EFL Championship Preview: 11/2 Leeds top 'Not The Top 20' 1-24 Season Predictions

• Why 11/26.50 Leeds can win the Championship

• Back Sunderland to crash the playoffs once more

• Gareth's Ainsworth's QPR could be in trouble at 3/14.00

---

1st. Leeds United

Leeds are 11/26.50 to win the Championship

Leeds have a manager in Daniel Farke who has won this league twice before with Norwich and have the strange blessing of a quality squad who maybe aren't quite good enough to land the kinds of moves that we've seen James Maddison get and Romeo Lavia touted for.

Ethan Ampadu is a good start for the new owners, and if they manage to keep the likes of Willy Gnonto and Luis Sinistierra then Leeds may well have the lethal combination of the best young latent in the league and manager who knows how to use it.

---

2nd. Southampton

Southampton are 4/15.00 for a top-two finish

Saints moved quickly after relegation to get their house in order, appointing Jason Wilcox as Director of Football, who then went and got his man in Russell Martin as Head Coach. As it stands the squad is absolutely stacked with ability which, in the case of Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse, will likely result in cash rather than quality.

How they spend it will be the key, but in Martin they have one of the brightest coaching minds in the EFL along with some proven Championship quality in Adam Armstrong, Che Adams, Will Smallbone and others.

---

3rd. Ipswich Town

Ipswich are 6/42.50 for a top-six finish

Surely the best side to ever come 2nd relative to the league that they were in, Ipswich finished the season with 98pts and a goal difference of +66 but were still pipped to the post by Plymouth.

Continuity is the key here, buying former loanee George Hurst and not losing any of last season's squad. Kieran McKenna reportedly turned down the chance to talk to Leicester in the summer, his future lies in the Premier League and don't be surprised if that is next season with Town.

---

4th. Leicester City

Leicester are 5/42.25 for a top-six finish

If managerial genius can be achieved by osmosis then the Championship has a problem, with Enzo Maresca having worked under Pep Guardiola and Jorge Sampaoli, and presumably talked tactics over many a bottle of chianti with long-term friend Roberto De Zerbi.

The only evidence we have of his managerial prowess, however, was an ill-fated spell at Parma which ended three months into a three-year deal. It is sure to be innovative, but having lost Maddison and Barnes, Maresca will have his work cut out to justify favouritism.

---

5th. Sunderland

Sunderland are 10/34.33 for a top-six finish

Sunderland's recruitment of young talent is fast becoming the envy of the Championship, and the summer business follows the trend. Jobe Bellingham may well boost the shirt sales, but it's Luis 'Hemir' Semedo who has the Black Cats purring in pre-season, the 19-year old striker providing some competition for the ever-injured Ross Stewart.

Amad Diallo's return looks unlikely, but in Jack Clarke, Dan Neil and Denis Cirkin they have kept hold of a nucleus of players who are destined for the top flight and a manager in Tony Mowbray whose ability to get young players playing with freedom should not be underestimated.

---

6th. Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough are 6/42.50 for a top-six finish

Boro will be popular with many after their barnstorming march up the table last season led by rookie manager Michael Carrick, playing a swashbuckling attacking style that turned Chuba Akpom from zero to hero .

Akpom hasn't featured in pre-season due to injury and Boro currently look light up front without loanee Cameron Archer, while recruitment has generally been young and left field. They should go well, but a promotion push isn't a given.

---

7th. Millwall

Millwall are 3/14.00 for a top-six finish

It will be a very emotional season at The Den after owner John Berylson died in a tragic accident over the summer, and there looks to be little reason why Millwall won't do him proud in his absence.

Gary Rowett will be hoping the club can hold onto Zian Flemming despite Burnley's advances, but even if they do lose him the progress year on year is clear to see and it only feels like a matter of time until Millwall get a shot in the play-offs.

---

8th. Coventry City

Coventry are 9/43.25 for a top-six finish

There has already been a fair amount of churn since Mark Robins' were beaten by Luton at Wembley back in May, with 21-goal striker Viktor Gyokeres understandably swapping Coventry for Lisbon, and the return of some quality loan additions.

