Three Teams Battling It Out For Two Promotion Places In The Championship.

The race for promotion from the Championship to the Premier League looks set for a thrilling finish, with three teams battling it out for the two automatic promotion spots. With such a huge prize on offer for those clubs that reach the top flight of English football, the race between now and the end of the season promises to be a thrilling one. While Norwich have a slight advantage, currently three points clear at the top of the table, only two points separate second place Leeds United and Sheffield United in third – and all three will be desperately trying to avoid the uncertainty that comes with the play-offs. 

So, let’s take a look at how the three promotion favourites are shaping up with just over a month to go until the end of the season. 

Norwich City 

If one club looks set for the Premier League it’s Norwich. Having led the Canaries to 14th in the league in his first season in charge, Daniel Farke is now on the verge of guiding Norwich to the Championship title and promotion to the top flight in just his second year in English football. The German has assembled a squad of talented youngsters and experienced professionals since his arrival in May of 2017, without the big name and big money players usually thought to be needed for a team to earn promotion. There might still be a way to go, but on current form Norwich look to be headed back to the big time – and doing it in real style.

“2015-09-12_NCFC04” (CC BY 2.0) by Ungry Young Man

Leeds United

Despite the arrival of famed coach Marcelo Bielsa in the summer, even the most optimistic Leeds fans expected the Argentinean to take at least a season to grow accustomed to the gruelling nature of a full Championship campaign. Bielsa, though, wasted little time in stamping his authority over both this Leeds squad and the league as a whole, and only a stuttering run of form since Christmas has kept the West Yorkshire club from cruising to the title. Now second in the table and two points ahead of Sheffield United, the question is whether or not the iconic South American coach can lead this club back to the promised land and deliver Premier League football to Elland Road after a 15-year absence. 

Sheffield United

It’s fair to say that not many people would have tipped any of the three promotion favourites to be where they are at this point in the season, but none more so than Sheffield United. Having bounced back from a disappointing 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, United upset the betting odds with a valuable 1-0 victory over promotion rivals Leeds at Elland Road to climb into the automatic promotion places. Under the guidance of Chris Wilder, this squad of experienced lower league professionals have come from virtually nowhere in recent months to put themselves third in the table. It’s been a long time coming but a club from the Steel City could well be playing in the Premier League next season.