This years’ Championship has already provided a rollercoaster ride for fans, with the current table throwing up a number of interesting talking points and no obvious favourites established for the title.
For example, Blackburn Rovers remain joint-top of the table despite losing more games than 23rd-place Coventry City, while Preston North End have the distinction of having the least potent attack and the best defence.
But which sides are the favourites to achieve promotion this season? Here’s three of the teams to consider backing!
#1. Burnley (8/11)
The very best Linebet promotions afford you access to free bets and excellent odds, and you can typically back Burnley to win promotion at around 8/11.
This is a reasonable bet given the quality that exists with the Burnley squad, which despite the significant upheaval that followed last season’s relegation, has been rebuilt quietly but efficently by new manager Vincent Kompany.
Certainly, Kompany has reduced the average age of the squad considerably, while players like Jay Rodriguez (this season’s top scorer with seven goals in 13 EFL matches) has been revitalised under the stewardship of the canny Belgian.
While Burnley have drawn a league-high nine matches this season, they’ve been beaten just once in 16 games, and should have enough quality and know-how to sustain a promotion push this season.
#2. Sheffield United (10/11)
The Blades, who wowed the Premier League by finishing ninth as recently as the 2019/20 season, are also odds-on with most sportsbooks to secure promotion back to the top-flight this year.
Certainly, the club rebounded well from relegation to finish fifth and qualify for the play-offs during the last campaign, before being edged out on penalties by a Nottingham Forest side that ultimately reached the promised land of the Premier League.
Currently, United are fourth in the EPL table and firmly in the hunt for promotion, while they’ve retained much of the squad that last competed in the EPL in 2020/21.
In fact, during the recent home game against Norwich City, the Blades featured eight players who boast Premier League experience for the club, and this should stand them in good stead towards the business end of the campaign.
#3. Norwich City (6/5)
Norwich City remain the perennial “yo-yo” club, having alternated seamlessly between the Championship and Premier League in each of the previous five seasons.
Because of this, however, the Canaries boast a strong playing squad with Premier League experience, while seasoned campaigners like Teemu Pukki and Scottish international Grant Hanley provide much-needed quality at both ends of the pitch.
What’s more, manager Dean Smith has previously taken Aston Villa from the depths of the Championship to the Premier League, so he knows how to successfully navigate the peaks and troughs of a typical season in the second tier of English football.
So, Norwich offer definite value for promotion at their current odds, while they may also fancy their chances of securing one of the two automatic promotion spots.
