20 years of hurt finally look to be drawing to a close.
After years of being the Championship’s favourite punchline, Leeds Utd could finally be looking towards a brighter future this weekend with Marcelo Bielsa’s side now just a point away from finally returning to the top flight.
West Brom and Brentford will be looking to keep the pressure up should the Whites slip up, while the end could be nigh for several sides deep in the relegation dogfight.
It’s set to be a weekend of highs and lows in the EFL Championship. Here’s our preview of all the action…
The Championship Promotion Race
Nothing can go wrong now… surely?
After seeing off struggling Barnsley on Thursday night, Leeds sit six points clear of third place Brentford with just two games to play, with only the Bees’ vastly superior goal difference now standing in the way of their promotion dreams.
A trip to the unpredictable Rams looks the harder assignment on paper, but with Philip Cocu’s side now officially out of the play-off running, Leeds could make headway if they can find the opener at Pride Park.
While Leeds’ automatic hopes still look favourable, the same can’t be said for West Brom. The Baggies are desperately in need of one final ‘boing’ to haul themselves over the finish line with Brentford on their tail. They open the Championship weekend on Friday night away at Huddersfield, a side in as equal need of three points from their penultimate game, with Danny Cowley knowing a win would effectively dash any concerns of a double relegation before other teams even kick a ball.
A Baggies victory could land a psychological knock-out blow to Brentford ahead of their trip to Stoke on Saturday afternoon given the work the Bees have put in to close the gap, but anything less than that could make it a thrilling final day in the race for automatic promotion.
The Play-Offs
Unless Brentford can swap places with one of the top two this weekend, third place looks fairly locked up for the Bees, while fourth place Fulham have also confirmed their place in the top four, ensuring a play-off second leg at Craven Cottage.
That leaves two slots to fill, and Nottingham Forest can’t quite breathe easy yet. Sabri Lamouchi’s side can’t seem to escape their drawing habit, playing out a stalemate in three of their last four games.
That sequence has left them sitting five points above the play-off chasers, but they can end any remaining doubts with a win against Barnsley on Sunday, or if Millwall and Swansea both fail to win on Saturday.
Cardiff ended their own recent rocky spell in midweek with a hard-fought win over Derby that knocked the Rams out the reckoning. That now leaves Millwall, Swansea, Preston and potentially Bristol City all with a fighting chance of nabbing a prized play-off spot if they can string two decent results together in the last full week of the season – especially with the latter two sides playing one another on the final day.
The Championship Relegation Battle
The relegation fight has been a recurring game of musical chairs since the restart, but the picture is starting to look a whole lot clearer heading into the final showdown.
It’s increasingly looking like three from five at the bottom, depending on Wigan’s eventual fate. The Latics might save themselves regardless after sweeping Hull City aside 8-0 in midweek to move 12 points clear of the drop – the mark, that combined with their healthy goal difference – would see them safe, provided no other side cuts into that gap this week. A win against Charlton would surely be enough for Wigan to rest easy come next Sunday.
Barnsley and Luton look to have made the right calls with their managerial changes having kept themselves in the hunt into the penultimate week when all hope looked lost earlier this season.
However, with the Tykes rounding off the weekend against Nottingham Forest, Gerhard Struber’s team be will be powerless to prevent relegation if results go against them on Saturday afternoon.
For improving Luton, it might prove to be a winner-takes-all contest as they travel to shellshocked Hull City, with the loser of that game likely to be left dead and buried by the final whistle. Nathan Jones’ side will surely look to test Hull’s defensive resolve early given the Tigers’ fragile confidence.
Championship Predictions
Friday 17th July
Huddersfield Town 0-2 West Bromwich Albion
Saturday 18th July
Charlton Athletic 1-2 Wigan Athletic
Stoke City 0-2 Brentford
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Reading
Fulham 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Hull City 0-1 Luton Town
Middlesbrough 1-2 Cardiff City
Preston North End 2-0 Birmingham
QPR 1-2 Millwall
Swansea City 2-1 Bristol City
Sunday 19th July
Derby County 1-2 Leeds Utd
Barnsley 0-0 Nottingham Forest
