Who will go up, who will go down and who will cause a surprise? These are my bold Championship predictions.
Leeds United will fail to get promoted
Look away now Leeds fans as the first of my bold Championship predictions is your failure to get promoted. All season Leeds have been a hard team to beat and comfortably finding themselves in the top two at one point having a 5-point lead at the top of the table, but I believe they will finish 3rd and fail to beat their playoff curse for a second successive season. Their recent performances haven’t been to the standard they should be especially against Luton town where their attack performed mediocre. In my opinion they peaked way too early and I think that will be there certainly damning factor.
Bristol City will finish inside the play-off zone
The Robins have had a sensational season to their standards and I believe this is the year they finally sneak into the play-off zone. Their performances all season have been relatively consistent never losing more than two in a row and getting an average of 1.5 points per game. This is mainly down to their impressive midfield which consists of Max Bird, Jason Knight and Joe Williams which have a combined 20 g/a this season. Undoubtedly their standout midfielder has been the Ireland international Jason Knight who signed from Derby County in the summer of 2023 for an undisclosed fee. This strong midfield contributes massively to my belief that they will get a play-off spot come the 3rd of May.
Derby County will stay up
Derby County look a team reborn under John Eustace and I believe that they have what it takes to survive the drop despite the loss on the weekend to Swansea City. The key reason I believe this is that they look to have a fighting spirit and a strong mentality to finish above the relegation zone, their incredible support also plays a key factor in motivating the players and turning Pride Park into a fortress with the Rams winning their last 3 at home. The unbreakable defence is something to talk about though with the likes of Matt Clarke, Sondre Langas and Nathaniel Phillips, there is no lack of experience in their squad. These main reasons lead me to believe that Derby County will survive.
Stoke City will go down
The last pick of my Championship predictions involves Stoke City going down. The last few years now stoke have been dancing around the relegation zone and I think that now is the time that they will finally be condemned to a season (or more) in league one. The Potters squad isn’t the worst with big exciting names such as Lewis Koumas and Million Manhoef being young talents, their main issue being lack of experience and that their players can’t play together. The only Experience that the former FA Cup runners up have are in the form of Ben Gibson and Victor Johansson, with the latter of the pair being possibly the leagues best shot stopper having incredible performances not only just in his time at Stoke but also at his time with Rotherham united. Despite the incredible goalkeeper stoke doesn’t really have any other qualities that makes them better than the rest towards the bottom which makes me believe that they will face the long awaited drop.
