Championship may be way to go

Predicting the results of matches in the English second tier is tough but TAB soccer punters who get it right stand a chance to collect big payouts.

hile the English Premier League predictably evolves into a sixteam race with the rest of the field merely a supporting cast, the promotion race in the Championship one division below is shaping up to provide absorbing twists and turns through the next six months of action.

Two automatic promotion places from the Championship to the EPL, and one more slot after the play-offs, are among the most sought after in world football.

The riches of the Premier League are such that any club able to join that elite group elevates itself to a different dimension with the potential to keep building and become even stronger.

The playoff decider at Wembley at the end of May, when the last promotion place is decided between teams three to six in the final Championship standings, is routinely called the richest game in professional football.

Punters have an opportunity this weekend to bet on the Championship again, but will be aware of how topsy-turvy results have proven this season.

It creates the potential for huge payouts from TAB soccer pools featuring Championship matches this weekend and will tempt all those who feel they can master the form.

The key match is Leeds United’s trip to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, when there will be further examination of whether the coaching methods of Marcelo Bielsa will prove the saviour for long-suffering Leeds fans.

West Brom were one of three clubs relegated at the end of last season from the Premiership and the one most expected to make the bounce back up again.

But their form has dipped in recent weeks and a four-match winless run sees them down to seventh place, albeit only five points from the summit they occupied a month or so ago.

Leeds, who have been out of the Premier League since 2004, top the table on goal difference only from Norwich and are only one point ahead of Sheffield United and two ahead of Middlesborough and Derby County.

All are well supported clubs from sizeable cities with major ambitions to get back to the top flight of the English game.

Norwich are away at Swansea City, Sheffield United at Rotherham and Derby at Sheffield Wednesday in matches that could all go either way and will bring out the best skills in both the players and TAB soccer punters.