It’s an absolutely gorgeous day in London, and I hope wherever you are. Here is some blue sky in Wolverhampton:
A general view of Molineux the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Hello world!
Well, this looks intriguing. A crackerjack bounty of fixtures including two top-flight matches between members of Ye Olde Big Six and teams who fancy their chances of catching them. “There are teams that quite rightly will be competing and have ambitions to get in there, so that’s challenging for all of us,” says Frank Lampard, whose Chelsea side host Wolves. Damn straight.
The Football League will no doubt be full of fun, but it lacks a standout bingo fixture. Championship leaders Swansea host Nottingham Forest. With Huddersfield playing Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow, Stoke know they will clamber off the bottom, temporarily at least, if they get something out of their home game against sixth-placed Bristol City. Down in League Two Stevenage, who finished last season with five wins in six unbeaten games, have just dumped their manager after four defeats in seven winless matches and will hope to get back on the point bike against Carlisle.
Anyway, it’s about time you had a full run-down of this afternoon’s fixtures in the English Football League and the Scottish Premiership, and that is one dream I can very much make come true. All kick-offs 3pm BST unless stated:
Premier League
Brighton v Burnley
Liverpool v Newcastle (12.30pm)
Manchester United v Leicester
Norwich v Manchester City (5.30pm)
Sheffield United v Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace
Wolverhampton v Chelsea
Championship
Blackburn v Millwall
Charlton v Birmingham
Fulham v West Brom (12.30pm)
Hull v Wigan
Middlesbrough v Reading
Preston North End v Brentford
QPR v Luton
Stoke v Bristol City
Swansea v Nottingham Forest
League One
Wimbledon v Shrewsbury
Accrington Stanley v Sunderland
Blackpool v Milton Keynes Dons
Burton Albion v Coventry
Gillingham v Wycombe
Ipswich v Doncaster
Lincoln City v Bristol Rovers
Oxford Utd v Tranmere
Peterborough v Rochdale
Rotherham v Bolton
Southend v Fleetwood Town
League Two
Crawley Town v Mansfield
Crewe v Cambridge Utd
Exeter v Leyton Orient
Forest Green v Colchester
Northampton v Newport County
Oldham v Grimsby
Port Vale v Plymouth
Salford City v Cheltenham
Scunthorpe v Morecambe
Stevenage v Carlisle
Swindon v Macclesfield
Walsall v Bradford
Scottish Premiership
Aberdeen v St Johnstone
Hamilton v Celtic (12noon)
Hearts v Motherwell
Kilmarnock v Hibernian
Rangers v Livingston
Ross County v St Mirren