What Does The Future Hold For The 24 Championship Clubs Now We Have A Return Date?

With the Sky Bet Championship now set to restart for the 20th June, what does the future hold for the 24 teams.

The remainder of the season will be played behind closed doors and will be held subject to strict safety guidelines and full government compliance. It was also confirmed that teams will be allowed to use five substitutes instead of the usual three as well as increasing the matchday squad from 18 to 20.

 Read the full EFL statement below

https://www.efl.com/news/2020/may/efl-statement-coronvirus-update-championship/

Race for promotion

With millions on the line and a place in the biggest league in the world, clubs will do anything to get there. Leeds and West Bromwich Albion are currently leading the way for automatic promotion and are odds on favourites for promotion, so if anyone is eager for the championship to start will be the top two teams of the division.

Fulham will be keen to bounce back into the Premier League following on from their relegation last season, they are currently sitting in third place six points behind West Brom.

Brentford and Nottingham Forest have an outside chance with both sitting on 60 points with nine games left to play. All of these teams and their players will give their all to reach the biggest and richest league in the world.

Who will get the play-off positions

Fulham, Brentford and Nottingham Forest are in prime position to reach the play-offs. With the final due to take place around 30th July, teams have less than a month to claim their spot in the elusive top six.

Preston currently sits in the final play-off spot, one point ahead of Bristol City. Millwall, Blackburn and the two Welsh clubs Cardiff and Swansea will also be planning on staging a last-minute push for the play-off. This may be one of the most dramatic play-off runs in Championship history, bearing in mind that there is always one team who manages to sneak into the top six during the final few games of the season.

 

The drop into League one

There are eight teams currently in the relegation battle with three teams doomed for the drop. Barnsley currently sits at the foot of the league with six points from safety. Luton sit one point ahead of Barnsley with 35 points who recently signed former manager Nathan Jones, as manager again. Could he be the man to drive the Hatters to safety?

Charlton Athletic are the final team currently sitting in the relegation spot with 39 points, but the clubs ahead who don’t hit the ground running could be in serious trouble. Hull, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield and Stoke will have to be careful when returning to action.

The return of the championship will be a huge financial boost for all the teams involved, especially for those looking to gain promotion. One thing that is for certain however, is that clubs and players will be missing the atmosphere and support for the remainder of the season, with empty stadiums and no fans imminent. There is however talk to broadcast more games on television or via the clubs respected iFollow.

Most, if not all Championship fans will be looking forward to the return of their beloved clubs playing once again. After a long period of uncertainty we will have finally reach a conclusion on who will face the dreaded drop and who will reach the heights of the Premier League.

 

Relive some of the best Championship goals so far this season below. 

What Does The Future Hold For The 24 Championship Clubs Now We Have A Return Date?