Canaries and Hornets are now firmly backed to reach Prem

WATFORD are being heavily tipped to join Norwich City in gaining automatic promotion from the Championship this season.

The Hornets are bang in form and have won five consecutive matches to move six points clear of third placed Swansea City who lost to Bournemouth and Cardiff City in their final two games before the international break.

League leaders Norwich have a 14-point buffer over the playoff spots having won nine league fixtures on the spin prior to their 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Carrow Road on Saturday.

And such have been the efforts of the current top two of late, bookmakers now fully expect the Canaries and the Hornets to return to the Premier League.

Sky Bet are no longer offering odds for Norwich to be promoted while Watford are at 1/4 to secure an immediate return to the top flight.

As for the chasing pack, they are offering odds of 10/11 for Brentford to be promoted while Swansea City have drifted to 5/2 having suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time this season.

Cardiff City bolstered their hopes of clinching a top-six spot courtesy of their hard-fought 1-0 win over rivals Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday evening.

And with the Bluebirds now just four points adrift of the playoff places, Sky Bet have reduced Cardiff’s promotion odds to 11/1 with eight matches left to be played.

Elsewhere in the mix, Bournemouth (9/2), Barnsley (5/1) and Reading (10/1) are all in contention to go up.

Swansea return to action against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Friday, April 2 while Cardiff host Nottingham Forest on the same day.

Championship promotion odds Watford 1/4 Brentford 10/11 Swansea City 5/2 Bournemouth 9/2 Barnsley 5/1

Reading 10/1

Cardiff City 11/1 Middlesbrough 28/1 Stoke City 200/1 Millwall and Queens Park Rangers 250/1

Luton Town 500/1 Bristol City 2000/1

(Odds courtesy of Sky Bet, correct at time of publishing)