The Championship is one of the most merciless leagues in international football, and while the schedule consists of 46 games, a poor start to the season can be incredibly difficult to overcome.

Several historic clubs have fallen through the relegation trap door and into League One in recent years, including Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday last season, though the financial situations in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire were also major factors.

It is frequently said that the standings do not become particularly important until a certain point in the season, but as the November international break approaches, we are getting closer to the halfway point of the campaign.

While the extension of the Championship play-offs is sure to provide incredible drama between now and May, we can also expect plenty of twists and turns at the wrong end of the table, even if some believe that the relegation picture has already begun to take shape.

We’ve seen some remarkable escapes and final-day events that are still remembered today. With that said, Football League World asked AI to forecast whether we’d see one of those again this season.

AI predicts which three teams will be relegated from the EFL Championship.

The relegation zone currently consists of Burnley, Derby County, and Preston North End, with the Clarets and Charlton Athletic separated by four points after 14 games.

Unsurprisingly, AI has stayed to its guns and feels the Lilywhites are doomed to return to League One after 12 years in the Championship, with only five points out of a possible 42.

North End sacked Paul Heckingbottom and replaced him with Graham Alexander in the Deepdale hotseat, but the club’s old favourite has only one point from his first six games, conceding 15 goals.

The computer also predicts that Derby will return to the third division, three seasons after being promoted under Paul Warne, with John Eustace’s job in the Pride Park bench under more scrutiny following 4-1 and 4-0 losses to Millwall and Norwich City.

The Rams have been without key players such as Patrick Agyemang due to injuries, but they were not anticipated to win just one game out of 14 before the ball was kicked.

However, Charlton is expected to replace Burnley in the bottom three by May, with the Addicks’ recent form causing significant anxiety.

Indeed, despite surviving with one game to spare last season, Nathan Jones’ side last won on August 29th against rock-bottom Preston, and they face incredibly tough forthcoming matchups against Sheffield United, Wolves, and Birmingham City, which could add to their misery.

AI can detect a likely shift in relegation projections.

However, AI has identified three other clubs, in addition to Burnley, who could slip out of safety in 32 games: Watford, Lincoln City, and Bolton Wanderers.

The Hornets have won two of their previous four games after suffering defeats to the Clarets and Cardiff City, but it remains to be seen whether Alessio Dionisi will stay at Vicarage Road given Gino Pozzo’s history for dismissing and hiring several times.

The computer has also predicted that if Derby or Charlton replace Eustace or Jones, an improvement in form may occur quickly at Pride Park or The Valley, which is not unreasonable to expect.

It’s difficult to refute AI’s current relegation forecasts in the EFL Championship.

At this point, it’s difficult to imagine an other scenario, other than Burnley’s slow start under Fabio Celestini, which has resulted in three draws.

However, given the quality of the team at Turf Moor, which still boasts Kyle Walker, Marcus Edwards, Hannibal and Jamie Vardy, among others, there is a belief that the East Lancashire club will eventually do enough to get themselves out of trouble.

Preston and Derby already have a big number of points to make up before they can even get close to 21st place, with Opta projecting the Lilywhites and Rams to finish in their current positions.