Championship Promotion Odds

As they were before the first ball was kicked, Leeds United remain favourites for promotion to the Premier League this season. Things haven't gone entirely to plan for Leeds, though, who've been a bit of a mixed bag in terms of performances, often displaying underwhelming showings relative to the talent at their disposal.

Leeds currently sit 5th in the league but have lost only one game so far this season. For however many criticisms there are, and valid ones at that, over Leeds' performance levels and playing style, they're extremely tough to beat and have match-winning quality in their starting XI, so that much alone close to guarantees a top six finish.

They are having to contend with a couple of very damaging injuries, however, as midfielder Ethan Ampadu picked up a knee injury that will keep him out until January, a huge blow given how irreplaceable he is, not just for Leeds but for the division itself.

On top of that, Ampadu's midfield partner, Ilia Gruev, has also picked up a long-term injury which leaves Daniel Farke without a single defensive midfielder. Leeds still have the talent to cope with these absences, but reports are suggesting that the club is currently exploring the free agent market, and with just how much is one the line it feels like a wise decision.

Perhaps a more surprising entry in the position of 2nd favourites is Middlesbrough. Michael Carrick's side are currently down in 9th having lost three of their nine games so far, so why exactly are they still so heavily fancied? Well, the underlying numbers are about as good as they could be, with Boro currently top of the expected goals chart - by quite a margin, averaging 1.70xG per game - while sitting bottom of the expected goals against chart, with a rate of 0.93xGA per game.

Boro's problem lies in converting the huge number of chances they create. Solve that issue, and they'll be a fearsome outfit in this league. It's not uncommon for the Smoggies to start the season poorly and then click around Christmas time, they've done that in both of the last two seasons, so there are plenty of reasons to believe things will play out that way again this season.

The Black Cats have been one of the surprise packages of the season so far. A young and naive team, few denied Sunderland's qualities but there have been concerns over the level of nouse and experience in the team, and whether or not it's abundant enough within the squad to result in a playoff push this season. However, after nine games, they sit top of the league and table and will firmly believe they've got what it takes to challenge for automatic promotion.

Midfielder Jobe Bellingham has taken a huge leap in his development and is starting to look like a player capable of dominating games in this division, while the emergence of 17-year-old midfielder Chris Rigg has been a huge boost, with the midfielder brimming with class and potential.

There is a feeling that the overall quality of the league is lower than it was last season with few really outstanding teams, so there is a clear window for a side like Sunderland to capitalise on that. There's still a long, long way to go this season but Sunderland look well capable of competing.

Sheffield United will be very satisfied with their start to the campaign. There was quite a bit of scepticism surrounding Chris Wilder's side coming into the season after such a poor campaign last year, but they've settled down well and look like a good team in this league.

The Blades are second in the league table, level on points with Sunderland, with some good underlying numbers supporting their position. They're very strong defensively, boasting an expected goals against rate of 0.97xGA, the third-best in the league.

Through the likes of Gustavo Hamer and Jesarun Rak-Sakyi, there's a lot of match-winning quality, so it feels very much like what the Blades are currently doing is sustainable this season. A top six finish feels highly likely, while automatic promotion is firmly on the cards.

Burnley are down at 9/4 to win promotion back to the Premier League. The Clarets were quite fancied heading into the season but despite the fact they've lost only one game so far, many have started to go cold on Scott Parker's side.

Burnley are very strong defensively, but they look somewhat stale going forward and have struggled to create chances in volume against teams of a supposed lesser quality, evidenced by the fact they've got two 0-0 draws in their last four games.

Still, there's a tonne of attacking quality in Burnley's side, with the likes of Lyle Foster and Luca Koleosho being touted by a number of Premier League clubs in the summer, and we feel like they might be slightly undervalued for promotion right now.

West Bromwich Albion have enjoyed a strong start to the season. After a campaign that ended in a fairly one-sided playoff semi-final defeat last season, Baggies fans hoped their team could kick on and mount an even stronger promotion push this time around, despite the fact the club is working around pretty restrictive PS&R rules at present.

West Brom are 4th with 17 points from nine games, just two points off top spot, but spent many of the opening weeks at the table's summit and have only slipped down in recent weeks having lost two of their last four.

In Carlos Corberán, the Baggies have arguably the league's best manager and were they able to provide a greater deal of financial backing to the Spaniard in the summer, they probably would have entered the campaign as promotion favourites.

West Brom lost defender Cedric Kipré on a free transfer over the summer which was a huge blow, but Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley are proving a fine pairing at the heart of the defence. West Brom's issue largely lies in the forward areas, where they arguably don't have quite as much firepower as they would like.

Still, Tom Fellows, Josh Maja and Mikey Johnston is a better forward line than most sides in this division can boast, but West Brom's promotion hopes are probably going to be dependent on how many goals those three can produce.

Norwich's start to the season has been extremely positive on the whole. There was a significant amount of turnover at Carrow Road during the summer with players such as Jonathan Rowe, Gabriel Sara and Sam McCallum departing the club while manager David Wanger was relieved of his duties following a 4-0 defeat at Elland Road in the playoffs.

Now, a new-look Norwich team under the guidance of Johannes Hoff Thorup are looking a very good Championship outfit and have strong hopes of a top six finish. In Josh Sargent, Norwich have arguably the best striker in the league, while Spanish attacker Borja Sainz has started the season like a freight train with seven goals in nine games.

The Canaries might not be consistent enough to battle for automatic promotion, but a playoff berth is very much the expectation this season.

Blackburn's Odds: 9/1

Coventry City's Odds: 11/1

Hull City's Odds: 14/1

Luton Town's Odds: 14/1

Bristol City's Odds: 18/1

Watford's Odds: 18/1

Swansea City's Odds: 18/1

Sheffield Wednesday's Odds: 22/1

Millwall's Odds: 25/1

Stoke City's Odds: 28/1

Derby County's Odds: 40/1

Preston North End's Odds: 50/1

QPR's Odds: 60/1

Derby County's Odds: 14/1

Oxford United's Odds: 66/1

Cardiff City's Odds: 250/1

Plymouth Argyle's Odds: 250/1

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