The Dugout Gazette, 9 October

Midweek briefing

• There were no Premier League, Championship, League One or League Two fixtures from Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October.
• The football came from the conclusion of the Nations League, the EFL Trophy group stage and the National League Cup.
• Championship football returns on Friday 9 October with West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers at 20:00.
• Premier League Matchweek 6 starts on Saturday 10 October.

Results board

UEFA Nations League: Monday 5 October

• France 4-1 Belgium
• Italy 3-1 Türkiye
• Hungary 2-1 Ukraine
• Sweden 1-0 Romania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 Poland
• Cyprus 2-1 Latvia
• Northern Ireland 0-0 Georgia
• Montenegro 0-0 Armenia

UEFA Nations League: Tuesday 6 October

• England 3-0 Czechia
• Croatia 1-2 Spain
• Scotland 1-2 Slovenia
• Switzerland 3-0 North Macedonia
• Albania 2-1 San Marino
• Belarus 1-0 Finland
• Kazakhstan 2-2 Faroe Islands
• Moldova 0-4 Slovakia
• Estonia 0-0 Iceland
• Luxembourg 0-2 Bulgaria

EFL Trophy: Tuesday 6 October

• Rotherham United 0-4 Bradford City
• Port Vale 2-0 Mansfield Town
• Shrewsbury Town 0-2 Stockport County
• Huddersfield Town 5-0 Rochdale
• Exeter City 2-2 Oxford United: Exeter City won 4-3 on penalties
• Stevenage 2-1 Leicester City
• Cambridge United 2-1 Northampton Town
• Milton Keynes Dons 7-1 Brentford U21
• Grimsby Town 0-0 Burton Albion: Burton Albion won 4-2 on penalties
• Fleetwood Town 4-1 Barnsley
• Doncaster Rovers 1-0 Liverpool U21
• Wycombe Wanderers 4-1 Bristol Rovers
• Peterborough United 4-1 Ipswich Town U21
• Newport County 2-2 Plymouth Argyle: Plymouth Argyle won 5-4 on penalties
• AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Barnet: Barnet won 8-7 on penalties
• Accrington Stanley 1-1 Salford City: Accrington Stanley won the penalty shootout
• Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Sunderland U21
• Blackpool 2-2 Crewe Alexandra: Blackpool won 4-2 on penalties
• Crawley Town 4-0 Bromley

National League Cup: Tuesday 6 October

• Solihull Moors 2-1 Newcastle United U21
• Tamworth 1-0 Leeds United U21
• Hornchurch 1-1 Fulham U21: Fulham U21 won on penalties

There were no National League fixtures from Monday 5 to Thursday 8 October.

Key decisions

• Exeter City 2-2 Oxford United: Exeter City won 4-3 on penalties after goalkeeper Frankie Phillips saved two spot-kicks, including efforts from Harrison Bradney and James Golding. Oxford debutant Bradney also scored during the match.
• Stevenage 2-1 Leicester City: Stevenage provided one of the round’s clearest results as the League One side defeated Leicester City in the EFL Trophy group stage.

Peterborough United’s 4-1 win over Ipswich Town U21 was Robbie Savage’s first game in charge of Peterborough. England’s 3-0 win over Czechia included two Harry Kane goals and an own goal, with Kane making his record-equalling 125th England appearance.

Table and form notes

• There was no Premier League table movement during the international break. Manchester City remain top on 15 points after Matchweek 5, ahead of Arsenal on 12 and Brighton on 10. Erling Haaland leads the scoring charts with five goals.
• There was no Championship table movement. Swansea City lead on 17 points from eight matches. West Ham United and Middlesbrough have 15, while Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion have 14.
• Plymouth Argyle lead League One on 16 points from nine matches, ahead of Bradford City on 16 points from eight.
• Salford City lead League Two on 16 points from nine matches. Barnet, Crewe Alexandra, Cheltenham Town and Bristol Rovers are all on 15.
• The tables still contain uneven numbers of matches because of postponements caused by international call-ups.

