With each team having around 13 matches to play, every game matters, as teams seek to secure promotion to the promised land of the Premier League. The financial riches that come with this make clubs desperate to earn promotion and earn their share of the Premier League broadcasting revenue.
The top 2 teams will secure automatic promotion, and teams in 3rd through sixth will battle it out in the playoffs. With only six points separating sixth and 15th, the battle to secure Premier League football is as fierce as it has ever been.
This guide will look at the main candidates to play Premier League football next season and who might have an outside chance of promotion via the playoffs in May.
Leeds United
After losing last year’s playoff final, Leeds United have bounced straight back and are firmly in the hunt for automatic promotion. They currently top the Championship table, sitting 2 points ahead of Sheffield United and 7 points clear of Burnley in 3rd.
Daniel Farke’s side scored a 95th-minute winner to come from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1, and they are currently unbeaten in 15 consecutive league matches. The Whites have already scored 68 league goals, and notable results include a recent 7-0 victory over Cardiff City.
The Leeds squad contains many players that most football fans will be familiar with, including former Manchester United winger Dan James, Italy international Wilfried Gnonto, former Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo and Spurs loanee Manor Soloman. These superstars have combined with the quality of midfielders Ao Tanaka and set piece specialist Joe Rothwell to create a team that scares any defence.
If Leeds continue their current form, a return to the Premier League seems imminent. The impending fixture against Sheffield United could have crucial implications on their promotion hunt, but a positive result will give the Yorkshire outfit confidence that they will be playing Premier League football next season.
Sheffield United
The Blades had a dismal campaign in the Premier League last season, finishing with only 16 points and shipping 104 goals. Despite this, they have been impressive in the Championship this season and may be set for an immediate return.
Sheffield United were taken over by new owners in December, and that meant they were active in the transfer market. Ben Brereton Diaz returned on loan from Southampton, whilst striker Tom Cannon joined after impressing on loan at Stoke City for the first half of the season.
They joined a squad that already has Gustavo Hamer, Callum O’Hare and Anel Ahmedhodzic, who all have impressive records in the Championship. Manager Chris Wilder has experienced promotion with Sheffield United before, and he knows how to get the best out of his team.
If the Blades are promoted, they will expect to put up a better fight in the top division than last season. For now, the priority is securing promotion. Chris Wilder’s side have a lot of players with Championship quality who will score crucial match-winning goals, and they will expect to be celebrating promotion in May.
Burnley
Burnley were also recently relegated from the Premier League, but unlike Sheffield United the Clarets have had large amounts of change. Scott Parker took over as manager after Vincent Kompany left for Bayern Munich, and the Clarets have added a host of quality players to their squad, including Marcus Edwards and Hannibal.
This has seen a change in style for Burnley, and they have become an incredibly difficult team to break down. They are currently on a Championship record run of 11 consecutive clean sheets, and they have only conceded nine goals all season.
Frustratingly for the Clarets, that defensive solidarity has often come at an attacking cost. Although they have only suffered two league defeats, Burnley have already drawn 14 league games this season. Recent 0-0 draws against bottom-half opponents Stoke City, Portsmouth and Preston North End have seen them fall five points behind 2nd place Sheffield United in the race for automatic promotion.
Burnley have the attacking players capable of breaching Championship defences but only scoring 39 goals this season is proving to be damaging to them. If the Clarets can turn some of these draws into wins, they stand every chance of catching Sheffield United for an immediate return to the top flight.
Sunderland
Sunderland’s new manager Regis Le Bris has led his young side up the league from a disappointing 16th-place finish last season into 4th, firmly in the promotion hunt.
The Black Cats have the youngest average age in the division this season (23.2 years), and with talents like Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg shining, it is easy to be impressed by this team. They are 15 points inside the play off places but sit 8 points behind Sheffield United in the automatic promotion race.
The lack of experience in this Sunderland team is evident, as frustrating late defeats to Stoke City and Leeds United could have been prevented with better game management. However, they have had a positive campaign, and promotion at the end of the season is not unrealistic, although it will likely be via the playoffs.
The Race for the Playoffs
With the race to make the playoffs always incredibly close, it is impossible to call who will be competing in them in May.
Currently Blackburn Rovers occupy fifth place. However, they just lost manager John Eustace to relegation threatened Derby County, meaning Rovers may struggle to continue their impressive start.
West Bromwich Albion are in the final playoff spot. The Baggies went on a run of drawing 10 from 11 matches earlier in the season but lost manager Carlos Corberan after he was poached by Valencia. New boss Tony Mowbray has impressed since he came in, and he will be hoping to repeat last season’s fifth-place finish and earn another playoff campaign.
Coventry City have been resurgent since Frank Lampard replaced Mark Robins, and they find themselves seventh after winning five of their last six, including late goals to beat QPR and Sheffield Wednesday. Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday are also within striking distance following impressive seasons.
Just behind them sit Middlesborough and Watford, although each of those sides have only one win in their past six games.
This play off race is as tight as ever, and the teams securing the fifth and sixth place will likely go into their postseason campaigns filled with momentum, making the playoffs themselves impossible to call.
Summary
Each team has under a third of their season still to play, meaning there is a lot to play for between now and the final day of the season in May.
The aforementioned teams will be dreaming of earning promotion and the riches that come with it. The business end of this Championship season will have twists and turns to come, and it will be an incredibly entertaining end to the season.
