Watch Watford vs Middlesbrough from 7pm on Friday night (Kick-off 7.45pm); And Birmingham vs Brentford from 12pm on Saturday (Kick-off 12.30pm)
Saturday 12 September 2020 18:33, UK
We asked fans from all 24 Sky Bet Championship clubs to tell us their hopes and expectations for the 2020/21 season...
Carlo van de Watering, @RedsReport_
What are your hopes for the season? To improve on last season’s great escape and compete rather than survive in this division.
Hopeful finish? 14th
Expected finish? 17th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Alex Mowatt. A leader on and off the pitch. A captain that leads from the front.
Who is your ideal signing? Attacking midfielder Ben Whiteman from Doncaster. We need a greater contribution of goals from the middle of the park and he would provide that.
Joe Lombardi, @BrummieJoeHD
What are your hopes for the season? A mid-table finish with no relegation fears whilst establishing a playing identity and stabilising the club for higher finishes in the coming years.
Hopeful finish? 10th
Expected finish? 16th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Jeremie Bela. He’s a tricky winger with a decent end product that will always be a worry for the opposition. It’s no wonder teams are watching him.
Who is your ideal signing? We're desperate for any fairly reliable striker who would do a job at an affordable price. If we could get Scott Hogan and he can recapture his pre-lockdown form then he would be a real asset for us.
Mike Delap, BRFCS Podcast
What are your hopes for the season? For fans to be able to return safely to football grounds. And for Blackburn: A season where the academy lads come to the fore.
Hopeful finish? 6th
Expected finish? 14th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Lewis Travis. Biting, dynamic midfielder with plenty of hustle. One the Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on.
Who is your ideal signing? Any sort of experienced centre-back would do enormously. I don't have a name. But it's a key area we're short in.
Peter Bell, Cherry Chimes
What are your hopes for the season? I am not expecting Bournemouth to blow everyone away. I'd like us to be competitive and to get back to winning games, after all it is Jason Tindall's first crack at being a number one.
Hopeful finish? 1st
Expected finish? 10th
What player do you need to keep hold of? If we can keep hold of midfielder David Brooks, we’ll create a lot of chances and he'll score a fair few goals himself.
Who is your ideal signing? Andre Ayew at Swansea has loads of experience. Sadly, I think we will rely on the players we have.
Gemma Teale, Beesotted Blog and Podcast
What are your hopes for the season? That we can respond in the same way that we did after losing out on automatic promotion to Doncaster then subsequently losing the play-off final to Yeovil. We stormed the league the following year and went up automatically.
Hopeful finish? 2nd
Expected finish? 4th
What player do you need to keep hold of? I don't think we are ever completely reliant on one player - it's not how we do things. But Arsenal target David Raya has made a big difference to us in goal since he joined us. It's too early to lose him.
Who is your ideal signing? Portsmouth winger Ronan Curtis. He's the right age, a position where we could do with the strengthening, an Irish international and Pompey really should have gone up last season. I would be excited to see how he would step up with us.
Paul Binning, The Exiled Robin
What are your hopes for the season? Having tailed away to finish 12th last season with some relatively turgid football, we want new boss Dean Holden to improve the style, attacking output and consistency.
Hopeful finish? 5th
Expected finish? 9th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Famara Diedhiou. Player of the Season last time around but yet to sign a new contract. And with only one year left, we might be forced to sell.
Who is your ideal signing? Tosin Adarabioyo was impressive on loan at Blackburn last year and a backline of him, Tomas Kalas and Alfie Mawson would be amongst the best in the division.
Tomas Taylor, Sport Addict Corner
What are your hopes for the season? Play-offs. We saw towards the back end of the season the style of football Neil Harris likes to play and I think this season everything will fall into place.
Hopeful finish? 2nd
Expected finish? 4th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Striker Lee Tomlin. His goals, creativity and chances he creates are vital and I think him and Kieffer Moore will be a dangerous partnership this year.
Who is your ideal signing? Midfielder Jed Wallace. He’s criminally underrated and Harris is a fan of his. His creativity would work really well with Tomlin giving Moore some great service from the wing.
David Moore, Sky Blues Extra
What are your hopes for the season? Avoiding relegation has to be the priority. But hopefully the confidence shown last season can carry through to this campaign whilst still playing attractive football.
Hopeful finish? 14th
Expected finish? 17th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Fankaty Dabo. A seriously exciting wing-back who looked every bit a Championship player last season. He'll play a key role again in a position with very few replacements.
