Middlesbrough? Derby? Preston? Who will make the Championship playoffs?

(Photo credit: Charlie Nettle)

For most teams in the Championship, there are only ten games remaining. The final stretch of the season is approaching, then, and already the table has a shape to it. 

Looking at the top end of the table, there are two distinct groups. Wolves are unlikely to slacken the pace, though a couple of bad results would be concerning given the form of Cardiff, Fulham and Aston Villa behind them. These are the four teams contesting the two spots for an automatic promotion. 

At this point, it looks like they’ve all at least got a playoff position secured. It would take some drop in form to fall away at this point and all look in good enough shape for that not to happen.

The four-point gap between Fulham and Derby in fourth and fifth is a strong symbol of the gap between the two groups. This latter group sees about six teams with a realistic chance of making the two up-for-grabs places.

Take a look at how we assess their chances: