Jeff Stelling issues triple EFL play-off winners prediction | OneFootball

Jeff Stelling has revealed who he thinks will win the Championship, League One, and League Two play-offs

Long-time football presenter Jeff Stelling has predicted the teams that will win the Championship, League One, and League Two play-offs this season.

Many EFL supporters view the play-offs as the most exciting part of the season, as the sides who missed out on automatic promotion in all three divisions battle for their chance at winning promotion via a Wembley showpiece.

This campaign's play-offs get underway with the first leg of a Championship clash between Hull City and Millwall at the MKM Stadium on Friday, before Saturday plays host to the first leg of Middlesbrough's battle with Southampton.

The League One semi-finals also begin on Saturday, with Stevenage taking on Stockport County, and Bolton Wanderers hosting Bradford City in Greater Manchester.

League Two takes centre stage on Sunday, with Grimsby Town battling Salford City before Chesterfield host familiar play-off foe Notts County.

Jeff Stelling names predicted Championship, League One and League Two play-off winners

Many Championship, League One, and League Two supporters will have made their own play-off predictions by now, but the only guarantee is entertaining footballing drama.

Speaking live on talkSPORT Breakfast on Tuesday, host Stelling revealed which sides he thinks will win the play-offs this season.

The 71-year-old tipped Southampton to win the Championship play-offs, outlining that they will beat Millwall in the final at Wembley.

Stelling then predicted that Stockport would beat Greater Manchester neighbours Bolton in the League One play-off final, although he did admit that he is friends with County boss Dave Challinor, who formerly managed Hartlepool United - the club the talkSPORT host has been a long-time supporter of.

Then, weighing in on the League Two play-offs, Stelling tipped Grimsby to beat Chesterfield at Wembley, citing the Mariners' cup success this term as a reason to back them in knockout games.

David Artell's men caught the eye with their EFL Cup run earlier this term, as they beat Premier League giants Manchester United and Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday.

The Mariners also reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by top-flight side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Southampton may be Jeff Stelling's safest play-off prediction

The EFL play-offs provide some of the most dramatic games of the campaign every season, and produce moments that supporters will never forget.

Consequently, it is very difficult to correctly guess play-off winners, and many Championship, League One, and League Two enthusiasts may disagree with Stelling's predictions.

However, tipping Southampton to win promotion to the Premier League via the Wembley final appears to be a solid choice.

Before being beaten by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in last month's FA Cup semi-final, the Saints enjoyed a remarkable 20-game unbeaten run.

Finishing in the Championship play-offs previously seemed an unlikely outcome for the South Coast club, thanks to the poor start to the season they made under former boss Will Still.

However, Tonda Eckert has successfully turned Southampton's season around, and they are heading into the play-offs with plenty of momentum behind them, having suffered just three defeats since the turn of the year, with two of those arriving back in January.

The Saints' upcoming opponents, Middlesbrough, were a class act for large chunks of the season, but beating Eckert's men is a big ask for any club right now.