The EFL Championship race for promotion is always intriguing to see, at times even more so than the Premier League title contests itself. This season is again turning out to be quite the battle, with only 9 points separating 3rd place Luton and 12th place West Brom. I think the automatic promotion spots are as good as confirmed, with Fulham and Bournemouth quite clear at the top with games in hand.

With between 7 and 10 games to play, the 4 places to the promotion playoffs are all up for the taking here, with numerous teams with strong claims as to why they’ll make it in to the playoffs. These are the 4 that I reckon will get their chance to play in the semi finals, and then possibly a finale at Wembley to send them up to the prestigious Premier League.

1. Luton Town : It’d be quite the story if the hatters made it up to the Premier League. Having been relegated from the top flight the season prior to the inaugural Premier League season, Luton fans have never seen their side perform in the top flight since. This could be one of their biggest chances as they currently sit 3rd in the league with 8 games to go. I reckon in the end, it’ll be a matter of singular points separating a top 6 finish, so having that advantage of a few points right now is really beneficial for their chances to go through to the playoffs. Elijah Adebayo has had a sublime season in particular and will be an imperative part of Luton’s chances to go up.

2. Sheffield United : After a remarkable first season in the prem, Sheffield United went plummeting back down, leaving a lot to be improved upon. This season has started the blades recovery mission back to the prem, and despite not finishing in the top 2, they have a good crack at getting into the playoffs and possibly further. They currently sit 5th with a game in hand on 4th place Huddersfield and 6th place Blackburn. I reckon that they should make it into the playoffs without too much bother.

3. Middlesbrough : Boro went down to the championship after their abysmal 16/17 campaign and have been on a journey to get back up to the prem ever since. I think even if they do manage to get into the playoffs, they won’t progress further because in my opinion, Chris Wilders men aren’t ready for the Premier League yet. The main reason I picked Boro was because of those games in hand. They have 2 games in hand on the team currently occupying that 6th place spot (Blackburn) and that will be the determinant if they manage to finalise their spot in the playoffs.

4. Nottingham Forest : Forest are the 4th and obviously final team I’ve gone with in my predictions for the teams placing 3rd to 6th. Similarly to Boro, it’s largely down to the games in hand. Forest are actually all the way down in 9th right now but they do have at least 2 games in hand on the majority of their respective competitors for the spot. Another reason I reckon Forest will be in here is because of their recent performances against the top flight clubs. For example, knocking out arsenal and Leicester and then going out narrowly to Liverpool is no mean feat. This shows there’s definitely enough quality in this Forest side, it’s just a matter of going up and proving it to the world. In my opinion, they’re capable of it and they very well could do it, but the first step is to get into the playoffs, which is going to be tough but manageable. They’re not Champions League winners again just yet, but it could be a baby step in the right direction.

These are just my opinions, not what’s actually going to happen. There are definitely other teams in with a big shout, such as the likes of Blackburn and Huddersfield, which is what made predicting this so difficult. There’s also teams such as QPR, Millwall etc. who have an outside shot of getting in but by no means impossible. Whatever happens we know we’re in for a thrilling empennage of the season.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Again, I would be more than happy to hear your thoughts on who you think is going to go up and I would be happy to read any suggestions for improvement on this content.