Championship promotion & play-off race permutations ahead of blockbuster final day | OneFootball

The Championship has delivered once again with plenty still up for grabs as we head into the final day of the season this weekend.

All 12 fixtures take place simultaneously on Saturday lunchtime and half of them can have an impact on the race for promotion.

We’ve done the hard yards of working out all the various permutations for you to keep an eye out for.

Race for the automatics

Southampton’s 2-2 draw with Ipswich on Tuesday mathematically ruled them out of the automatic promotion race but there is still a chance for three teams to make it.

The advantage is with Ipswich who have 81 points and currently sit in second but both Millwall and Middlesbrough have an opportunity to sneak in there.

Millwall only trail Ipswich by one point meaning a draw for them at the weekend against already-relegated Oxford United could in theory be good enough but the goal differences involved make that unlikely.

The Lions have a 17-goal difference to catch up to Ipswich meaning if they do draw, they need Ipswich to lose by that margin and one more for them to move into second. Realistically, only a win will be enough for Millwall.

As for Middlesbrough, they need to win and hope that Ipswich lose and Millwall lose or draw. That would see them move onto 82 with Ipswich and Millwall both on 81 but Boro have the hardest fixture of the contenders as they face playoff-chasing Wrexham away from home.

As for Ipswich, they face mid-table QPR who in theory have nothing to play for but no one in Suffolk is taking that for granted at this stage. Ipswich do though have the best home record in the league having lost just once at Portman Road this season and beat QPR 4-1 at Loftus Road in November.

Ipswich go up if:

– Beat QPR – Draw and Millwall and Middlesbrough fail to win – Draw and Millwall fail to win while Middlesbrough win but with a margin of five goals or less

Millwall go up if:

– Beat Oxford United and Ipswich lose to QPR – Draw and Ipswich lose by a margin of 18 goals while Middlesbrough fail to win

Middlesbrough go up if:

– Beat Wrexham and Ipswich and Millwall lose – Beat Wrexham by a margin of six and Millwall fail to win while Ipswich draw

How Kieran McKenna rebuilt Ipswich Town for immediate return to the Premier League

The playoff race

Automatic promotion is not the only thing on offer this weekend and there are seven teams all with a chance of going up this year.

Southampton’s place in the playoffs was confirmed with the draw on Tuesday, but Tonda Eckert’s team will want to finish as high as possible and get the more favourable fixtures.

Saints can still finish third but need to beat Preston and hope Millwall lose and Middlesbrough draw. Achieving that would mean facing the sixth-place team, a spot which is still very much up for grabs.

Competing for that spot are Wrexham, Hull and Derby, who are separated by just one point.

The Welsh side are currently in the playoff spots on 70 but are ahead of Hull by just a single goal. Derby meanwhile have the superior goal difference but one point fewer than their rivals.

In terms of fixtures, Wrexham has the hardest one as they host Middlesbrough while Hull have Norwich (9th) at home and Derby have Sheffield United (15th) at home.

For Wrexham to reach the playoffs, they simply need to equal the result of the other two while Hull need to win. Derby’s chances rely on both Hull and Wrexham dropping points but they could make it if they draw and the other two lose.

Wrexham reach the playoffs if:

– Equal or better the result of Hull and Derby

Hull reach the playoffs if:

– Better the result of Wrexham – Can afford to lose provided Wrekham lose by one more goal and Derby lose