Championship Play-Offs: Everything You Need to Know

On Saturday 13th May, the Championship play-off semi-finals kicks off as Sunderland faces Luton Town at the Stadium of Light at 5:30 pm.

In order to qualify for the Championship play-offs, you have to finish between third and sixth in the standings, with third place facing sixth in the semi-finals, while fourth and fifth also go head to head. During these semi-finals, there are two legs, with the aggregate winner progressing through to a one-legged final at Wembley - it must be noted that there are no away goal rules in the semi-finals.

In terms of league standings, Burnley and Sheffield United were automatically promoted, while Luton finished third on 80 points, five points clear of fourth-placed Middlesbrough. On the final day of the regular 46-game season, Coventry City confirmed their spot in fifth place on 70 points, ahead of Sunderland who narrowly sneaked in via a 3-0 win away at Preston after Blackburn Rovers’ dramatic 4-3 win over Millwall.

Here, we have provided the schedule of which the matches will take place, with each of these fixtures being broadcasted live on Sky Sports in the UK.

13th May 17:30 pm Kick-off - Sunderland vs Luton Town

16th May 20:00 pm Kick-off - Luton Town vs Sunderland

14th May 12:00 pm Kick-off - Coventry City vs Middlesbrough

17th May 20:00 pm Kick-off - Middlesbrough vs Coventry City

Play-off Final: 27th May - 16:45 pm Kick-off

In terms of promotion odds, Betfair has Middlesbrough priced as the favourites at 15/8. Minorly ahead of Luton at 9/4, while Sunderland have odds of 7/2, with Coventry City being seen as major outsiders at 4/1.

Middlesbrough - Start of Season Odds: 11/4 | Current Odds: 15/8

At the start of the campaign, Middlesbrough were one of the favourites to be promoted automatically, however, following a start to the season that saw them loiter in the relegation zone with just two wins in 11 matches, Chris Wilder was sacked and replaced by Michael Carrick.

Since then, the former Manchester United midfielder has overseen a dramatic rise in form, lifting them up to fourth in the table, winning 18 and drawing four of 31 matches in charge, equating to a 58% win percentage.

Luton Town - Start of Season Odds: 8/1 | Current Odds: 9/4

Luton started the season looking to make the Championship play-offs in back-to-back seasons. Nathan Jones’ shock move to Southampton could've easily derailed this ambition, but, the smart thinking of the Kenilworth Road club saw them appoint Rob Edwards who was sacked by their rivals Watford, just months after earning Forest Green promotion to League One.

Edwards is another promising English manager at the age of 40, winning 15 and drawing ten matches of his 29 in charge, equating to a 51.72% win percentage, showing that Town will be a very tough opponent for anybody that they come up against.

Sunderland - Start of Season Odds: 7/1 | Current Odds: 7/2

Sunderland are aiming to earn promotion via the play-offs in back-to-back seasons, having done so with Alex Neil last campaign from League One, before the Scot departed the Stadium of Light, with ex-Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray coming to the Wearside club’s rescue.

The Black Cats sneaked into the play-offs via their win over Preston at Deepdale on the final day of the season, while results fell their way as Blackburn Rovers overturned a 3-1 deficit at Millwall, winning 4-3, seeing Mowbray’s men climb into sixth-place on goal difference.

Coventry City - Start of Season Odds: 15/2 | Current Odds: 4/1

Coventry City booked their place in the play-offs with a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough on the final day of the season thanks to a Gustavo Hamer goal. Ironically, Mark Robins’ men will have to play the Boro over two legs in the semi-finals as they attempt to play Premier League football for the first time since the 2000/2001 season.

Last season, Coventry finished 12th in the standings, and the Sky Blues even had a poor start to the current campaign, winning just one of their opening nine matches, while seeing four home games being postponed due to their pitch being deemed as unplayable following the Commonwealth Games.

Mark Robins will be determined to further cement his status as a club legend, having overseen the Sky Blues’ promotions from League Two in 2017/18 and League One in 2019/20.

Chuba Akpom

Chuba Akpom is the Championship’s overall top scorer, having finished on 28 goals and two assists in 38 appearances, this is a staggering achievement when taking into account that he didn’t even have a squad number at the start of the season, while the ex-Arsenal and PAOK man averages a goal every 111 minutes.

Viktor Gyokeres

Reportedly, Viktor Gyokeres has had a £25m price tag slapped on his head if the Sky Blues fail to make it to the Premier League, with it being easy to see why when looking into the Swedish striker’s statistics. The ex-Brighton man has scored 21 goals and created ten assists this season in 46 matches, proving that he is more than just a lethal finisher.

Carlton Morris

Carlton Morris is having a career-best season for Luton Town, having scored 20 goals in 44 matches, while providing seven assists. In general, this is the most amount of goals that the 27-year-old has scored for a single club, with his second-best tally being the 14 league goals he managed in 51 games for his old club, Barnsley.

Amad Diallo

Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo is Sunderland’s top scorer so far this campaign, with his goal at Preston on the final day taking the Ivorian up to 13 for the league season. The 20-year-old also has three assists to his name in 37 matches and is rumoured to be in Erik ten Hag’s plans for next season.

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