Championship predictions: Gameweek 1

The 2024 summer has hardly been bereft of football and EFL lovers have barely had time to breathe off the back of a jam-packed international schedule.

Any unity from supporting the national team will soon dissipate with the return of club football around the corner. However, before Europe's leading divisions as well as the Premier League make their respective comebacks, there's an isolated week of EFL action to enjoy.

The Championship is revered for its unpredictability and, although some relegated top-flight sides have dominated the division in recent years, there's certainly scope for a shocker to emerge - as Ipswich Town did last time out - towards the top of the table.

Matchday 1 of the 2024/25 Championship campaign kicks off on Friday and here's how 90min predicts the opening weekend of the season will pan out.

Friday 9 August

The new Championship season begins with a Friday doubleheader, with Sheffield United in action on their return to the second tier.

After a dire 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Blades supporters are undoubtedly looking forward to being back in the Championship. Chris Wilder, though, is overseeing a rebuild at Bramall Lane and starting the season on the road will be tricky. Preston were the eighth-best performing Championship team at home last season, although their form was patchy after a blistering start.

Derby are back in the Championship after earning automatic promotion from League One last season and start their first second-tier campaign since 2021/22 away at Blackburn. There's certainly potential for the newly-promoted Rams to begin their season with a bang with Blackburn plagued by off-field issues. John Eustace has his work cut out if he's to oversee an improved campaign this time around.

Saturday 10 August

The 2pm kick-offs at Euro 2024 were cool, but nothing beats a big old Saturday slate of Championship football. Heritage.

It's an eight-game slate on Matchday 1 with all games kicking off at 12:30pm.

Leeds are in action at Elland Road against League One champions Portsmouth. The Yorkshire giants were incredibly unfortunate not to earn promotion last season but are well-placed to enjoy another successful campaign. Daniel Farke has a superb record in this division but will be working with a much-changed group of players in 2024/25 with Leeds losing several core members over the summer.

Many are also tipping Middlesbrough to compete towards the top this season having come on strong down the stretch last term. Michael Carrick has a talented squad at his disposal but they must avoid the start which left them playing catch-up in 2023/24. Boro welcome Swansea to the Riverside on Saturday.

Other promotion hopefuls West Brom and Norwich are on the road as they face QPR and Oxford United, set to enjoy their maiden Championship campaign, respectively. Could the U's cause a stir from the outset?

Millwall are typically tough to beat at the Den and have a great chance of starting their season with a win as they face a Watford side some are projecting for misery in 2024/25. Elsewhere, Sunderland travel to Wales and take on Cardiff, Stoke meet a talented Coventry team poised to challenge for the play-off spots, while Hull host Bristol City.

Sunday 11 August

The decision to appoint German Danny Rohl midway through the 2023/24 campaign proved to be a masterstroke as Sheffield Wednesday stayed clear of the drop thanks to a productive end to the season.

The German will now be aiming to build on that early promise during his first full season at Hillsborough. The Owls have been busy in the transfer market and are well-placed for an improved campaign in 2024/25. They kick things off at home against Plymouth on Sunday afternoon.

The south coasters outfit barely survived last season and are now led by Wayne Rooney after the former Manchester United icon ran Birmingham into the ground. How long will Wazza last at Home Park?

Monday 12 August

While Burnley have seen manager Vincent Kompany move on to Bayern Munich off the back of an insipid Premier League campaign, Luton Town have crucially retained Rob Edwards and will hope their man in charge can inspire yet another magical Championship campaign.

Luton made a good fist of their Premier League bow and have retained much of their squad from last season while adding a couple of nice pieces. They'll benefit from opening their 2024/25 account at Kenilworth Road, but Burnley did win away at Luton last season.

Scott Parker has had a few nightmares while coaching in the top flight but his record in the second tier is more than respectable. Still, they couldn't have asked for many trickier fixtures to begin the season.

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