Exeter City host Ipswich Town in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Saturday lunchtime, aiming to make the most of the spotlight on them due to the Championship taking a break for the World Cup. The Grecians pulled off a mightily impressive 3-2 win over Peterborough United last weekend and it will be a cracking atmosphere at St James Park, but that does not take away from the fact the best team in the division will be arriving as heavy favourites.

Exeter look to fight fire with fire and in that they have come unstuck a few times this season, losing 4-2 to Plymouth Argyle and Charlton Athletic in the last couple of months. The Tractor Boys will back themselves to tame the dynamic trio of Jay Stansfield, Sam Nombe and Jevani Brown in hoping to close the gap to Plymouth Argyle at the summit of the division. The visitors have been rocked with long term injuries to Dominic Ball and Tyreece John-Jules, while key man Janoi Donacien is a new name on the injury list. Cameron Burgess, Greg Leigh and Gassan Ahadme should be back available for Kieran McKenna, while Sonny Cox is expected to be missing for the hosts.

Expect entertainment, but Ipswich’s class to shine through.

Morecambe denied us with a 1-1 draw at home to Portsmouth at the weekend, and it was a performance that Derek Adams will be proud of.

That said, the Shrimps have still only won two games in the league this season and will not be able to draw their way out of trouble. Lincoln City are unbeaten at Sincil Bank in the league this season and held league leaders Plymouth Argyle to a 1-1 draw last weekend. Adam Jackson will miss out on Saturday while Tom Hopper and Jordan Garrick are also ruled out, but the loss to their backline should not have too much of an impact considering how poor the Shrimps have been going forward.

The Imps have only lost one of their last seven league fixtures, a stretch that includes taking on Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday, putting them in a good position to justify an odds on price this weekend. Mark Kennedy is building a strong reputation in his first senior management role and the Imps are well organised in a 3-4-3 formation, making it easier for any alterations to slot in with a detailed knowledge of what is required of them.

Jack Diamond and Charles Vernam will be a lot for the Shrimps to handle on the flanks.

Averaging 3.4 goals a game, Bristol Rovers matches are typically chaotic. Their most recent result, a 2-2 draw with Fleetwood Town that featured a 99th minute Fleetwood equaliser, provided a perfect example of this. Manager Joey Barton was also sent off in last weekend’s game at the Memorial Stadium. A further goal and assist for Aaron Collins brought the forward’s league total up to 17 goal contributions, level with Exeter City’s Jevani Brown. Middlesbrough loanee Josh Coburn is also catching the eye in a central striker role, with the experienced Scott Sinclair increasingly getting up to speed. Antony Evans is in turn a potential creative spark from midfield.

The only player with more League One goals this season than Collins is Jonson Clarke-Harris. Another goal last weekend brought the Jamaican striker up to 12 for the season, the same tally he recorded in the Championship with Peterborough United last season. Clarke-Harris leads the line as part of either a front three or front two. 23-year-old forward Ephron Mason-Clark is either his strike partner or playing off the left, with Kwame Poku utilised in a right-winger position. With Jack Marriott available as an alternative or addition in the striker position, the Posh are averaging 1.9 goals scored a game, and their matches are seeing an average of 3.1 goals a game.

The goal averages are reflections of two sides that possess a high amount of attacking quality, coupled with defences that rarely provide solidity. No one in League One’s top eight has conceded more goals than Peterborough United, whilst hosts Bristol Rovers are the top scorers in the entire bottom half. This match in Horfield carries a strong potential for goals.

Port Vale feel a touch short as favourites to pick up three points at home to Charlton Athletic.

Darrell Clarke’s newly promoted Vale have been very impressive at the start of this season, and look well placed to grind out the results needed to facilitate a comfortable mid table finish. However, the Addicks have only lost three times on the road in the league this season and scored three goals at Burton Albion last weekend. They will be missing Miles Leaburn, Diallang Jaiyesimi, Mandela Egbo, Terell Thomas, Eoghan O’Connell and Joe Wollacott, but with Ryan Inniss and Sean Clare in the backline again there are reasons for optimism.

Chuks Aneke’s return to fitness gives the Addicks a chance in every game, the former Milton Keynes Dons forward is amongst the best in the division, but is not fit enough to start matches at the moment. With Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Charlie Kirk, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Jack Payne and the emergence of Tyreece Campbell, it is tough to deny them in the attacking third, and Ben Garner will be fired up even more to yield a positive result, after play-off semi final penalty shoot-out defeat to Vale last season with Swindon Town in League Two.

This one could get very feisty.

Four points clear at the top, Plymouth Argyle are setting incredibly high standards with an average of 2.3 points per game. Possessing a perfect home record and an away record only bettered by Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday, the buoyant mood around Argyle will have been lifted further by the news of manager Steven Schumacher signing a new contract until 2027. Injuries to attacking midfielders Danny Mayor and Finn Azaz haven’t halted the Devon outfit’s momentum, Swansea City loanee Morgan Whittaker and Niall Ennis occupying those spots well in Plymouth’s 3-4-2-1 set-up whilst Ryan Hardie stretches the play up top with his movement in behind. Adam Randell, a product of Argyle’s own youth system, has scored three goals in his last five games, given the licence to push forward as Jordan Houghton provides solidity alongside him. The electric Bali Mumba and midfielder-turned-wing-back Joe Edwards provide superb support from the wide positions. 23-year-old Michael Cooper is the standout goalkeeper in the entire division and could be set for a future right at the top of the English game.

This weekend, the league leaders make the trip to 23rd place Burton Albion. The Brewers are in the midst of a challenging run of fixtures against high-ranked sides, hoping to benefit from having an entire month of home fixtures in all competitions. An eventful 3-3 draw with Charlton Athletic last weekend perfectly demonstrated Burton’s attacking qualities, and in turn provided solid proof of why the Staffordshire outfit have conceded a league-high 38 goals so far this season. League One’s biggest set-piece threat comes from the throw of full-back Tom Hamer and the right-footed delivery of midfielder Terry Taylor. Defenders Sam Hughes and Deji Oshilaja are regular targets, with Joe Powell in position around the box to lead a potential second phase attack. Nigerian striker Victor Adeboyejo scored on Saturday to bring his seasonal tally up to 10, the clear best return of his senior career. The 24-year-old is an integral part of Burton Albion’s frontline, his general hold-up play and movement into the channels a key part of Burton’s direct attacking play. His importance grows more so when he is compared to his fellow forwards. Mustapha Carayol, Sam Winnall and Joe Dodoo are free agents whose fitness cannot be relied upon. Joe Powell is underperforming in an unconventional wide position, Jonny Smith proves to be inconsistent and often predictable with the ball at his feet.

Argyle will need to be alert and strong to hold back the set-piece threat that Burton Albion possess. If they do the individual quality the league leaders should see them to victory against the struggling Brewers. Burton’s vulnerability to pace in behind could well be exploited by Ryan Hardie and Niall Ennis to great effect. The Green Army will travel in their numbers to the Pirelli Stadium, and could well return with yet another three points.