Jordan Rhodes & Federico Macheda Push For Premier League Promotion As Blackburn Rovers Vs Cardiff City Opens The Championship & English Football: Former Manchester United Starlet

The Premier League and the tiers of English football below have faded in to the background while the 2014 World Cup took the spotlight. The EPL will be back next weekend, but tonight marks the first weekend of action for every other English league. The Championship, one level below the Premier League, will kick-off tonight, with Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City the opening fixture. Blackburn will have the hottest striker outside of the Premier League in Jordan Rhodes taking on Federico Macheda, once of Manchester United, now of recently relegated Cardiff City. Who will win this opening spectacle?

Both teams are heavy favourites to finish in the top-6 of the Championship, and possibly gain promotion to the Premier League. Blackburn spent a lot of their recent history there and will be desperate to finally return. Cardiff have been through ups and downs, and recently fell out of the EPL, but they will be confident of making an immediate return. Their strikers, Rhodes and Macheda, will take the spotlight, though.

Rhodes has scored for fun outside of the EPL, and he is already worth well over $15 million. The pacey forward is always a nuisance to the opposing defense, and it's tough to top him scoring. Macheda has been at different clubs on loan in recent years, but after finally leaving Old Trafford, he will want to put his Manchester United days well and truly behind him. The Italian forward rose to fame by scoring important goals for the Red Devils, but his career has since fizzled out.

Who will win this game, and can one of these teams make it to the EPL?