Kalvin Phillips scored his first league goal since 23 May 2021 in Sheffield United's last game before the break.

However, the former England man misses out today with a knock picked up in training.

He's struggled so badly with injuries for the past four years so both he and Blades fans will be hoping it is just a minor issue.

After wins for both sides before the break, there is perhaps no surprise that there are no changes for either to start this game.

Derby are without Charlie Taylor today so Mo Fuseini starts in the only change from the team held by Burnley three weeks ago.

Wrexham are missing both Callum Doyle and Ben Sheaf so Joe Worrall and Lewis O'Brien come into their side.

Wolves' Fer Lopez and Jordan James make the bench after sustaining injuries during the international break.

It makes room for Tommy Doyle to join the starting XI.

Blackburn make one change from the side which drew 2-2 at Portsmouth before the international break as Tom Atcheson takes a substitute berth and Andri Gudjohnsen starts up front.

Cardiff are without the suspended Krystian Bielik and injured top scorer, Yousef Salech while Chris Willock drops to the bench.

Dylan Lawlor, Callum Robinson and Cian Ashford start.

Neil Maddison
Former Middlesbrough midfielder on BBC Radio Tees

I'm looking forward to this game because it's got spice to it - we've got two teams vying for promotion.

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For the first time in what feels like a long time we are off and running in the Championship at 15:00 BST on a Saturday.

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Naz Premji
BBC Final Score commentator at the Riverside

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It will be a huge surprise if these two teams are not in the promotion picture come next May.

Kim Hellberg's Middlesbrough sit third in the table and today's visitors Wolves are just one point and one spot below them in fourth.

Boro don't generally lose at the Riverside which in recent times has become a bit of a fortress - they have won five and drawn one of their last six league games at this place. They will be hoping Wolves continue their travel sickness having not won in the Premier League last season away from home.

There is a lot of optimism around the Black Country about an immediate return to the top flight.

New boss Cesar Peixoto has made a good start to his tenure and they have recruited well with the likes of Kieran Trippier and of course the returning hero Raul Jimenez. Wolves still have a good squad and the likes of Andre and Marshall Munetsi will surely light up the Championship in the coming days and months.

Make no mistake this is a heavyweight encounter and we could be set for a Championship classic, we really could.

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Who wants a huge contest between two title contenders?

Both Middlesbrough and Wolves would have been in the mix for promotion before a ball was even kicked this season and they have both enjoyed promising starts.

But for Boro, this an extra special afternoon.

They have selected this match as the one they would like to commemorate their 150th anniversary and will be donning a special one-off blue kit for the affair.

Whether they will be celebrating afterwards though remains an unanswered question...

Two teams with recent Premier League pedigree meet with both teams in real need of a win.

Watford have lost four of their past five matches to fall down to 20th place and boss Alessio Dionisi will know patience is not a virtue associated with the club's decision makers.

If things aren't look rosy for him then they're looking a whole lot worse for Burnley gaffer Nicky Hayen.

The Clarets are the only team in the division yet to win a league match this season and spent the international break rock bottom.

He says the players have returned from the international break with "a new positivity" and they will need to use that today to finally get their season up and running and pick up a first league win since beating Crystal Palace in the Premier League on 11 February.

Stat of the weekend from our friends at Opta: Burnley have already conceded more goals this season after eight games in the Championship (17) than they did in 46 games in the 2024-25 campaign (16).

Realism in a footballing world built on fantasy figures and winning (at times) by foul means or fair can be hard to come by.

An eighth-place finish last season had many Derby fans hoping for further progress this time around but one win from their opening eight games, and sitting third from bottom has forced boss John Eustace to rein-in expectations this week.

"It's going to be very difficult to build on last season, obviously, when you look at the squad and how everyone else has improved," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"If we can't chase the dream this year, then there is no problem; we have to start again and look to build a really competitive team over the next two or three years that is going to be together."

