Just nine points separate the top six in the Championship
Who's in form? Who's got the toughest run-in? We analyse the Sky Bet Championship promotion race and get the expert view of Ian Holloway.
The race for promotion to the Premier League is shaping up to be a cracker. After Hull's draw with Brighton on Tuesday evening, just nine points separate the top six with 15 games (16 for Middlesbrough) of the season to play. But which team will put their foot on the gas and who will flounder under the pressure?
Hull City's Abel Hernandez has scored 17 goals this season
[h=2]Championship table[/h]
Team | Points | Goal difference |
---|---|---|
Hull | 60 | 28 |
Middlesbrough | 58 | 23 |
Brighton | 57 | 10 |
Burnley | 56 | 22 |
Sheff Wed | 53 | 16 |
Derby | 51 | 13 |
Birmingham | 48 | 8 |
Ipswich | 48 | 1 |
Cardiff | 46 | 5 |
We examine the key factors that could determine who makes it to the promised land of the Premier League...
Toughest run-ins?
Burnley are the only team in the top six that have to play just two of their top-six rivals in the run-in (away at Brighton and home to Middlesbrough) while the rest have to face each other at least three times.
Sean Dyche's Burnley have fewer of their top-six rivals left to play
[h=2]Top six remaining fixtures[/h]
Hull | Middlesbrough | Burnley | Brighton | Sheff Wed | Derby |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ipswich (a) | Cardiff (h) | Rotherham (h) | Cardiff (a) | Preston (a) | Brentford (a) |
Sheff Wed (h) | Fulham (a) | Nottingham F (h) | Bristol City (a) | QPR (h) | Blackburn (h) |
Birmingham (a) | Blackburn (a) | Bolton (a) | Leeds (h) | Hull (a) | Wolves (a) |
Brentford (h) | Wolves (h) | Blackburn (h) | Preston (a) | Rotherham (h) | Huddersfield (h) |
MK Dons (h) | Rotherham (a) | Fulham (a) | Sheff Wed (h) | Brighton (a) | QPR (a) |
Nottingham F (h) | Charlton (a) | Huddersfield (a) | Reading (h) | Nottingham F (a) | Rotherham (a) |
Middlesbrough (a) | Hull (h) | Wolves (h) | MK Dons (a) | Charlton (h) | Nottingham F (h) |
Bristol City (h) | QPR (a) | Brighton (a) | Burnley (h) | Huddersfield (a) | Cardiff (a) |
Derby (a) | Huddersfield (h) | Cardiff (h) | Birmingham (a) | Blackburn (h) | Hull (h) |
Huddersfield (a) | Preston (h) | Leeds (h) | Nottingham F (a) | Bristol City (a) | Bolton (h) |
Wolves (h) | Bolton (a) | Birmingham (a) | Fulham (h) | Ipswich (h) | Charlton (a) |
Reading (a) | Burnley (a) | Middlesbrough (h) | QPR (h) | MK Dons (h) | Bristol City (a) |
Leeds (h) | Ipswich (h) | Preston (a) | Charlton (a) | Derby (a) | Sheff Wed (h) |
Bolton (a) | Birmingham (a) | QPR (h) | Derby (h) | Cardiff (h) | Brighton (a) |
Rotherham (h) | Brighton (h) | Charlton (a) | Middlesbrough (a) | Wolves (a) | Ipswich (h) |
Reading (a) TBA |