Two of the Championship's five unbeaten sides are putting their records on the line at Deepdale.

Ryan Lowe's Preston go into today's clash with one win and three draws from their opening four games.

Their scorelines this season have been remarkably binary, one 1-0 win and three 0-0 draws means they're yet to concede a goal.

Watford have made a good start to life back in the EFL under Rob Edwards, and a win today could see them move into the top two.

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It's not just red and white stripes that Stoke City and Sunderland have in common in 2022-23 so far. Leaky defences are another thing.

Only Middlesbrough have shipped more than their seven goals apiece, so it could be an interesting afternoon for goalkeepers Josef Bursik and Anthony Patterson.

Meanwhile there is a familiar surname to both Stoke and Sunderland fans on the pitch this afternoon, as Liam Delap - son of former Potters and Black Cats midfielder Rory, makes his debut for the hosts.

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Welshman Nathan Jones won't be expecting too many favours from Swansea this afternoon when he takes his Luton Town side over the Severn Bridge for this one.

The Hatters powered into the play-offs last season, losing narrowly to Huddersfield over two-legs, but so far are yet to pick up a win from their opening four games.

Swansea, other than a walloping by early pacesetters Blackburn, have started well, and should have two wins on the board but for two injury-time own-goals against Millwall leaving them with just a point in midweek.

Image source, Rex Features

Having produced the shock of the season so far with their 3-0 thrashing of early pacesetters Blackburn, the pressure is on Reading to back up that result at home to Middlesbrough.

Chris Wilder's Teessiders are still to pick up a win this season, having been pegged back in injury time by Stoke in midweek.

Royals boss and ex-Boro midfielder Paul Ince has the omens stacked against him for this one though, having never beaten his old club - who have won nine of the last 11 meetings.

Image source, Rex Features

Having kicked off the campaign with a win, Vincent Kompany's Burnley might have thought this Championship lark was easy having tumbled out of the top flight last season.

However, just two points from the next nine have seen them slide into mid-table, albeit still early days in the season.

Blackpool lost boss Neil Critchley in the off-season, with Michael Appleton returning, and he's engineered two wins and two defeats so far.

Appetites should be whet then for a Lancashire derby, in which both sides could do with kickstarting their campaigns.

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Steve Bruce enjoyed four successful years at Hull City.

He twice led the Tigers to promotion to the Premier League, as well as guiding them to an FA Cup final and European football.

However, he'll now be looking to bite the hand that once fed him as his Baggies side go in search of their first win of the season after three draws and a defeat.

Shota Arveladze's men have made a fine start after a busy summer in the transfer market and start the day in second place.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn's excellent start to the season was brought to a brutal end in midweek when they were thumped 3-0 at Reading.

Jon Dahl Tomasson's table-topping men will face another stern test today at promotion hopefuls Sheffield United.

The Blades, who will be without injured skipper Billy Sharp, have won both of their home matches so far this campaign.

They give a start to Oli McBurnie up top as he looks to score his first league goal since December 2020.

Image source, Coventry City's pitch

It took Coventry two years to get back to their city after a nomadic existence, returning to the Coventry Building Society Stadium at the beginning of last season.

It was meant to herald a fresh dawn, but the football club's ambitions are currently being stifled by the condition of the playing surface, which resembles a cabbage patch rather than elite sporting pitch in places.

The blame has been pitched, pardon the pun, at the use of the stadium for the Commonwealth Games rugby union sevens.

Three games have been postponed including today's visit of Huddersfield, and one moved, since the season kicked off, and with the situation causing consternation, City, union club Wasps and the stadium management company are to relay "significant" sections of the turf.

It is hoped it will be in place for City's home game against Preston North End on 31 August.

Time to turn out attention to the action coming up in the Championship this afternoon.

But we'll start with one game that isn't going ahead.

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The EFL action started on Friday night with Norwich's 2-0 home victory over Millwall.

USA international Josh Sargent grabbed a double to give the Canaries back-to-back home wins after they had started the season with just one point from their first three matches.

You can read the report from that one here.

Image source, Rex Features

It might still be August but we've already had the first managerial casualty of the EFL season.

Robbie Stockdale was sacked by League Two Rochdale on Thursday after they lost their first four games of the season.

Veteran defender Jim McNulty has been placed in interim charge.

