5 EFL Goalscorer Tips for the Weekend’s Action - 30/7/22

Two teams who are embarking on a new era and looking to earn promotion meet at Ewood Park on Saturday, as Blackburn and QPR kick off their Championship campaigns.

Jon Dahl Tomasson is the new man in charge of the Lancashire outfit, after taking over following Tony Mowbray’s departure in May. Though he’s only brought in two new faces, the former AC Milan attacker has overhauled Rovers behind the scenes, so it will be interesting to see if they can improve on their eighth-place finish last season under Mowbray.

QPR also have a new manager, with Michael Beale taking his first managerial role and becoming R’s head coach, leaving his role as Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa. The former Liverpool youth manager will be looking to build on the 11th place the West London outfit managed last season.

Ben Brereton-Diaz was a key man for Rovers last season, scoring 22 goals in 37 Championship games. Only Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke and Fulham’s Aleksandr Mitrovic scored more than the Chile international. He’ll be looking to continue that goalscoring form, starting on Saturday.

After falling back into the Championship, Norwich will want to get off to a winning start on Saturday in their bid to bounce straight back up to the Premier League. Dean Smith’s side take on Cardiff at the Cardiff City Stadium on the opening day.

Bluebirds boss Steve Morison has overhauled the side that finished 18th last season. Cardiff have brought in 13 new arrivals, along with Morison claiming the Welsh outfit will adopt a new style of play, which could be exciting for the Cardiff faithful.

Following their rock-bottom finish in the Premier League last season, the aim for the 2022/23 campaign will be to get back into England’s top tier. There’s still some good players on show for the Canaries, but Teemu Pukki may be the key man in the hunt for promotion again. The striker scored 11 Premier League goals last season and returns to the Championship after netting 26 goals in the second tier the year before.

Two teams looking to improve upon last season’s finishes lock horns on Saturday, with Cheltenham and Peterborough getting their League One campaign underway at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.

Cheltenham finished 15th last season, missing out on the play-offs by some distance, but also being able to steer away from a relegation battle. Alfie May was on fire for the Robins, with 23 league goals, which was bettered only by Sunderland’s Ross Stewart and Wigan’s Will Keane. May will be confident of opening his account on the first game of the new season on Saturday, against a Peterborough side that finished 22nd in the Championship last season and leaked 87 goals - Grant McCann will be hoping that his side can chase automatic promotion this campaign.

Derby have had a tough time over the past year, but things are looking a lot more promising ahead of the 2022/23 season. They’ll be looking to get their League One campaign off to a flyer against Oxford United.

The Rams endured a difficult period last season, seeing them hit with points deductions that left them with little chance of surviving – ultimately seeing them relegated from the Championship.

There’s more optimism heading into the new term though, with the club sold and financial problems being eased. Wayne Rooney may have left, but his assistant Liam Rosenior has taken his place for now and has brought in many strong acquisitions that sees them emerge as one of the favourites for promotion.

One new signing is James Collins, who came on a free from Cardiff City. The veteran striker has plenty of experience scoring goals in League One for the likes of Swindon Town and Luton and will want to get off to the perfect start on Saturday, against an Oxford side who finished eighth and missed out on the play-offs last season.

After clinging the Vanarama National League title last season, Stockport are a leading favourite to earn back-to-back promotions and jump straight into League One. They open their season at home to a Barrow side that are one of the favourites for relegation.

The Hatters won the league by six points last season, after spending and bringing in many strong signings in recent years. The squad has been improved even further this summer with acquisition of two of the best National League talents in the shape of Kyle Wooton from Notts County and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans from Torquay, putting them in pole position to earn promotion in their first season back in the Football League.

Paddy Madden fired in 23 goals for Stockport last season and will be key for them in League Two.

Barrow finished 22nd in League Two last season, just one place above the relegation zone. They have brought in many new faces but are still likely to be around the bottom of the table.