Fantasy became reality for Wrexham fans a few years ago when along came Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac to transform their ailing club from National League also-rans to Premier League hopefuls.

Like Derby, their season has not quite gone to plan so far but a 2-1 win over Southampton before the break points to their potential.

Adam Cottier
BBC Final Score commentator at Deepdale

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There’s a buzz around Deedale and it needs to hang on in there for Preston’s sake.

Graham Alexander ended his playing career here with one of the great Deepdale moments of the last two decades - a stunning free-kick against Charlton that had the famous Alan Kelly Town End purring.

Fourteen years on, Preston are in some peril and Alexander needs to sparkle again, but this time from the touchline.

The absence of Stanley Mills and Jonny Kenny - two players likely to be vital to any success under Alexander - feels like a huge blow for Preston for this game, however.

Graham Alexander already has a legacy at Preston North End as a player but today marks his challenge to build another as the man at the helm.

It'll be the 54-year-old's first taste of Championship management and he's not undertaken an easy task.

Preston are only being held off the bottom spot by one goal, with just one win under their belt.

There's plenty for Alexander to unpick and repair but he will have to do it fast against a manager in Alex Neil that has transformed his Millwall side into promotion contenders in recent times.

After seven seasons away there are signs Bolton Wanderers might just be getting the hang of this Championship lark - just as well given their opponents today.

A run of four successive defeats had rather punctured the balloon of optimism at The Toughsheet Stadium following promotion via the play-offs but brighter times could be just around the corner.

Victories over Cardiff City and Norwich City in contrasting styles just before the international break have stabilised things somewhat.

"When you step up to it, there's two ways you can go about it. You can go and embrace the challenge and go and tackle it head on or you can run away from it and be fearful," Boss Steven Schumacher told BBC Radio Manchester.

"Now, I don't think that can be said about our group. Not one player has gone on to the pitch and felt or looked like they don't belong at the level."

Schumacher endured an unhappy 10 months at the Stoke helm, unable to stop the rot that had set in but Mark Robins may just be moving them in the right direction.

A three-match losing streak has been followed by five unbeaten and four wins with a chance to break into the top six today.

It's been a difficult start to the season for Sheffield United, with boss Chris Wilder saying on Friday the club was "getting bashed about".

Between the off-field problems surrounding money allegedly owed to the club's former owner and just two wins from their first eight games the Blades could do with a bit of positivity.

Going back to last season their recent home record is not good, two wins and six defeats from their past 11 at Bramall Lane in the league is not what Blades fans have grown accustomed to.

Visitors Lincoln have made a very solid start to their first season at this level in 65 years and have won three of their four away games to date, all be a scoreline of 1-0.

The most shots on goal in the Championship, the most shots on target in the Championship and the highest average possession in the Championship.

All those current records belong to Cardiff City but when it comes to the all-important statistics they do not compute - one win and seven points is a pretty poor return.

"I think it's clear we need to do better, we're in a position in the table we don't want to be," said boss Brian Barry-Murphy before today's game at Blackburn.

"Our motivation and ambition is to improve that quickly."

Blackburn resume after the international break hoping to extend a two-game unbeaten run which has brought them four points although defeat at Ewood Park would see them drop below their opponents.

We have seven more games to bring you this afternoon

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Tony 'Bomber' Brown
West Brom's all-time leading goalscorer on BBC Radio WM

West Brom just didn't do enough to make Birmingham panic in defence.

There was a lack of firepower and they didn't penetrate Blues at all.

That's the last two derbies now where it's been exactly the same.

They need to finish teams off otherwise it's not going to look too good.

Chris Wathan
BBC Sport Wales at the Swansea.Com Stadium

We are top of the league, chant the home fans.

Early days but why not enjoy it? Swansea certainly look like they've lost none of the momentum they had before the international break.

A third win in a row - and a third defeat in a row for Norwich who have a rather long trip home.