The English Football League weekend is packed with derby fixtures, from local rivalries to a clash involving a team actually named Derby. Across the Championship, League One and League Two, there are games carrying extra weight for reasons beyond the league table.
At Turf Moor, Burnley and Derby County meet on Saturday (15:00 BST) in a game between a relegated club and a side that missed out on a play-off spot on the final day of last season. Neither has made a good start. Burnley are bottom and still looking for their first win, while Derby have amassed just four points from seven games and are on a three-match losing streak. It is too early to say both are relegation candidates, but the signs are worrying. Derby’s task is made harder by the absence of Sweden international goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, who has been ruled out with a knee problem. ‘The defensive aspect for Derby at the moment is under scrutiny, we are conceding goals, and to lose your first-choice goalkeeper is a big blow,’ former Rams academy coach Darren Robinson told BBC Radio Derby.
Bragging rights are up for grabs in two notable derbies. West Ham went a man down in the ninth minute the last time they met Millwall in 2012, but still managed to claw out a 2-1 victory. Millwall’s storming start to the Championship has faltered in recent games, while West Ham have leapt to the top following an unsteady start on their return to the Championship. They meet at The Den on Saturday (12:30 BST), with the Hammers chasing a fifth straight victory and aiming to fully establish their position as league leaders.
On Sunday, Molineux hosts its first Black Country derby since 2021 (12:00 BST). Wolves lost 3-2 in this fixture when West Bromwich Albion visited most recently, but it is 2012 that truly haunts them. Baggies boss James Morrison played in a 5-1 victory for Albion on the pitch that day and 14 years later will hope to inflict further suffering from the dugout. Wolves striker Jimenez will miss the derby with West Brom, and both clubs have issued a warning over derby disorder.
In League One, Cambridge United and Oxford United are turning an academic rivalry into a promotion race. Cambridge have adjusted excellently to life in League One under Neil Harris, suffering just one defeat in six games (W3 D2). Aaron Ramsey’s Oxford are overcoming a transfer embargo and relegation disappointment to do the same in five games (W3 D1). Both are in play-off positions, just one point separating them, and their game on Saturday (15:00 BST) feels like it could be a good one.
Doncaster Rovers’ trip to Peterborough United on Saturday (15:00 BST) is the Grant McCann derby. McCann recently revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer last year and says he has recovered now. His Doncaster side are bottom of League One and without a win (D3 L3), while Peterborough are only two points ahead and in danger themselves. McCann has rich history with Peterborough as both a player and a manager. ‘I’m not putting any extra on the pressure to the players, if anything I’m feeling a bit calmer,’ McCann told BBC Radio Sheffield. ‘Nobody wants to be in position where we haven’t won in six games but if we look at all the games, we’ve had really good opportunities to put the game away. We haven’t quite done that but we have to stay on top of what we believe in and it will certainly come.’
League Two offers a double helping of local rivalries in Saturday’s early kick-offs. Oldham and Rochdale (12:30 BST) both recently returned to the EFL from the National League, but Rochdale have not yet found their footing and will be seeking just their second win of the season. Oldham have lost their past two in succession and are at risk of tumbling down the table after a solid start to their campaign. Meanwhile, Port Vale make the short trip from Burslem to Walsall (12:30 BST). Walsall watched Vale win promotion ahead of them during a rollercoaster 2024-25 season, but the Valiants are back in the fourth tier and struggling. Vale are just above the relegation line after claiming their first win of the season against Exeter City last weekend and will aim to back it up against a Walsall team who have proven tricky for them in the past. Vale claimed this exact fixture last time out, but Walsall were unbeaten in their previous seven meetings, winning six. Walsall have gone undefeated in the league so far and will want to stay that way.
Live text coverage of the weekend’s EFL action starts with Bristol City v Watford on Friday (20:00 BST), continues throughout Saturday and culminates in Norwich City v Bolton Wanderers on Sunday (13:30 BST).