It looks set to be another exciting weekend ahead in the EFL. Here are five things to look out for...
Derby day
The South Wales derby returns this weekend as Swansea City host Cardiff City in the Sky Bet Championship on Sunday afternoon.
The Bluebirds will be looking to make up for last season when the Swans sailed out 3-0 victors over Cardiff on home soil in October 2021 and 4-0 winners when they travelled to the Cardiff City Stadium in April this year, doing the double over their local rivals.
Elsewhere, Blackpool and Preston North End will contest the Lancashire derby on Saturday in the lunchtime kick-off.
New faces in the dugout
There will be some new faces in the dugout in Sky Bet League Two this weekend as Danny Schofield takes to the hotseat with his hometown team Doncaster Rovers. The South Yorkshire side pay a visit to Crewe Alexandra with the 42-year-old looking to get his reign off to a winning start.
Meanwhile, Graham Coughlan will take charge of his first game at Newport County. The Exiles welcome Colchester United to Rodney Parade. With one win in their last eight, can Coughlan end Newport’s run of three straight defeats?
Table toppers
Queens Park Rangers are sitting pretty at the top of the Championship standings in the wake of a 3-0 triumph over Cardiff City in midweek. The Hoops are now level on points with second-placed Blackburn Rovers.
This weekend, Michael Beale’s side go head-to-head with Wigan Athletic on home soil and the Club’s Director of Football Les Ferdinand joined the Official EFL Podcast to discuss QPR’s aims for the season.
“Anyone sitting in my seat wants to get promoted,” he said. “There hasn’t been a year that I’ve been at the Club that we haven’t wanted that. We’re realistic about what we’re doing, where we are and how we do things. It’s always been about progression for us at QPR.”
🎧 The latest #OfficialEFLPodcast is out now!
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• @QPR's Director of Football, Les Ferdinand
• @OUFCOfficial boss, Karl Robinson
▶️ Listen: 👇#EFL
Televised clash
Sky Bet League One gets underway this evening as Ipswich Town lock horns with Derby County at Portman Road in front of what is expected to be a bumper crowd in East Anglia live on Sky Sports.
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— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) October 19, 2022
The Tractor Boys sit in second in the table, having lost successive games for the first time under boss Kieran McKenna since the 36-year-old took up the position in December last year.
The Rams, on the other hand, have taken six points from a possible nine under new manager Paul Warne and Ipswich could prove to be their biggest test yet. Derby occupy ninth place as it stands heading into the weekend.
Rainbow Laces
This weekend, EFL Clubs will show their support to Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign, which runs until Monday 31 October.
As part of the campaign, specific matchday activity will include Rainbow coloured captain armbands and corner flags with the clear message that football is for everyone, with a handful of Clubs, including Rotherham United and Bolton Wanderers, showing their support for Rainbow Laces last weekend.