Championship predictions: winner, playoffs and full league prediction

As we gear up for the return of England’s second tier, which will be back on our screens this weekend, starting with a Friday night double header, it’s time to delve into some league predictions.

Known as an utterly unpredictable league, I’ve decided to do the impossible and have a crack at predicting what the table might look like come May 2025. It’s an impossible task, but who cares, let’s get stuck in.

Championship 2024/25 league prediction

Here we go. This is what the hardest league in the world might (but almost certainly won’t) look like by the end of the season, with analysis provided below.

Automatic promotion

I’ve gone with Leeds United as league winners and for my money, they’re worthy favourites. They’ve got a squad that is clearly good enough to challenge right at the very top of this league, so much so that it looked for a long time that they’d snatch second last season.

Of course, they failed to finish in the top two, dropping into third, eventually losing in the play-off final at Wembley, but that should only serve as an extra motivator for the men managed by Daniel Farke, who has twice won promotion to the Premier League as a manager.

For second, I’m sticking my neck out and saying that Middlesbrough can improve on last season’s eighth-place finish. They tick lots of boxes for me and as mentioned in other articles, have a very nice squad.

Betfred 4.8	BoyleSports 4.5	Betway UK 4.2
Welcome Bonus Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets	Welcome Bonus Bet £10 & Get £20 in Free Bets + Get paid out early if your team goes 1 goal ahead	Welcome Bonus Get £10 in Free Bets
Claim Offer	Claim Offer	Claim Offer
New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs apply.	18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply. 18+. Applies to bets placed on 1 Goal Ahead market. Get paid out as a winner if your team takes the lead, even if they draw or lose. 90 mins only. Applies to Singles & Multiples. Account & payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.	*New customers only. This offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. Min Deposit: £10. Free Bet awarded: £10. 1 x £10 must be wagered at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet. Debit Card deposits only (exclusions apply). Free bet will expire 7 days after the 1st deposit. 18+. GambleAware.org. Bet The Responsible Way. Full Terms apply.

Play-offs

As far as the play-off picture is concerned, there ought to be a couple of likely lads in there, with Norwich, Coventry and West Brom all likely to lay down a serious challenge, much as they did last season, even if they don't all make it.

With double promotion winner Scott Parker taking charge, Burnley ought to make a good fist of going back up and I’ll be surprised if the Clarets are far away from automatic promotion, but like Leeds last season, they might just miss out on the direct route back to the top flight.

As mentioned in my promotion article, I really like QPR this season and while automatic promotion may be beyond the R’s, they’ll go well under Martí Cifuentes and with a couple of serious match-winners in their line-up, can finish in the top six.

Relegation

At the other end of the table, it’s difficult to see newly promoted Oxford United really cutting the mustard at this level. They have one of the smallest budgets in the league, while none of their acquisitions look overly exciting.

The same can be said for Plymouth Argyle. The Pilgrims were a little fortunate to stay up last season and I don't think anyone can really envisage anything other than another tough campaign.

Derby and Portsmouth make up the newly promoted trio, but they at least look to have a little more about them in terms of personnel and could just about get by, though neither look likely to come anywhere near to repeating Ipswich's rather heroic antics last season.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Hull City get dragged into the relegation scrap. Sure, the Tigers enjoyed a promising campaign last time around, narrowly missing out on the play-offs, finishing seventh, but there’s reason to feel that things might not be so rosy this time around. More on that below.

The betting angle

There are two bets that catch my eye at this point, both of which focus on teams to exit the Championship in the wrong direction. In other words, there are two relegation bets that appeal at the current odds.

Plymouth Argyle to be Relegated

I think Oxford United are deserving favourites for the drop, and I also agree that the Pilgrims are the next most likely to wave goodbye to second tier football, but I have them being a little more likely to drop back into League One at the second time of asking than early quotes of 9/4 suggest.

With one of the very lowest wage bills in the league, Argyle look set to struggle once again. At times, they dug deep and got some decent results last season, but all round, it was quite clear that they lack a squad strong enough to seriously compete at this level.

Now, plenty has been made of the arrival of Wayne Rooney, who I’m sure some see as a progressive managerial appointment, but I’m not convinced that the former England, Everton and Manchester United player is the right man for the job.

I mean, what do I know? Well, I know that Rooney has so far failed as a manager. He went down with Derby, which in fairness, was more to do with a points deduction than anything else, but he’s since struggled to make a seriously positive impact at both D.C United in Major League Soccer, while he floundered somewhat in a rather short-lived spell at the Birmingham City helm.

Perhaps he will get it right this time, and maybe Argyle will defy expectations, but it would be far from surprising to see the 38-year-old leave before the end of the season after things don’t go right, and if that happens, I make the Pilgrims likely dropouts. I’ll be betting to that effect too.

Hull City to be Relegated

As mentioned above, it was a good season for Hull City last time out. They only just missed out on the play-offs and they played some good stuff under Liam Rosenior, who seemed to be doing a more than reasonable job.

The powers that be deemed a finish of seventh to be unacceptable, sacking Rosenior, replacing him with German manager Tim Walter, who has been referred to as “a bit like Klopp”. We’ll wait and see if there’s any truth in that.

They’re working under a new manager, which could of course go well, but there’s a lack of stability, for sure. They’ve lost two key players in Jacob Greeves and Jaden Philogene, while the departure of Ozan Tufan is also a clear negative.

At odds of 9/1, with a new manager who needs to settle and with three very, very useful players gone, the Tigers could struggle and look a decent outside bet to go down at odds of 9/1.

Recommended bets

Plymouth Argyle to be Relegated @ 9/4 with Betfred

Hull City to be Relegated @ 9/1 with bet365

More pre-season content:

• Championship betting: promotion betting tips for 2024/25 season

• Championship odds 2024/25: do relegated teams usually bounce back?

• Championship transfers 2024/25: eye-catching early moves

If you're using a mobile device to bet on Championship football, please be sure to use legal and trusted betting apps. Check out our handy guide to top football betting apps.