EFL weekend preview: Savage’s first EFL match and Alexander’s Preston return headline fixtures

West Bromwich Albion, beaten 1-0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers in their most recent outing, will host Birmingham City at The Hawthorns on Saturday (12:30 BST) as EFL clubs prepare for a weekend of league action on 9 October 2026.

Not every EFL side had a fortnight away during the international break—League One and League Two continued while some players were on international duty—but October offers a reset for many clubs close enough to the season start for new managers to influence results and far enough in for teams to be finding their footing.

West Brom sit fifth in the Championship, three points clear of 10th-placed Birmingham City, after a defeat that Conor Townsend described as their "worst performance of the season"; the two West Midlands rivals meet at The Hawthorns on Saturday (12:30 BST), and last season both fixtures between them ended level with a single goal deciding each match.

Southampton and Portsmouth meet at St Mary's on Sunday (12:00 BST) amid fallout from the Spygate affair: Southampton were expelled from last season's Championship play-off final and handed a four-point deduction this season, while the FA imposed a six-week suspended ban on Tonda Eckert for his role; Portsmouth arrive on a three-match unbeaten run and McAnuff said Eckert "got off very, very lightly", while Saints boss Eckert told media, "Thank you for support".

Bolton, managed by Steven Schumacher after his move from Plymouth and a spell that included his sacking in September following 32 games at the Bet365 Stadium, sit three points shy of the play-off places having won their last two matches and suffered three of their four losses by a one-goal margin; they travel to Stoke on Saturday (15:00 BST), where Stoke are unbeaten in five (W4 D1) and former defender Luke Chambers praised manager Mark Robins: "At Stoke there has been lots of change, they've moved managers on, they've tried these winning formulas," Chambers told the 72+ podcast. "But with Mark Robins, he's a fabulous manager. Stoke City have impressed me, especially within the past few weeks."

Graham Alexander returned to Preston North End on 28 September and described the club as "special" after a playing career that included 410 appearances and the captaincy; Preston are kept off the bottom of the Championship only on goal difference, with a solitary win so far this season, and face Millwall on Saturday (15:00 BST), a side described as carrying injury problems but sitting two points off the play-off positions.

At League One level, Alexander's previous spell at Bradford ended with promotion in 2025 and a play-off semi-final defeat last season to eventual winners Bolton; Michael Duff has succeeded him at Bradford and will take charge for the first time against Leyton Orient on Saturday (15:00 BST), saying: "I'm under no illusions, they [the owners] will let you know [if you're doing a bad job]," Duff told the 72+ podcast.

Peterborough United gave Robbie Savage the managerial reins on 2 October and he began with a 4-1 EFL Trophy victory over Ipswich Town in which Posh scored four times in under 10 minutes; Peterborough remain the lowest scorers in League One with four goals from eight games and Savage's first league test comes against his former club Leicester City on Saturday (15:00 BST). Former Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith told the 72+ podcast, "He is box office, isn't he?" and added, "But he's got a tough start. Three of his next four are away from home. He's got Leicester on Saturday, he's then got Huddersfield and also Bromley." Leicester arrive having beaten Stockport and drawn at Barnsley in their most recent matches.

In League Two, Salford City's appointment of Australian Peter Cklamovski marks his first managerial role in English football and the club recovered from three successive August losses to rise to the top of the table, earning Cklamovski the manager of the month award for September; Cheltenham have lost only twice and midfielder Charlie McCann won the player of the month award, and the Robins host Salford on Saturday (15:00 BST) knowing a victory could lift them above Salford if other results go their way — Cheltenham lead the head-to-head with five wins, two draws and two losses from nine meetings.

BBC Sport will provide live text coverage of the weekend's EFL fixtures, beginning with West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers at 20:00 BST on Friday and concluding with Southampton v Portsmouth on Sunday at 12:00 BST.