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The big weekend preview

24 September 2020

Following this week's Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy action, attention turns back to the upcoming league fixtures, with plenty coming up across the EFL's three divisions.

Here's a closer look at what's on the way, as we pick out some of the main matches to look forward to...

 

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Kicking things off on Friday evening, it's Huddersfield Town's Sky Bet Championship clash against Nottingham Forest, live on Sky Sports. Both sides are looking for their first win of the campaign; Huddersfield haven’t started a league season with three defeats in a row since 1992/93, while opponents Forest haven’t done so since the 1954/55 campaign.

The early kick-offs on Saturday see Watford take on Luton Town and Wycombe Wanderers face Swansea City respectively. With a rivalry renewed at Vicarage Road, this is the first league meeting between Watford and Luton since April 2006, and while Watford will be the favourites, it's Luton who have made the better start to the 2020/21 campaign.

On Sunday, it's all eyes on the south coast, as AFC Bournemouth host Norwich City. These two sides who were playing top-flight football last season and will see this as an early chance to make their mark. Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last 15 Championship matches, but have won just one of their last seven league meetings with Norwich.

 

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Into League One, where there are three sides with 100 per cent records going into the weekend. One of those sides is Ipswich Town, who are preparing to host Rochdale at Portman Road for the very first time in any competition. The league leaders will also be looking to win three successive league games whilst also keeping a clean sheet for the first time since April 1999.

Elsewhere, there's a meeting between two promotion hopefuls in Sunderland AFC and Peterborough United at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon. Sunderland have lost just one of their last 22 home league games and remain unbeaten since a 2-1 defeat to Burton Albion in November 2019, but Peterborough are unbeaten in their last three league encounters with Sunderland, making this a tough one to call.

Following their impressive 6-1 win over Liverpool under-21s in the EFL Trophy in midweek, Wigan Athletic face a long trip to Portsmouth this weekend. Portsmouth will want to kick-start their campaign, having drawn 0-0 in both of their opening two league games this season. Only twice in Football League history has a side started the season with three 0-0 draws (Ipswich in 1998/99 and Sheffield Wednesday in 1920/21).

 

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As expected, League Two has again proven a competitive division again in the early part of this season, and this weekend's action looks to provide more of the same. Among the matches is Bolton Wanderers v Newport County, with the hosts looking to get their season going against a side who will be buoyed by victory over Championship Watford in the Carabao Cup during the week.

Bradford City were one of six sides to do the league double over Stevenage last season, but it's been a solid start to the campaign for the unbeaten Boro, who sit fifth in the standings after two games. The visitors will be aiming to win back-to-back league games for the first time since May 2019.

It's Cambridge United sitting pretty at the top of the table ahead of the weekend, though. The U's have won both of their last two league games by an aggregate scoreline of 8-0, and welcome Tranmere Rovers on Saturday afternoon. Rovers have a decent record in this fixture, however, having lost just one of their last five trips to Cambridge in the Football League (W2 D2), keeping three clean sheets in the process.

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