EFL preview: Sheffield United, Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland battle at top

Current leaders Leeds know they won’t be top come Saturday morning, but they head to Blackburn for a 13:30 GMT kick-off trying to get straight back there.

Rovers have gone off the boil, rather. Having won their first five at Ewood Park they haven’t scored in their past three, taking a solitary point, but back-to-back away wins at Cardiff and Middlesbrough have given boss John Eustace hope they have turned a corner after a run of four points from seven games.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: “We are evolving and growing as a group. We went on a bad run of three defeats in a row but we have bounced back with two really good performances. We just have to keep believing in what we are doing.”

Sunday’s rollercoaster 4-3 win at Swansea was a first in five away games for Daniel Farke’s men, though they conceded more in an afternoon than they had in their previous seven matches in total.

Third-placed Burnley are another side waiting to pounce, should the Whites or Blades fail to win.

Scott Parker’s men have conceded only six goals in 17 matches – the best defensive record across England’s top four divisions.

“I’ve been around some time managing and coaching teams. Fundamentally this team have got some core values and they give you a foundation to win games, really,” Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“I don’t just put it down to the back five, I put it down to the whole team. If you’re a striker in this team or a winger in this team, in certain moments we defend as a whole unit and you can see that very clearly.”

The Clarets will seek to make it five straight clean sheets, and four straight wins, as they head to 14th-placed Stoke, who have drawn three straight to make it five without defeat.