Weekend noticeboard

Premier League Matchweek 6

Saturday 10 October

• Arsenal v Leeds United, 12:30
• Aston Villa v Brentford, 15:00
• Chelsea v Bournemouth, 15:00
• Ipswich Town v Fulham, 15:00
• Sunderland v Brighton and Hove Albion, 15:00
• Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 17:30

Sunday 11 October

• Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest, 14:00
• Hull City v Everton, 14:00
• Liverpool v Manchester City, 16:30

Monday 12 October

• Coventry City v Newcastle United, 20:00

Championship

Friday 9 October

• West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers, 20:00

Saturday 10 October

• West Bromwich Albion v Birmingham City, 12:30
• Charlton Athletic v Bristol City, 12:30
• Swansea City v Norwich City, 12:30
• Blackburn Rovers v Cardiff City, 15:00
• Bolton Wanderers v Stoke City, 15:00
• Derby County v Wrexham, 15:00
• Middlesbrough v Wolverhampton Wanderers, 15:00
• Preston North End v Millwall, 15:00
• Sheffield United v Lincoln City, 15:00
• Watford v Burnley, 15:00

League One

Saturday 10 October

• Notts County v Oxford United, 12:30
• Plymouth Argyle v AFC Wimbledon, 12:30
• Mansfield Town v Bromley, 15:00
• Leicester City v Peterborough United, 15:00
• Doncaster Rovers v Burton Albion, 15:00
• Bradford City v Leyton Orient, 15:00
• Cambridge United v Blackpool, 15:00
• Stockport County v Barnsley, 15:00
• Milton Keynes Dons v Reading, 15:00
• Huddersfield Town v Sheffield Wednesday, 15:00
• Wycombe Wanderers v Luton Town, 15:00
• Stevenage v Wigan Athletic, 15:00

League Two

Saturday 10 October

• Oldham Athletic v Accrington Stanley, 12:30
• Swindon Town v Crewe Alexandra, 12:30
• Tranmere Rovers v Rochdale, 15:00
• Fleetwood Town v Walsall, 15:00
• Cheltenham Town v Salford City, 15:00
• Shrewsbury Town v Exeter City, 15:00
• Crawley Town v Chesterfield, 15:00
• Rotherham United v Gillingham, 15:00
• Newport County v Colchester United, 15:00
• Bristol Rovers v Barnet, 15:00
• York City v Northampton Town, 15:00
• Port Vale v Grimsby Town, 15:00

Fantasy desk

The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 6 deadline is 11:00 BST on Saturday 10 October. The main theme is fitness over fixtures, with the long international break creating rotation and injury risks.

Form leaders

• Pascal Gross, Brighton: 47 points, now £5.9m
• James Tarkowski, Everton: 43 points, now £6.2m
• Jayden Bogle, Leeds: 42 points, £4.6m
• Kevin Schade, Brentford: 39 points

Bukayo Saka is the standout captain pick. Erling Haaland is the reliable alternative, even with Manchester City travelling to Liverpool. Liverpool v Manchester City is the standout difficult fixture of the Gameweek.

Transfer radar

• Luka Vuskovic, Brighton defender: £5.0m
• Liam Delap, Nottingham Forest: £5.6m, with low ownership and Crystal Palace having conceded the most expected goals against so far
• Vitaly Janelt, Brentford: £5.0m

Fitness checks

• Brian Brobbey, Sunderland, hamstring, avoid
• Kai Havertz, Arsenal, hamstring
• Christos Tzolis: hamstring, reportedly up to three weeks
• Ezri Konsa, monitor whether he features
• Alexander Isak, Liverpool: minor issue, could play
• Cody Gakpo, Liverpool, ankle
• João Pedro, Chelsea: knee, expected back for Bournemouth
• Antoine Semenyo, ankle, updates awaited
• Cole Palmer, Chelsea, expected to be involved after missing England duty
• Declan Rice, Arsenal, expected back

Check team news immediately before the 11:00 BST deadline. A Wildcard is a reasonable option for squads carrying several injuries.

The FPL Second Chance League starts scoring in Gameweek 6, with Premier League match tickets for the winner.

Manager's view

The EFL Trophy group games offered clubs a chance to rotate squads and test depth while the league programme paused. Stevenage’s win over Leicester City and the range of results involving senior and under-21 sides showed the value of using competitive matches to assess players.

The international window adds another layer. Managers must weigh minutes, fitness and squad rotation before the next league fixture, particularly when players return from international duty at different stages of readiness.

For fans looking for a football manager mobile experience, The Dugout is a deep, text-based football manager and football manager alternative mobile game coming soon on Apple and Android. It is a one-off £5.99 purchase with a free demo, no subscriptions and no in-app purchases. Join the Discord community, explore the game features, or visit the official website.