Sky Sports pundit David Prutton gives his Sky Bet EFL predictions as the campaign approaches a busy festive period.
Former Leeds and Nottingham Forest midfielder Prutton is a member of the Sky Sports team covering the EFL this season and he's pondered the big issues before the return of the Sky Bet Championship this weekend.
Sky Bet Championship
The two sides winning automatic promotion to the Premier League will be … and ...
It's really hard! I've been so impressed by Huddersfield's start but it will have to be Brighton and Newcastle.
The experience from last season in the promotion race will serve Brighton well and Newcastle have so much firepower. Rafa Benitez has done really well at Newcastle to be as low-key as possible and there hasn't been any drama at all with their approach to the season so far. The expectation is that they need to go straight back up and their start has been wonderful.
Every department is strong at Newcastle and I think maybe just another creative midfielder to go with Jonjo Shelvey is what's required.
Brighton's 5-0 win over Norwich was impressive but it was clinical rather than complete dominance. Norwich were in the game but if you get thumped 5-0 then it hasn't gone your way.
I also watched Brighton in the 2-0 win at Bristol City and they still played well without Anthony Knockaert. Their defence is fantastic and I think Glenn Murray offers them something a little bit different up front.
Chris Hughton, like Rafa, is pretty pragmatic and he seems to time and time again maximise what he gets out of his players. Without making it sound too straightforward for Brighton, it's a good manager with good players that do the right things more often than not. Brighton didn't want Dale Stephens to go in the summer and that shows that Hughton has control over his team. He's a good player and it's not disrupted the team in any way. The great form of Steve Sidwell has helped too.
Watch out for … they'll climb the table and make an impact in the promotion race.
They've already jumped up to sixth but I'm going to go for Leeds to stay in contention and maybe climb a little bit higher.
We've heard less and less about the off-field issues and more about results on the pitch which is exactly as it should be.
Garry Monk rode the wave of the initial chaos and he's done really, really well. It strikes me that if they are in the play-offs when we reach January then the owner has to think it's worth spending big money in the transfer window.
Massimo Cellino would love to get to the Premier League and, although maybe he'd bring attention where attention isn't wanted, it would play to his ego and that's not always a bad thing. Everybody is motivated by different things.
They've recruited well and now Monk, who I think Swansea would have been well advised to stick with, and his coaching staff are seeing the benefit of that.
It's still early days and I'm sure that will be said at Elland Road as things were a little bit different just six or seven weeks ago. The injury-time winner at Norwich will have been amazing for the confidence of the players and fans. They have scored lots of late goals and that shows that the team's getting fitter.
The match against Newcastle on Sunday is a sell-out and it's great to see that. That will be a really cracking game and they've also got Liverpool coming up in the EFL Cup to create even more excitement.
I predict that … will be making an impact in the Premier League next season.
Stephens at Brighton is one player I like a lot but I reckon Lewis Dunk is the selection as he's a fantastic defender.
Dunk is a great passer of the ball and I remember when he set up Sam Baldock with some great play in the clash against Sheffield Wednesday. We are in an era where the first thing you look for in a defender is what's his distribution like?
Dunk's distribution is great and he can also defend.
His partnership with Shane Duffy is very solid and that has Brighton in really good shape. He's a good age to step up to the Premier League - as is Stephens. You could pick the whole Newcastle team but a lot of them have already impressed in the Premier League. Tammy Abraham has done really well too at Bristol City but will he get a chance when he goes back to Chelsea? He could be in danger of a spell like Patrick Bamford who has bounced around loan clubs.
Bamford was great at Middlesbrough but Abraham has looked even better over a short period of time. He's got all the attributes you want from a striker as he's brave, quick, strong and obviously has an eye for goal. I just fear for him going back to Chelsea where it's so hard to get a chance.
The manager most unfortunate to lose his job was ...
Kenny Jackett was very unfortunate to leave Wolves before the season started and obviously Walter Zenga has gone since then too.
It had a knock-on effect as Jackett being sacked at the wrong time meant Zenga was appointed at the wrong time and now Wolves find themselves down the table.
Jackett's departure has definitely set Wolves back this season as they should be in the top half. Zenga was charming but just didn't get the results.
It could have worked because you only have to look at Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday who has really settled down into Championship management. Ian Holloway is now back at QPR and that seems a good choice as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wasn't a good fit with the club by the end of his reign. Rangers have good players like Conor Washington and Sebastian Polter but they've steadily drifted after a good start.
I feel for Jimmy as I think he's a good manager and he'll be back. It was a shame that Rotherham got rid of Alan Stubbs but you can understand why the decision was made as they were bottom of the table.
