It might be the beginning of a new year but the EFL doesn't change much, does it?

Entertainment, drama, the pendulum swinging back and forth week to week; the first games of 2025 certainly didn't fail to deliver on that front.

The festive period, as it were, will reach its climax this weekend and bring to an end an even more clogged fixture list than usual with most sides playing their fourth game in 10 days.

Let's take a look at the biggest talking points across the Championship, League One and League Two ahead of this weekend's fixtures.

Leeds conceded a painful late equaliser at home to Blackburn on New Year's Day, which ended their nine-game winning run at Elland Road.

But the Whites effectively got away with dropping two points as both Burnley and Sheffield United failed to capitalise - the Clarets drawing 0-0 at home to Stoke and the Blades losing 2-1 at fellow automatic promotion-chasers Sunderland.

Daniel Farke's side travel to Hull City on Saturday, who remain in the bottom three but have steadied the ship slightly since Ruben Selles took over with two wins and a draw in his opening six games, having previously lost six on the bounce.

The league leaders will feel confident of picking up a result having won twice away from home and keeping clean sheets in both since a run of just one victory in seven on the road beforehand.

The Tigers suffered late heartbreak themselves on 1 January, conceding in the 93rd minute in their 1-0 loss at home to Middlesbrough to deny them a valuable point.

Hull have lost all but one of their seven games against top six opposition (D1) so far this season and will face no sterner test than that of Leeds. Anything can happen in a Yorkshire derby, of course.

Another derby sees Lancashire's Championship heavyweights Burnley and Blackburn meet at Ewood Park on Saturday lunchtime.

Rovers have struggled over the Christmas period and are now without a win in four games (D2 L2) since winning six in a row, but may take belief from their last-gasp draw at Leeds.

Burnley are unbeaten in 12 matches (W7 D5), although they've drawn 0-0 in their past two, taking their number of goalless draws for the season to seven.

The Clarets are undefeated in their past nine meetings with Blackburn (W5 D4) and Scott Parker will know three points would likely keep his side in the top two for another weekend.

John Eustace will be determined not to let his team slip too far outside of the play-off spots with Blackburn level on points with West Brom in sixth and holding the advantage of a game in hand.

Mark Robins will take charge of his first game as Stoke City boss when they welcome bottom side Plymouth to the bet365 Stadium.

Robins was appointed as the new Potters manager on 1 January, eight weeks after he was sacked by Coventry, following the departure of Narcis Pelach who spent just three months at the helm.

Stoke are 19th in the Championship, four points above the relegation zone, but picked up two impressive results under caretaker boss Ryan Shawcross with a 2-1 win over Sunderland and a draw at Burnley.

Robins will be hopeful of getting off to a strong start against the managerless Pilgrims, who are four points adrift from safety and yet to win away from home (D2 L11), although they did battle to a 2-2 draw at home to Bristol City on New Year's Day.

It's been said a thousand times over already this season, but Luton's fall from grace remains one of the biggest head-scratchers so far.

From the highs of promotion to the Premier League 20 months ago and putting up a valiant effort in the top flight, the Hatters are now just three points above the Championship drop zone and have lost more games than any other side (14).

Relegation to League One seems almost unfathomable but that's the stark reality facing Rob Edwards' side unless they can start to string results together.

It's three straight losses for Luton who travel to a rejuvenated QPR on Monday night in what promises to be a tough challenge under the lights at Loftus Road against a Hoops outfit who have lost just once in their past 10 matches (W5 D4).

Luton could well start that game in the bottom three depending on how other results go at the weekend due to their inferior goal difference. Tense times at Kenilworth Road at the moment.

It's a huge weekend in the scrap for survival in League One with four of the bottom six playing each other on Saturday lunchtime.

Bottom side Burton Albion welcome 19th-placed Northampton, while 23rd meets 20th as Cambridge host Bristol Rovers.

Burton have won just twice all season and may take a glimmer of hope from picking up two consecutive draws, although they will be disappointed to have thrown away a two-goal lead against Peterborough on Wednesday.

Northampton are in similarly poor form with just one win in their past 12 games (D5 L6) and only one victory away from home all season.

Cambridge and Bristol Rovers also both come into their clash off the back of dismal recent runs. Garry Monk's U's have lost four on the bounce and tasted victory just once in 11 matches (D4 L6), while Rovers have suffered defeat in six of their past seven.

You feel these games against fellow sides at the wrong end of the table could prove to be the determining factor over who goes down in May.

Walsall might be taking all the headlines in League Two - and rightly so, with the Saddlers full steam ahead, 12 points clear at the top on a seven-game winning run and unbeaten in 14.

Below them, it's extremely tight with just two points separating Doncaster in second from Grimsby in eighth.

However, there is also one team that has been quietly going under the radar and sneaking into automatic promotion contention, seemingly out of nowhere.

Salford City were 14th after they drew 1-1 away at Doncaster on 16 November. But a run of six wins in seven games, including five on the bounce, has propelled them up to third above that all-important dotted line.

Karl Robinson's side have kept a clean sheet in all six of those recent wins and have conceded just once in that time in their 1-0 defeat at Gillingham, all while netting 13 at the other end.

The Ammies travel to one of Robinson's former clubs, 11th-placed MK Dons, on Saturday hoping to continue their march up the table.