Chris Wise
BBC Final Score

It’s only Portsmouth and Mansfield that are yet to be beaten in the league in England’s top five divisions this season.

Pompey haven’t lost in eight-and-a-half months. They’re juggling with a few absentees at the moment though, and won’t have defender Regan Poole available for the rest of the campaign after an ACL injury.

It can’t be overstated how much of a blow that is to John Mousinho’s men. He’d been a critical member of the squad in the early months of the season.

Henry Moeran
BBC Final Score

Two weeks ago, Des Buckingham was coach of Mumbai City – the hustle and bustle of the vast Indian metropolis a far cry from a chilly day in Gloucestershire for his first game as Oxford United manager.

From the school of the City Football Group, he comes with a big reputation.

There are some mammoth away trips this afternoon in Leagues One and Two.

Fans of Blackpool, Charlton and Exeter in League One, Harrogate, Barrow and Gillingham in League Two, get in touch if you've braved the trains or motorways to follow your teams!

Or alternatively, feel free to contact us with anything concerning football in these two divisions on X using the hastag #bbcefl.

We'd love to hear from you!

• Can Exeter end their terrible run at Bolton? The home side have won seven on the trot (five in League One), and face the only two sides above them in their next two league games, Oxford and Portsmouth.
• Stevenage, unbeaten in five, the ‘bad apple’ of League One as manager Steve Evans called them, visit relegation zone dwellers Fleetwood.
• Barnsley, smarting after being thrown out of the FA Cup for fielding an ineligible player against Horsham, visit Lincoln.
• Rock-bottom side Reading have only taken one point from their last seven games as they travel to Wycombe.
• Elsewhere Carlisle host Charlton, Leyton Orient match-up with Wigan, Cambridge travel to Northampton, Burton to Peterborough and two lower mid-table sides meet as Shrewsbury face Port Vale.

Image source, Rex Features

Paul Warne has now been in charge at Derby for 14 months. When he arrived, they were seventh. They finished last season in seventh and now after 16 games of this season, they are still seventh.

That is not what the Rams' supporters expect in the third tier.

Infuriatingly inconsistent, Derby have mixed excellent results with some shockers, hence why they are outside the play-off spots.

After two home league wins with seven goals scored and none conceded, they then got knocked out of the FA Cup by League Two Crewe in a replay at Pride Park - their earliest exit in the competition since 1984-85.

Today it is Bristol Rovers who are the visitors, with the Pirates unbeaten in five under interim manager Andy Mangan.

Derby have already dropped points in four home games this season, so they need to tighten up to mount a concerted charge up the table.

Image source, Getty Images

From the heat and noise of Mumbai to the edge of the Cotswolds, it is a huge change for Des Buckingham in his first game as manager of an EFL club.

The Oxford-born 38-year-old has returned to his boyhood club after two years in charge of Mumbai City where he won the Indian Super League.

Working under the umbrella of the City Football Group (the power behind Manchester City), Buckingham impressed with his results and his team's playing style.

Now he arrives at Oxford after Liam Manning's departure to Bristol City with the U's in second and hopeful of mounting a promotion challenge to the Championship.

His first match is a trip across country to Cheltenham. The Robins remain in the bottom four but have shown signs of life since Darrell Clarke took over the hotseat and will provide a tricky assignment.

Image source, Rex Features

Portsmouth have been top of League One since 19 September - an impressive two-month stint. But with the last international break of 2023 behind us, this is where the winter slog begins.

John Mousinho's team have eight games to negotiate between now and 2024 as their 27-game unbeaten league run stretching back to March, and promotion credentials, will be tested to the full.

First up is the visit of Blackpool to Fratton Park, and it's a first game without key centre-half Regan Poole after his season-ending ACL injury.

Overcoming issues like that are part-and-parcel of what successful sides have to do and it will be a test for Mousinho's squad.

Neil Critchley's team, currently eighth, are easy on the eye, but with only one win on their travels, it's easy to see where they need to improve to really compete for a promotion spot.

• AFC Wimbledon v Notts County
• Bradford v Accrington
• Colchester v Barrow
• Crawley v Harrogate
• Crewe v Doncaster
• Grimsby v Sutton
• Newport v Stockport
• Salford v MK Dons
• Swindon v Mansfield
• Tranmere v Gillingham
• Walsall v Forest Green
• Wrexham v Morecambe

• Bolton v Exeter
• Carlisle v Charlton
• Cheltenham v Oxford
• Derby v Bristol Rovers
• Fleetwood v Stevenage
• Leyton Orient v Wigan
• Lincoln v Barnsley
• Northampton v Cambridge
• Peterborough v Burton
• Portsmouth v Blackpool
• Shrewsbury v Port Vale
• Wycombe v Reading

Image source, Rex Features

The traditionalists among you will be in clover today as there's a full programme of Saturday 3pm kick-offs in League One and League Two.

No mealtime starts, no Friday or Sunday fixtures.

This afternoon we'll bring you the action from all 24 games and 48 teams.

So strap yourself in - it's going to get busy.