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Image source, Rex Features

This is Birmingham's first league match since the summer exit of teenager Jude Bellingham to German giants Borussia Dortmund.

There's a mural outside Blues' St Andrew's home celebrating the achievements of Bellingham, the club's youngest ever player and goalscorer, along with the man whose records he broke - Trevor Francis.

City retired Bellingham's number 22 shirt after his departure.

With the new season upon us, it's time to tell us how you think your side will fare.

You may have used our promotion predictor for the three tiers of the EFL.

But let us know what you expect from your side - be it a promotion challenge, mid-table obscurity or a battle against relegation.

Include #bbcefl in your tweets and we'll include the best ones here in our live text coverage.

"It's probably bigger than Leicester winning the Premier League."

You can read more about three players involved in Wycombe's rise to the Championship in this piece from James Law.

Here are the line-ups for the other early kick-off in the Championship today - involving two of the sides who have come up from League One.

Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth keeps eight players who started the play-off final win over Oxford. New signing Daryl Horgan starts up front.

Fellow Championship newcomers Rotherham haven't played a league game since 7 March.

Wycombe: Allsop, Grimmer, Charles, Stewart, Jacobson, Wheeler, Pattison, Bloomfield, Kashket, Horgan, Onyedinma.

Subs: Stockdale (GK), Tafazolli, Phillips, Freeman, Samuel, McCarthy, Parker.

Rotherham: Blackman, Harding, Ihiekwe, Robertson, Mattock, Ogbene, S MacDonald, Lindsay, Sadlier, Crooks, Ladapo.

Subs: Johansson (GK), A MacDonald, Jones, Wiles, Miller, Vassell, Smith.

Teenage goalkeeper Zach Jeacock makes his professional debut for Birmingham City.

The 19-year-old is chosen ahead of Neil Etheridge, who joined from Cardiff yesterday, while fellow summer signing Andres Prieto has a calf injury.

Big striker Lukas Jutkiewicz is fit to start for the Blues.

Brentford are also without their first-choice keeper David Raya, who has an injury.

There are eight survivors from the play-off final defeat by Fulham, and new signing Ivan Toney leads the line. Influential playmaker Said Benrahma is not in the squad.

Birmingham: Jeacock, Colin, Friend, Dean, Pedersen, Toral, Sunjic, Clayton, Bela, Sanchez, Jutkiewicz.

Subs: Etheridge (GK), Dacres-Cogley, Roberts, Gardner, Kieftenbeld, Crowley, George.

Brentford: Daniels, Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock, Henry, Jensen, Norgaard, Dasilva, Canos, Mbeumo, Toney.

Subs: Balcombe (GK), Thompson, Goode, Marcondes, Zamburek, Fosu, Forss.

Image source, Getty Images

Wycombe were one of the stories of last season, with the Chairboys challenging for promotion from League One ahead of the big boys Sunderland and Ipswich Town.

Wanderers upset the odds to win promotion via the play-offs, and now begin their first ever campaign in the second tier.

They start at home against fellow Championship newcomers Rotherham United.

The Millers have switched frequently between the Championship and League One over the past four years.

Can Paul Warne find the formula to survive at this level for the first time since 2015-16?

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of last season, after needing four points from their last two matches to end their 73-year exile from the top flight.

The Bees then suffered a galling defeat in the play-off final at the hands of local rivals Fulham.

Ollie Watkins has been sold to Aston Villa for £28m and Said Benrahma looks set to follow him out of the club before the transfer window closes. How will the Bees cope without two men who scored 43 goals between them in 2019-20? New signing Ivan Toney has big shoes to fill.

Birmingham City have had another summer of upheaval, with Aitor Karanka brought in as head coach to replace the departed Pep Clotet.

The Spaniard didn't get off to the best of starts with an EFL Cup defeat by League Two Cambridge last Saturday.

Here's the full run-down of fixtures in the second tier this afternoon:

• Birmingham City v Brentford (12:30 BST)
• Wycombe Wanderers v Rotherham United (12:30 BST)
• Barnsley v Luton Town (15:00 BST)
• Bournemouth v Blackburn Rovers (15:00 BST)
• Bristol City v Coventry City (15:00 BST)
• Cardiff City v Sheffield Wednesday (15:00 BST)
• Derby County v Reading
• Huddersfield Town v Norwich City (15:00 BST)
• Millwall v Stoke City (15:00 BST)
• Preston North End v Swansea City (15:00 BST)
• Queens Park Rangers v Nottingham Forest (15:00 BST)

We're going to focus on the two early games for now, with team news on the way shortly.

Watford and Middlesbrough kicked off the Championship campaign last night at Vicarage Road.

And it was the Hornets, relegated from the Premier League last season, who ran out 1-0 winners.

Craig Cathcart's first-half goal proved enough to beat Neil Warnock's Boro.

Did you take your eye off the EFL ball over the short break between seasons?

If you don't feel like you're totally prepared for the new campaign, then we can help out.

Our colleague Andrew Aloia has picked out some of the stories, clubs and stars to look out for in 2020-21.

The 2020-21 campaign got started last night, just 38 days after Fulham triumphed in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

However, second-tier newcomers Coventry and Rotherham - along with the majority of clubs in League One and League Two - have not tasted competitive league action since March.

A new season brings hope and optimism, but it begins behind closed doors during the coronavirus pandemic.

But we'll be here to bring you updates on what promises to be another unmissable English Football League season.

Image source, Rex Features