Boro, Ipswich Town or Millwall to win automatic promotion? Sky Sports man makes feelings clear | OneFootball

Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough and Millwall are all contending for automatic promotion to the Premier League

The final weeks of the season will determine the top two places in the Championship with Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough all in the mix.

The Sky Blues enjoyed an excellent run of form prior to the March international break, winning seven out of their last eight games, giving them a comfortable gap to the chasing pack.

Frank Lampard’s side are in top spot with just seven fixtures remaining, and almost have one foot in the Premier League after losing in the play-offs in two of the previous campaigns.

However, the three behind are separated by just two points, and the Tractor Boys in third also have a game in hand on second place Boro.

It is set to be a fiercely competitive end to the season, with effectively just one promotion place on the line, barring a significant collapse in form at the CBS Arena.

Ipswich are seeking promotion straight back to the top flight after coming 19th in the division last year, while Middlesbrough and Millwall have not competed at that level since 2017 and 1990, respectively.

Andy Hinchcliffe makes automatic promotion prediction involving Ipswich and Middlesbrough

Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe has predicted that Ipswich will come out on top in the battle for second place in the Championship this season.

While his head still thinks Middlesbrough could do it, his feeling all year has been that Kieran McKenna’s side are the favourites, and that they will get over the line in the final weeks of the campaign.

“I think my head says Middlesbrough will finish second,” said Hinchcliffe, via Sky Sports.

“I just think in my heart, I’ve said all season, even when Ipswich were mid-table [that they will go up].

“If they do finish second, they will deserve it with the games they have got left with how many are away from home.

“I do think they’re good enough.

“I’ll stick with Ipswich because I’ve said that all season long.”

Ipswich will have a second game in hand due to missing Friday’s round of action this Easter weekend, with their clash against Southampton being postponed.

The Saints are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, which also take place this weekend, meaning their league meeting against McKenna’s side has been rescheduled.

This will give Middlesbrough or Millwall the opportunity to gain points on the Suffolk outfit, with the two teams set to face each other at the Riverside in a 12.30pm kick-off.

All three will then be back in action on Monday for the second half of the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The Tractor Boys will return to action by hosting Birmingham City in a 3pm kick-off, which will be followed by Boro’s 5.30pm trip to Swansea City.

But Alex Neil’s side will play an in-form Norwich City in a 1pm kick-off, meaning the Lions play twice more before Ipswich kick another ball, which could prove important in the run-in.

Ipswich’s fate is in their own hands

If Ipswich win all of their remaining games then they will be in the Premier League next season, which makes their task quite straightforward in some ways.

However, eight victories in a row will be a tough task, and there will surely be twists and turns between now and the final day of the season on 2 May.

It is a condensed end to the campaign, so whichever team gets over the line will ultimately have earned it the hard way.

Millwall are also not to be discounted, as Neil’s side aren’t going away, and they showed before the break against Ipswich just how hard they can be to beat, which will be invaluable in these final weeks.