The waiting is over and the serious business starts nw with a mouthwatering 12-match card, spread over four days, to mark the beginning of the 2024/25 Championship.
Newly-promoted Derby kick off the campaign on Friday night with a trip to Blackburn at the same time as relegated Sheffield United head to Deepdale for a Roses clash with Preston.
There are eight more games on Saturday where the highlight has to be Portsmouth, the recently-crowned League One champions, visiting Elland Road to take on title favourites Leeds.
Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth, two sides who almost went down last season, meet on Sunday before Luton and Burnley, two teams who were relegated, round off the card on Monday night.
- MIDDLESBROUGH TO BEAT SWANSEA
- SHEFFIELD UNITED TO BEAT PRESTON
- DRAW or PORTSMOUTH DOUBLE CHANCE vs LEEDS
- CARDIFF TO BEAT SUNDERLAND
- OXFORD UTD vs NORWICH - OVER 2.5 GOALS
Bet On The Championship
Middlesbrough vs Swansea
Swansea boss Luke Williams is already looking to the club's youth set-up to fill his bench at the Riverside with a number of senior aces injured, and that spells trouble against a side as good as Middlesbrough.
Boro were fast finishers last season and are being tipped for good things this term, so this looks like a really tough opener for the Welsh side.
Michael Carrick's hosts were just outside the play-offs last season and have had a positive summer with some good work-outs against admittedly opposition.
There haven't been many new additions with Delano Burgzorg and Aidan Morris having had plenty of time to settle in, and good things are expected.
Swansea had a mixed campaign last term with Williams himself dividing opinion among the Jack Army and they are on a hiding to nothing with their opener.
MIDDLESBROUGH TO BEAT SWANSEA
Preston vs Sheffield United
The new season hasn't even started yet and Sheffield United find themselves tailed off, but they can be off the bottom by close of play on Friday.
United kick off the season on Friday night with a trip to Preston, and do so on minus two points courtesy of a deduction for defaulting on payments to other clubs when they were last in the Championship.
Last season, of course, they were in the Premier League and while it ended badly - they finished bottom with a woeful total of 16 points to their name - they at least have Chris Wilder back at the helm breathing fire and passion into his players.
And they should relish the trip to Preston, a side who were play-off contenders for long periods last season before tailing away badly with five straight defeats and not a single goal scored.
SHEFFIELD UNITED TO BEAT PRESTON
Leeds United vs Portsmouth
On the face of it Portsmouth couldn't have a tougher start to the season than a trip to Leeds - in reality it might be quite a good time to be playing this fixture.
The south coast club, on an absolute high after returning to the section as champions of League One to end a 12-year exile from the second tier, lost only two away games during their successful promotion season.
And while that was a level below where they are now, confidence will still be high.
As for Leeds, they've been waiting and waiting for the chance to exorcise the ghosts of their play-off final loss to Southampton.
And while they will be a formidable outfit, especially at their fortress of a home stage, they have lost big players this summer in Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville and week one might not be a bad time to be taking them on. They certainly look short enough.
DRAW/PORTSMOUTH DOUBLE CHANCE vs LEEDS
Cardiff City vs Sunderland
If Portsmouth are arguably facing Leeds at a good time, then Cardiff may also have been paired with Sunderland at a good time.
The Black Cats head across the Severn Bridge under new management in Regis Le Bris, a Frenchman with a decent reputation despite failing to keep Lorient in Ligue 1 last term. The Bretons went down with the worst defence in the French top-flight.
Le Bris has inherited a big job at the Stadium of Light, taking charge of a side who had a miserable back end of 2023/24 with 10 defeats in their last 15 matches. In their last nine league matches they found the net just once.
Cardiff have enjoyed a fine pre-season after enjoying a respectable first campaign under Erol Bulut. Only the bottom four clubs won fewer away games than Sunderland who might not relish this trip.
CARDIFF TO BEAT SUNDERLAND
Oxford United vs Norwich
Newly promoted Oxford United are expected to go straight back down, but that might be a lazy assumption.
The U’s got better as the League One season went on under Des Buckingham tightening up nicely at the back end of term to shut out Peterborough and Bolton in the play-offs.
Their games weren't, however, historically tight, going at 2.9 goals a time and any defensive flaws will be exploited up a level, especially by a side like Norwich.
The Canaries are under new management in the shape of Jens Thorup and he's blessed with a side full of attacking intent, whose games went at over 3.1 goals a time last season under David Wagner.
Norwich might not necessarily win this because Oxford will give it a real go, but back loads of goals.
OXFORD UTD vs NORWICH - OVER 2.5 GOALS
