Of course! Here is an article on Championship predictions for the season.
The Championship Gauntlet: Our Predictions for Who Will Be Left Standing
Every August, the starting pistol fires on what many call the most demanding, unpredictable, and thrilling league in world football: the EFL Championship. A 46-game marathon where dreams of Premier League riches are forged and the trapdoor to League One looms ominously. This season, with a cast of fallen giants, ambitious upstarts, and seasoned campaigners, the battle for promotion and survival promises to be more ferocious than ever.
So, who will conquer the gauntlet? After the dust settles next May, who will be celebrating, and who will be commiserating? Here are our predictions for the 2023/24 Championship season.
The Automatic Promotion Race: The Powerhouses
The top two spots are the holy grail, offering a direct ticket to the promised land without the nerve-shredding lottery of the play-offs. This year, the relegated trio from the Premier League look formidable.
1st Place (Champions): Leicester City
On paper, this is the strongest squad the Championship has seen in years. Despite losing stars like James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, the core that remains is brimming with Premier League quality. Kelechi Iheanacho, Patson Daka, and the evergreen Jamie Vardy provide elite firepower, while the midfield duo of Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall should dominate most games.
Under new manager Enzo Maresca, a disciple of Pep Guardiola, they are implementing a possession-heavy style that will suffocate teams. While it may take time to fully click, their sheer talent advantage should see them pull away from the pack and secure a comfortable return to the top flight.
2nd Place: Leeds United
After a chaotic relegation, Leeds have made a shrewd appointment in Daniel Farke, a man who knows exactly what it takes to win this division, having done it twice with Norwich City. The summer has been a whirlwind of departures, but they have retained a core of quality in players like Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto, while adding proven Championship goalscorer Joël Piroe.
Farke’s calm, methodical approach is the perfect antidote to the chaos of last season. With the backing of a passionate Elland Road, expect Leeds to be a relentless, attacking force that grinds out results. They have the manager, the firepower, and the experience to claim the second automatic spot.
The Play-Off Puzzle: The Best of the Rest
The most dramatic conclusion in football, the play-offs are a brutal, brilliant spectacle. This year’s race for the top six will be fiercely contested.
3rd Place: Middlesbrough
Michael Carrick transformed Middlesbrough from mid-table drifters into promotion contenders last season with a brand of slick, attacking football. While losing Chuba Akpom is a blow, they have recruited smartly and retain a strong system. Carrick has proven to be one of the brightest young managers in the country, and the Riverside will be a fortress. They’ll fall just short of the automatics but will be a terrifying prospect in the play-offs.
4th Place: Southampton
The biggest wildcard of the season. New manager Russell Martin’s high-possession, build-from-the-back philosophy is bold and, when it works, beautiful to watch. It’s a high-risk, high-reward strategy that could see them either challenge the top two or miss the play-offs entirely. With talented players like Adam Armstrong and Kamaldeen Sulemana, they have the tools to make it work. We’re backing them to find their groove and secure a top-six finish.
5th Place: Ipswich Town
Every season, a newly promoted team takes the league by storm, and this year it will be Ipswich. Manager Kieran McKenna is a tactical prodigy who has built a superbly coached, confident, and energetic side. They have carried their momentum from League One and have started the season on fire. They play with no fear, have a deep squad, and in McKenna, they have a manager destined for the very top. Don’t be surprised to see them at Wembley.
6th Place: West Bromwich Albion
In Carlos Corberán, West Brom have a manager who is arguably one of the best outside the Premier League. He worked miracles to haul them away from relegation and into play-off contention last season. While off-field financial concerns have hampered their recruitment, Corberán’s tactical acumen and ability to organise a team to be defensively solid and ruthlessly efficient will be enough to see them sneak into the final play-off spot.
Dark Horses: Sunderland and Coventry City both have the quality and coaching to challenge, but the loss of key players (Amad Diallo for Sunderland, Gyökeres and Hamer for Coventry) may see them just miss out.
The Relegation Scrap: The Fight for Survival
At the other end of the table, the battle is just as intense. For these clubs, survival is everything.
22nd Place (Relegated): Rotherham United
The Millers perform miracles every year to compete on one of the league’s smallest budgets. Matt Taylor is a good manager, and their spirit is unbreakable, but this season feels like a bridge too far. Their lack of goals will likely be their undoing in a league filled with clinical finishers.
23rd Place (Relegated): Queens Park Rangers
It feels like a long season ahead for QPR. Under Gareth Ainsworth, they will fight for every ball, but there is a distinct lack of top-end Championship quality in the squad. They narrowly avoided the drop last season, but without significant improvement, they look destined to be embroiled in a relegation battle they may not win this time.
24th Place (Relegated): Sheffield Wednesday
After a joyous promotion, the summer at Hillsborough was filled with turmoil. The departure of promotion-winning manager Darren Moore and the appointment of Xisco Muñoz was a baffling decision that has set them back. The squad looks thin for this level, and their difficult start to the season suggests a long, hard struggle awaits.
The Final Verdict
The Championship rarely follows a script, and that’s why we love it. Predictions are a fool’s game when 24 teams are all desperate for a slice of glory. But as the season unfolds, the patterns will emerge, and the true contenders will rise.
Our prediction? Leicester City go up as champions, followed by Leeds United. And after the white-knuckle drama of the play-offs, we’re tipping Middlesbrough to win the Wembley final and join them in the Premier League.
One thing is certain: it’s going to be a rollercoaster. Buckle up.