Who is your ideal signing? I don’t have a specific target in mind, but after an already successful transfer market I would still like to see a left-back through the door.
Richard Cutcher, Steve Bloomer's Washing podcast
What are your hopes for the season? To get back to talking about on-field matters and not off-field dramas, more progress from our young Rams and above-average goalkeeping please.
Hopeful finish? 6th
Expected finish? 9th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Midfielder Max Bird. Phillip Cocu will build the team around him if he continues his rate of improvement from last season.
Who is your ideal signing? Anyone with pace in the final third. Rhian Brewster will surely end up back at Swansea, if not at a Premier League team. But if there is any chance, we should be in the mix.
Richard Kosmala, Takes That Chance Podcast
What are your hopes for the season? Some exciting football. Though the natives are restless and rookie boss Carlos Corberan has a huge job ahead of him with a young team, small squad and tight budget.
Hopeful finish? 16th
Expected finish? 21st
What player do you need to keep hold of? Midfielder Lewis O'Brien. Homegrown. Player of the season. And only going to improve at 21. The heartbeat of the team.
Who is your ideal signing? With Karlan Grant and Steve Mounie heading off, a striker is badly needed. Kenneth Zohore has been linked. I've always rated him and he gives us a much needed physical presence.
Lewis Williams, We are Luton Town
What are your hopes for the season? To avoid a relegation battle and push for a more mid-table finish. I don't think my heart can contain more last-day dramas.
Hopeful finish? 10th
Expected finish? 16th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Striker James Collins. Without him I can't see us scoring any goals this season. He was our top goalscorer last season with 14 goals.
Who is your ideal signing? Bruno Jordao from Wolves. Provides squad depth in defensive midfield and is highly rated. Great technical player who suits our style of play.
Rob Fletcher, RedArmyTV
What are your hopes for the season? Challenging further up the table would be welcome relief from the dire situation we found ourselves in last season.
Hopeful finish? 6th
Expected finish? 9th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Striker Ashley Fletcher has transformed into a real goal threat and all round attacker. He will be integral to Neil Warnock’s attack.
Who is your ideal signing? Midfielder Josh Murphy from Cardiff. A player who can offer creativity and goals with pace and direct running which we have lacked since Adama Traore departed.
Ryan Loftus, Achtung! Millwall Podcast
What are your hopes for the season? Hopefully, Millwall can go further than last year and mount a play-off push. Some clever additions and a full season with Gary Rowett could make it possible.
Hopeful finish? 5th
Expected finish? 7th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Jake Cooper. One of the most outstanding centre-backs in the league. Hasn’t missed a game in over two seasons.
Who is your ideal signing? Millwall fans would love Jayson Molumby back on loan but we need more creativity. Striker Cauley Woodrow showed form last season for Barnsley and could be worth a look.
Clare Thomas, Along Come Norwich
What are your hopes for the season? Promotion - which is terrifying. We are expert yo-yoers and this time we planned for this eventuality. New additions have made this squad stronger than the one that won the 2019 Championship in style. Yikes.
Hopeful finish? 1st
Expected finish? 13th
What player do you need to keep hold of? It's more keeping a collective rather than an individual. As many as possible from Max Aarons, Todd Cantwell, Emi Buendia and Ben Godfrey.
Who is your ideal signing? We might have just signed him. Ben Gibson has come in on loan from Burnley. An actual real life, decent, centre-back. Hopefully the final piece of this season’s jigsaw.
Scott Eley, Munich and Madrid
What are your hopes for the season? After last season’s crushing failure to reach the play-offs, the hopes are that Forest shake off the hangover and finish one place higher than last season.
Hopeful finish? 6th
Expected finish? 8th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Striker Lewis Grabban. Promotion hopes will rest on his goal contribution. If he’s scoring, I’m sure we’ll be there or thereabouts.
Who is your ideal signing? Jacob Murphy at Newcastle is the type of winger we could do with. Although Forest have talent in those areas, greater competition to the forward line is what’s needed.
Ben HD, PNE Vlogger
What are your hopes for the season? After going so close last season, the aim has to be the play-offs. If we add a bit more firepower, I think we’ll go close.
Hopeful finish? 6th
Expected finish? 8th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Ben Pearson. With only a year left on his contract, it’s vital we tie him down. Without him in the middle we aren’t the same side.
