Championship predictions: Title winners, play-offs and relegation

The beauty of the Championship revolves around its unpredictability, with the division bound to make plenty of pre-season predictions look just outright silly.

The 2024/25 season has plenty to live up to given the quality we saw at the top of the second tier last term, but we're bound to enjoy another hotly competitive Championship campaign from top to bottom.

So, who's going to sink and swim in this unforgiving division? Will a team emerge like an Ipswich Town and fight their way into the Premier League? Can Wayne Rooney restore a crumbling managerial reputation on the south coast?

Here are 90min's predictions for the 2024/25 Championship season.

Title winners

The top of the Championship table has been dominated by relegated teams in recent years and it's hard to look past a couple of returning outfits in regards to the 2024/25 title race.

While Chris Wilder's Sheffield United aren't expected to compete towards the summit amid the start of their rebuild, both Burnley and Luton Town are poised to be players in the title race. Burnley certainly won't be as spellbinding as they were under Vincent Kompany two seasons ago with the more cautious Scott Parker at the helm, but the former Fulham and Bournemouth manager has an impressive Championship record.

Burnley have an inflated squad but Parker has the talent within it to oversee a potential return to the Premier League. However, Luton's stability means they may be better placed to challenge projected winners of the 2024/25 Championship, Leeds.

Luton have retained Rob Edwards and much of their 2023/24 squad which competed fiercely in the top flight. There should be no drop-off in 2024/25, with Kenilworth Road remaining a very tough place for visitors to claim points.

These two have their work cut out if they're to beat Leeds to the crown, though. Daniel Farke rarely falters in this division and they were mightily unfortunate not to earn promotion last season after finishing third with 90 points. There has been plenty of squad turnaround but Leeds have so far bought pretty astutely and will continue to dip into the market to give Farke the best chance of earning an automatic promotion berth.

However, Leeds, Luton and Burnley may not be the top three. Expect Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough and Mark Robins' Coventry to enjoy improved campaigns in 2024/25.

Play-off spots

If Middlesbrough and Coventry fail to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League, they'll surely make the top six and secure places in the play-offs.

Robins' Coventry were play-off finalists two seasons ago having beaten Boro in the semi-finals. Both teams were on the outside looking in last time out, with Carrick's side playing catch-up after a wretched start.

The former England international, though, is one of the hottest managerial properties in the division and the goals of prolific Ivorian Emmanuel Latte Lath will fill the void left by Chuba Akpom. Manchester City's Micah Hamilton could blossom into a star at the Riverside, too.

Coventry's neat combination of gifted youth and seasoned experience stands them in good stead. Robins has a similar squad to work with in 2024/25 and they're in a great place to bounce back.

Sheffield United and West Brom should contend in the top half, but neither set of supporters enters the 2024/25 with sky-high expectations. On the contrary, Norwich, thumped in the play-offs by Leeds last season, are refreshed and there's hope Danish coach Johannes Hoff Thorup can inspire the Canaries. Norwich have underwhelmed on their recent appearances in the top flight but have typically been a source of excitement in the second tier.

Thorup has an abundance of attacking flair at his disposal and Norwich certainly shouldn't be goal-shy. He will, however, need to improve their fortunes defensively and ensure they're much harder to beat on the road.

Relegation

Three teams will succumb to League One next May and it's hard to look past the three newly-promoted teams as contenders for the drop. Oxford United are back in the second tier for the first time in 25 years and have been the busiest Championship team in the transfer market this summer following their surprise promotion.

The astute and physical U's won't necessarily be overwhelmed in this division but they have their work cut out if they are to survive. Oxford's novelty will work in their favour, though.

League One winners Portsmouth are best placed out of the newbies to remain in the Championship, while some are bullish over Derby's chances of survival. The Rams are functional and, like Oxford, should be hard to beat but they're bound to be in the relegation scrap.

Plymouth survived by the skin of their teeth last season and thought the best way to work their way up the Championship table was to hire Wayne Rooney fresh off his disastrous Birmingham spell. Rooney simply hasn't shown enough as a manager to suggest he can keep the Green Army up, but he at least has Morgan Whittaker at his disposal. Plymouth will be leaning on the talent of their number 10 to remain in the second tier.

Blackburn's off-field concerns mean they're strong contenders for the drop just two years after they were on the brink of the play-offs. Boasting John Eustace works in their favour, but the former Birmingham boss has an almighty task on his hands.

Top scorer

Eight of the previous ten Championship Golden Boot winners have starred for teams that finished in the top six. One of those anomalies was Sammie Szmodics of Blackburn last season.

Nevertheless, history suggests it would be wise to back one of the sharpshooters from the predicted top six to finish with the Golden Boot.

Boro's Latte Lath enjoyed a superb end to last season and is expected to maintain his impressive goalscoring form for Carrick's side, while Leeds' Mateo Joseph is set to play a bigger role for the projected champions next season and should be a contender.

However, Coventry's Ellis Simms is another standout candidate. Simms has never been prolific at the senior level but his 2023/24 campaign was hugely promising, scoring 13 times in the second tier. Simms found his feet at Coventry during the second half of the season and, with Robins' side poised for a bright 2024/25, their leading man up top is in for a productive campaign.

Predicted 2024/25 Championship table

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