charge for Plymouth Argyle’s visit today, having overseen a win, a draw and a defeat from his three matches to date.

That represents a big improvement on what came before – just one point and one goal from six fixtures – but Riza has not yet been told whether or not he will get the job on a permanent basis.

"I really don't know what to say about it," Riza said on Thursday.

"The fans are frustrated, want clarity and I’m sure they’ll get it at some time. I can’t really over-elaborate on it because I don't really know myself.

“I’m just trying to do the best job I can and it is important to me the fans are happy. I'm hoping over this period they will be as happy as they can be with what we give them.”

Image source, Rex Features

It's 25 years since these two last met in the EFL.

On that day West Brom ran out 2-0 winners with some bloke called Enzo Maresca on the scoresheet although I'm not sure what happened to him after that.

That defeat in March 1999 was one of 22 that season for Oxford as they were relegated to the third tier and were on the slippery slope to non-league football.

The U's are back though and settling very nicely into life back in the Championship with an unbeaten home record and in Mark Harris, Tyler Goodrham and Ruben Rodrigues they carry a real goal threat.

West Brom were the early front runners but a three match spell without a win including two defeats has put the handbrake on their progress.

In Josh Maja they have the Championship's joint top scorer and six of his seven goals so far have come away from home.

Now, where did I put my tracksuit and palm pilot?

Image source, Rex Features

Just one point and one position separates the two sides meeting at Deepdale this lunchtime, but both Preston and Coventry would have wanted more points on the board than nine and eight respectively going into matchday 10.

We all know the past means nothing in football, but history really does not sit on the visitors' side this afternoon.

In 22 trips to Deepdale, Coventry City have never come away victorious, and when you add that to the fact Mark Robins' team are yet to win away from home this campaign, this one points towards a home win.

That doesn't mean this one will be a one-sided affair, though. Only rock-bottom Cardiff (4) have scored fewer goals than Preston (7), and the Lilywhites have managed fewer attempts on goal than any other side in the division (80).

They might not score many, but they have not conceded many of late, either. Paul Heckingbottom's side have kept four clean sheets since he took over at the end of August, and only high-flying Sheffield United have kept more teams at bay in that time.

So, on paper a home win. But we all know football isn't played on paper....

Image source, Rex Features

The Championship weekend began in some style at Elland Road last night as Leeds took the spoils, and Yorkshire bragging rights, to go level on points with leaders Sunderland.

Sheffield United came into the game on the back of six straight clean sheets but had no answer for the dynamic Whites who fired a warning shot to the rest of the division with an accomplished performance.

The Blades were the EFL's only remaining unbeaten team but Pascal Struijk's neat finish from a corner on 69 minutes and Mateo Joseph's powerful run and finish in the closing stages secured the three points.

You can read the match report here.

Image source, Rex Features

Good afternoon, and welcome to a Saturday afternoon full of footballing intrigue..

After last night's weekend opener between Leeds United and Sheffield United we've got 10 more Championship fixtures to bring you today, starting with four lunchtime kick-offs at 12:30 BST which are likely to impact both ends of the table...

Cardiff City v Plymouth Argyle

Luton Town v Watford

Oxford United v West Bromwich Albion

Preston North End v Coventry City

A pretty tasty derby in amongst our early kick-offs too...

Let's get straight to it, shall we?