CHAMPIONSHIP PROMOTION SPECIAL: Who is going up to the Premier League?

Norwich could steamroll the title race, dark horses Swansea are turning heads and Reading might cause a shock… WHO is going up to the Premier League?

• The Championship promotion race is hotting-up for another dramatic finale 
• Norwich are leading and could cruise ahead with their talent-packed squad 
• Swansea and Brentford follow, with the Bees desperate to avoid more heartbreak
• Meanwhile, Reading are mounting a shock tilt, as Bournemouth must improve 

The Championship rarely disappoints us when it comes to an exciting promotion race and this unusual season is no exception.

Norwich lead the way at the top but any number of teams have their sights set on the top two or at least a Play-off slot.

Sportsmail runs the rule over the teams hopeful of making the Premier League.

The Championship is hotting up at the top, with the title and play-off race looking competitive

Saturday’s goalless draw with Middlesbrough checked Norwich’s runaway train momentum a little but they remain the odds-on promotion favourites – and with good reason.

Manager Daniel Farke has the expertise to get them back to the Premier League having done so just two years ago and there was no great exodus of their best players when they came back down.

Argentine playmaker Emiliano Buendia, linked with Arsenal last month and valued at £40million, is their ace in the pack though he showed an immaturity in getting sent off against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Norwich have bounced-back brilliantly from their miserable top-flight relegation last season 

Daniel Farke’s squad are looking strong at the top, having maintained a high-quality squad 

Teemu Pukki is one of the division’s best strikers though he hasn’t been as prolific as in their last Championship season, while Mario Vrancic, Oliver Skipp, Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell are among their many high quality players for this level.

Saturday’s goalless draw with Boro was a rare example of Norwich dropping points lately they still have a six-point cushion to third place. If they beat nearest challengers Swansea on Friday night, they could win the league at a canter.

2nd: Swansea – 50 points

Having narrowly lost to Brentford in last season’s Play-off semi-final, Swansea are determined to go up automatically this time and end three seasons away from the Premier League.

Steve Cooper has built a side that’s incredibly difficult to break down – they’ve conceded just 15 times all season, the lowest total in the division – with his three-at-the-back system highly effective.

Their goals have been impressively spread throughout the team as well, as demonstrated in Saturday’s win at Rotherham when midfielders Conor Hourihane, Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton netted.

Swansea are looking to make a return to the Premie League for the first time in three seasons

The Swans are unbeaten in seven league games – plus two in the FA Cup, where Man City await next week – and this has lifted them just above the group of teams pursuing Norwich.

If they beat the Canaries on Friday night, quite a few more will sit up and take notice of their promotion chances – the bookies have them only fourth favourite at the moment.

3rd: Brentford – 48 points

Brentford are undoubtedly the Championship’s form team – their run of 18 matches unbeaten is astonishingly consistent for a league that throws up surprises at every turn.

There has been no hangover effect from losing to Fulham in August’s Play-off final or losing star men Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma in the summer. Brentford have barely missed a beat.

Championship top scorer Ivan Toney, signed from League One Peterborough, has replaced the goals of Watkins and Thomas Frank still strives to play football that’s pleasing on the eye.

Brentford want to avoid more promotion heartbreak, with Ivan Toney’s goals propelling them

Thomas Frank side are the Championship’s in-form team, boasting a run of 18 games unbeaten

That was evident as they ran in five second-half goals to smash Wycombe 7-2 on Saturday and they’re now the highest scorers in the league.

The club hasn’t played top-flight football since 1947 but are fully equipped for it with their modern new stadium. They’ll want a top two finish though rather than risk Play-off heartbreak again.

4th: Watford – 47 points

It wouldn’t be a Watford season without a managerial change and the rather uninspiring Vladimir Ivic was replaced by Xisco Munoz just before Christmas.

The Spanish coach has certainly made an encouraging start, winning four of his six league games and they’ll be strong favourites to make that five at home to QPR on Monday.

Given the size of Watford’s squad and the depth of Premier League experience in it, they really should bounce back at the first time of asking.

Despite only being relegated on the final day, Watford have struggled in the second tier more

Xisco Munoz has had a positive impact since coming in, aiming to shoot Watford back up again

They’re not quite matching the free-flowing football of some of their promotion rivals but Xisco has steadied things and they’re getting results while not conceding very often.

Since he took over, Watford have won all three home games without letting in a single goal and they’ll move level on points with Swansea if they beat QPR.

5th: Reading – 47 points

After three years of relegation battles, Reading have been revitalised by Serbian manager Veljko Paunovic, a relative unknown when appointed in the summer.

They won seven of their first eight games before promptly losing their next four but have found an impressive second wind in recent weeks to go six unbeaten and cement a top six spot.

Friday night’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth was their best performance under Paunovic, who likes to speak colourfully about his team’s ‘warrior spirit’ and ‘trojan’ defenders.

Reading are most used to battling relegation recently but are now mounting a shock tilt 

Striker Lucas Joao made little impression last season but has become one of the Championship’s deadliest finishers with 15 league goals.

Nobody expected Reading to be challenging for promotion but there’s also no indication they’ll fade from here and a Play-off spot should be the least of their ambitions.

6th: Bournemouth – 42 points

Bournemouth are slumping at a bad time with Friday’s loss at Reading their third in a row, a sequence that has seen them drop from second to sixth.

Their shocking defending left manager Jason Tindall shaking his head and they need to be careful things don’t unravel as they aim for an immediate Premier League return.

Tindall replaced Eddie Howe in the summer and managed to keep together most of their Premier League squad. They’d been as consistent as the other promotion hopefuls – until the last few games.

Upcoming games against lowly sides Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham, Nottingham Forest, Rotherham and QPR offer them the perfect chance to get back on track.

Bournemouth haven’t found the transition from the Eddie Howe era easy in the second tier 

The other contenders  

With 60 points still to play for this season, a great many teams just below the top six can’t be ruled out.

Middlesbrough are everything you’d expect from a Neil Warnock side and showed their stubbornness in Saturday’s goalless draw at Norwich.

Blackburn rack up big quantities of goals with Adam Armstrong second only to Toney in the league’s top scorer chart.

Bristol City haven’t hit top gear yet after being tipped for promotion in pre-season, while Stoke, Preston and Barnsley might be considered dark horses as they’re all within six points of the top six.

Share this article

Source: Read Full Article