The Championship season is coming to an end, with several important outcomes still up in the air. Let’s take a closer look at what’s at stake and which teams could be celebrating or commiserating on the final day.
Town Close in on Successive Promotions
Leicester City secured the Championship title with a convincing 3-0 win over Preston, while Leeds’ surprising 4-0 loss to QPR confirmed their immediate return to the Premier League. Ipswich Town, with two games in hand, had the opportunity to secure promotion before the final day. Under the guidance of manager Kieran McKenna, Ipswich has experienced a remarkable turnaround this season. A draw against Hull City and a win against Coventry means that all they need to do is avoid defeat against Huddersfield, who are on the brink of relegation, to end their 22-year exile from the top flight. If they succeed, Ipswich will become the first team since Southampton in 2011 and 2012 to achieve successive promotions from League One to the Premier League. This would also prevent all three relegated Premier League teams from bouncing straight back.
Leeds’ Promotion Hopes Hang in the Balance
Despite an impressive season, Leeds United’s recent form has left their automatic promotion hopes in doubt. Three defeats in their last five games have put them in a position where they may become the first second-tier team since Sunderland in 1998 to accumulate 90 or more points and not secure automatic promotion. In order to secure a place in the top two, Leeds must defeat Southampton, who have lost their last three matches. They also need their West Yorkshire rivals, Huddersfield, to unexpectedly defeat Ipswich. However, Leeds manager Daniel Farke remains optimistic and is determined to go all out for promotion. If they don’t succeed, Leeds will still have a chance through the playoffs.
Can Hull City Steal a Playoff Spot?
West Bromwich Albion has slipped to sixth place after a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. This opens the door for Hull City to potentially snatch a playoff spot on the final day. Hull City manager Liam Rosenior is excited about the opportunity and believes that his team’s confidence and relaxed approach will work in their favor. To secure a playoff place, West Brom simply needs to avoid defeat against Preston, who are in tenth place. Norwich City, who missed a chance to secure their playoff spot with a draw against Swansea, could drop out of the top six, but it would require them to lose against Birmingham and for Hull City to win by a significant margin to overturn a seven-goal deficit.
Relegation Battles
At the bottom of the table, Rotherham’s relegation has already been confirmed, and they will finish the season without a single away victory. Huddersfield Town is almost certain to join them, as they need to beat Ipswich, with Plymouth losing to Hull City, and overturn a 15-goal deficit. Huddersfield manager Andre Breitenreiter attributes their struggles to a poor pre-season under previous manager Neil Warnock, where the focus was on leisure activities rather than training. Birmingham City is also fighting to avoid relegation, with their survival hopes resting on a win against Norwich. Anything less could see them relegated to the third tier for the first time since 1993-94. Plymouth Argyle is just one point above Birmingham and must match their result to avoid an immediate return to League One. Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers are in a slightly better position, but both teams must avoid defeat to secure safety.
As the Championship regular season comes to a close, the final day promises excitement and drama as teams vie for promotion or fight to avoid relegation. The live action will be covered in detail from 11:30 BST on Saturday, May 4th.