Kate Holloway
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

We are just days into April, but the first promotion of the season can be secured today as things start to get really serious in the English Football League.

And the EFL offers so many thrills that it has been enough to entice a manager out of retirement to join the fun.

Lincoln City and Roy Hodgson are two key themes of Good Friday's action - but also look out for Newport County's perilous League Two status, and a red-hot League One play-off race.

These are the five things to look out for in the EFL on Friday.

James Piercy
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

The relative calm of the international break is giving way to the chaos of the Championship run-in with seven games - eight in the cases of Portsmouth and Ipswich - squeezed into 30 days.

The demands on squads are considerable with the additional pressure and, of course, excitement of either competing for automatic promotion, play-offs or trying to avoid competing in League One next term.

As much as parity prevails in England's second tier, by this stage not all clubs have the same priorities and targets so BBC Sport has spoken to correspondents across all 24 clubs to get a sense of what matters to them over this home straight.

Find out their views on your club.

Image source, Opta

Alex Neil makes two changes to the side that drew 1-1 last time out.

Mihailo Ivanovic and Casper De Norre come into the side in place of Macaulay Langstaff and Luke Cundle, who both drop to the bench.

Josh Coburn starts against his old club with Ivanovic in the Lions' attack.

Image source, Opta

Let's take a look at the teams ahead of our only lunchtime kick-off today.

Kim Hellberg has decided to stick with his team that drew 0-0 at Ewood Park before the international break, with Tommy Conway, Alan Browne and David Strelec in a three-pronged attack.

Captain Hayden Hackney is not fit to return to the squad.

Image source, Shutterstock

What a mouth-watering match we've got to kick things off this afternoon.

Second v fourth - whoever comes out on top will end the day in the automatic promotion spots.

Boro have won four of the past six meetings between the two clubs and are looking to do the double over the Lions after winning 3-0 at The Den all the way back in August.

Both sides are without a win in their past two Championship games and when the referee blows the full-time whistle, Ipswich Town (currently third in the table), will have two games in hand over both teams.

Kieran McKenna's side would be within three points of either side, should the match end in a draw or a Millwall victory, but will not play until the next round of fixtures on Monday.

Image source, Opta/Shutterstock

Here's how things stand going into today's games.

Middlesbrough can strengthen their claims for an automatic promotion spot with victory over Millwall in the day's early game.

Only goal difference is keeping Wrexham out of the top six, while at the bottom Blackburn Rovers in 19th and Oxford United in 23rd are separated by just four points.

We're starting off the long weekend with a bank holiday blockbuster line-up this afternoon and evening:

• Middlesbrough v Millwall (12:30 BST)
• Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers
• Charlton Athletic v Bristol City
• Leicester City v Preston North End
• Norwich City v Portsmouth
• Oxford United v Hull City
• Queens Park Rangers v Watford
• Sheffield United v Swansea City
• Stoke City v Sheffield Wednesday
• West Bromwich Albion v Wrexham
• Coventry City v Derby County (20:00 BST)

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and thank you for joining us on the first day of a four-day Easter weekend that's jam-packed full of football across the EFL and FA Cup.

We've got 11 games in the Championship for you today, with an absolute cracker to kick things off in half an hour.

Settle in and standby for team news and build-up.