Championship Promotion Odds - 15/06/20

As football returns to action across the world behind closed doors, the SkyBet Championship is set to follow suit with games returning next Saturday (20th June).

Eight games remain for the sides in the second tier, with everything still to play for. Teams are still fighting to stay in the division, as well as some of the biggest clubs in England doing battle to achieve promotion and reach the promised land of the Premier League. But who will get one of the coveted three places and play in England’s top tier next season?

We’ve used odds from Sky Bet to see what the odds are for each of the sides are that pushing for promotion.

It’s been sixteen long years since Leeds United last competed in the top tier of English football. The long wait for Premier League football that Leeds fans have endured over the past decade and a half could well be overcome the end of this campaign though, as a long-awaited return looks likely.

Marcelo Bielsa has transformed the club since his arrival in 2018. The Argentine coach looked as though he would guide the Yorkshire club back to the Premier League on his first attempt in his first season, challenging for the title for the majority of the season before ultimately falling short and losing out in the play-offs.

This year is looking increasingly more optimistic, however, with a title tussle with West Brom in the mix as both teams fight to go up with the Championship trophy. Just a point separates them from the 2nd placed Baggies at the top of the table. There’s no surprise then that the odds for Leeds to get promoted are a small 1/20, as even if they slip up in their challenge for the league title, they’re likely to still be in an automatic promotion spot – currently sitting seven points above third-placed Fulham.

Like last season’s disappointing end, things can go wrong at the top though, especially for Leeds United. Even if things do go horribly wrong for Bielsa’s side and they fall below the safety net of the automatic spots, with the quality their side have shown this season they would surely be favourites to win the play-offs. That seems a very unlikely alternative, however, with their sights set firmly on the title.

Like Leeds, West Brom are also in a position which means it would take a disastrous end to the season to see them remain in the Championship. The Baggies have gone two years since their relegation from the topflight but are in a solid position to put an end to that.

Slaven Bilic’s men have enjoyed a season that has seen them record the joint-most goals scored as well as having the least amount of losses in the league. Similar to their title rivals, an automatic spot looks more likely if not the top spot itself.

The gap between themselves and sixth-placed Preston means that a play-off spot will surely be the very least Bilic’s side can achieve this season if it all goes wrong. A massive slip-up like that seems very unlikely though as reflected in the very low odds for them to be in the Premier League next season.

The Bees have had an impressive season in the league so far and find themselves in the top four. With exciting young players such as Ollie Watkins and Saïd Benrahma, Thomas Frank’s impressive side have been a joy to watch, having scored the joint-most amount of goals in the league this season.

Their goal difference is also the best in the league, which could be useful come the end of the campaign with the many teams close below them pursuing a spot in the top six and chance to go to Wembley.

Brentford are currently ten points off the automatic places which, although not impossible, seems very unlikely with little left to play. They do have a five-point cushion between themselves and seventh-placed Bristol City, so have a little bit of leeway when it comes to staying in the hunt for promotion via the play-offs.

The stats show why Brentford will be in with a good chance of going the distance if they finish in the top six, with star striker Watkins leading the line. The 24-year-old has hit 22 goals this season with scope for more yet to come

Fulham are the other side occupying a top four spot, sitting third in the table. Scott Parker’s side are six places off second-placed West Brom in the automatic places, so have got some outside hope of catching up and gaining promotion with a top two spot.

The Cottagers currently have a four-point advantage over Brentford in third, which could either be increased or reduced when the sides meet in a mouth-watering London derby at Craven Cottage to get the league back underway.

Like their London rivals, Fulham also have a bit of a gap between themselves Bristol City, with nine points being the difference. They also have a danger man in Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is the top scorer with 23 league goals.

Another big name that are still awaiting a Premier League return is Nottingham Forest. The two-time European Cup winners have been out of the top division since 1999 and are a longshot to gain promotion this campaign.

Sabri Lamouchi’s team are fifth and level on points with Brentford after a decent season. A top two finish looks unlikely for them and they’ll have to avoid a bad run following the restart to hold on to playoff position where they could potentially be three games away from a Premier League return. Lambouchi’s side have been a mixed bag this season, with good results against the likes of Leeds along with some not so convincing performances such as the 3-0 home loss to Millwall last time out.

Forest have some challenging games remaining as well, with big fixtures against Bristol City, Preston and Fulham left to play.

Currently occupying the final play-off spot is Preston, with plenty of competition around them. The Lilywhites are on 56 points, a point above Bristol City below them.

Alex Neil’s team also face a tricky run of games in the run-in, such as Forest at home and Brentford and Bristol City away which means their task of staying in the top six could be tricky. The former Norwich boss has guided Preston to a solid season this year though, with few predicting them to go up, they look like dark horses in the battle for promotion.

Preston face tough competition to hold on to a playoff spot, but if they can, they could be two games away from a trip to another to Wembley. The Lilywhites are no strangers to play-off glory in recent years, winning promotion to the Championship in 2015 with the 4-0 win over Swindon.

Nobody’s position in the league is cemented yet, and with nine games to go, we could still see some changes in the standings.

Millwall are just two points off Preston and have some favourable games which make their 12/1 odds tempting.

Bristol City are a point off the play-offs currently and are 25/1 to nick a top six place and gain promotion.

As are Blackburn who are three points off the top six. Cardiff and Swansea are a both 28/1 to make a late push and gain promotion via the play-offs, whilst Derby, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday are even more long shots to make a stunning late charge with odds of 50/1, 100/1 and 250/1 respectively.