Fulham Look Like Championship Champions-Elect
Marco Silva’s Fulham side are in pole position to enjoy an immediate promotion to the Premier League this term. They have earned 44 points from their first 21 games of the campaign, with 50 goals being scored and it’s plausible that the London side will therefore amass over 100 this season.
The squad looks capable of lasting the distance and there is plenty to like about the scoring feats of Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serbian has already scored 21 goals for the Cottagers this season and seems like a flat-track bully in this division. Neeskens Kebano and Harry Wilson ensure that there is plenty of attacking creativity.
Can Bournemouth Secure Second Spot in the Division?
The Cherries lost in the Championship play-offs last season although Scott Parker took charge at the beginning of the campaign and it’s been an excellent first half of the campaign for the Dorset team. Parker hasn’t got a huge budget at the Vitality Stadium although 43 points from 21 games played represents a healthy return for the team.
Dominic Solanke is proving to be prolific at this level, although a 3-2 defeat at Derby signalled a downturn in form and it’s now been four games and counting for the south coast team who might find themselves being reeled in by the chasing pack.
West Brom Also Likely to Challenge for Automatic Promotion
The Baggies have been struggling for results recently although a 2-1 win at Coventry has steadied the ship and they have a regular source of goals in the form of Karlan Grant. The striker has nine goals for the season, while Callum Robinson is also capable at this level, even if the fans haven’t always enjoyed the brand of football on the pitch.
Valerien Ismael’s remit is to steer Albion into the top two automatic promotion spots and the former Barnsley manager worked wonders with the Tykes last season by getting them into the play-offs.
Blackburn, Stoke and QPR Might Also Land Promotion
Blackburn Rovers are full of goals, especially at Ewood Park where they have plundered 24 goals and many of them have come from Ben Brereton-Diaz. The Chile international could yet fire the Lancashire side to promotion and he has scored seventeen goals. The big question is whether he will remain with the team for the whole season.
Stoke City might also knock on the door with Michael O’Neill in charge and they sit seventh in the table at the time of writing. QPR are in a similar position and the London outfit racked up 35 points from their first 20 matches
The 2021-22 English Championship football table has been quick to take shape, with relegated sides Fulham and West Brom having set about going on an immediate charge to land promotion back to the Premier League. While the third relegated club Sheffield United have been floundering since the campaign began, the other duo are already indicating that they’re a cut above the other teams in the division.
The bookies are certainly making the Championship outright market a two-horse race, with the Cottagers being given the slight edge and there has been everything to like about Marco Silva’s team following an opening day 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough where the visitors were able to somehow sneak a point after some strong defending.
Fulham have since collected four consecutive victories, with Aleksandar Mitrovic certainly a forward capable of being prolific in the second flight even if the Serbian has often struggled to do the same when it comes to the Premier League. The most recent win was a 3-0 scoreline against Stoke City and the impressive aspect is how strong the defence has been.
As for West Brom, they also have thirteen points and their results have mirrored Fulham’s, with the Baggies drawing 2-2 with Bournemouth in their opening clash before embarking on a victorious run which has seen the Midlands side score plenty of goals. Indeed, they have twelve on the board even if they were slightly fortunate to overcome Peterborough in their last game before the international break.
Valerien Ismael was an impressive manager when guiding Barnsley to the play-offs in the Championship last season, with the Frenchman now looking to make sure that West Brom secure automatic promotion and the squad certainly has the depth to be very competitive, with Jordan Hugill having arrived recently and Karlan Grant is one of the most menacing forwards in the division.
If there is going to be a team that gatecrash into the top two, then that side might be Bournemouth who are managed by former Fulham boss Scott Parker. The Cherries were able to hold West Brom to an exciting 2-2 draw to kick things off, with the Dorset club having recently thrown away a two-goal lead against Blackpool before a goalless draw against Hull City.
Perhaps a youthful Cherries squad might only see them secure a placing between third and sixth position, with Queens Park Rangers one of the shining lights in the division so far. Mark Warburton’s team have begun the campaign looking bright and eleven points on the board means that they’re effectively best of the rest behind Fulham and West Brom right now.
It’s been a great summer of football for fans of Portugal, Wales, Iceland and one or two other countries but most English fans will welcome the return of domestic action rather than want to look back at the Euros. The big kick-off in the Championship is just around the corner and here we take a look at who we think will win the second tier title this term.
Our live odds comparison will quickly and easily provide you with the best odds on the Championship. From the outright winner betting to all the 552 individual games throughout the season, we’ve got you covered. Placing your bets at the best available odds is one guaranteed way to improve your chances of making a profit from betting on the Championship: but what should you bet betting on?
When it comes to who the bookmakers think will win the Championship title in May 2017, the three sides relegated in the summer dominate. Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa head the outright betting, with many predicting an instant return to the top flight for those clubs.
It is the Magpies who are hot favourites to actually win the Championship though, priced at odds of 19/10 with Sporting Bet. Little separates the other two, with the Canaries 10/1 and the Villains 11s, both with Coral. If the bookies are to be believed there are four other possible contenders.
Derby are priced at 14/1, Brighton and Wolves at 16/1 and Sheffield Wednesday a shade longer at odds of 17/1. There may be some Welsh money coming in for Cardiff at 33s but realistically the men making the odds view this as a seven-horse race at the most, with one real thoroughbred in the Black and White silks of Newcastle United.
The Toon Army have managed to convince Rafa Benitez to stay and that is a big plus. Whilst the Spaniard hasn’t managed at this level for a long time he does have experience of promotion campaigns. Benitez made a name for himself as a manager by earning promotion to La Liga for first Extremadura and latterly Tenerife.
He is undoubtedly a top manager and on paper Newcastle’s squad looks the best in the Championship. However, the English second division is notoriously tough to earn promotion from and odds of less than 2/1 are just too short for us.
Norwich, as the title of our article suggests, are our Championship winner betting tip but before we justify our prediction, let’s look at some of their supposed rivals.
Villa were so abject last season that whilst the bookmakers have them as third favourites for promotion, we find them more interesting as a relegation bet. Priced at odds of 33/1 with William Hill they wouldn’t be the first “big” side to suffer back-to-back relegations.
Derby are fourth favourites and they and Wednesday look interesting options. They finished fifth and sixth respectively last term and having held onto their best players can improve with a little more year-long consistency. Equally Brighton, who came so close last term having finished level on points with Boro, will feel this could be their time.
Ultimately though it is Norwich, who finished third in the Championship in 2015 to earn promotion via the play-offs, who we feel offer the best value in the Championship outright winner betting. They finished 19th in the Premier League last term, five points shy of safety but they have the experience and the manager to bounce straight back.
They have kept faith with Alex Neil in the dugout and the determined Scot, still only 35, can lead them back to the glory of the Premier League. Neil is tactically sound and is an excellent motivator. He got the job in Norfolk on the strength of guiding Hamilton to the Scottish Premier League and despite the loss of Nathan Redmond to Southampton, he can lead Norwich to the Championship title at double digit odds this May.