Supercomputer predicts Championship promotion race outcome and who’ll be relegated
Opta’s supercomputer is predicting little change in either the Championship promotion or relegation picture from now until the end of the season.
The Championship is nearing its halfway point, and each club now knows where they will sit in the table on Christmas Day.
Coventry City have taken the second tier by storm this season, and still sit top of the tree on 48 points as it stands, with Middlesbrough close behind in second on 42 points.
Ipswich Town, Hull City, Preston North End and Millwall make up the top six, while at the wrong end of the table, Oxford United, Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday all occupy the relegation zone.
Lots can change between now and the end of the campaign next May, but Opta‘s supercomputer is predicting that most clubs at each end of the table will still be where they are right now.
Coventry, Middlesbrough and Ipswich all backed to go up by Opta
Frank Lampard’s Coventry have been the best team in the second tier by a long way this season, but their form has faltered somewhat in recent weeks, with just one win from their last four games.
Opta are still backing them to go up at a canter as league winners with 92 expected points, with their chances of promotion set at a whopping 96.08 per cent.
Middlesbrough are five points ahead of third-placed Ipswich right now, but Opta’s calculations have them set to finish four in front of the Tractor Boys, with a 49.32 per cent chance of winning automatic promotion.
Kieran McKenna’s side are the most likely of all the teams in the play-offs to go up, according to Opta, with a 23.50 per cent chance, while they are expected to finish third with 75 points.
Hull, Preston and Millwall are all predicted to make the top six, with 7.34, 5.70 and 2.56 per cent chances of promotion, respectively.
Opta’s relegation prediction makes grim reading for Norwich, Oxford and Sheffield Wednesday
Opta had Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich and Portsmouth as the three most likely teams to be relegated this season at the start of December.
Portsmouth’s slight improvement in form in recent weeks has seen them pull away from the bottom three, with Oxford, who sacked Gary Rowett on Tuesday morning, now in real trouble.
Wednesday‘s financial troubles have consigned them to dropping into the third tier, and Opta are not optimistic about their chances of survival, with a 100 per cent chance of relegation, according to their data.
The U’s are currently 22nd, but are more likely to be relegated than 23rd-placed Norwich, with a 59.08 per cent chance of going down compared to the Canaries’ 56.16.
Both clubs are still predicted to be playing their football in League One next season as it stands, with Portsmouth expected to survive with a 37.12 per cent chance of relegation, while Swansea City are next in the expected table with a 13.90 per cent possibility of going down.