Derbies, Wrexham, run-ins: 6️⃣ huge EFL fixture talking points | OneFootball

The EFL fixtures have been released — you can see all the opening day matches in one piece here — and there is a lot to wade through across three leagues and 72 clubs.

So let us pick out some of the biggest talking points for you.

Opening (and final) day bonanzas

The new campaign will kick off on Friday 4 August with a huge game at Hillsborough, with newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday hosting freshly-relegated Southampton.

As if that wasn’t an exciting enough start, relegated Leicester will host Coventry (who lost last season’s play-off final) two days later to kick off their season with the first M69 derby in 11 years.

But there’s more!

Southampton don’t just get us off with a bang but close the season with one too, visiting fellow promotion hopefuls Leeds on 4 May. That could be massive.

Down in League One, Oxford United take on Cambridge United on opening day for the third season in a row (what are the chances?) with the clubs meeting again for an eye-catching Boxing Day fixture later on in the season.

All eyes on Yorkshire

Speaking of Leeds, they don’t have to wait long for their first Yorkshire derby of the season, taking on Sheffield Wednesday at the start of September.

Even bigger than that will be the 28 October, when Huddersfield visit for what is always a heated occasion. Away from Yorkshire, Oxford United will reignite their rivalry with Wycombe on the same day — that’s one to watch.

And we can’t mention Leeds and their rivalries without discussing Millwall, who they will take on in 16 September and 16 March.

Boxing Day

The best day of the calendar has served up some crackers.

In the Championship we have Southampton v Swansea and a potential new rivalry after head coach Russell Martin swapped South Wales for England’s south coast just this week.

League One serves up what could be a huge promotion clash between Peterborough and Reading.

And eyes should be on the capital in League Two, where south London-based Sutton United fans need to just hop on the Thameslink, if it’s running on the bank holiday, for a half-hour trip to AFC Wimbledon.

More derbies than Kentucky

We’ve already touched on a few but there are more huge rivalries that can’t go unmentioned.

Norwich travel to Ipswich for East Anglian (or Old Farm) derby on 16 December, with the return game taking place on 6 April.

Over in Wales, Cardiff host Swansea on 16 September (the same day Millwall host Leeds), with 16 March (again, the same day Leeds play Millwall) the day for the game in Swansea.

And AFC Wimbledon fans will look to get one over on MK Dons away from home on 18 November and at home on 2 March.

EFL meets Hollywood

Wrexham are back in the Football League and will be one of the most talked about teams of the season no matter how things pan out.

Games against Newport County will be hotly contested and take place within a month of each other, on 23 December and 20 January.

But the real eyeball-popping fixture is the final day, with the Racecourse Ground welcoming Stockport County, who Wrexham had a ding-dong promotion battle with in 2021/22, and it could be history repeating with both teams hopeful of promotion yet again.

Sunderland’s run-in

Last but certainly not least, Sunderland will once again be looking to reclaim a spot in the top flight but their run-in looks daunting with a host of names more familiar with Premier League football, and a couple who came close in 2022/23, to finish the season off.

The Black Cats’ last 12 fixtures see them face all three sides relegated from the Premier League just one month ago, plus fellow promotion hopefuls Norwich, Blackburn, West Brom, Millwall and Watford.

That’s some ask.