EFL weekend preview: Swansea v West Ham leads a congested fixture list
Swansea will host West Ham at SA1 in a Championship clash on Saturday (15:00 BST), while the EFL weekend schedule opens with Burnley v Wolves on Friday (20:00 BST). The fixtures across the Championship, League One and League Two contain several matches with significant implications for promotion and relegation.
Seven of the current top nine teams in the Championship have spent at least six seasons outside the top flight, with several absent for much longer, leaving the division populated by clubs intent on changing that status. Swansea sit top after four straight wins either side of the international break, their last-gasp winner at Millwall on Tuesday maintaining their position and marking 16 years since they last won promotion. The third tier and League Two are both closely contested this season, with tight margins separating promotion contenders.
Saturday’s mouthpiece fixture pits the Championship’s leading scorers against the division’s sturdiest defence: West Ham have scored 29 goals in 10 games and sit four points behind Swansea in third after a 6-0 victory at nine-man Lincoln, while Swansea have conceded just seven goals so far. West Ham have fallen behind in eight of their 13 games in all competitions but remain unbeaten on the road in the league, whereas Swansea are yet to lose at home, having conceded only twice in five matches.
In the West Midlands and London, Birmingham’s recent form has lifted them to fourth after a 4-0 win over Preston on Tuesday, a result that completed a four-match unbeaten run yielding 10 points. QPR sit fifth but are level on points and behind on goals scored after Julien Stephan’s side ended a run of four straight draws with a 4-1 win over Derby. Rangers remain unbeaten in five league away games, conceding a division-best four goals in that span, and the Saturday result between these clubs will be watched for signs of who can sustain a promotion challenge.
Leicester’s home form is a concern ahead of Doncaster’s trip to the King Power (15:00 BST), following a 3-1 loss to Peterborough last Saturday that was their third home league defeat in four matches during which they have shipped nine goals. Manager Russell Martin said there will be "no quick fix" in sacking him after supporters chanted for his dismissal, and midfielder John Lundstram described the side as playing with "anxiety" at home. The Foxes are unbeaten away, where six of their nine points have been collected, but they sit 17th, one point above the drop zone and below Rovers on goal difference; Grant McCann’s Rovers have won their past three games in all competitions without conceding.
League One remains exceptionally tight, with four points separating the top seven and multiple teams capable of leading the table by Saturday evening. Huddersfield conceded a 98th-minute equaliser to Sheffield Wednesday and are three points off the summit ahead of a 600+-mile trip to leaders Plymouth, who themselves required a late goal to beat AFC Wimbledon last weekend and have played a game more than some rivals. Second-placed Bradford host Stevenage, while Stockport, Cambridge and Reading — occupying third, fifth and sixth respectively — all face sides currently in the bottom six.
In League Two the margins are similarly narrow: the top 14 teams are split by seven points, and leaders Salford are only nine points clear of 20th-placed Rotherham after 10 matches. Salford, nicknamed the Ammies, host rock-bottom Crawley; in this fixture last November Salford came from 3-2 down with five minutes to play to win 4-3, but were held to a goalless draw in the return in Sussex on the final day of the regular season, denying City automatic promotion, and they subsequently lost in the play-off final to Notts County. Unbeaten Barnet sit second, a point behind with games in hand before travelling to Tranmere, while Crewe are third and also unbeaten as they welcome Rochdale, and Gillingham, in fourth, travel to Accrington.
BBC Sport will provide live text coverage across the weekend, beginning with Friday’s Burnley v Wolves (20:00 BST) fixture and continuing through Saturday’s schedule across the Championship, League One and League Two.
