2023-24 EFL Championship playoffs predictions and promotion tips: Baggies to trouser Premier League return

2023-24 Championship playoff dates & TV details

First Legs
Norwich vs Leeds – Sunday, May 12, live on Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 12pm
West Brom vs Southampton – Sunday, May 12, live on Sky Sports Football, 2.15pm

Second Legs
Leeds vs Norwich – Thursday, May 16, live on Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 8pm
Southampton vs West Brom – Friday, May 17, live on Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 8pm

Final
Sunday, May 26, live on Sky Sports Main Event & Football, kick-off time TBC

Best bets for the Championship playoffs

West Brom to be promoted
1pt 6-1 bet365

2023-24 Championship playoff predictions

West Brom fans have not seen their team win at Wembley since a 3-0 success over Port Vale in the 1993 third-tier playoff final but they could experience something even better before the month is out.

The 2023-24 Championship playoff betting is heavily skewed towards Leeds and Southampton, who finished third and fourth in the final standings and are 13-8 joint favourites to secure an immediate return to the Premier League. But there is scope for a surprise with unfancied West Brom and Norwich capable of making their mark.

It is always advantageous to enter the playoffs on a run of positive results but that is not the case for any of this season's second-tier contenders. None of the semi-finalists have won more than one of their last four matches, and in the case of Leeds, the drop off in performance ruined their prospects of automatic promotion.

Leeds finished on 90 points, a large enough total to secure a top-two finish in most seasons, but they will go into Sunday's first leg of their semi-final tie with Norwich under a huge cloud.

Daniel Farke's side took just four points from their final six league fixtures and were hammered 4-0 at QPR on their last road trip.

Leeds's capitulation at Loftus Road was a hammer blow to their hopes of automatic promotion and raised questions over their capacity to handle high-stakes occasions.

A general assessment of Leeds's exploits this season is more favourable, though. 

Their goal difference  of plus 38 is by far the best of the four playoff contenders and their home record (16 wins, five draws and two defeats) is bettered only by the top two.

However, the business end of the season seems to be bringing out the worst in the Elland Road outfit and they are hard to fancy at such unattractive odds.

Leeds have struggled to cope with high expectations and the same issue may be also be true of Southampton, who fully intended to challenge for automatic promotion.

Saints wrapped up their regular season with a 2-1 victory at Leeds, but they had previously lost three on the bounce to extinguish any hope of a top-two finish.

Russell Martin's side play some attractive football and are top of the division's possession statistics with a 66.1 per cent average, but they have shipped 63 goals and kept only two clean sheets in their last 15 fixtures.

The Saints also have injuries to some key individuals, such as goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and midfielder Stuart Armstrong, to contend with and they might struggle to make the promotion decider on May 26.

West Brom are Southampton's semi-final opponents and they look primed to go well under their astute manager Carlos Corberan.

The Baggies' fifth-place finish was their best effort since relegation from the top flight in 2020-21 and it was achieved within the constraints of a fairly modest budget.

Albion lack the firepower of some of their promotion rivals but they are a well-organised team who generally play at a high intensity, and the January addition of classy Celtic loanee Mikey Johnston has given their attack an extra dimension.

They responded well to a pressure situation when winning beating Preston 3-0 in their final match of the regular season and look overpriced to end their three-year exile from the Premier League.

If would not be a massive surprise to see Norwich lining up against Albion at Wembley in a couple of weeks' time.

The Canaries improved after the turn of the year with 39 of their 73 points accrued from the final 21 games.

Norwich are capable of giving Leeds a run for their money in the semi-finals but they finished two points below West Brom in the final league table and may be edged aside by the Baggies under the famous arch if they get there.

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