Who is your ideal signing? Cauley Woodrow from Barnsley is the sort of striker we could do with at the moment. A natural goalscorer who links up well with those around him.
Gobi Ranganathan, QPR Fan
What are your hopes for the season? If we can continue attacking like last season but with consistency, we should improve further this season. Great football to watch but the defence needs to be tighter to climb the table.
Hopeful finish? 8th
Expected finish? 12th
What player do you need to keep hold of? The departure of Ebere Eze means trying to keep Bright Osayi-Samuel. He showed a lot of promise in the latter stages of the season prior to lockdown. But whether it continues this season in an R’s shirt is in the balance.
Who is your ideal signing? With the gap left by Eze, it’s going to be hard to replace him on a budget. As with most teams a prolific goalscorer would suit the attacking play we have in most games.
Becka White, @thetilehurstend
What are your hopes for the season? A solid mid-table finish. I'd like to see some attractive football on the pitch and a little bit of stability and consistency off of it.
Hopeful finish? 10th
Expected finish? 16th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral. He kept 13 clean sheets last season and was vital in securing our safety.
Who is your ideal signing? A return of Matt Miazga would ensure we had solid defensive options after some impressive performances last season.
George Sanders, The Groundhopping Hub
What are your hopes for the season? To remain in the Championship. We don’t have any strange sense of grandeur as Millers. We know it’s going to be a challenge. But we’re ready.
Hopeful finish? 14th
Expected finish? 20th
What player do you need to keep hold of? This is tough, but I’ll say Michael Smith. The tall, strong striker may not be the most prolific score but he is integral to holding up the play.
Who is your ideal signing? Central midfielder Daniel Barlaser who we had on loan last season would be more than welcome back. But it seems he may be part of Steve Bruce’s plans at Newcastle after impressing in pre-season.
Victoria Wood, The Wednesday Week Podcast
What are your hopes for the season? I think, given the points deduction, our dream would be to finish mid-table. In reality, I think we all just hope we can survive the drop.
Hopeful finish? 14th
Expected finish? 20th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Barry Bannan is without doubt, one of the best players in the league. He’s our captain now, so hopefully we can keep hold of him.
Who is your ideal signing? We desperately need to strengthen up front. The problem is, who will want to sign for us? Kenneth Zohore would be a great addition. He is proven at this level and can find the back of the net.
Ben Rowley, The YYY-Files
What are your hopes for the season? I hope we can continue to build on an impressive post-lockdown display and build towards achieving the ultimate goal - promotion.
Hopeful finish? 6th
Expected finish? 7th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Tyrese Campbell. I’m surprised that Premier League clubs haven’t come back in for one of the best young strikers in the division.
Who is your ideal signing? Jacob Murphy. Stoke need a new source of energy and directness on the right flank, Murphy provided that in this league last season for Cardiff.
Tom Morgan, Total Swans TV
What are your hopes for the season? Some promising signings. With the right additions I see us really fighting for a play-off spot come the end of the season.
Hopeful finish? 4th
Expected finish? 5th
What player do you need to keep hold of? Andre Ayew. Sixteen goals last season and top scorer is a must-keep.
Who is your ideal signing? I would love for us to sign Rhian Brewster on loan for another season. With Jurgen Klopp looking to to send him out to gain more first team experience it could be a good possibility.
Mike Parkin, From the Rookery End Podcast
What are your hopes for the season? Promotion. We're under no illusion as to how hard it will be, but the pre-season signs are promising. This is a talented squad. And under Vladimir Ivic, they will be motivated to perform.
Hopeful finish? 1st
Expected finish? 3rd
What player do you need to keep hold of? Ismaila Sarr. Watford's record signing is probably too good for the second tier. But if the Hornets can hold on to him, it will be fun seeing what he and his extraordinary pace can do.
Who is your ideal signing? Watford fans have learned never to predict incomings. But Matt Grimes from Swansea would be an excellent capture, complementing our existing squad nicely.
Tom Hancock, Chairboys Central
What are your hopes for the season? To stay in the Championship and ruffle a few feathers along the way. But mainly to enjoy our first season at our highest-ever level.
Hopeful finish? 21st
Expected finish? 23rd
What player do you need to keep hold of? Anthony Stewart. The centre-back was ever-present last season and produced a career-defining performance in the play-off final. He looks primed to make the step up.
Who is your ideal signing? David Stockdale. The former Premier League goalkeeper has continued to train with Wycombe following a loan spell and would provide necessary competition between the sticks.