The purchase of Ellis Simms is something of a statement, and there are hopes that Bobby Thomas and Pierre van Ewijk will fill other gaps, but until we hear that Gustavo Hamer has agreed to remain at the club it's hard to predict another promotion push.

9th. Stoke City

Stoke are 15/82.88 for a top-six finish

There was a moment last season when it looked like Stoke had finally worked the Championship out, but a disappointing end to the season dampens any lofty ambitions. Alex Neil is a very canny operator at the level and retaining the services of Ki-Jana Hoever and Ben Pearson is a plus.

In a search for goals, Stoke have surprisingly looked further afield. Ryan Mmaee joins from Ferencvaros, whilst Aston Villa flop Wesley has joined on a short-term deal. In Neil we trust, and Stoke could capitalise if any of the big boys struggle.

---

10th. Bristol City

Bristol City are 7/24.50 for a top-six finish

There is positivity at Ashton Gate after a switch to a back four last season saw a turnaround in fortunes and a strong end to the campaign.

Nigel Pearson remains blessed with a range of good attacking options, with Tommy Conway a striker to look out for this season, but in Rob Dickie, Haydon Roberts and Ross McCrorie they have signed the defensive reinforcements needed, while the energetic Jason Knight is a shrewd addition.

If Alex Scott somehow stays, then they move into 'Dark Horses' territory.

---

11th. West Brom

West Brom are 15/82.88 for a top-six finish

The stakes are high here, with massive off-field issues leading many Baggies fans to think that there might be something of an existential crisis at The Hawthorns if they don't succeed in going up.

They haven't been able to do a great deal in terms of recruitment, although Jeremy Sarmiento should provide some quality in the final third, but this will boil down to whether Carlos Corberan can over-achieve with a fairly limited squad, which he has done before.

---

12th. Birmingham City

Birmingham are 6/17.00 for a top-six finish

New owners and an exciting summer of recruitment has Birmingham fans feeling optimistic about a new season for the first time in years.

John Eustace now has a gifted young squad to work with, such as Ethan Laird, Lee Buchanen and Siriki Dembele among those who will join the homegrown midfielders George Hall and Jordan James. They could surprise a few.

---

13th. Swansea City

Mike Duff's rapid ascent up the pyramid now sees him faced with the task of bringing some substance to the style that we can always associate with the Swans.

Whether Joel Piroe will stay is at this stage unsure, but he doesn't really suit the high-pressing game likely to be implemented by Duff. New signing Jerry Yates, on the other hand, looks tailor made for Duffball but this could well be a transition season as the new boss looks to implement his style of play.

---

14th. Norwich City

There is plenty of cause for concern at Norwich, with manager David Wagner's recent managerial history both before taking the job and after something of a red flag.

This is the second season in a row where the Canaries' boss has come into the season under pressure, and with the architect of recent promotions Stuart Webber following the instigator of those in Teemu Pukki out of the door, there looks little reason for optimism at Carrow Road.

---

15th. Watford

The Hornets have yet another new Queen Bee in the form of Valerian Ismael, the boss who somehow took Barnsley to the Championship play-offs only to then be turfed out of The Hawthorns with the Baggies faithful unhappy with the attritional style.

Watford have lost Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro, two of the most talented players in the league last season even if they didn't always show it. Summer additions Tom Ince and Jake Livermore are hard to get too excited over, but the key here is whether Watford fans buy into Ismael, if not the revolving door may start spinning again.

---

16th. Preston North End

Being Preston manager is one of the most thankless tasks in football, often met with little adulation for keeping one of the lowest budget squads safely in mid-table every season.

Ryan Lowe should do it again this time around, and Will Keane should help plug the hole that Tom Cannon's departure has left in North End's attack. The manager isn't the most popular at Deepdale and there will be murmurings of discontent if they start slow.

---

17th. Blackburn Rovers

Blackurn are 8/19.00 to be relegated

Now without Ben Brereton Diaz, and manager John Dahl Tommasson only further fueling the speculation around financial issues at the club, it's hard to see Rovers competing for a place in the Top 6 again.

