The opening weeks of the English Football League season are already shaping up to be a tale of contrasting fortunes, with fallen Premier League giants seeking swift returns to the top flight while newly promoted minnows revel in unfamiliar territory.
West Ham United, relegated from the Premier League, have made their intentions clear with heavy summer spending. The Hammers broke the EFL transfer record to sign Celtic midfielder Arne Engels for £22m and added Leeds striker Joel Piroe on loan. Their ambition will be tested when they host Charlton Athletic at a sold-out London Stadium on Saturday, with 62,500 fans expected — the highest attendance anywhere in English football that day, surpassing every Premier League fixture. It will be the first league meeting between the two London clubs in 19 years. History offers a cautionary note for West Ham fans: the last time the club dropped into the Championship, in 2011-12, they needed the play-offs to secure promotion back to the Premier League.
Elsewhere, Lincoln City are preparing for their first Championship home game in 66 years as they host Portsmouth on Saturday. The Imps' rise has been remarkable considering they were beaten 4-0 at home by non-league side North Ferriby United in the FA Trophy as recently as 2014. Two spells in non-league football since their last second-tier campaign have tempered expectations among supporters, even as they prepare to face established Championship names like Southampton and Wolves this season.
In Lancashire, a reunion of sorts awaits as Tony Mowbray's Blackburn Rovers welcome Middlesbrough, the club where Mowbray began his playing career and later served as manager for three years. The 62-year-old, who has battled bowel cancer, returned for a second spell in charge at Ewood Park in June. His side opened the campaign with a 2-2 draw at Wolves. Ahead of facing his former club, Mowbray struck a defiant tone about outside expectations. "Everybody's got us relegated - but that's very good motivation for the team," he said following the Molineux draw.
The gap between aspiration and reality is stark elsewhere in League One, where Leicester City's fall from grace continues to sting. Once Premier League champions in 2016, the Foxes have tumbled through relegations and financial turmoil to reach the third tier under new manager Russell Martin. Rather than facing elite opposition, Leicester host Burton Albion at the King Power Stadium. Meanwhile, Bromley — promoted from the National League and managed by Andy Woodman — sit in the same division after finishing 14th in the National League as recently as 2015-16, the same season Leicester lifted the Premier League title. The Ravens host fellow-promoted side Cambridge United having already opened with a 1-0 win at Barnsley.
In League Two, Rotherham United's struggles continue after a turbulent close season that saw former England manager Steve McClaren appointed to a head-of-football role before Alex Bruce was eventually installed as head coach. The Millers have won just two of their last 19 league matches and lost their opener 2-1 to Cheltenham Town. They now face a rejuvenated York City side, fresh off a National League title win and a shock victory over Bristol Rovers last weekend. York's rapid ascent means a club that was playing in the National League North against sides like Farsley Celtic just six years ago could now leapfrog Rotherham, who once competed against Middlesbrough and Derby in the Championship during that same period.
With so many contrasting narratives across the divisions, this weekend's fixtures promise plenty of intrigue as clubs at both ends of the ambition spectrum look to make early statements of intent.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.