Fans of Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Leeds United are all dreading the same thing, particularly with Southampton making a late play for automatic promotion as well.
The Championship title run-in is now comfortably ahead of the Premier League for excitement on account of not having a machine like Manchester City in the lead – and the top three are getting nervous, very nervous.
In the final straight points are being dropped all over the shop, with momentum virtually non-existent. It is looking to be a limp over a line as opposed to a sprint, with the treacherous route of the play-offs awaiting those who narrowly fall short.
No one wants the play-offs. Who would? Apart from West Brom and Norwich, that is, the duo who are a distant fifth and sixth below but could yet upset the odds – or likewise Hull City and Coventry City, the main challengers for those final two places.
The jeopardy that comes with the play-offs – thrilling for the neutral, anxiety inducing for anyone affiliated – is certainly something Leicester, Ipswich and Leeds will want to avoid.
The disappointment of missing out on the automatic route to the Premier League will come with extra weight given how close this race has been, leaving at least one side just eight days to recover between the end of the regular Championship season (4 May) and the start of the semi-finals (12 May).
Throw in the fact third place has only achieved promotion in four of the past 10 seasons and you have a title race for the ages.
Championship state of play – who’s going up?
An impossible question to answer. Just seven points separate the top four with a fortnight to go. Leicester – who are hoping to return to the top flight for the first time since 2023 – are first, with Ipswich in second, Leeds in third and Southampton in fourth.
By proxy of their position, Leicester and Ipswich are therefore favourites to go up, especially if the Foxes win their game in hand next week. That, though, is a right doozy, against Southampton at the King Power Stadium.
Sink the Saints on Tuesday and promotion should be Leicester’s with two more games to go, but equally there is the threat of the opposite and what that could mean.
Leicester had been cruising at the top, 11 points clear as recently as February, but amid financial fair play uncertainty promotion or not they have since endured spells outside of the top two amid a run of just three wins in their last 10 Championship games. Enzo Maresca’s side should do it, but no one is taking anything for granted anymore.
