Supercomputer Analysis: Sheffield United Eye Promotion Glory
The 2025-26 EFL Championship season hasn't started yet, but Opta’s supercomputer is already stirring debate among fans. After running 10,000 full-season simulations, the numbers put Sheffield United as the hot tip to storm the league. They're averaging over 80 points, not just getting promoted, but bouncing back from last year's heartbreak in style. Sheffield supporters, remember that last season’s play-off defeat to Sunderland stings, so this prediction could bring a bit of hope and buzz back to the stands.
Leicester City aren't far behind and are lined up for the other automatic promotion spot. Both Leicester and Ipswich Town are predicted to reach just over 70 points—though only Leicester get that automatic slot, while Ipswich face the rough ride of play-offs with Coventry, Southampton, and West Brom. The difference between making it and missing out? We're talking barely a handful of points. Every week, every result could tip the balance.
Play-off Drama, Mid-table Mayhem, and Relegation Jitters
The Championship always promises drama in the middle of the table. Coventry, Southampton, and West Brom are bunched together just behind the frontrunners. For Ipswich, Coventry, Southampton and West Brom fans, the dream of Premier League football is real—but the nightmare of stumbling at the last hurdle hangs over them. Just imagine the nerves on the final day if it comes down to a single point (or even goal difference) separating play-off spots from disappointment.
Further down, it gets wild. Preston North End find themselves in a real knife-edge scenario. They're predicted to finish 19th, with a whisker over 57 points—just a bit ahead in that tight cluster at the bottom. That’s just enough breathing space for fans to maybe relax... until the last few weeks when every draw and every missed chance starts to count double. Last year, Preston were wobbling, and this season looks to be another close-run battle, but at least the computer sees them staying up.
The pick of the bunch might just be Wrexham’s situation. This is their first time in the Championship for decades, and the whole Hollywood-backed project makes for a fairytale rise. But, the numbers aren’t romantic: the supercomputer predicts Wrexham will finish 21st, only 0.2 points away from falling back into League One. They've come up fast, yet staying up could be their real test, and those margins are so tiny it’ll be edge-of-your-seat stuff for their supporters every week.
- Stoke City (20th), Charlton Athletic (22nd), Watford (23rd), and Oxford United (24th) are all lumped together in the danger zone.
- From Preston in 19th to Oxford in 24th, only 1.5 points separate the clubs—just one more win or loss swings everything.
- For Oxford United, facing the prospect of dropping straight back down, every match will feel like a cup final.
This razor-thin separation means no club at the bottom can breathe easily. With so many managerial changes, shock results and the unpredictable nature of the Championship—where anyone really can beat anyone—you get this kind of chaos all season long.
For fans of teams like Preston, it’s about grinding out results and keeping the nerves steady. Wrexham supporters, meanwhile, have to brace for a season unlike anything they’ve experienced—no more underdog stories, this is pure survival mode. And for everyone else glued to the run-in, there’s no bigger drama than the battle to jump leagues or simply stay alive in the Championship’s relentless circus.
