West Brom and Leicester City - Who has the easier Championship fixture run-in | OneFootball

FLW outline the run-in for both West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City for the remainder of the 2025/26 Championship season...

Following defeat at home to Norwich City and away to Oxford United respectively, Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion are in serious danger of relegation to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday have taken one of the three relegation spots from the Championship already, but Oxford United on 32 points are breathing down the necks of Leicester City on 34 points in 22nd and West Brom on 25 in 21st.

Charlton Athletic (41), Portsmouth (39), and Blackburn Rovers (38) are the other sides in the mix, but both Leicester and West Brom are recent Premier League sides. The Baggies last played in the top flight in 2021, having now spent five seasons in the Championship.

Leicester, meanwhile, won the Premier League 10 seasons ago, the FA Cup five years ago, and have since suffered two relegations to the second tier. They have not played in League One since 2008/09 but a return for at least one of the pair appears likely.

West Brom's Championship run-in is harder than Leicester City's

Opta believe that there is a 74.96% chance Oxford join Wednesday, with West Brom regarded as the most likely to take the final spot in the bottom three with 54.14%, while Leicester have a 35.12% chance of back-to-back relegations.

Of course, like Wednesday, the Foxes are the only Championship team to have suffered a points deduction this term. Gary Rowett's side would have 40 points and be sat in 19th without them.

West Brom have problems of their own, with Eric Ramsay lasting just 44 days at the helm after replacing Ryan Mason. They are in serious danger of their third ever season outside of the top two tiers of English football. But how does their run-in compare with Leicester?

Both clubs travel to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday, but Leicester are yet to face three of the top four. That said, six of West Brom's remaining games come against some of the serious play-off contenders.

The average league position of Leicester's opponents is 13.7, while West Brom's is 11.3 and a significant amount higher. However, perhaps a manager comes in who thrives in transitions and setting a team up to defend deep.

West Brom's managerial change will dictate the relegation picture

Not only do Leicester have the kinder fixture list, but they also have a higher points per game rate when you remove their points deduction. The Foxes have the stability of a manager already in place as well.

But, the reality is, survival could all hinge on West Brom's next appointment. Should they secure someone who makes them more defensively sturdy and who gets them somewhat of a bounce, it could galvanise them to safety immediately.

Of course, both sides could yet survive at the expense of a club like Blackburn or Portsmouth. However, “bad vibes” can derail even a talented squad because football is as psychological as it is technical.

On paper, both sides have the quality to stay up. But when things like trust between players, fans, or staff erode, standards slip: pressing becomes half-hearted, defensive lines stop communicating, and individuals play for themselves.

Confidence drains quickly in a relegation scrap as it is, let alone when a club has been on a downward slope off the pitch for a while as well. A stronger squad on paper may panic after setbacks, while a united but less talented rival stays compact and disciplined.