5 things to watch in the Championship this season

The Championship is back underway on Friday when Sunderland and Derby County spar at the same time as Nottingham Forest and Millwall, so, in anticipation of the big kick-off, theScore picks out the things to watch this season.

Second Brumming

The Second City derby has never had days comparable to the League Cup final doubleheader in 1963. Birmingham City beat Aston Villa 3-1 over two legs, but since then cup ties have been competed in the earlier rounds, and there has rarely been parity or much at stake in their league battles.

In the 2017-18 season, that could be very different.

Harry Redknapp has gone the tried and tested route in his summer business, buying seasoned English players, and throwing in a freebie from France for good measure:

Steve Bruce's acquisitions for Aston Villa are eerily similar, featuring a central defensive partnership more at home in the previous decade:

The signings are hardly the untapped, foreign fledglings that virtual gaffers would scour the market for in Football Manager, but veteran handlers Redknapp and Bruce unashamedly sticking with what they know could pay dividends to their respective league finishes, and add intrigue to the Brum rivalry.

Big-spending Boro best of relegated sides?

Middlesbrough should've been gladly received in the Premier League from introducing the likes of Juninho and Fabrizio Ravanelli to fans in the 1990s, and from the town's struggles following the closure of Redcar steelworks in October 2015.

But then Boro's defensive dross stank out the league, and booked an instant return to the Championship.

Related: How relegated Boro went from gritty charmer to forgettable fodder

Garry Monk has sought to address Middlesbrough's frontline shortcomings this summer. His sale of proven second-tier scorer Jordan Rhodes is questionable, but this should be addressed in formidable fashion by Britt Assombalonga - a club-record £15-million nab from Nottingham Forest - and former Toulouse talisman Martin Braithwaite.

Assombalonga was overpriced but, at around £6 million, Jonny Howson was a pinch.

Out of the demoted lot, Middlesbrough appears to be in better shape than Leonid Slutsky's Hull City and Simon Grayson's Sunderland.

Leeds, Norwich recruit overseas in new regimes

The tumultuous Massimo Cellino era is over, so now the Leeds United brass, headed up by Andrea Radrizzani, can focus solely on bringing the club back to the promised land.

After Monk sensationally chose to switch Leeds for Middlesbrough, Thomas Christiansen, who guided Apoel Nicosia to the 2016-17 Cypriot First Division title, was handed the reins. The new gaffer has since permanently signed players hailing from Sweden, Spain, France, Poland, Italy, Germany, Macedonia, the Netherlands, and England.

There's a similarly cultured look at Norwich City, although it was the hallmarks of Huddersfield Town. Like promoted Terriers boss David Wagner, Daniel Farke proved his managerial credentials with Borussia Dortmund's reserve side, and has assistance from former Huddersfield transfer guru Stuart Webber. Farke looks to impose some more gegenpressing in the Championship with a raft of new signings highlighted by Marley Watkins and Marcel Franke.

There's another foreign legion back in the West Midlands, with superagent Jorge Mendes' plaything Wolverhampton Wanderers plucking players from Portugal, Turkey, and Germany. That project could be a dream or a disaster.

Fulham can keep crown as league's best watch

Fulham was the popular pick to earn promotion through the play-offs after entering last season's four-way spat in blistering form. The Cottagers fell short to Reading in the semi-final, but should make an ambitious chase for the automatic spots in 2017-18.

Only Scott Malone has been sacrificed from Slavisa Jokanovic's preferred XI from last term, which allows exciting teenage defender Ryan Sessegnon to start at left-back every week. Keeping Tom Cairney on the club's books has been the biggest feat, as the Nottingham native scored 12 and assisted 10 times during the 2016-17 regular season.

And not only does Fulham have fresh firepower in new boy Aboubakar Kamara, it should also be blessed with more midfield solidarity this time around, with Ibrahima Cisse joining from Standard Liege.

Carvalhal's last chance with Wednesday?

"I believe it will be a balanced competition," Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal told The Star last week. "There are eight teams who have abilities to get promoted but there will be 20 teams who want to get promoted."

This could be the Owls boss' last chance to drag this sleeping giant back into the Premier League after 18 seasons outside the top flight.

Some called for the Portuguese's head when five points taken from a possible 21 amid a glut of injuries between February and April threatened to derail Wednesday's promotion push last season, but the subsequent penalty exit from the play-off quarter-finals stung. It followed the previous campaign's final loss to Hull.

Carvalhal continues to add experience to his squad ahead of its next conquest, and perhaps the addition of George Boyd in particular can bring some welcome know-how and graft.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)