Dan Childs examines the four remaining teams competing for a place in the Premier League and picks out his best bet.
The Championship playoffs begin this week as clubs with varying expectations battle to earn a ticket to the riches of the Premier League.
Sheffield United were a Premier League club in 2023/24 and had been hopeful of regaining top flight-status without need of an extended season.
The Blades’ presence in the playoffs is slightly disappointing for them, but a top-six finish was seen as a reason for celebration for fifth-placed Coventry and sixth-placed Bristol City, who were unsure of their fate until the completion of 46 games.
Fourth-placed Sunderland have been playoff-bound for several weeks but are hopelessly out of form having lost five games on the trot.
Best bet
Sheffield United to be promoted 8/11
Blades can bounce back
Sheffield United are entitled to feel hard done by after missing out on a top-two finish despite amassing 90 points, but they appear to have refocused in time for the playoffs and can justify their status as 6/4 football betting favourites to claim the final promotion place.
Chris Wilder’s side were top of the Championship by the end of March but had a miserable start to April, losing three consecutive matches, and were unable to recover.
However, they have had ample time to digest their disappointment and finished the regular season with a couple of strong performances, winning 2-0 away to Stoke and drawing 1-1 at home to playoff-chasing Blackburn.
United finished 22 points ahead of sixth-placed Bristol City and should feel confident of defeating the West Country side in their semi-final which commences at Ashton Gate on Thursday.
A trickier test would likely be in store at Wembley, but the Blades look well prepared for the post-season and may be tough to stop.
Robins running out of steam
Getting into the playoffs is an achievement in itself for Bristol City, who have not played in English football’s top flight since the 1979/80 campaign
But Liam Manning’s side limped over the line, taking one point from their last three matches, and they look ill-prepared for their semi-final against Sheffield United, who have triumphed on each of their last two visits to Ashton Gate.
City were defensively solid earlier in the campaign but they have gone 11 matches without keeping a clean sheet and seem to have regressed without injured centre-back Luke McNally, who has been sidelined since February.
Sky Blues and Black Cats look evenly matched
The other semi-final, between Coventry and Sunderland, could be an evenly matched affair although the Sky Blues may feel under pressure to make the most of home advantage in the opening leg at the CBS Arena.
Frank Lampard’s side have won nine of their last 11 home league fixtures, including Saturday’s vital 2-0 triumph over Middlesbrough, but their away record (24 points taken from 23 games) is only the 12th best in the division.
Coventry may be wary of their second-leg trip to the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland have lost only four league matches this season.
Sunderland were the early-season pace-setters, but they have hit the buffers in recent weeks, taking one point from six games, and look unattractive 3/1 shots to seal a return to the big time.
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: https://blog.betway.com/football/football-league/championship-play-off-outright-tips-2025/
