With the FA Cup fourth round behind them, the bulk of Championship teams can now focus on finishing the season.
Every team has played at least 30 games this season; some have played 31, and the majority have played 32, leaving us with 14 to 16 games remaining and minimal margin for error in the continuing title, automatic promotion, and play-off competition.
A strong run between now and the conclusion of the season could be the difference between meeting the goals set out even before a ball was kicked in August and not.
Opta’s supercomputer has predicted the Championship table throughout the season, and with just a few months left, here’s how it believes the top six will look in May.
1Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough face Coventry City on Monday night in arguably the most significant game of the season. However, regardless of whether the Sky Blues accomplish the league double over Boro, Opta predicts Kim Hellberg’s team will finish first in May.
Middlesbrough has been more than spectacular since Hellberg took over following a 4-2 defeat to Coventry in late November.
Boro have won every game under the Swedish manager, with the exception of a goalless streak of four games over the Christmas and New Year period, erasing the Sky Blues’ 10-point lead at the time of his appointment.
Even after reaching the peak, Opta believes Middlesbrough has what it takes to persevere and win the title.
2Coventry City
Despite losing ground in the title fight in recent months, Opta still believes Frank Lampard’s side has enough to finish in the automatic promotion places.
Since the beginning of December, the Sky Blues have accumulated the 18th-most points in the division, thus the fact that they are still in a very healthy position reflects how dominant they were in the early stages of the season.
Coventry must regain their supremacy quickly, however, if they are to remain in the top two and avoid chasing promotion in the play-offs for the third time in four seasons.
3Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town have more games in hand than their promotion rivals, and after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Wrexham on Friday night, they now have one main goal in mind: finishing in the top two of the Championship once more.
However, despite the sheer quality on the pitch and in the dugout, as well as the games in hand, Opta believes they will fail to meet their targets.
You’d back the Tractor Boys in the play-offs, though, and Ipswich fans should be confident in their chances of promotion, whether automatic or via a trip to Wembley in late May.
4Millwall
Millwall are currently third in the table, having surpassed Ipswich with a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday over the weekend, while Kieran McKenna’s side were in cup action.
They have an eight-point lead over Preston North End, who are just outside the top six, and Opta predicts that the Lions will keep those behind them at bay and finish in the top four.
It would cap off a spectacular regular season for Alex Neil’s club, which hasn’t made the second-tier play-offs since finishing fourth in the 2001/02 season, when the league was still known as the First Division.
With a goal difference of only +4, it is reminiscent of Huddersfield Town in 2016/17, who simply knew how to be on the right side of victory, and Millwall would be hoping for a similar play-off performance to the Terriers that year in their chase of the Premier League.
5Hull City
Opta believes Hull City, now in fifth place, will stay there between now and the beginning of May.
The Tigers have been possibly the season’s biggest surprise. Few gave them a chance in the relegation race, let alone the play-offs, after barely surviving last season and having to operate under a transfer embargo this year.
However, Sergej Jakirovic’s team has proven many people wrong, and they may be the underdogs to watch out for in the playoffs.
6Southampton
Finally, Opta predicts that Southampton, one of the four surviving second-tier sides in the FA Cup Last 16, will break into the top six between now and the conclusion of the season.
Despite this diversion, Tonda Eckert’s side is expected to advance from 10th to the play-offs, finishing just 0.06 points ahead of Derby County in eighth.
The Saints have been one of the best teams in the Championship during the last five games, with four wins and a draw, and if they can keep it up, nothing will stop them from ending in a play-off spot, which seems unlikely earlier in the season.
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