Best bets and predictions for the 2024-25 EFL Championship playoffs: Blades look too sharp for their rivals

When do the Championship playoffs start?

The Championship playoffs start on Thursday, May 8, when Bristol City host Sheffield United. The return leg takes place at Bramall Lane the following Monday.

The second semi-final first-leg clash between Coventry and Sunderland will take place on Friday, May 9, with the return fixture on Tuesday evening.

When and where is the Championship playoff final?

The Championship playoff final will be staged at Wembley on Saturday, May 24.

Where to watch the Championship playoffs

Both legs of the two semi-finals plus the Championship playoff final will be broadcast on Sky Sports.

Championship promotion odds

Here are Sky Bet's latest odds for the Championship playoffs:

Odds correct at time of publishing

Best bet for Championship promotion

Sheffield United to win promotion
1pt 6-4 general

Dan Childs's Championship playoff predictions

Sheffield United had to accept being the odd one out in a three-team race for automatic promotion but they look by far the strongest of the Championship playoff participants and are solid 6-4 favourites to claim an immediate return to the Premier League.

Having to play an extra three games may be a source of irritation for the Blades, who were far superior to rival playoff contenders Sunderland, Coventry and Bristol City over 46 games.

But the lazy notion of the playoffs being a lottery has been far from accurate in recent Championship editions with each of last five winners coming from teams who finished in either third or fourth place.

Having to deal with disappointment can be a drawback for teams who go close to going up automatically, but there are already positive signs that Sheffield United have refocused on the challenges in front of them.

Chris Wilder's side finished off the 46-game season with a pair of strong performances – winning 2-0 away to relegation-threatened Stoke and drawing 1-1 at home to playoff-chasing Blackburn – and they look primed to play at a high level in the playoffs, starting with their semi-final against a Bristol City side which finished 22 points below them.

Finishing sixth was an achievement in itself for Bristol City, who have not taken part in the Championship playoffs since losing 1-0 to Hull in the 2007-08 final.

But the Robins finished the regular season poorly, taking one point from their last three matches, and they may struggle to get past Sheffield United, who took four points off them during the regular season.

The other semi-final between Coventry and Sunderland has the makings of a more evenly matched affair.

Both were in the Championship playoffs two years ago with Sunderland losing out to Luton in the semi-finals and Coventry suffering a penalty shootout loss to the Hatters in the final.

Coventry started this season slowly but swiftly improved after owner Doug King took the controversial decision to replace long-term manager Mark Robins with Frank Lampard.

The Sky Blues ascended from 17th to fifth after Lampard's November arrival, although they had a few wobbles during the run-in with just 13 points gathered from their final ten games.

Home form was a key factor for the Midlands side, who registered 14 of their 20 league victories at the CBS Arena.

And they will feel the need to gain a decent first-leg lead over Sunderland before undertaking next Tuesday's tricky second leg at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland finished seven points above Coventry but are in need of a spark to reignite their promotion dream.

Regis Le Bris' side were the division's early pace setters and reached the 32-game mark in a healthy state – just five points outside of the top two.

However, Sunderland's automatic hopes faded and there was a noticeable loss of intensity and focus in recent weeks with just one point taken from the final six games.

Recovering from such a slump will be a difficult task although the markets have not completely lost faith with Sunderland, who are 3-1 second-favourites to clinch promotion.

Read more on the EFL playoffs:

Bristol City vs Sheffield United predictions: Blades can gain the upper hand 

League One: Leyton Orient can express themselves in playoff battle  

League Two: Fast-finishing Spireites poised to swoop  

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