THE Championship promotion battle is hotting up with most teams having just eight more games to play. Where will the current top 12 teams finish in the table come the start of May?
1 LEEDS (p38, 82pts)
Leeds climbed to the top of the table when they beat Millwall on Sunday, with the 2-0 victory at Elland Road maintaining a sensational run that has seen Daniel Farke win 12 of their last 13 league matches.
The club’s forward line is rampant at the moment, with Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and Wilfried Gnonto all peaking at the perfect stage of the campaign. Rutter is undergoing minor hernia surgery this week, but should be fit for the run-in.
Leeds’ remaining eight matches feature games against both Sunderland and Middlesbrough, with a final-day home meeting with Southampton having the potential to be decisive.
Prediction: 2nd
2 LEICESTER (p37, 82pts)
Having looked all-but-assured of claiming automatic promotion a month ago, Leicester have had a major wobble, winning just one of their last five league games. They also crashed out of the FA Cup at the weekend, conceding four goals at Chelsea.
With a game in hand on both Leeds and Ipswich though, their fate remains in their own hands, although Enzo Maresca could do with one of his big-name strikers rediscovering their best form. Getting the experienced Jamie Vardy back fit could be crucial.
Five of Leicester’s remaining nine matches are at the King Power, with home games against Norwich, West Brom and Southampton likely to be pivotal.
Prediction: 1st
3 IPSWICH (p38, 81pts)
While some expected Ipswich to fall away after their strong start, the Tractor Boys continue to plough on and, with eight games to play, Kieran McKenna’s side still have every chance of forcing their way into an automatic-promotion position.
Their form is excellent, with Saturday’s six-goal thrashing of Sheffield Wednesday meaning they have won seven of their last eight games. Their attack is especially potent, with the January addition of Kieffer Moore having further bolstered their goalscoring options.
A tricky run-in could prove their undoing in terms of the battle for the top two, with back-to-back games against Southampton and local rivals Norwich at the start of next month set to be key.
Prediction: 3rd
4 SOUTHAMPTON (p36, 73pts)
On the face of it, Southampton have a big gap to bridge if they are to claim automatic promotion. Win their two games in hand on Leeds and Ipswich though, and the Saints will be back in the mix.
With ten matches still to play, Russell Martin’s side are going to be cramming games in, and that could count against them. Their form has also wobbled somewhat in the last month, with three of their last six league games having ended in a defeat.
Good Friday’s home game with Middlesbrough feels vital in terms of rebuilding momentum, but the fact that two of Southampton’s final three matches pit them against Leicester and Leeds is likely to end any top-two ambitions.
Prediction: 4th
5 WEST BROM (p38, 66pts)
With an eight-point gap currently separating them from seventh position, West Brom look well placed to make the play-offs, with their form at the Hawthorns, where they have suffered just three defeats all season, especially impressive.
Carlos Corberan has his side playing attractive, front-foot football, with former Middlesbrough loanee Alex Mowatt having slotted back in to bolster the Baggies’ midfield.
West Brom’s run-in, which features a home game against Sunderland, looks reasonably kind, and it would be a major surprise if they were not to finish in the top six.
Prediction: 5th
6 NORWICH (p38, 61pts)
Having flattered to deceive for much of the season, Norwich have hit form at the right time, losing just one of their last nine league matches.
Josh Sargent is on fire, having scored nine goals in his last 11 matches, and American’s attacking relationship with Ashley Barnes has been a key factor in their recent success.
Their away form remains a worry though, with just five wins from 19 games on the road, and given that they still have to go to Leicester and Preston, that could prove crucial.
Prediction: 8th
7 HULL (p37, 58pts)
Hull have been part of the play-off battle all season, and currently find themselves three points adrift of the top six, but with a game in hand on Norwich, who are directly above them.
Liam Rosenior’s side have stuttered in the last few weeks, drawing all of their last four games, but signed well in January, adding Fabio Carvalho, on loan from Liverpool, and Anass Zaroury, who joined from Burnley.
Their run-in, which features a home game against Boro, looks reasonably kind, although their penultimate away game, which takes them to Coventry, could be decisive.
Prediction: 7th
8 COVENTRY (p37, 57pts)
Will Coventry’s run to the FA Cup semi-finals be a source of motivation in the final month of the Championship season or a massive distraction? And how would Mark Robins’ side react if they were to beat Manchester United and make it to the final?
The Sky Blues are having a superb season, but they already have one game in hand, and that will become two when their scheduled game with Ipswich on semi-final day does not take place.
Provided they can handle the fixture congestion, Coventry look well set to make the top six, with Ellis Simms, Haji Wright and Callum O’Hare forming one of the division’s best attacking units.
Prediction: 6th
9 PRESTON (p37, 56pts)
Preston have been the forgotten side of the play-off battle all season, yet they head into the final eight matches just five points adrift of the top six, with a game in hand on sixth-placed Norwich.
Ryan Lowe’s side are tough and consistent, and have lost just one of their last nine matches as they continue to fly under the radar, led by a defence that has kept three clean sheets in the last four games.
Will they score enough goals to scramble over the line? They are not the most free-flowing, and their final two matches, against Leicester and West Brom, might ultimately prove their undoing.
Prediction: 10th
10 MIDDLESBROUGH (p38, 54pts)
A three-game winning run had just about got Boro back into the play-off picture, but Saturday’s goalless draw with Blackburn felt like a game they had to win if they were going to seriously threaten the top six.
Michael Carrick’s side are getting their injured players back, but a seven-point gap to the top six looks difficult to bridge with just eight more games to play.
The difficulty of Boro’s run-in is another factor that could well count against them, with four of their remaining eight matches pitting them against Southampton, Hull, Ipswich and Leeds.
Prediction: 9th
11 CARDIFF (p38, 53pts)
Cardiff have been on the fringe of the play-off race for most of the season, but it is extremely hard to see the Bluebirds being a major factor in the final shake-up.
A run of four straight victories came to a shuddering stop when they lost the South Wales derby to Swansea at the weekend, and that defeat probably signalled the end of their promotion hopes.
They will stay have a big say in who goes up, though, as they face Coventry, Hull and Southampton in their next six matches.
Prediction: 11th
12 SUNDERLAND (p38, 48pts)
Any lingering hopes of Sunderland featuring in the play-off mix disappeared spectacularly when they lost six games on the spin from mid-February onwards.
Mike Dodds’ side partially stopped the rot when they drew with QPR at the weekend, but their form remains desperate and they are likely to finish closer to the bottom three than the top six.
The return of Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts should help, but their remaining away games, which feature trips to Leeds and West Brom, look tough.
Prediction: 14th
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here