Sanny Rudravajhala
Presenter, Squad Goals

From the outside, it looked like Neil Harris took a bit of a punt on Gillingham. A Championship manager dropping into a League One relegation fight was always going to be a risk. He'll no doubt have had plans for a post-relegation rebirth for Gills in League Two but so far, it hasn't quite come together.

Only one goal scored rings alarm bells. The fact it was in a 1-0 win, their only points so far, is their saving grace. The pressure is now on for new boy Mikael Mandron to break his duck.

Walsall under Michael Flynn have been mixing it up. A combination of attacking flair and grinding out results is a great sign for a team still gelling together. Danny Johnson has been running red-hot since joining from Mansfield - he has six goals already - two more than he had all last season.

They can be got at though. Conceding two goals from corners to Barrow in their 2-1 defeat on Tuesday was inexcusable. I’m sure both managers have been working on set-pieces on the training ground - Harris may sniff an opportunity.

Harris vs Flynn - you can keep your ‘Rage on the Red Sea’ - I’ll take the Pressure cooker at the Priestfield.

• Barrow v Harrogate Town
• Colchester United v Leyton Orient
• Crawley Town v AFC Wimbledon
• Crewe Alexandra v Northampton Town
• Doncaster Rovers v Salford City
• Gillingham v Walsall
• Grimsby Town v Sutton United
• Mansfield Town v Stockport County
• Newport County v Tranmere Rovers
• Stevenage v Carlisle United
• Swindon Town v Rochdale

Joe Thompson
Former Rochdale and Tranmere midfielder on Squad Goals

There have been plenty of pre-match compliments between Bolton boss Ian Evatt and Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore. But this mouth-watering clash between two of League One's heavy weights is set to be a superb advert for the EFL.

There's a real opportunity for either side to make a statement.

These two former Premier League clubs are steeped in history, with the weight of two huge fanbases on their shoulders. It’s days like today where they have to seize the moment if they want to be fighting for those promotion places.

Wanderers will have captain Ricardo Santos back in their defence after serving a suspension. Bolton go into the fixture looking to extend their fine unbeaten start to six games.

The Owls will make the trip over the Pennines looking for a positive reaction following their first defeat of the season on Tuesday.

Moore says his side will have to bring their ‘A-game’, and rested a couple key players in midweek.

A packed stadium, two talented sides, the stage is set!

League One fixtures

• Barnsley v Wycombe Wanderers
• Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield Wednesday
• Burton Albion v Port Vale
• Charlton Athletic v Cambridge United
• Exeter City v Cheltenham Town
• Fleetwood Town v Derby County
• Forest Green Rovers v Plymouth Argyle
• Milton Keynes Dons v Accrington Stanley
• Oxford United v Morecambe
• Peterborough United v Lincoln City
• Portsmouth v Bristol Rovers
• Shrewsbury Town v Ipswich Town

Dan Ogunshakin
BBC Squad Goals

If West Brom Steve Bruce was choosing opponents for this weekend’s fixture, chances are he wouldn’t have picked his former club Hull City.

The Tigers have made a strong start to the season under Shota Arveladze and will be looking to continue their unbeaten start.

New signings Ozan Tufan, Jean Michael Seri and Oscar Estupinan have all settled quickly to life at the MKM Stadium. All three have scored goals in each of their wins against Bristol City and Norwich City.

By contrast, the Baggies have yet to win this campaign and find themselves third from bottom, with three draws and a loss.

Goals have been hard to come by for the hosts, having only found the back of the net three times in their four matches.

Bruce, who must be feeling the pressure, has tried to bolster his squad but the Baggies failed to land Kienan Davis and Liam Delap amongst others - and will again be without the injured Daryl Dike.

Bruce was frustrated by Albion’s lack of “quality” in the 0-0 draw with Cardiff at the Hawthorns. A repeat of that performance might see the winless run extended.

• Birmingham City v Wigan Athletic
• Burnley v Blackpool

• Preston North End v Watford
• Queens Park Rangers v Rotherham United
• Reading v Middlesbrough
• Sheffield United v Blackburn Rovers
• Stoke City v Sunderland
• Swansea City v Luton Town
• West Bromwich Albion v Hull City

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This week's cooler temperatures will have no doubt been welcomed by players across the EFL and ground staff will have rejoiced at the sight of some rain.

Some teams will hope that a change in weather conditions will bring about an upturn in their early-season fortunes, while others will look to continue where they left off.

We've got a packed schedule across the EFL to bring you today so let's get going shall we?