EFL on Sky this weekend: Hull face crunch Middlesbrough clash & more pressure coming for Leicester?
Huge live games, how to view free highlights, podcasts, fixtures, league tables and exclusive interviews; here is everything you need to know about how to watch and follow all the Sky Bet EFL action this weekend with Sky Sports
Friday 5 December 2025 20:16, UK
Massive live games, free highlights, league tables, podcasts, exclusive interviews and more. Everything you need to know about the EFL this weekend on Sky Sports.
An all-Yorkshire affair to kick off the weekend
- Hull City vs Middlesbrough (8pm) - live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Friday night
Are Hull City genuine play-off contenders? A comeback win at Stoke City last Saturday would suggest they are here to stay. Joe Gelhardt - the man of the moment - scored a late winner to make it seven goals in his last nine games.
If they can keep him in form and eventually get Oli McBurnie back from injury and pair the both together, then the Tigers can challenge anyone.
They start the weekend in ninth, but the table is so absurdly congested that victory on Friday takes them up to third ahead of the rest of the weekend.
Middlesbrough will be second whatever happens. But a win at the MKM Stadium, to add to Kim Hellberg's debut victory last Saturday against Derby, means they will also stay there throughout the weekend.
Hellberg said after that win that he would remember that day for the rest of his life, but games come around quickly in this league, and he admits he is wary of Hull heading into his first away game.
"I think they're a good, brave team that wants to be aggressive, that plays the ball on the ground," he said in his pre-match press conference. "They want to press, they want to go forward, they are stepping out of the lines.
"They have a top player in Gelhardt who's scored a lot of goals in transitions, but also with the ball. Brave team, a lot of good players, good quality.
"I think it will be a very good game, so I'm looking forward to playing the game and looking forward to seeing the fans. I've heard they are amazing away from home, so that would be a fun game."
David Prutton's prediction on the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast:
"Hull City's win at Stoke was a huge result against a side that were sitting second, and perhaps it has not received the credit it deserves. They were poor in the first half, made changes at the break and still found a way to win. There is plenty to like about Sergej Jakirovic's team.
"I am really interested to see how both clubs handle the growing expectations. If Hull continue on this trajectory, we will have to start talking about them as top-six contenders. It is a strong fixture to start the weekend, offering a chance to see what Kim Hellberg can get from this Middlesbrough squad, how he sets them up and whether he can build on the good work Rob Edwards left behind.
"Having said that, I fancy Hull to pull off another result here and win 2-1."
What EFL is live on Sky Sports+ at 12.30pm on Saturday?
Sky Sports+ brings you six live EFL games on Saturday, with build-up starting from 11am on Sky Sports Football ahead of the feature game: Derby vs Leicester. You can also keep up with all the action on the EFL Goal Zone on Soccer Saturday from midday.
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It feels a little more rocky for Derby County than it did a few weeks ago. After five straight wins saw them fly up the table, they have lost two of their last three since the international break - and have also lost top scorer and talisman Carlton Morris to injury for at least a couple of months.
But they have a chance to get back to form on Saturday as they host a Leicester City side who will be bereft of confidence.
The Foxes have dropped to 16th in the table after dismal back-to-back defeats. Completely undone at Southampton in a 3-0 loss, before a late comeback against Sheffield United put the gloss on a game where they were two down after four minutes and three down after half-time. They were still beaten 3-2.
Jordan James is in the strange position of actually been one of the most impressive performers in the league in Leicester's midfield, despite the team struggling at times.
And the 21-year-old midfielder, currently on loan from Rennes, feels he can help dig the team out of their current malaise.
"As a team, obviously we're not where we want to be," he told Sky Sports. "We know that we need to do better and we know where we want to get to.
"When you're in these bad patches, I've been at clubs where we've been in really bad places and this is nowhere near that. Being in a different kind of pressure where you're expected to win, I've thrived under that. I haven't really had that before.
"When you're playing well personally, normally the team is doing well as well. I'm just trying to do the best I can to achieve what I want to achieve and what the team wants to achieve. I feel like if I can keep performing the way that I am, the results will soon change."
David Prutton's prediction on the Sky Sports Essential EFL podcast:
"Derby had put together a strong run of form, winning five on the bounce, but losing Carlton Morris has clearly disrupted them. They now face a Leicester side aiming to get back to winning ways.
"This is a tough assignment for Leicester against Derby County. The East Midlands rivalry adds an edge, but on the evidence so far under Marti Cifuentes, Leicester have been really underperforming. Decisions have not helped them, but for a team many expected to challenge for the top two, or at least the top six, there is real work to be done.
"I feel like Derby will edge this one. 2-1 home win."
- TABLES: Championship | League One | League Two
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Elsewhere in the Championship, two out-of-form sides meet at The Valley as Charlton take on Portsmouth. Charlton have lost their last four on the bounce and conceded 12 games in that time while scoring just two. Portsmouth have dropped into the bottom three after just one win in eight.
While Watford take on Norwich City at Vicarage Road. Watford are still unbeaten at home since the return of Javi Gracia to the club, while Norwich finally ended their dismal run without a win as they beat QPR last time out. They had previously failed to win any of their last 13 Championship games.
