Championship 2019-20: relegation predictions, betting, tips and odds

Birmingham have been getting used to life in the lower reaches of the Sky Bet Championship and the 2019-20 season could see them fall through the trap door.

Last season was a massive challenge for the Blues, who were hit with a nine-point penalty in March when the EFL found them guilty of breaching profitability and sustainability rules.

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Despite that handicap they finished 17th, which was a fantastic effort given their small squad.

Manager Garry Monk might have hoped to be rewarded with a new contract but his relationship with the owners became strained and he was sacked on June 18, making way for his former assistant Pep Clotet.

Key players have also departed. Attacking midfielder Jota was the first, joining Aston Villa, and was soon followed by top scorer Che Adams and central defender Michael Morrison, who joined Southampton and Reading.

Birmingham have made some notable late progress in the window, clinching a season-long loan deal for Chelsea's England Under-21 defender Jake Clarke-Salter and tying up the permanent transfer of Croatian international midfielder Ivan Sunjic from Dinamo Zagreb.

But that may not be enough to help Clotet, whose only previous experience of managing in England was a six-month spell at Oxford which ended when he was sacked in January 2018.

Keeping the tactics as simple as possible would give Clotet the best chance of success at Birmingham, but he has switched to a three-man defence and a passing style of play which is very different to the direct 4-4-2 method regularly deployed by his predecessor.

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Playing an expansive game without enough high-quality players could be a recipe for disaster with Birmingham in danger of sliding into the third tier for the first time since 1995.

Reading could be another established second-tier club heading for trouble.

In May 2017 the Royals suffered the heartbreak of a penalty shootout loss to Huddersfield in the playoff final.

Instead of learning the lessons they have gone backwards and narrowly avoided relegation in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Royals' manager Jose Gomes had hoped to add better-quality players this summer, but the squad looks weaker and desperately needs beefing up with some quality loanees.

Reading appear likely to register a sub 50-point tally for the third successive season and that could be costly in a division which has greater depth than last term.

The sizeable gap in quality between League One and the Championship can pose a problem for promoted sides but Luton, Barnsley and Charlton came up with high points tallies (94, 91 and 88) and should be competitive.

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There could be plenty of other clubs in the relegation mix including Wigan, QPR and Millwall, who were in the bottom eight last term.

Wigan, who lost their best player when Nick Powell joined Stoke, may be at the greatest risk of that trio.

Recommendations
Birmingham to be relegated
4pts 9-2 BoyleSports, Hills
Reading to be relegated
3pts 10-3 Sky Bet

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