Championship clubs will find out their season-ending fate on Saturday, May 2, when the final matches of a fascinating second-tier campaign are played.
Despite Monday’s 2-1 defeat to Norwich City, Frank Lampard’s Coventry City remain at the top, while Sheffield Wednesday are still on -7 points due to deductions caused by the South Yorkshire club’s financial woes and poor on-field performances.
Coventry’s poor record in recent weeks has given Middlesbrough a strong chance of winning the Championship, but Ipswich Town, Hull City, and Millwall will be aiming for automatic promotion ahead of Boro.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Oxford United and Blackburn Rovers are battling to get out of the relegation zone, while Portsmouth and West Brom are hoping to avoid problems.
Football League World examines how Opta’s supercomputer predicts the ultimate Championship table.
24Sheffield Wednesday
Perhaps least unexpectedly, Opta predicts that Wednesday will finish last in the Championship this season, because to their points deductions and poor form in the second division.
The Owls haven’t won since a 2-0 triumph over Portsmouth in September, and Hillsborough fans will be hoping for a much better season, both on and off the pitch, in League One next season.
23Oxford United
Oxford supporters may be upset to learn that the supercomputer has forecast the Kassam Stadium club’s relegation to League One alongside Wednesday.
Matt Bloomfield won his first game as United manager against Leicester City on Saturday, but the 41-year-old still has a lot of work to do to maintain his team in the Championship.
22Blackburn Rovers
Rounding out the pattern of teams now in the bottom three being relegated at the end of the season, the supercomputer predicts Blackburn will finish 22nd in the second tier.
The Lancashire club will be desperate to escape returning to the League. One for the first time since 2018, yet this could be their fate by the end of the campaign.
21Portsmouth
Portsmouth finished 16th in the Championship last season, their first time back in the second division since 2011/12.
Survival remains the major goal for John Mousinho’s team, which Opta predicts will finish 21st, narrowly avoiding relegation.
20West Brom
Eric Ramsay has had a rocky start as West Brom manager, suffering a late 3-2 loss to Middlesbrough and a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Norwich City before securing a 1-1 draw against Derby County.
However, the supercomputer predicts that the Baggies will finish 20th, avoiding relegation at the cost of Blackburn, Oxford, and Wednesday.’
19Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic has had a mostly disappointing Championship season thus far, with recent defeats, such as a 4-0 hammering at the hands of local rivals Millwall, putting the Addicks in severe relegation trouble.
However, Opta’s supercomputer has crunched the statistics and forecast that Nathan Jones’ side will survive the second-tier drop after winning promotion from League One last season.
18Norwich City
Norwich have improved when Philippe Clement came over as manager after Liam Manning’s generally catastrophic tenure at Carrow Road.
As a result, Opta predicts the Canaries will finish 18th, comfortably avoiding relegation.
17Swansea City
Swansea City have been inconsistent in the Championship lately, playing out a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City before beating Blackburn 3-1, then losing 2-1 at Hull.
The Welsh club is now 16th in the second tier, with the supercomputer projecting a slightly worse 17th-place finish for Vitor Matos’ side.
16Southampton
At the start of the Championship season, Southampton hoped to return to the Premier League.
However, the Saints have had a far less profitable season thus far, with former manager Will Still dismissed in November after only five months in command.
Tonda Eckert has taken over as manager of the former top-flight club, but Opta predicts that they will finish in the Championship’s lower tiers.
15Queens Park Rangers
Julien Stephan’s squad has an outside chance of beating Wrexham to a Championship play-off position.
However, the supercomputer expects Queens Park Rangers will struggle at the end of the season, finishing in 15th place.
14Sheffield United
Sheffield United, like Southampton and Leicester City, began the season with the goal of returning to the Premier League, but are now stuck in mid-table.
Opta predicts that the Blades will easily shake off any relegation worries, but a play-off push is not in the cards for the South Yorkshire club.
13Birmingham City
Birmingham underlined the breadth of their lofty ambitions by winning League One at a canter last season, and the Blues do not intend to stop there under the ownership of Knightead Capital Management.
However, the supercomputer does not believe Blues will win back-to-back promotions and instead expects them to finish in the middle of the table.
12Leicester City
Leicester owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has revealed he is concerned about the outcome of the Foxes’ next PSR hearing, which might result in points deductions.
Meanwhile, the King Power Stadium team fired its former manager, Marti Cifuentes, after losing 2-1 to Oxford last Saturday.
Despite the challenges at Leicester, the supercomputer has forecast a 12th-place result.
11Derby County
Derby, who were promoted from League One in 2024, confirmed their Championship status last season with a 19th-place performance.
The current season has been even more promising for the Rams, who figure to be in a comfortable mid-table position, but a playoff push may be out of reach.
10Preston North End
Preston North End once had strong play-off credentials.
However, following their FA Cup defeat to North West rivals Wigan Athletic, North End have lost league games against Derby, Hull, and Middlesbrough.
As a result, Opta forecast that Paul Heckingbottom’s team will finish outside the top six.
9Stoke City
Stoke City, like Preston, has tumbled out of the play-offs and may struggle to recover.
Mark Robins previously led his former club, Coventry, to a top-six Championship finish, but repeating the same feat with the Potters may be beyond the 56-year-old’s powers.
8Bristol City
Bristol City finished in the play-offs under former manager Manning last season.
However, the supercomputer predicts that the West Country club will miss out on the top six this season, led by Gerhard Struber.
7Watford
Watford are now in their fourth season in the Championship, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2022. They have yet to reach the play-offs.
According to Opta’s forecasts, the Hornets will just miss out on the top six this term.
6Wrexham
Moving on to the supercomputer’s anticipated play-off finishers, Wrexham’s incredible journey through the divisions from the National League to the Championship may not end there.
The Red Dragons are expected to finish in the top six for the first time in their existence, with the possibility of promotion to the Premier League.
5Millwall
Millwall are performing well under former Norwich and Preston manager Alex Neil, so it’s no surprise that Opta predicts the Lions will finish in the play-offs.
Neil’s side will be full of confidence after their comprehensive victory over Charlton, and they may even trade positions with arch rivals West Ham United if the Irons are relegated from the Premier League.
4Hull City
Hull have undoubtedly been the biggest surprise package in the Championship this season, after the Tigers narrowly avoided relegation by finishing 21st last season under former manager Ruben Selles.
The supercomputer predicts that the Yorkshire club will get its just reward by finishing fourth.
3Ipswich Town
Kieran McKenna is determined to return Ipswich to the Premier League at the first attempt, following their relegation last season.
However, Opta predicts that the Tractor Boys will have to settle for a play-off spot rather than automatic promotion.
2Middlesbrough
Kim Hellberg has done well for Middlesbrough after former manager Rob Edwards left the club to join Premier League strugglers Wolves.
The 37-year-old is expected to lead the Riverside Stadium team to the Premier League, but they will miss out on the Championship crown, according to the supercomputer.
1Coventry City
Coventry have had a bad run of form recently, losing three of their last five games in all competitions, including two league losses.
However, Opta’s supercomputer predicts Frank Lampard’s team will defeat Boro in the Championship title race.
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