The Ultimate Showdown: Star-Studded Roster, Exciting New Talents, and Thrilling Action in the 2023/24 Championship

Who's new in the Championship?

Three major teams have descended from the Premier League and are poised to dominate the upcoming Championship season.

Southampton has returned following an absence of 11 years, while Leeds United makes a comeback after three successful seasons in the top-flight.

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Leeds United has made a comeback to the Championship after a three-year absence. Meanwhile, Leicester City, who were crowned Premier League champions seven years ago, are now making their return to the second tier for the first time in nine years.

Plymouth Argyle achieved promotion to the Championship as League One champions, marking their return to the second tier after a 13-year absence, during which they spent seven years in League Two. Ipswich Town secured the second spot and are making a comeback after a four-year hiatus, and Sheffield Wednesday earned promotion through the play-offs, ending their absence from the second tier since 2021.

Two of our new bunch make up the first fixture on Friday night, as Sheffield Wednesday host Southampton, live on We Football from 7pm. Kick-off 8pm.

Sheffield Wednesday

Southampton

Friday 4th August 7:00pm

Kick off 8:00pm

The opener on Friday

Sunday's Championship triple-header

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James Ward-Prowse is still a Southampton player despite their relegation. With the transfer window not closing until the end of the month, several prominent players are expected to stay at Southampton and participate in Friday night's match.

Despite intense speculation, James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, Che Adams, Nathan Tella and Kyle Walker-Peters could be among those to feature at Hillsborough.

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Jamie Vardy will spearhead Leicester's attempt to return to the Championship

Leicester City's squad for their first match at the King Power Stadium includes Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho, Timothy Castagne, and Wilfried Ndidi. Despite losing players like James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Youri Tielemans, they will face Coventry in a live match on We Football at 11.30am, followed by the kickoff at 12pm.

Similarly, Leeds United will have Tyler Adams, Jack Harrison, and Wilfried Gnonto in their lineup as they get ready to host Cardiff. The match will be broadcast live on We Football at 2pm, with the kickoff at 2.30pm.

Some big names remain... for now

Get ready for a star-studded opening weekend of Championship football, as excitement levels are set to soar.

It wouldn't be the Championship without a dash of managerial upheaval, and as the new season kicks off, seven out of the 24 clubs will introduce fresh faces in the dugout.

All three relegated clubs now have new managers leading their teams. Southampton has appointed Russell Martin, who previously managed Swansea City. Martin is known for his possession-based style of play and has greatly impressed observers, leading the Swans to mid-table finishes in the last two seasons.

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Russell Martin has taken charge at Southampton

Daniel Farke, the German who previously led Norwich City to victory in the league in 2019 and 2021, has been appointed as the new manager for Leeds. On the other hand, Enzo Maresca, who previously served as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City, has been chosen to lead Leicester for his first managerial position.

In a surprising move, Sheffield Wednesday has let go of Darren Moore, despite their promotion. Xisco Munoz, the manager who successfully guided Watford to the Premier League in 2021, has been brought in as his replacement.

Speaking about Watford, they have brought in Valerien Ismael who successfully guided Barnsley to the play-offs in 2021, but experienced a less prosperous period as the manager of West Brom in the Championship the subsequent season.

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Valerien Ismael has been appointed Watford boss

Swansea responded by replacing Martin with Michael Duff after his departure. Duff had previously led Barnsley to the League One play-off final last season, where they were defeated by Sheffield Wednesday.

Cardiff, on the other hand, has chosen Erol Bulut as their new manager. Bulut, a 48-year-old Turkish professional, has previously managed Fenerbahce.

The new faces in charge

Leicester, Leeds, and Southampton are firmly in contention for promotion, but is there anyone else capable of challenging them for the top two spots?

Although Middlesbrough faltered in the play-offs last season, under the guidance of Michael Carrick, they enjoyed a remarkable run. Middlesbrough managed to retain their star striker, Chuba Akpom, but they will have to find suitable replacements for Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey. The loaned duo from Aston Villa played a critical role in Middlesbrough's impressive form during the latter half of the campaign.

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Chuba Akpom aims to lead Middlesbrough to promotion, while Ipswich Town could build on their success from last season under Kieran McKenna. On the other hand, Norwich City has strengthened their squad with experienced players like Ashley Barnes and Shane Duffy, and are anticipated to surpass last season's mediocre performance.

Coventry City came close to achieving promotion last season but unfortunately lost to Luton in the play-off final after a penalty shootout. They have suffered the departure of their important striker Viktor Gyokeres and there are rumors surrounding the potential move of midfielder Gustavo Hamer. However, it would be unwise to disregard the ability of Mark Robins and his team to surpass expectations once more. Similarly, Sunderland, who reached the play-offs last season, will strive to further progress under the guidance of Tony Mowbray.

What about anyone else? Well, this is the Championship. So anything can happen.

Can anyone else challenge the relegated sides?

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Cardiff City is buzzing with excitement as Aaron Ramsey makes his grand return to his childhood club. The renowned former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder, as well as a Welsh icon, renews his association with the team he left 15 years ago to join the Gunners, with a brief loan spell in 2010/11.

Another Welsh player has made a transfer, as Ethan Ampadu has recently departed from Chelsea to join Leeds. Surprisingly, despite being only 22 years old, he has settled into a permanent club after completing four consecutive loan spells.

Moreover, Leicester City has acquired two English internationals, Harry Winks and Conor Coady. Interestingly, the latter was included in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad in the previous year.

Any other big signings?

Additionally, there will likely be numerous significant signings before the transfer window comes to a close.

The majority of the excitement in the Championship occurs at 3pm on Saturday, when eight matches begin simultaneously.

Eight games kicking off at 3pm on Saturday

Catch all the action by tuning into Soccer Saturday on We News starting from 12pm or by following our dedicated EFL live blog on our website and app.

Eight games kicking off at 3pm on Saturday

Here are the upcoming matches:

- Blackburn vs West Brom, 3pm

- Bristol City vs Preston, 3pm

- Middlesbrough vs Millwall, 3pm

- Norwich vs Hull, 3pm

- Plymouth vs Huddersfield, 3pm

- Watford vs QPR, 3pm

- Stoke vs Rotherham, 3pm

- Swansea vs Birmingham, 3pm

Opening Saturday fixtures

If you happen to miss your team's match or simply want to catch up, we offer free match highlights from all Sky Bet Championship fixtures shortly after the game ends.

You can find the highlights of every 3pm kick-off right here starting from 5.15pm.