EFL Championship: Promotion permutations and latest prices as final day approaches

Exciting final day looms after Saints and Ipswich draw

As the final round of Championship fixtures approaches, three teams are still battling to win automatic promotion while a further three are competing to finish in the final play-off spot.

Frank Lampard's Coventry are the champions but the sky's the limit still for seven more teams who could yet seal their place in the promised land of the Premier League.

Ipswich, Millwall and Middlesbrough can all secure the priceless second place in the final table and therefore avoid the jeopardy of the playoffs.

A huge game in the race for second took place at St Mary's on Tuesday night with Southampton hosting Ipswich. The game finished all-square meaning Ipswich go into the final day in pole position, second in the table on 81 points.

But it was bad news for Southampton as the 2-2 draw ended their dreams of automatic promition. It will be the play-offs for the Saints.

It's set to be a dramatic end to a gruelling season and we could yet see another twist before the week is out. We take a look at the permutations and latest Betfair prices on all the teams with their eyes on the promotion prize.

We will also have tips from Championship betting expert Jack Critchley for every final round game of the regular season this weekend, and Lewis Jones tells us why goals are expected along with a suggested treble in his latest notebook.

Teams	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	PTS	xGF	xGA	xGD	EXP	FCST
1 Coventry	46	28	11	7	97	45	95	0	0	0
2 Ipswich	46	23	15	8	80	47	84	0	0	0
3 Millwall	48	24	11	11	64	49	83	0	0	0
4 Southampton	48	22	14	10	82	56	80	0	0	0
5 Middlesbrough	49	22	14	10	72	47	80	0	0	0
6 Hull	49	21	10	15	70	66	73	0	0	0
7 Wrexham	46	19	14	13	69	65	71	0	0	0
8 Derby	46	20	9	17	67	59	69	0	0	0
9 Norwich	46	19	8	19	63	56	65	0	0	0
10 Birmingham	46	17	13	16	57	56	64	0	0	0
11 Swansea	46	18	10	18	57	59	64	0	0	0
12 Bristol C	46	17	11	18	59	59	62	0	0	0
13 Sheff Utd	46	18	6	22	66	66	60	0	0	0
14 Preston	46	15	15	16	55	62	60	0	0	0
15 QPR	46	16	10	20	61	73	58	0	0	0
16 Watford	46	14	15	17	53	65	57	0	0	0
17 Stoke	46	15	10	21	51	56	55	0	0	0
18 Portsmouth	46	14	13	19	49	64	55	0	0	0
19 Charlton	46	13	14	19	44	58	53	0	0	0
20 Blackburn	46	13	13	20	42	56	52	0	0	0
21 West Brom	46	13	14	19	48	58	51	0	0	0
22 Oxford	46	11	14	21	45	59	47	0	0	0
23 Leicester	46	12	16	18	58	68	46	0	0	0
24 Sheff Wed	46	2	12	32	29	89	0	0	0	0

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Who will win Championship automatic promotion?

There is one automatic promotion place up for grabs and three teams in with a chance of claiming it.

Ipswich - 81 points

To Finish Second: 2/91.22

To Be Promoted: 1/121.08

Ipswich are 1/121.08 favourites to finish second in the Championship and win automatic promotion to the Premier League, leaving the four teams directly below them to fight it out in the play-offs.

The 2-2 draw at Southampton on Tuesday night means the Tractor Boys just need to win their home game against QPR on Saturday to be promoted automatically.

A draw on Saturday and that will also be good enough if Millwall fail to win and Middlesbrough either fail to win or don't win by a six-goal margin.

Remaining Fixture: QPR (H)

Millwall - 80 points

To Finish Second: 3/14.00

To Be Promoted: 6/42.50

The Lions are third, one point behind Ipswich meaning automatic promotion is no longer in their own hands.

The only realistic way that Millwall can finish second is by beating already-relegated Oxford at the New Den on Saturday. Should they win then they would require Ipswich to not beat QPR in order to be promoted automatically.

Remaining Fixtures: Oxford (H)

Middlesbrough - 79 points

To Finish Second: 40/141.00

To Be Promoted: 15/82.88

A seven-game winless run (D4, L3) indicated that Boro's promotion push was falling flat at the wrong moment. However, consecutive wins, over Sheffield Wednesday and Watford, mean the Teesiders look like serious contenders again.

They go to fellow promotion rivals Wrexham on Saturday and victory would keep them in the automatic hunt, though they would require Millwall to not beat Oxford and Ipswich to lose at home to QPR.

Odds of 40/141.00 indicate the tiny chance that Middlesbrough could be promoted automatically, but they need an Ipswich defeat or draw on Saturday (and Millwall lose or draw). Should Ipswich draw the Teessiders would need to beat Wrexham by at least six clear goals to move above the Tractor Boys on goal difference.

And Wrexham, as you will read below, have reasons of their own to perform on Saturday.

Remaining Fixtures: Wrexham (A)

Who will fill the sixth place in Championship table?

Two of the three clubs discussed above, in the race for automatic promotion, will end up in the play-offs alongside Southampton who are already guaranteed a play-off place. The Saints can be backed at 13/82.63 to be promoted.

So which team will claim the remaining top six place and go through to the play-offs? Here we discuss the three teams in contention to finish sixth in the Championship anlong with their odds to be promoted.

Wrexham 70 points 10/111.00

Will Wrexham secure a fourth consecutive promotion and take their Hollywood story all the way to the Premier League? They currently sit sixth in goal difference but there is only one goal in it between the Welsh side and seventh-place Hull. A tough final day fixture against Boro awaits.

Remaining Fixtures: Middlesbrough (H)

Hull 70 points 12/113.00

The Tigers have just one win in their last nine - against bottom club Sheffield Wednesday - and fans will not feel confident of their chances of promotion. Still, if they beat Norwich on Saturday at home, and Wrexham drop points against Boro, then Hull could yet roar into the top flight via the play-offs.

Derby County 69 points 20/121.00

It doesn't seem long since the Rams were tumbling into the third tier and almost going out of business - it was 2022, in fact. Now they will be in the Championship play-offs if they beat Sheffield United on Saturday and both Wrexham and Hull fail to win their fixtures. The good news for Derby is their superior goal difference which means a draw against the Blades will also be enough for sixth if Wrexham and Hull both lose.

Remaining Fixtures: Sheffield United (H)

Now read our final day articles on League One and League Two