We are at the business end of the English domestic football season and it looks set to bring all the usual drama, jeopardy, hope and despair in what some believe is the world’s toughest league.
The gruelling 46-game Championship season is a tough test and the run-in will determine whether certain teams’ seasons will end in success or despair.
Here we take a look at what is to come in the closing stages of the season as teams battle it out for automatic promotion, play-off places and safety from relegation.
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Three’s a crowd
The battle for automatic promotion has been full of twists and turns this season. With four teams in contention for a large part of the season, we are now down to just three realistic candidates competing for the top two spots.
Leeds United, Sheffield United and Burnley are the three teams in question and all are currently separated by just two points. Leeds lead the league with 80 points, ahead of Sheffield United who are only behind their Yorkshire rivals on goal difference – although they trail Leeds by 26 goals in that department. Burnley are currently out of the top two, but are keeping pace with 78 points.
With an inviting run of fixtures ahead, Daniel Farke’s side are 3/10 favourites to win the league and an overwhelming 1/25 to achieve automatic promotion. However, the Elland Road faithful will tell you they won’t be counting their chickens having been in this position before only to fall at the final hurdle and then lose in the play-offs.
Sheffield United will be ruing their two-point deduction which sees them second in the league and in the betting for the title at 7/2, while Burnley are 13/2 to finish top. United are favoured for a top two finish as well at 1/2, with Burnley Evens.
5th to 13th and everything in between
The race for a play-off spot is always intriguing but this season it really is wide open. The first two spots look to be done and dusted with one of the top three set to be joined by Sunderland to take third and fourth. That means we have just two spots left, with nine teams in with a real chance.
Norwich are furthest away in 13th but are only eight points behind West Brom who currently occupy sixth spot on 57. Coventry’s unbelievable run under Frank Lampard has seen them shoot to fifth on 59 points. From seventh through to 12th are Bristol City (57 points), Middlesbrough (54 points), Blackburn Rovers (52 points), Watford (52 points), Millwall (51 points) and Sheffield Wednesday (51 points).
With some crucial six-pointers still to be played between all of these sides, the race for the final two play-off spots will undoubtedly go down to the final day.
Coventry 1/3
West Brom 5/6
Bristol City 6/4
Middlesbrough 11/4
Sheffield Wednesday 10/1
Blackburn 18/1
Watford 22/1
Norwich 28/1
Millwall 50/1
Better safe than sorry
The fight to maintain Championship status is almost as tight as the battle to get out of the league. At the wrong end of the table, eight teams are still in genuine danger of facing the dreaded drop. Plymouth currently sit 24th and, although stranger things have happened, they look destined for a return to League One as they’re six points adrift on 33.
Just two points above them are Luton Town who are aiming to avoid back-to-back relegations, with a three-point gap to Derby County who currently occupy the final relegation spot on 38 points, one point shy of Cardiff in 21st.
It’s hard to consider any of the teams up to and including Portsmouth as home and dry, with Pompey sitting 17th on 42 points. Below them are Oxford United (42 points), Hull (41 points), Stoke (39 points) and Cardiff (39 points), all of whom will be wishing things could stay exactly as they are. QPR (45 points) and Swansea (44 points) will still be looking over their shoulders in 15th and 16th, but it shouldn’t take too many more points to secure their safety.
There is certainly going to be a fair bit of chopping and changing between now and the end of the season and pressure is only going to build on those who need to find as many points as they can to remain in England’s second tier.
Plymouth 1/33
Luton 1/3
Derby 6/4
Stoke 2/1
Cardiff 9/4
Oxford Utd 3/1
Portsmouth 9/1
Hull 14/1
QPR 50/1
Swansea 50/1