… will be in Sky Bet League One next season unless things drastically change.
Rotherham are obviously the club that stick out. They keep making defensive errors and you have to feel for Stubbs as he was let down by rudimentary mistakes.
He must have been pulling his hair out as he was such a good defender himself. It's tough to call with the other strugglers.
Warren Joyce is now in charge at Wigan and it will be interesting to see how he does outside of the Manchester United set-up. Gary Caldwell had the chance to change the squad and got them promoted but a few months later it's all over.
Blackburn are down there too but they've played some really good football. I saw them against Sheffield Wednesday and thought they were very good. Sam Gallagher on loan from Southampton has been fantastic and Marvin Emnes also brings quality. January will be key as they can't afford to lose any of their best players.
It's definitely looking like Rotherham to go down though which is a shame as they were such a pleasure to watch at the end of last season. Jackett definitely has a tough task with the Millers.
Sky Bet League One
It's tight at the top but I make … and … the top tips go up.
I have to go for Scunthorpe as they've been fantastic so far.
Josh Morris has been superb this season and the experienced heads like Stephen Dawson and David Mirfin are also making a big difference. I've played for Scunthorpe and I played against them many times in my career and it currently seems like a great place to play football.
I'm a big fan of Graham Alexander and I thought he did wonderfully well as manager of Fleetwood. He probably deserved a bit more time there. He knows League One and he's also a really demanding manager. Bolton are my second tip after they persuaded Phil Parkinson to leave Bradford in the summer.
Bolton just feel like a good fit and Scunthorpe are a surprise package that can maintain momentum.
I'm surprised that … aren't among the promotion contenders but they could still come good.
Millwall got so close last season when they lost the play-off final to Barnsley. Neil Harris has put together a strong squad with good characters. Steve Morison and Lee Gregory are a great partnership up front and traditionally Millwall are a club that seem to bounce between the Championship and League One.
I'm surprised that they're not knocking on the door of the top two just yet but there are so many games to play this season that they've got plenty of time. Swindon appointed Tim Sherwood as director of football last week and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. It's a very young squad and they will have to spend big in January if they want to do anything this season. They are just outside of the relegation zone so that would be some upset if they got among the contenders.
I thought Oxford might have done better but losing the goals of the likes of Kemar Roofe and Danny Hylton over the summer has to be an issue.
The player to watch from Sky Bet League One is ….
It has to be Morris at Scunthorpe.
I was speaking to Mirfin, his Scunthorpe team-mate, about him and he was full of praise. He's got a good delivery and can operate all around the midfield. You'd have thought he'd have been given a chance at Blackburn but it didn't happen and he's done fantastically well at Scunthorpe. They've played to his strengths this season and allowed him to shine.
He's proved his worth though as I hear he's a good trainer and a great lad to have around the place.
Marcus Maddison is a player I like too at Peterborough. He's technically a very good player. Michael Doughty at Swindon should be watched as well. Working with Sherwood now can only help his development.
Sky Bet League Two
I've been most impressed by … in the promotion race this season.
Luton. Bringing in Danny Hylton from Oxford was a great bit of business and I think Nathan Jones is working really well as manager alongside Paul Hart.
The diamond formation has really suited them and Alan Sheehan, who is a former team-mate of mine, speaks really highly of Jones and all the work going on at the club. I know they are a little way behind the leaders but I was very impressed by the standard of their play when they beat Aston Villa in the EFL Cup.
Plymouth, Carlisle, Doncaster and Portsmouth will all fancy their chances too.
Watch out for .... they've got more to offer this season
Blackpool could be an interesting shout for the rest of the season. Gary Bowyer is a good, pragmatic manager and he's got a talented squad together despite the many off-field issues at the club.
They are on the fringes of the play-offs at the moment. I think Newport will climb the table now Graham Westley is in charge. They ended Carlisle's unbeaten record at the weekend and I'd be very, very surprised if they went down. In the promotion race, it's hard though to see anybody other than the current top five being the major contenders.
I think that … will attract the attention of scouts from higher up the leagues
Plymouth's Graham Carey isn't a new name to jump out at me but he's definitely a player that people will be watching. He's been given the confidence by Derek Adams to impress and being top of the league always helps.
It's such a big leap though from League Two up the divisions as we've seen with Kemar Roofe, who was so good with Oxford last season but has to play a role with less freedom for Leeds. I think Carey definitely has the technical attributes and after that it's all down to attitude. Cameron McGeehan at Luton is definitely young enough to climb back up the leagues.
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