EFL Preview: Burnley host Sunderland before Yorkshire rivals meet

Attention turns to the foot of the table on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 GMT) when three of the bottom four are in action.

Cardiff host Swansea in the south Wales derby, having climbed out of the drop zone courtesy of Tuesday’s draw against Watford, who equalised late on.

Although the Bluebirds have squandered leads lately, they are unbeaten in their past five matches in all competitions.

Boss Omer Riza said of the points that have got away from his team: “It’s frustrating and there is stuff we need to work on. That will improve as the season goes on.

“We know we need three points, but we are out of the bottom three for now. It was a good performance and we have to take that into Saturday.”

Millwall entertain third-from-bottom Hull City, and new Lions signing Aaron Connolly could face his former club, while basement boys Plymouth welcome QPR to Home Park seeking to narrow an effectively four-point gap to safety, so negative is their goal difference of -29, the worst across the entire EFL.

New Argyle boss Miron Muslic is seeking to follow up a point against Oxford United in his first game at a lively Home Park on Tuesday and said: “When you go out and you feel that, I was very impressed.

“Now I know what it feels like to play a home game and what Home Park and the Argyle fans and the Green Army can deliver.

“I have nothing but respect for that – this will also give us the boost we need and the confidence we need. It’s like a 12th man almost for the future to face the challenge we have in front of us.”

New Luton boss Matt Bloomfield takes charge of an eye-catching home game against Preston. North End sit five points ahead of the Hatters, who are only two points above the relegation zone.

Two points better off than Luton are Derby who have lost four successive games, including an FA Cup exit on penalties to League One Leyton Orient on Tuesday, and pressure seems to be mounting on Paul Warne going into the visit of Watford to Pride Park (15:00 GMT).

Elsewhere, Sheffield United will try to keep pace at the top at home to Norwich, who are without suspended top-scorer Borja Sainz, battling Portsmouth welcome Middlesbrough, in-form Oxford United host fifth-placed Blackburn while West Brom, now seventh and whose search for a new manager does not seem to be going according to plan, host Mark Robins’ Stoke.