In Adam Wharton they have one of the most gifted young players in the league, but the squad lacks goals and the possible unrest in the camp could make this an uncomfortable season for Rovers fans.

---

18th. Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth are 9/52.80 to be relegated

After a 102 point haul, akin to a band who have to follow up a groundbreaking debut with the perennially difficult second album, Argyle have managed to get the band back together to tackle some lofty expectations

Nobody expected Bali Mumba to return but he joins renewed team-mate Morgan Whittaker who has also made last season's loan permanent. Consolidation would be Radiohead, relegation; The Kooks.

---

19th. Hull City

Hull are 11/26.50 to be relegated

After 18 months of building a very cosmopolitan squad with a Turkish Super League bias, owner Acun Ilicali has told Hull fans not to expect more spending this summer after notable financial outlay so far under his stewardship.

The issue is that this spend on the likes of Jean Seri, Ozan Tufan and Oscar Estupinan has failed to move Hull out of the lower end of the table so, with Liam Rosenior yet to prove that he can do more than "talk the talk" there seems little reason for optimism this time around.

---

20th. Cardiff City

Cardiff are 11/43.75 to be relegated

A team who got through three managers last season have appointed one who has had four jobs in six years.

Erkol Bulut come with a reputation for getting teams to over-achieve, and there is some cause of optimism that Cardiff could be a more potent attacking force thanks to the additions of Karlan Grant and Yakou Meite.

Aaron Ramsay's return is one for the romantics, although maybe comes too late to have the desired impact.

---

21st. Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield are 3/14.00 to be relegated

Neil Warnock is the Ben Stokes of football management.

Unstoppable when coming in to save the day in perilous conditions, with a target to aim at and the odds stacked against him, but often checks out early if there isn't the jeopardy needed to get those juices going.

The future might be bright in Huddersfield with a new owner taking charge this summer, but with mainly the same squad as last season, little more than consolidation on the cards in this innings, and Warnock could walk early on.

---

22nd. Rotherham United

Rotherham are 13/82.63 to be relegated

Matt Taylor's task of following in the footsteps of Paul Warne remains an unenviable one, and survival would be another job well done if he can manage it in his first full season in charge.

The January recruitment was impressive, but the summer window hasn't followed in the same vein and the squad lacks depth and quality. The Millers are always competitive, and with a cracking manager in the dugout and battering ram Jordan Hugill up front they won't roll over for many.

---

23rd. Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday are 7/24.50 to be relegated

A total 96 points and a promotion isn't enough for a payrise apparently, as Darren Moore allegedly found out when having his contract terminated not long after the Wembley win over Barnsley. Xisco Munoz is his replacement, with owner Dejphon Chansiri lured in by the promotion he oversaw at Watford, despite there being little evidence of any particular tactical acumen.

Barry Bannan's sorcery is less likely to be effective at this level, although his ageing legs more likely exposed, and the summer business is uninspiring. Don't be surprised if another manager search in an attempt to fend off relegation follows.

---

24th. QPR

QPR are 3/14.00 to be relegated

The Gazoluton that we all expected this summer, with Ainsworth bringing in players to suit his style, hasn't happened and it's hard to see how he is the man to get the most out of this group of players.

The losses of Seny Dieng, Rob Dickie and Stefan Johansen rips the spine out of a side already circling the drain. With both Tony Fernandes and Les Ferdinand having walked away from the club, it looks a rudderless, sinking ship and there seems little reason to see why it can be saved.

---

Read NTT20s League One predictions right here!

---

Championship 1-24 Predictions Podcast!

Listenhttps://t.co/fjlQCEb8EP

We've picked the title-winner 4 years in a row...

How will relegated clubs #LCFC, #LUFC & #SaintsFC far? Dark horses?

Sponsored by @Betfair.

QT this with best & worst pick. If you enjoy, please share! pic.twitter.com/VH9VLMg1dD

-- Not The Top 20 Pod (@NTT20Pod) July 31, 2023