Coventry City and Ipswich Town have already confirmed their places in the Premier League, with either Southampton, Middlesbrough, Millwall or Hull City joining them in the top flight.
Championship playoffs begin this week (Image: Getty Images)
The Championship play-offs begin this week, with four teams competing for a spot in the Premier League. Millwall, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Hull City will clash in an end-of-season tournament, with the winner taking home the coveted top flight spot and, of course, the riches that come with it.
Three of those teams have previously been in the Premier League, the most recent being Southampton. The Saints continue to do well under head coach Tonda Eckert and will be aiming for an immediate return.
Middlesbrough have been at the top of the table all season but have just stumbled at the final hurdle. Hull performed well and snatched the final play-off spot on the final day.
Millwall are the last team in the hunt for a place in the Premier League. The Londoners have not been at the top of English football since 1990, so they will aim to end that long wait.
But how do all the contenders rank before the play-offs begin? Mirror Football takes a look.
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1) Southampton
It’s a cliché, but momentum is everything in the playoffs, and Southampton have plenty of it. Since Eckert’s arrival, the Saints have been one of the best teams in the championship.
Southampton’s only defeats so far this year have come against fellow play-off sides Middlesbrough and Hull, and an FA Cup loss to Manchester City.
The south coast side have a number of quality players including Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Shay Charles, Leo Cienza and Finn Azaz and stand as favorites heading into the semi-final against Middlesbrough.
Southampton won the play-offs just two years ago (Image: Getty Images)
2) Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough’s season was expected to be called off following Rob Edwards’ departure in November. But if anything, they got even better under Kim Helberg.
Middlesbrough did not drop to eighth place throughout the season and remained in the top two for most of the season. However, a stumble at the end of the season derailed their bid for automatic promotion.
Their good form could help them in the playoffs if they get on the right track, or it could go wrong. Considering how impressive they have been all season, they should be among the favorites to win.
3) Millwall
Some would argue that Millwall should be the favorites for promotion given the way the regular season ended. The Lions finished in third place, just one point behind Ipswich.
They also won more games than all of their playoff rivals and conceded fewer goals than all of their rivals. But it can fall down in some places.
Millwall have scored just 64 Championship goals all season, significantly fewer than their rivals. They also have been underdogs in terms of recent playoff experience and could have lost by a close margin.
Alex Neil aims to lead Millwall to the Premier League for the first time (Image: Getty Images)
4) Hull City
Not many people supported the Tigers, who had just avoided relegation from the Championship last season and were aiming for promotion. However, Sergei Yakilovich’s side narrowly crossed the line to qualify for the play-offs on the final day.
The reason they are at the bottom of the list is because of their defense. Hull have scored 66 goals in the league this season, seven more than relegated Oxford United.
These defensive issues don’t help much in tournament soccer. Unlike Southampton, they have struggled for form, winning just one of their last seven games.
Prediction: Southampton will be promoted
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