EFL 7/1 Acca – Gab Sutton

After the mini-blip of three without a win, Middlesbrough resumed their sumptuous opening quarter of the campaign with successive victories over Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday, keeping Boro four points clear of third, and six clear of seventh already.

Aidan Morris and Hayden Hackney have been arguably the best midfield pairing in the Championship thus far, but Rob Edwards has had the luxury of bringing in Alan Browne, a dependable midfielder at this level in his own right, for the former in recent games – Browne has been excellent, giving the boss yet another healthy dilemma.

While Middlesbrough operated with a 3-4-2-1 at the start of the season, switching to a 4-2-3-1 as it reads on the teamsheet, their current system can morph into that because one full-back, of Callum Brittain and Matt Targett, pushes high up the pitch while the other tucks into the back three, giving the Teessiders plenty of flexibility.

Visitors Wrexham had a slow start to the campaign, although they’ve recently stabilised with one defeat in six, although Leicester are the only top half side they’ve taken points off in that sequence.

Jack Wilshere is looking for his first win as Luton boss on Saturday, after starting with a 2-0 loss to Mansfield on his home debut last weekend; not the result the former Arsenal midfielder wanted, but with some forward steps in terms of performance.

The Hatters have the individual players to challenge for the top two, but they’re yet to settle on a blueprint, a synergy that brings it all together – though a full week for Wilshere to work with his players on the grass should help.

There is a gulf in quality between these two sides, even if the league table shows Northampton have collected more points – one more point, to be precise, having played a game more.

The Cobblers are well-organised in their 3-4-3 shape under Kevin Nolan, and can be tough to break down, but they’re also the second-lowest goalscorers in the division.

One of the pre-season promotion favourites, MK Dons have taken some time to find their range, starting with 11 points from their first nine games following September’s 2-1 home loss to Accrington Stanley, but now they’ve started to motor.

Paul Warne’s side have just won four league games in succession, jumping from 14th to 3rd in the process, with Liam Kelly, Alex Gilbey and Will Collar establishing a real understanding in midfield.

Meanwhile, Callum Paterson has brought battling qualities to the front-line, flanked by the pace of Aaron Nemane and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, with a ruthless, clinical attack seeing the Buckinghamshire outfit score 11 goals in those four games.

As such, the timing of the fixture isn’t ideal for Bromley, who have only won four of their first 13 games, and have taken just two points from their three meetings with top seven opposition.