Where AI think Cardiff City and Lincoln City would finish in the EFL Championship next season | OneFootball

The two League One sides strengthened their position at the top of the table over the weekend

Cardiff City and Lincoln City are now sitting comfortably at the top of League One, with a 10-point cushion separating them and their nearest challengers.

The pair don’t look like dropping masses of points either, with Lincoln unbeaten in the league since the end of November, and Cardiff tasting defeat at the weekend against Plymouth for the first time since December.

Naturally, that will lead to thoughts of next season, and the potential to be gearing up for a Championship campaign.

With that in mind, we’ve turned to AI to see if the model can predict where the pair might finish in next year’s second tier…

AI predicts how Cardiff City will fare in the Championship next season

The Bluebirds are, of course, an experienced Championship side, having spent seven of the last 10 seasons in the second tier.

That’s an element of the club that AI factored in when making its prediction, applying weight to the fact that they will still largely have much of the squad and club infrastructure in place from those Championship years.

Another point it makes is that the club’s attacking style under Brian Barry-Murphy may see them look to compete rather than survive following promotion.

That rings true, particularly with the likes of Yousef Salech, who almost reached double figures in the second tier last season despite being part of the Bluebirds’ relegation side, and managed to net 12 goals in 27 appearances for them in League One this term.

He’d be joining another key attacking figure in Chris Willock, who has reams of Championship experience with Queens Park Rangers, so should be able to make the jump up with ease.

Thanks to all that Championship muscle memory, AI predicts that Cardiff would finish between 15th and 18th next term, not troubling the top of the division, but comfortably clear from a relegation battle; probably the consolidation season they need.

AI predicts how Lincoln City will fare in the Championship next season

Almost the opposite is true of the Imps, who have spent the last 10 seasons between the National League and League One and have no recent Championship experience.

AI points out that their infrastructure, including the 10,669-capacity LNER Stadium, is much smaller than that of most Championship sides, which may limit the capital they have to spend.

They also ranked 17th in terms of wage bill in League One, showing on one hand that they are far exceeding expectations, and on the other, suggesting that they likely have a small budget by third-tier standards, never mind in the league above.

However, the model does afford the side some chance of staying up, through sheer momentum, organisation and continuity, with Michael Skubala having been in position for a couple of years now.

Nevertheless, AI predicts a relegation battle for the Imps, with a projected finish between 20th and 23rd, although with the potential of survival if they recruit well.

A lot will rely on how the League One pair do in the summer transfer window

That recruitment will be vital for both sides, but particularly Lincoln.

Neither side are likely to have the kind of money we’ve seen Wrexham and Birmingham City spend over the past 12 months, but a more realistic guide may be found in Charlton Athletic.

The Addicks kept their transfer business affordable by recruiting some of the best talents from the league they’d just led, and adding some Championship experience along the way in January with deals for Lyndon Dykes and Conor Coady.

If Lincoln and Cardiff could distil those two Charlton windows into one successful summer, then like the Addicks, they have a great chance at a comfortable survival battle.