Championship 2019/2020 Season Favorites, Dark Horses and More
The previous edition of the English Championship was fantastic. A lot of teams were battling for direct promotions and playoffs, with Norwich City eventually winning the title just ahead of Sheffield United. The Canaries secured ten victories out of the last fourteen fixtures to make that happen! When it comes to the playoffs, the finals were traditionally played at Wembley between Aston Villa and Derby County. The Birmingham side has made a long-awaited comeback to the Premier League. Those are the squads which have advanced to the top flight this season, so who are the top contenders to win the division this time? The new campaign is officially starting on 2nd August 2019.
Who Are The Top Favorites This Time?
Leeds United are sitting at the top of favorites list at the moment is priced at 9/2 to win the Championship and regain EPL membership card after 16 years. Their coach Marcelo Bielsa has extended the contract to at least one more year, so there is no doubt they will play a big role. Leeds United have spent a lot of time sitting in top 3 positions last season as well but got dramatically eliminated from the playoffs. ’The Championship has acquired more and more popularity also abroad’ told us Ethan Rowe from a leading Canadian Betting Sites comparison website.
Argentine expert and his strategies were working perfectly as Leeds sat at the top of the table on Christmas Day. However, having 10 losses in the last 22 outings have allowed Sheffield United to claim the 2nd position. Leeds were sentenced to at least one more season in the Championship after 4-3 loss to Derby County on aggregate. We also see them ending in the top two positions this time around.
Fulham FC has had a couple of decent showings in the PL last year, but the inability to defend well have pushed them back to the Championship. The core of the squad was kept, so it is not surprising to see them listed as a favorite number two to win the division. They are currently priced at 7/1 odds. Some of the most important news for the team and the fans are retentions of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ryan Sessegnon. The Cottagers have collected only 26 points in the last season. The only squad which had fewer points were Cardiff City. It seems we are going to see at least two more duels between Fulham FC and The Bluebirds this season!
The most popular team from Wales, Cardiff City are 3rd favorite to win the Championship outright. They were promoted to the EPL two years ago after ending 2nd. The last time they have won this league was in 2012. At the moment this squad is priced at 11/1 odds to win the Championship in 2019/2020.
The Outsiders
West Bromwich Albion has had a nice run in the previous campaign, ending it in 4th place. The
playoffs saw them battle against the city rivals Aston Villa and eventually losing it on penalties! Slaven Bilic was appointed as the new head manager. The Croat expert has a lot of experience in English football, and he is expected to lead the team to a playoffs spot at minimum. Two players which played a big role in the last season Jay Rodriguez and Salomon Rondon have left the squad though. The Baggies are currently priced at 12/1 odds to win this year’s edition of the Championship.
Many of you probably remember the odds presented for outright Championship winners last season too. Stoke City was at the top of that list, but they have had a turbulent year. They have spent more time in the bottom half of the table than trying to reach the top six, ending as 16th on the final standings! This squad obviously failed to readapt to the division after spending so many years in the top flight. This time they are backed at 12/1 odds to win the league. We don’t see a lot of potential in backing the Potters, to be honest, as there were no significant changes in the roster.
Brentford was labeled as the dark horse for three years straight, but they always seem to wake up too late. Last year they were ten points behind the playoffs line. The price on them to win the league seem like a bad value as well at 13/1.
The Underdogs
One of the most popular value bets in our opinion is backing Middlesbrough to win the league at a whopping 17/1 rate. Jonathan Woodgate is doing a fine job as the manager, as the team ended just one point behind the playoff line in the last campaign. The squad had a lot of struggles with efficiency in the first part of the season, bagging a total of 49 goals. However, the defensive stats were quite impressive (conceded 41 goals). If they could improve the stats in the offense and keep rock-solid defending lineup, there are possibilities!
The last dark horse we are going to mention is Bristol City. This team has been making steady progress for the last couple of seasons, especially after they appointed Lee Johnson as the head manager three years ago. Bristol City is priced at 17/1 to win the league as well. The final standings last year saw them end in the 8th place. The main reason for not reaching playoffs was poor form in the late stages, having won only four out of last fourteen outings.
