EFL preview: Shining lights and dark nights

EFL preview: Shining lights and dark nightsImage source, ShutterstockImage caption, Vitor Matos (left) of Swansea and West Ham's Nuno Espirito Santo (right) are all smiles now, but who will be beaming come Saturday evening?ByAlex HoadBBC Sport EnglandThe leaves are turning, the shadows of British Summer Time are lengthening and you can't move for Halloween paraphernalia in the shops.It's a special time of year, not least in the EFL where teams are already jostling for position in the race for promotion, and survival.We're still a week away from the clocks going back but a glance at the top of the Championship might convince you we've rewound well over a decade already, with seven of the current top nine teams having sat outside the top flight for at least half a dozen seasons, and plenty of them more than double that.The third tier is also as intriguing as ever while you can pretty much throw your cap over the League Two promotion chasers.Here are some of the standout fixtures and narratives across the EFL that you should be keeping your eyes on this weekend.Image source, Opta/ShutterstockFree-scoring Hammers seek to clip Swans' wingsGame of the weekend? Not going to argue.Tuesday's last-gasp winner at Millwall made it four straight wins for Swansea either side of the international break to keep the Swans top of the Championship, 16 years since they last won promotion.Title favourites West Ham, seeking to make an immediate return to the top tier, are four points back in third place after their 6-0 romp at nine-man Lincoln the following night.The Hammers are the leading scorers across the top four tiers of English football with 29 goals in 10 games, but at 15:00 BST on Saturday will come up against the meanest defence in the division, with Swansea conceding just seven so far.The Irons have fallen behind in eight of their 13 games in all competitions this season but remain unbeaten in the league on their travels, while the Swans have yet to lose at home, conceding only twice in five games.Something's got to give in SA1.Blues and R's looking to stick aroundImage source, ShutterstockBirmingham as the leading West Midlands club? QPR the best in London? Not many would have pegged that as the case after 11 matches of the Championship season, but it could well be the case come Saturday tea-time.Blues have not been promoted to the Premier League since 2009 but, after drawing their first four home games of the campaign, Chris Davies' side romped to a 4-0 win over lowly Preston on Tuesday to go fourth, making it 10 points from a four-match unbeaten run.They sit ahead of the fifth-placed Hoops by virtue of goals scored after Julien Stephan's side ended a four-match drawing run by walloping Derby 4-1 on Wednesday.Rangers, who last went up in 2014, remain unbeaten in five league games on the road, conceding a division-best four goals in that span, and Saturday's result will give us a good idea of which of these sides, if not both, are here to stay in this year's promotion race.Rovers aim to heap more woe on FoxesImage source, ShutterstockThere's no place like home - unless, of course, you're Leicester City.The Foxes have had a rare week to work on the training pitch, but might have been happier with an away game on Saturday, rather than the visit of Doncaster to the King Power (15:00 BST).Last Saturday's dismal 3-1 defeat by lowly Peterborough was a third defeat in their past four league games at home - during which they have shipped nine goals - and heaped further pressure on Russell Martin who later said there will be "no quick fix" in sacking him after supporters chanted for his dismissal.Midfielder John Lundstram also spoke of the team playing with "anxiety" at home and it's worth noting the Foxes remain unbeaten on their travels, where six of their nine points have come.City lie 17th, one point off the drop zone, and below Rovers on goal difference, with Grant McCann's men having won their past three games in all competitions without conceding.Greens aiming to tame Terriers Image source, Opta/ShutterstockIf you like your promotion chases to be unpredictable, you'll love League One.Just four points separate the top seven sides in the third tier and any one of four teams could sit top come Saturday evening.It might have been even closer, had Huddersfield not conceded a 98th-minute equaliser at home to Sheffield Wednesday last time out, which leaves the Terriers three points off the summit before Saturday's (15:00 BST) 600+-mile round trip to leaders Plymouth.The Pilgrims left it nearly as late to see off AFC Wimbledon last weekend to stay on top, albeit having played a game more, but Saturday looks like an even bigger day with second-placed Bradford hosting Stevenage while Stockport, in third, and Cambridge and Reading, in fifth and sixth respectively, all face sides in the bottom six.Ammies eye revenge in top v bottom matchImage source, Opta/ShutterstockIf you thought League One was tight, just wait until you hear about League Two.The top 14 sides are separated by just seven points - indeed leaders Salford and 20th-placed Rotherham are only nine apart after playing 10 matches.The Ammies will seek to stay at the summit as they host rock-bottom Crawley, with whom they have a fair bit of recent history.Salford came from 3-2 down with five minutes to play in this fixture last November to win 4-3, but were held to a goalless draw in the return in Sussex on the final day of the regular season which denied City automatic promotion and they eventually lost in the play-off final to Notts County.Unbeaten Barnet look best placed, sat a point back in second with games in hand before their trip to Tranmere while third-placed Crewe, also unbeaten, welcome Rochdale and Gillingham, in fourth, make the trek to Accrington.BBC Sport will have live text coverage of all the weekend's EFL action, starting with Burnley v Wolves (20:00 BST) on Friday and throughout Saturday's fixtures across the Championship, League One and League Two.Related topicsChampionshipFootballBirmingham CityLeicester CitySalford CityLeague OneLeague TwoCrawley TownWest Ham UnitedSwansea CityQueens Park RangersDoncaster RoversPlymouth ArgyleHuddersfield Town