Three weeks into a new EFL season and the temperature is already rising. No points after two games used to feel like a blip; in the modern football landscape, with impatient owners and restless fanbases, it can feel like a crisis. Saturday's programme is packed with fixtures that carry genuine consequences — and it is only August.

Robins Needs a Result at Wolves

Stoke City are entering their ninth consecutive Championship season, and the stat alone tells a sorry story for a club that once competed in the Premier League with genuine mid-table solidity. Mark Robins is the seventh manager to attempt to arrest the slide, and the owners have continued to back him in the market — Ipswich's George Hirst has arrived permanently while Ben Johnson has joined on a season-long loan within the past fortnight.

Yet defeats against Swansea and Southampton to open the campaign have already stirred restlessness among supporters. A trip to Wolves on Saturday (12:30 BST) is a fixture that offers little shelter at this stage of a wobbling season. A third consecutive defeat would make the noise considerably louder around the bet365 Stadium.

Clement's Norwich Under Scrutiny

The optimism surrounding Norwich City heading into the campaign was entirely understandable. Philippe Clement transformed a relegation-threatened side after arriving last November, winning 17 of 31 league games under his management and steering the club to a ninth-place finish. Summer business looked considered and purposeful, with winger Andre Brooks coming in from Sheffield United to complement earlier additions Ali Ahmed and Mohamed Toure.

Two games later and the mood has shifted considerably. A home defeat to West Brom and a difficult showing at Millwall have left the Canaries without a point. Burnley visit Carrow Road on Saturday (15:00 BST) and the Clarets are themselves finding the Championship hard going under new boss Nicky Hayen — last weekend's defeat at West Brom was followed by a midweek EFL Cup exit at Bradford City. Both sides need a result; only one can have it.

West Ham Head to Watford in Dangerous Territory

West Ham United are generating headlines for all the wrong reasons. Ownership uncertainty and on-field performances have combined to create the sort of turbulence that unsettles clubs at any level. Nuno Espirito Santo's side were beaten at home by Charlton last weekend, and while an EFL Cup win at Southampton on Tuesday provided a brief respite, the underlying concerns have not gone away.

The decision to break the Championship transfer record to sign Arne Engels — with Nuno publicly framing the deal as a signing aimed at Premier League football — only amplifies the pressure on a side that cannot currently put together a winning run in the second tier. Saturday's visit to Watford (15:00 BST) looks anything but straightforward. Alessio Dionisi's Hornets opened with an impressive win over Southampton before drawing at Wrexham, and although a heavy EFL Cup defeat at home to Peterborough in midweek complicated their week, the Hornets carry real threat. West Ham need to be on full alert.

Plymouth and Bradford Set for League One Flashpoint

Tom Cleverley's Plymouth Argyle head into the weekend having endured another slow start in League One — echoing the sluggish opening that cost them dear last season. A slow start ultimately denied Argyle at minimum a play-off spot twelve months ago, and the early signs have not been dramatically different this time around.

Bradford City, meanwhile, arrive at Home Park in buoyant form and represent a stern examination of where Plymouth currently stand. The patience shown by Argyle's ownership towards Cleverley appears genuine, but results need to improve and they need to improve soon.

Salford and Gillingham Still Searching for Fourth-Tier Escape

Elsewhere in the lower leagues, both Salford City and Gillingham carry the burden of significant investment without yet delivering promotion from League Two. Neither club has made the kind of start that would quieten sceptics, and with early-season form setting the tone for the months ahead, Saturday represents another opportunity — or another missed chance — to establish themselves as genuine contenders for the top seven.

The EFL weekend is always busy. This one, just three Saturdays into the campaign, already feels like it matters rather more than it should in early August.

Frequently asked

What time does Stoke City vs Wolves kick off on Saturday?
Stoke City travel to Wolves on Saturday with a 12:30 BST kick-off in the EFL Championship.
How has West Ham started their Championship season?
West Ham have made a difficult start under Nuno Espirito Santo, losing at home to Charlton in the league before winning their EFL Cup tie at Southampton in midweek.
What time does Norwich vs Burnley kick off?
Norwich City host Burnley on Saturday at 15:00 BST in the EFL Championship. Both sides are yet to pick up a league point this season.