The Championship Play-off Battle

The 2021/22 Championship season ended with Fulham and Bournemouth securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League. However, after some final day shuffling, Huddersfield, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Luton Town were the clubs left occupying the play-off places.

Luton host Huddersfield in the home leg first before travelling to Huddersfield for the return leg. Whereas, Sheffield United welcome Nottingham Forest before visiting the City Ground.

Luton Town finished sixth and in the last play-off place in the Championship after a final day win over Reading - though this was greatly aided by an Orjan Nyland mistake.

Town finished the season with 21 wins, 12 draws and 13 losses and five points clear of seventh-place Middlesbrough. The Hatters also have some good momentum going into the play-offs, with three wins, a draw and only one loss in their last five games.

The Hatters do have a fair shot at promotion, with a strong attack that has scored 63 goals this season, with an average of 1.37 goals per game. However, Luton’s defence isn't as strong and may hinder their promotion bid, conceding 55 goals this season in comparison to opponents Huddersfield who have conceded 47 goals during the campaign.

A positive for The Hatters is that Luton do have a better head-to-head record against Huddersfield, with 12 wins, six draws and ten losses in their history.

Huddersfield finished three places above their play-off opponents Luton Town, seven points ahead of them, thanks to their final day of the season 2 - 0 win over Bristol City.

The Terriers had a very strong season, with 23 wins, 13 draws and ten losses. Huddersfield also closed the season with four wins and a draw in their last five games, including an important win over Middlesbrough.

Huddersfield looks good for at least making the play-off final, with better offensive and defensive statistics all season long. The Terriers have scored 64 goals this season, the fourth-highest tally in the Championship, and have only conceded 47 goals all campaign.

However, Huddersfield’s biggest positive going into the two-legged affair, as in the two clashes between the clubs this season resulted in a 0 - 0 draw and a 2 - 0 win for The Terriers.

Sheffield United secured fifth and their play-off place with an emphatic 4 - 0 win over Championship winners Fulham.

The Blades finished the Championship season with 75 points, 21 wins, 12 draws and 13 losses. Sheffield United also concluded the campaign with three wins, a draw and a shock loss to 21st placed Reading in their last five games.

Sheffield United have rather average offensive and defensive statistics when compared to the sides surrounding them in the table. The Blades scored 63 goals this season, the sixth-most in the league, and conceded 45 goals, the fifth least in the league.

The match-up between Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest is more balanced and hard to call either way, both meetings between the clubs this season ended in 1 - 1 draws. However, in a historical head-to-head, Nottingham Forest have a slim advantage with 48 wins over The Blades to Sheffield United’s 46 wins over Forest.

Nottingham Forest’s fourth-place finish in the Championship was clinched with a 1 - 1 draw against a Hull City side who have struggled this season.

The Reds managed 23 wins for the season, along with 11 draws and 12 losses to complete their 80 point season. Steve Cooper’s men have a little less momentum going into their clash with a draw and a loss in their last two games, however, the latter coming against a strong Bournemouth side.

In terms of statistics, Nottingham Forest are in a better position to progress to the play-off final. The Reds have scored 73 goals in 46 games, with an average of 1.59 goals per game. In relation to the defensive side, Forest have only conceded 40 goals, under a goal per game (0.87), the second least in the Championship behind Bournemouth.