Who are the 5 EFL Championship clubs at risk of relegation after Portsmouth’s John Mousinho drops big claim | OneFootball

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho believes his team are one of five that are battling to stay in the Championship this season.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho insists he isn’t setting a points target for his players in their bid for survival ahead of their game against Derby County on Monday night.

The Championship is renowned as one of the most exciting and unpredictable leagues on the planet, and it is living up to that tag this season.

Whilst the fight for promotion may attract the most headlines, the battle to stay in the second tier is shaping up to be enthralling.

John Mousinho claims Portsmouth are one of five clubs that could go down

Sheffield Wednesday’s off-field issues mean they are already relegated, but it’s unclear which other two teams will be joining the Owls in League One next season.

Ahead of the weekend games, West Brom sit in 23rd, but they are just two points behind Portsmouth, who are 19th in the table. Meanwhile, Pompey trail QPR, the side directly above them, by seven points.

And, speaking to the Portsmouth News, Mousinho explained that he feels the R’s are safe, with two of Pompey, Albion, Oxford United, Blackburn and Leicester set for the drop - although he wouldn’t be drawn on a magic number that his side will need to stay up.

“There’s no points target, just try to win on Monday. Last season I actually believed when we got to around 44 points that might be enough - it turned out to be woefully short. So, I don’t think there’s any point in doing it.

“Realistically, we are probably at the top of that mini-league of clubs which can go down. QPR and above are safe. There’s a seven-point gap between QPR, us and Charlton.

"I don’t know what other fans will think, that feels about right to me. All of a sudden, it could go either way.”

Portsmouth will fancy their chances in the fight to survive in the Championship

Obviously, things can change quickly in football, and you can be sure that QPR and Charlton feel they aren’t safe, and, ultimately, that is right, as 47 points isn’t going to be enough to keep you in the division.

However, most would agree with Mousinho that it’s realistically two of the five that will go down, and it could go to the final day.

But, Portsmouth are in the best position in that mini-league, as not only are they ahead of their rivals, they do have a game in-hand on everyone as well, even if it’s against high-flying Ipswich Town.

With fixtures against Oxford and Leicester, there’s every chance that those games will make the difference, but there’s sure to be twists and turns along the way, and with QPR to play, they could potentially drag them into it, despite Mousinho’s claim. So, it’s an exciting time for all neutrals as we watch on, but the Pompey chief won’t appreciate that!

Yet, as he says, it’s about taking it one game at a time, and the pleasing thing for Portsmouth is that it’s in their hands. Now, attention is on Derby, and even though they’re pushing for the play-offs, Pompey will feel they can get a result against them, especially at Fratton Park.