Barnsley vs. Port Vale (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Barnsley and Port Vale will kick off their League One campaign on Saturday, as they square off at Oakwell on the opening day.
The hosts narrowly missed out on promotion in the playoff final last term and are now under the new management of Neill Collins, following Michael Duff's summer departure.
We say: Barnsley 2-1 Port Vale
We are yet to see how Barnsley will fare after last season's Wembley disappointment and the loss of their manager and several key players over the summer, but they should still have enough to get past Port Vale on home turf in their curtain-raiser at the weekend.
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Blackpool vs. Burton Albion (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Blackpool will begin life back in League One on Saturday, when they host Burton Albion in their curtain-raiser.
The Tangerines were relegated from the Championship last term and head into the new campaign with Neil Critchley back at the helm, while their visitors finished 15th in England's third tier last term.
We say: Blackpool 2-1 Burton Albion
The return to League One will certainly not be straightforward for Blackpool, who have lost several key players over the summer, but we do fancy the Tangerines to get over the line on the opening day at Bloomfield Road against Burton Albion.
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Bolton vs. Lincoln (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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On the opening day of the League One season, Bolton Wanderers will play host to Lincoln City on Saturday.
Following their playoff disappointment last term, the hosts will be keen to get off the mark with a three-point haul on home turf.
We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Lincoln City
Bolton do boast slightly more quality throughout the squad than their visitors, and with home advantage and the need to get up and running quickly in their promotion bid, we fancy the Trotters to take all three points in their curtain-raiser.
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Cambridge vs. Oxford Utd (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Cambridge United and Oxford United will commence their respective 2023-24 League One campaigns when the sides meet on Saturday afternoon at the Abbey Stadium.
The U's salvaged their third-tier status on the final day of the 2022-23 season with a victory over Forest Green Rovers, while the visitors finished one point and one place better off in the table than their opponents this weekend.
We say: Cambridge United 1-2 Oxford United
With Cambridge losing 10 players, there has been significant turnover within the squad, so it could take a few weeks for Bonner's side to gel.
Oxford look good enough, on paper, to put up a promotion challenge this season, so we think they will start off strongly here with a victory.
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Carlisle vs. Fleetwood (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Carlisle United will begin their 2023-24 League One campaign when they welcome Fleetwood Town to Brunton Park on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts managed to secure promotion to the third tier last season through the playoffs, while the visitors finished mid-table in 13th place.
We say: Carlisle United 1-1 Fleetwood Town
The loss of top scorer Kristian Dennis could leave Carlisle without their shooting boots for the first few games of the season, while Fleetwood will not want a repeat of last season and endure an opening-day defeat.
Therefore, we think the sides will approach this game with caution, and they will cancel each other out.
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Charlton vs. Leyton Orient (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Charlton Athletic host Leyton Orient at the Valley on Saturday in their opening fixture of the 2023-24 League One season.
The Addicks finished in the top 10 last season, while Orient won promotion to the third tier as League Two champions.
We say: Charlton Athletic 1-1 Leyton Orient
Considering both sides have lost key players and made a number of signings, we can see the teams cancelling each other out here, as it could take a few weeks for new arrivals to gel.
In addition, the teams recently played out a 1-1 draw in a pre-season friendly, so we can see a repeat of that scoreline this weekend.
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Derby vs. Wigan (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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After relegation from the Championship last season, Wigan Athletic will begin their 2023-24 League One campaign on Saturday when they travel to Derby County at Pride Park.
Derby narrowly missed out on the playoffs in 2022-23 and will be hoping to put up another promotion challenge, while the Latics will start the new campaign with an eight-point deduction after financial problems last season.
We say: Derby County 2-1 Wigan Athletic
Derby come into this match in better form than their opponents, and we are expecting them to start the campaign strongly here to match their promotion ambitions.
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Northampton vs. Stevenage (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Two of the newly promoted League One sides will meet this Saturday to kickstart their new season as Northampton Town host Stevenage in their maiden game for this campaign.
There was just two points between them in the league last year as they earned automatic promotions, but now each will be aiming to settle into the new division with three points.
We say: Northampton Town 1-1 Stevenage
The opening day is always a nervy fixture for teams because while they want to set the tone for the season, it is also important to try and avoid a heavy defeat.
This can often lead to a cautious performance and considering both teams know each other well from League Two, a draw would not be a surprise.
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Portsmouth vs. Bristol Rovers (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers will be looking to kick off the new League One season with a positive result when they go head-to-head at Fratton Park on Saturday.
The hosts will be targeting a promotion push, while the Gas will want to improve upon last season's 17th-place finish.
We say: Portsmouth 2-1 Bristol Rovers
Mousinho has only lost one of his 11 home league games as Pompey manager, and we think his side will utilise home advantage to begin the new campaign with a narrow victory.
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Reading vs. Peterborough (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Reading will be kickstarting life in League One following their relegation last season on Saturday when they host Peterborough United.
The visitors missed out on promotion in dramatic fashion after being knocked out by Sheffield Wednesday in the League One play-offs, but will be looking to be an immediate threat once again.
We say: Reading 0-3 Peterborough United
Reading might have the home advantage in this game, but the Royals have been struggling desperately as of late, and the lack of confidence in the team has been clear to see during pre-season.
On the other hand, the visitors should be full of momentum and a desire to go one step further than last season and clinch promotion, which should lead to them starting the campaign with three points.
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Shrewsbury vs. Cheltenham (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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Two of League One's mid-table teams from the 2022-23 campaign are set to meet on Saturday in the opening fixture of the season as Shrewsbury Town host Cheltenham Town.
The hosts managed to finish five points above their opponents last season and will be aiming to kick on further up the league table this time around.
We say: Shrewsbury Town 1-2 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town may have finished lower than their opponents last season in the league, but they have been putting in strong performances throughout pre-season so far.
Shrewsbury Town did put together an impressive run at home in the 2022-23 campaign, and that should lead to this being a closely contested match.
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Wycombe vs. Exeter (Saturday, 3.00pm)
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After finishing just outside the playoff positions Wycombe Wanderers will be aiming to go one step further this season as they kickstart their League One campaign.
Matt Bloomfield's men will host Exeter City on Saturday, with the visitors heading into the game on the back of a mixed pre-season.
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Exeter City
Wycombe Wanderers will be looking to build upon what they achieved last season, and a home fixture should be the perfect launching pad for the campaign.
The visitors had a lot of difficulties on the road across the previous season, and it remains to be seen if they have fixed those issues.
