Opta predicts Championship play-offs final day outcome with Coventry City and Bristol City in the driving seat

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The play-offs are set to begin next week and there are still five teams able to get into them, with Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers, and Millwall chasing down Bristol City and Coventry City.

The financial reward of promotion is massive, which is what many are continuing to eye as we approach the final run-in. There are still a number of play-off contenders left in the race with Millwall and Blackburn putting in impressive runs of form recently.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	45	28	13	4	93	29	64	97
2	BurnleyBurnley	45	27	16	2	66	15	51	97
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	45	28	7	10	62	35	27	89
4	SunderlandSunderland	45	21	13	11	58	43	15	76
5	Bristol CityBristol City	45	17	16	12	57	53	4	67
6	CoventryCoventry	45	19	9	17	62	58	4	66
7	MillwallMillwall	45	18	12	15	46	46	0	66
8	BlackburnBlackburn	45	19	8	18	52	47	5	65
9	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	45	18	10	17	64	54	10	64
10	West BromWest Brom	45	14	19	12	52	44	8	61

Some teams will be playing Championship football again in 2025/26, but there are the likes of Boro who can still make it into the top six despite being three points off the pace, given that they face Coventry on the final day this weekend.

Last weekend in the Championship was a good one for Millwall and Blackburn in particular, and only made better during Bristol City’s hammering at the hands of Leeds United, making final day an even more interesting and exciting one than usual in the second tier.

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Opta’s final play-off prediction ahead of Championship final weekend

The promotion race has four clear leaders at the top of the division, which has been the case for some time now. However, numerous clubs will be eyeing the final two spots inside the top six, with five clubs in the race ahead of final day.

The race for the Championship play-offs is always a thrilling affair, as teams engage in a fierce battle until the final day for a coveted top-six spot. However, the final at Wembley is often a dull fixture but there have been some excellent play-off finals in recent memory.

The unpredictable nature of the knockout competition means a team with 15-20 points fewer than another can knock them out or go all the way and win it themselves, after sneaking into sixth spot on the final day of the season.

These teams can all make it there, but Opta have detailed the chances of some are higher than others in a recent update following Liam Manning and co. losing on Monday night. Per Opta Analyst, their predictions suggest that the likely outcome is for the top six to remain as it is now.

Manning’s ‘underdogs’ continue to impress despite the thumping, but it is up for grabs for each of them heading into final day, although some have trickier tests than others. Boro having the best chance despite being ninth is also interesting, too.

• READ MORE: Coventry City and Preston North End could be involved in one of the most bizarre Championship final day permutations

The final day play-off team fixtures compared

Players will get their chance to write their name into club folklore as both heroes and villains on final day but also during the finals as well, while it’s an occasion that, for both good and bad, fans will never forget for those that make it to Wembley.

The fixtures make it look like a banker for the Robins to make it, while Millwall and Blackburn have particularly difficult fixtures, and Boro and Cov go head-to-head; but the Championship is never that simple.

For whoever makes it, the EFL play-offs are perhaps the greatest invention in football and ought to be protected at all costs, but they can also be incredibly frustrating for those involved in them after the relief of getting there in the first place.